RE: need tires , help
My 5th wheel came with LT235/85R16 Uniroyal Laredo load range G tires. They gave me approximately 30,000 miles of service over 6 years.
That is strange, Uniroyal never made that tire in a Load Range G! LRE yes, but not LRG.
Chris
Another senior moment or typo. IT is a load range E.
RE: need tires , help
I started this by asking for some advice/opinions/answers. In this like everything else you receive information from people who know what they are talking about, thank they know what they are talking about and don't know what they are talking about.
I vacillated a lot as I struggled between price and perceived quality and performance. In the process I learned a lot. My 5th wheel came with LT235/85R16 Uniroyal Laredo load range G tires. They gave me approximately 30,000 miles of service over 6 years.
I wanted to upgrade is ratings for my next tires. Walmart would not mount anything other than a ST tire on a trailer even though the trailer came with LT tires. Sam's Club didn't have concern about LT vs ST, but Michelin was out of stock from the factory. I went for Good Year Unisteel G614 RST ST235/85R16 G/14PR because I seemed to be led to that choice due to my options and the CEO from NUWA suggested them. They are much more tire than my trailer wgt calls for, but I like that.
Now I am looking for inflation charts based on the actually wgt on the tire. These tires have a max psi at 110 lbs psi at max wgt, but that should not be ideal with my rig. I do believe I will need a little more pressure on the rear set vs the front set. I also learned that ST tires are suppose to be inflated to the max psi, where LT tires are to be inflated to what they carry.
Now this is all premised on whether what I think I have learned is accurate.
RE: Country Wide Tires
OK, I got into a chap session with Countrywide Tire. Here is the chat session.
Chris:
Where is the JB43 LT235/85R16 item number 537521 manufactured?
Welcome Chris! Your request has been directed to the Technical Support department. Please wait for our representative to connect.
Chat accepted by Customer-Service. Currently in room: Chris, Customer-Service.
Customer-Service:
Hello Chris - This is Jessica. Let me check that for you, one moment.
Chris:
How about the DOT plant code?
Chris:
also
Customer-Service:
Those tires are currently manufactured in China.
Chris:
Plant Code?
Customer-Service:
Which account are you with, Chris?
Chris:
consumer
Chris:
Someone on RV.net was looking at them and questioned where they were made. I found your nice chat feature!
Chris:
BTW, you look nice in your picture at the top of my screen!
Customer-Service:
Those tires are not recommended for use on an RV.
Chris:
It is a 5th wheel trailer!
Customer-Service:
It is not recommended for use on RV's, 5th Wheels Trailers, or Horse/Livestock Trailers.
Chris:
OK, thank you.
My only comment is that I really appreciate someone taking the time to help me out. When I went to their website I could not find any information about this tire to confirm what a salesman had said in Yuma. I was looking last night or I would have called them myself. "Me again" went out of his way to get me some factual information and not just his opinion. I can't comment on the other tire comparison. I stopped back at the dealer this morning and talked to the salesman. Just told him I wanted him to be aware that this tire was not being recommended for an RV Trailer by the manufacturer so he was aware of that and would not try to represent it that way to another customer.
Thanks again "Me Again" Your research was above and beyond the request for help.
Country Wide Tires
Does anyone know anything about Country Wide Tires. They are not suppose to be made in China. I think maybe Korea, but can't find anything that tells much about them or reviews them.
I am being quoted on a 235/85r16 14 ply rib.
Country Wide Tires
Does anyone know anything about Country Wide Tires? They are not suppose to be made in China. I think maybe Korea, but can't find anything that tells much about them or reviews them.
RE: need tires , help
FYI, recently a dealer refused to install LT tires on our 5th wheel which had a load rating of 3,042 lbs when the OEM ST tires on our 5th wheel had a load rating for 3500 lbs even though we have 6,000 lb axles on our 5th wheel. It is my understanding that is dictated by law. However, it is not widely understood or followed.
I would have asked for a copy of the law that they are using as a guideline. As far as I know it is only a recommendation, from the industry that provided the tires to start with, which was turned into a gov recommendation. We could have all learned from it. Even one of our resident tire gurus has not quoted or provided a link to an actual federal law.
Chris
I just came from Wally World and they refused to install ant LT tire on my 5th wheel trailer even though it came from the factory with LT tires. They said they were not allowed to install LT tires on trailer rims.
Before that I was at Sams and they were not able to get the Michelin Ribs because they were not available at the present time from Michelin. They would not mount any tires I purchased somewhere else, but would sell me a lifetime balance and rotation at Sam's if I already had the tires on the trailer. Sears would not mount the tires because they would have to do it in the parking lot because of no doors high enough to get in shop. Sam's would mount tires out in their lot but did not have the tires I wanted. I did not ask Sears or Sams about LT tire mounting on trailer rims because I was not aware of that possibility.
Point is, you may get a different answer from every different store on what the will and won't do and a different answer depending on who you talk to at that store. My next step will be to ask Sears if they will mount and balance tires I buy from them if I take the tires off my 5th wheel in their parking lot and bring them into the shop to be changed and balanced and then I take them out and put them on my trailer and if they would come out with a torque wrench to make sure they are torqued correctly.
Shaking my head in Yuma, AZ.
RE: Hankook, Goodyear or Maxis ST 235/85/R16 Load Range f or G
Not interested in 17.5 tires and buying new rims and having such little space between the tires. I presently have 7000# axles, 235/85/R16 E rated at 3042 lb.
I have found this tires in F and G ratings close to 3900 lb rating , but there China tires. Have not been able to find ST tires in this size with F or G ratings with Michelin, Bridgestone, Hankook or Good Year. My tires are 6 1/2 yrs old with estimated 30,000 miles. One has crashed, two others need to go, one is a 6 1/2 yr old never used spare and the other has some excessive edge wear.
I may have to rethink the Maxxis E. Thanks for the help.
Not interested in Fixing the problem, I can understand. But to say you would sacrifice too much in Diameter is plane wrong. The 215 diameter would be about an inch smaller in diameter, effectively giving you more space between tires. So that is not an excuse. And that tire combination is proven on large trailers and can have a load rating exceeding 4000 pounds. Your choice, so do what you want, but you might as well also start saving for trailer repairs when one of those underrated poor quality tires explodes.
If I wasn't interesting in fixing what may be a problem or learning more I wouldn't be asking. When you mentioned 17.5, I only looked at that. Did not know you were also talking about being 215. I still don't want to purchase new rims and want to resolve the issue with 16 " in a good E range or go up to a good F or G 16".
You sound like the only option is a 17.5 and if I don't go to that I need to save money to repair my trailer. What is the reason you think the 17.5 is the only sane solution?
RE: LT verses ST tires
Thanks again John,
They looked at the alignment visually and measured manually, but did not have it on any alignment checking device. From what they saw they did not suggest alignment.
The tires are ST's and came from NUWA that way. NUWA CEO Mike Mitchell responded to a question I sent NUWA and said they later discovered that that tire was questionable in hind site. He must have been referring to the info you posted.
The trailer is only slightly up hill. Many times it looks level and it appears to me visually that the tire on the rear squat a hair more. When I check tire temps while on the road they probably average about 2 degrees warmer. I would love to get a 4 wheel wgt check but have never been where that was an option to do. I do want to see if I can weigh on a Cat Scale and separate the two axles on different scales to get a front and rear wheel tandem weight. I also compare tire temp from street side to curb side and those also are usually within a degree or two. Sun shining on one side or the other can alter that also.
With this information in hand I'm planning to try for the Michelin Rib and may consider another recommended RV tire they people call the Bridgestone Rib, but I'm not sure what tire the Bridgestone Rib is. My guess is the Bridgestone Duravis R250. If anyone knows for sure, I would appreciate any thought or input.
RE: LT verses ST tires
Maybe I shouldn't even be concerned. The tires that came with the rig are 6 1/2 years from manufacture date and 5 1/2 years on the trailer. I must have between 25,000 and 30,000 mile on them.
I thought the axles might need realignment, and visited a shop that does that. They looked them over, took some measurements, inspected underneath the trailer and were not too concerned. They suggested watching the tires and wear as we went South for the Winter. I got a flat when we entered the RV Park in Yuma. Must have picked something up in the park. While looking at the situation , I noticed a flat spot on the tire behind the one that went flat. Knowing I was pushing the age of the tires decided it was time to replace the set.
When I look at the whole scenario, I'm now thinking that I actually got pretty good service on these and if I go to the rib I'm upgrading to a much better tire with more strength. I also only rotated my tires once during that stretch and don't recall if I had them balanced. Following the old line of propaganda that one does not need to balance trailer tires. Never did understand that line of thought but I'm a sucker fro what's recommended.
RE: LT verses ST tires
My trailer weight from Cat scales as we travel loaded, full gas and all people and equipment is 10,800 plus another 3,460 on the pin.
The trailer came from factory with Uniroyal Laredo 235/85 R16 E range at 3050 lbs and I have 7,000 lb axles. The tires have warn down on the outside edges with good tread in the middle. This should indicate overloading or under-inflating. I check my tires on a regular basis for air pressure and maintain the 80 psi rated. I also have a lazer gun that takes temp when I point it on anything. I check tire temps at least once a day while on the road and more if driving in hot weather.
The present tires are rated to carry the load but I have a little more weight on the rear tires because of slightly higher trailer front. Hard to even notice most of the time, but back tandems squat slightly more. I'm wondering whether the Michelin Ribs with the same rating of about 3,050 are that much better of a tire that they will not exhibit the problem wear.
You might try one size up from your 235's. Yes outside edge wear is generally caused by overloading or under inflation, but can also be caused by too narrow a tread width for the rim width. I find that the tread width should be the same as or a little wider than the rim bead width. Keeps the tread from "rolling" under at the edges.
Thanks for the idea on 245's.
LIKENIT
RE: Revived Trailer Tire Thread (formerly on the 5th Wheel Forum
That's the same thing I do, but I've wondered what the temps should be that we want to stay under. Checking temps before hitting the road and during stops might also shed some light. I mostly compare tires. It would seem to me that the temp would give some indication of the weight on each tire, provided they are all inflated at the same psi. I am going to try to get my trailer on a Cat Scale and see if I have room to get separate weights for front and rear axles.
RE: LT verses ST tires
Hi Likenit,
Trying to help here, what I listed about in blue may not be all tire loading or pressure.
Thrust angle, wheel toe and axle camber can also cause tire edge wear.
Tandem axles wear certain tires more in turns on edges too. If by chance you have any pics looking across the tire face can help. Even better is tread depth across the face of all 4 tires.
You mentioned the rear tires squat more, need to get to a scale setup that can allow individual wheel weights. Odds are high all 4 wheels locations are not equal. Especially with a slide on one side. This can help add really good data to help sort this out.
To your original question, yes I have upgraded to LT over ST after I had ST tires failures. See here for more on this. ST225/75R15 to LT225/75R16 Conversion
It took an amount of research on my part to come to the decision that for me, upgrading both the load capacity to increase the tire capacity reserve and change to LT's was the right way to go. In my case it was "work" to do this upgrade as I had tire wheel well clearance issues going to 16" tires. Now that I am past this I have zero regrets doing this upgrade. And yes it did cost more but I am not looking for cheap, I'm looking for quality and dependability.
Having 3 tire failures this year woke me up too, something is wrong in the application or use of this setup. I challenged myself to make sure I did not screw up and cause this from use on my end. Next was application and tire quality. I took this as far as I could including a tire failure analysis. In the end of the open minded review, I came to my conclusion to upgrade to a higher load range ST or go to a higher load range LT and deal with the fender clearance. My thread explains most of this.
I also worked through axle alignment screw ups and learned some on what can cause tire wear on a trailer. See here for some more on this, TT axle alignment & install - Detailed (long lot's of pics)
My TT GVW is just under 10,000# and the axle weights are less than yours. While you are heavier, looking over my trail on how I came to my conclusion may help you sort this out in your head. I would recommend as friendly heads up to get an axle alignment check and individual wheel weights before installing new tires. Make sure you have a target of 20% more reserve capacity over the heaviest tire position.
I'm not a tire engineer nor a trailer running gear expert, I am however a machinery guy who troubleshoots machinery everyday for a living. If the equipment failed, there is a reason and I'm anal enough to dig to get to the reason the best I can to rationalize this in my head. Then make a decision, change something and move on. My reasoning may or may not be right for you application. I'm just a fellow RV bud passing along some help on what I worked through to help a fellow camper.
Good luck and hope this helps
John
John,
Thanks for all the great info. I'm a bit anal also but am running out of time. Maybe I shouldn't even be concerned. The tires that came with the rig are 6 1/2 years from manufacture date and 5 1/2 years on the trailer. I must have between 25,000 and 30,000 mile on them.
I thought the axles might need realignment, and visited a shop that does that. They looked them over, took some measurements, inspected underneath the trailer and were not too concerned. They suggested watching the tires and wear as we went South for the Winter. I got a flat when we entered the RV Park in Yuma. Must have picked something up in the park. While looking at the situation , I noticed a flat spot on the tire behind the one that went flat. Knowing I was pushing the age of the tires decided it was time to replace the set.
When I look at the whole scenario, I'm now thinking that I actually got pretty good service on these and if I go to the rib I'm upgrading to a much better tire with more strength. I also only rotated my tires once during that stretch and don't recall if I had them balanced. Following the old line of propaganda that one does not need to balance trailer tires. Never did understand that line of thought but I'm a sucker fro what's recommended.
Your words are greatly appreciated. You presented a lot of "what makes sense."
My new slogan over the past few years is, "If it doesn't make sense, that makes sense!" Your comments don't fit that.
LIKENIT
RE: LT verses ST tires
My trailer weight from Cat scales as we travel loaded, full gas and all people and equipment is 10,800 plus another 3,460 on the pin.
The trailer came from factory with Uniroyal Laredo 235/85 R16 E range at 3050 lbs and I have 7,000 lb axles. The tires have warn down on the outside edges with good tread in the middle. This should indicate overloading or under-inflating. I check my tires on a regular basis for air pressure and maintain the 80 psi rated. I also have a lazer gun that takes temp when I point it on anything. I check tire temps at least once a day while on the road and more if driving in hot weather.
The present tires are rated to carry the load but I have a little more weight on the rear tires because of slightly higher trailer front. Hard to even notice most of the time, but back tandems squat slightly more. I'm wondering whether the Michelin Ribs with the same rating of about 3,050 are that much better of a tire that they will not exhibit the problem wear.
RE: LT verses ST tires
The Michelin Ribs that I have found are rated E range with a wgt capacity around 3050 pounds at 80 PSI. Am I missing something in my searches that they don't offer an F or G range?
they dont appear to make anything bigger than the 16" 3050 tire. I am a little surprised by that as it's seems to be the most recommended tire, and it only goes up to 3050? The tire warlords have dinky trailers? wait what? :B
That was shocking to me if true. So many people are saying go with the Michelin. My present tire are 3050 E's and I'm trying to go up from that. That probably explains why they are so much cheaper than the Good Year G 614's.
I have pretty much decided on 4 Good Year G 614, and have found some much better prices on-line, but am having trouble finding someone to mount and balance that has the same stores around the Country like Sears, Walmart or Sams. Sears does not handle them, but they would not mount them on a 5th wheel like mine unless they could get it in the service bays and their doors are noy tall enough in Yuma. Don't know hy they won't do them in the using a floor jack etc. Other places will mount out in their lots if they handle the tires.
RE: LT verses ST tires
The Michelin Ribs that I have found are rated E range with a wgt capacity around 3050 pounds at 80 PSI. Am I missing something in my searches that the offer an F or G range?
RE: LT verses ST tires
Do we now have Trailer Tire Nuns chasing us around, ready to slap our wrists with rulers because we used the "wrong" tires?
I was just asking a question based on what I thought was recommended for trailer use. Haven't seen any Trailer Tire Nuns.
