stumpjumper

may i suggest check out www.rv.net and do a search for trailer tires, there are many people out there that have ditched the 15 inch trailer tire and have upgraded to 16" and have never looked back. also if you have questions about which tires to buy or not to buy you can do a serach for that particular brand of tire. there is some VERY good information there as well...

FiverBob

Paul, please know I am not trying to be argumentive with this reply - - OK? However, an ST and LT are different because they are designed differently for two different purposes which has nothing to do with carrying people. I would suggest making a phone call to Goodyear and speak with one of their engineers as I did before making my switch OUT of LT's to ST's. He had no axe to grind either way so he could have told me either one was best. But he stated the ST is designed specifically for a trailer and could not be used on a truck - - no one would ride in it. He also commented the sidewall in the ST was much stronger than an LT. We were specifically talking about the new RST in the G rating. He highly recommended using it over the G rated LT for my trailer. Just telling you what the man that should know told me. I have been very impressed with my RST's. Now, watch one blow out next week - - - YEEEKKKKSSSS.

Bob

spuddnut

Hey FiverBob did the Goodyear guy give you any info on the shelf life or tensile strength life and speed limit on their trailer tires? Last time I checked 65mph and 30% of the tensile strength lost in 3yrs regardless of milage! may explain all the blow outs I see every week in my trailer repair shop. Putting another new fender on a horse trailer which blew a G rated 16in st!! Tire made in 05, and when I checked the other three correct psi. Horse people so concerned about their animals that only seldom do we see low psi. Age seems to be related to the blow outs we see the most. change them at three years if you do a lot of high speed long runs. my customers who only jump around town have st tires with mfg dates 5 to6 yrs.

PCM

I got the new tires installed on the new aluminum rims yesterday then took them down and swapped them out with the old 15" steel wheels and 225/75r15d Marathon tires. I did go with the BFGoodrich Commercial T/A LT215/85R16E.
I went with the 215 instead of the 225 due to a catch 22 situation.....1) The 215 is not as wide as the 225 and due to an already close proximity of the slide bar near the inside of the left side tires. I did not want the larger diameter tire to come closer to the slide bar. 2) The 85 series is slightly taller than the 225 so a wheel well clearance COULD be an issue. But I figured if that was the case and since I wanted to raise the rv a bit, I'd go with the 215. IF the wheel well clearance was an issue, I could probably increase that easier than reworking the slide bar operation bar.
A any rate, they look great and I look forward to seeing how they do in 2 weeks. PCM

FiverBob

We had all those discussions at great length - - he was great considering he didn't really need to be on the phone with me. But, I am a Goodyear customer and he took the time to help me. If LT's are so great, why did I have to change out all six of my truck tires at 3 1/2 years old because they were complete checked and one blown? I think all tires have the problem of aging while sitting in the sun regardless of the numbers on them. Speed limit on Goodyear G ST's - - 75. LT's are not immune to the same problems. The basic selling point to me was the strength of the sides and the reputation of Goodyear standing behind their product. They paid every penny of the $2600 of damage to my fiver after a blowout on my LT's, gave me TWO new tires and 1/2 price on the other two tires. Can't complain at that. They were 4 years old with about 30,000 on them and still looked new. They were great on replacing the truck tires also - - gave me 4 new ones, charged 1/2 price on the other two which did not show a lot of cracking, but it was starting.

Bob

Diesel Doc

I would trust goodyear but how many trailers come with goodyears on them. I think most trailers come with garbage trailer tires that I wouldn't put on a wheelbarow my box trailer came with junk at 3k they were wearing weird at 5k one blew the tires were less than a year old. My 12k lowboy that I pull behind my pickup has 14p.r. tires on it and they are a joke I cannot keep spare tires for it I cary 2 or 3 with me just to go 100 miles away and back I am changing it out to lt's as soon as the funds allow we will see what happens but I have had so many blowouts with the current setup I don't trust the trailer anymore. I am in Cali with the 55mph towing speed limit.

PaulDaisy

No offense taken Bob, but I think it well may have to do with carrying people. There are hundreds, thousands of reports of trailer tire blowouts and what is the outcome? STs are now made in China and we have even more blowouts. Now, when Firestones started blowing out on Explorers (a few dozen cases), there was a nation wide uproar, massive recalls, replacements and investigations. A lot more thought goes into the design of vehicle tires than in trailer tires (at least in the 15" size, semi tires is a different story).
I totally agree they are for different purposes but sheer weight of the tire does not mean to me that it is of higher quality. Call me a cynic but I immediately think that they simply slap on more rubber to hopefully increase capacity, rather than improve technology.
Sidewall stiffness is the only argument of substance that I have heard so far that seems to make sense. And I am not sure what to do myself, as my TT has the chinese 15" whatevers on it that are 4 years old so it is going to be expensive for me one way or another.

pronstar

I would *think* that lateral grip on an ST tire would differ from an LT tire to account for tire scrub in sharp turns.

But I have no evidence to support this.

tool

Personally I have had much better luck over the years with LT tires versus ST tires, much better wear and mileage as well as far fewer blowouts....

FAR FEWER! Even when using older LT tires bought second hand or take offs from the truck, much better results.

Also, when driving OTR trucks often used steer or even drive tires taken off the tractor that still had some life left in them and they ran well.

spuddnut

Please explain how St tire is superior to LT and would like to know if the 3 year tensile life applies to the tires you are recomending and what is speed limit rating on these? Any Info I can get will be a great help to me and my customers we had another trailer come in with a ST blow out and it took out a fender mfg date 04 st23585r16 G rated Trail America?? Thank you Southwestwheel.

southwestwheel

That is a pretty old production date for a new trailer tire, which could also explain four years of setting and the elements. Do not forget the non-existing factors, dry rotting, over loading, poor quality control standards, who and how where they mounted, tire covers, left indoor or out door. It is easy just to blaim a tire for improper maintance or human error. As for the G tires, which GoodYear has only made a true G trailer tire, has a very poor tread to go with its track record. It should not even be rated an LT, because you should never put this tire on a vehicle. Also, many people assume they are using 110 psi wheels because the chinese trailer wheel manufacturer said so. Most were never truly tested to any quality standards. Do blowouts happen yes, but statistically it is very few and far between.

An ST will not be rated G by a reputable tire manufacture. Actually it is a ST23580R16E at 80 psi, if not they are just stamping the tire. <-- This does happen.

StealthDiesel

Very interesting point Darrick...

The Goodyear Load range G trailer tire is labelled as an LT not ST... That is very strange. Is that an error on the web-site?
I've never noticed that before. The Goodyear G tire is common on the heavier higher end trailers.

http://www.goodyear.com/rv/products/g614rst.html


You are also totally corrected about the PSI rating for most wheels.
My wheels are only rated for 65psi max.. so I can't go to the 80 PSI load range E tires with these wheels.

..Joe

FiverBob

I asked the engineer about the tire showing LT in its designation. He said it has to do with the sizing of the tire. However, mine is labeled RST - - radial special trailer.

I think we need to keep in mind there are a bunch of 15" tires out there labeled ST's that are junk. Let's not put all ST's in the same barrel and say they are all junk. I all ready mentioned this fact and thousands of them have blown out. And you definitely would not put them on a truck - - they should not be on anything other than a bicycle (now that would be interesting). I am specifically addressing the question of a G rated tire in the 16" size.

spuddnut

The 04 date is also the trailer mfg date and this is a professional breeder and his trailer is on the road every month so no sitting for months at a time in the sun. And yes I see many trailer tires with "dry Rot" which look brand new because of non use and yes many people do not maintain proper psi ect but the people who I know maintain their trailers because they make their living with them cannot afford to break down on the road with blow outs. And yes most trailers come with the cheapest tires they can get. Most of the high end living Quarters trailers we service have LT's on them.! Goodyear is an excelent Co. and make a good product for the most part but the average Joe will not buy a top rated St for their trailers so Lt's are affordable and seem to hold up better at a decent price. Just my opinion from what I see and fix on all types of trailers and tires and all levels of maint. or lack of Thanks for the Info and will reasearch the Goodyears for the customers who can afford them.

louielouie

FWIW, this ABC news article may address part of the problem: tire age. I would imagine that trailer tires don't turn over very quickly. Plus they may sit in the sun baking for long periods of time without moving and that dry-rots the carcass increasing a chance of failure.
Trailertires.com tells you why the sidewalls for trailers need to be so stiff:
I'll stick with ST-rated tires for now.