195R14C Load Range D tires

[MikeD]

I just swapped out my old ST215/75R14 Goodyear Marathons for a set of Cooper 195R14C Load Range D tires. We will be taking a short trip this week, and I report how they work for a short trip.

One of the first things I noticed was that these tires are somewhat thinner that the regular, and this makes accessing the spare tire (in the newer under-the trailer carrier) much easier. The second thing I noticed was that there was no Date Code in the DOT information block. The tire has a DOT area, but the third block is blank. Do Euro-metric tires have a different encoding for the manufacturing date ?

Thanks -- Mike

[wmtire]

The second thing I noticed was that there was no Date Code in the DOT information block. The tire has a DOT area, but the third block is blank. Do Euro-metric tires have a different encoding for the manufacturing date ?

Thanks -- Mike

There is a federal mandate right now that got put on hold, requiring tire manufacturers to put the DOT/date code on both sidewalls (it had always just been required on one sidewall). This was to keep consumers from having to crawl under their vehicles in order to read the DOT code, if that was the side of the tire had the DOT code molded on it.

The only thing that changes each week in tire manufacturing is the week/year code. These date plates have to be changed every week in the tire molds. The manufacturers are arguing that to change the inside sidewall mold date plate is dangerous to the person doing it, and they might get burned (which is true), reaching in. They then say they will lose a lot of production time, waiting for the molds to cool down, to change the inside date plates. Because of this, the government has temporarily halted this requirement.

The manufacturers aren't sure if they are going to win this argument, so they are putting the DOT codes on both sides, all the code except for the inside date plate currently. If you don't see the date in the DOT code on the sidewall of your tire, then most likely it was the inside sidewall in the tire mold............look on the other sidewall, and I bet you will have the whole enchilada.

Of course, that'll require you crawling under the trailer. If you do, take a flashlight. :)

[MikeD]

Bobby,

Thanks. The Date Code really is only on one side of the tire and of course the tires were all mounted with that facing inwards.

Mike

[MikeD]

Hi,

We just got back from a short trip with our new Cooper 195R14C Load Range D tires which included a section of rough road (~20 mph max with TM) to get to the camp side. I felt no difference in handling, and the TM interior did not appear any worst for wear for going over the rough section of road with 65psi LR D tires. After setting up, I remove the tire skirts to check for any rubbing or other contact problems -- no problems on my 2004 2720 without lift kit.

So far, so good -- I have a ~1000 mile trip scheduled in Oct and I'll report again after that.

Mike

[retiredgoat]

I put Cooper 195R14C, Load Range D 106/104Q with a load rating of 2095 lbs at 65 PSIG on my 2001 3326 back in April and just love them. I drove down from Buffalo NY to Daytona Beach Fl doing 70-80 MPH all the way just to test the handling and response and I have to say to anyone wanting new tires these are great.

I never pull with anything less than an F-150 just to ensure braking is at an premium and the 3326 stopped on a dime in traffic (four tires slowing you down is nice). The handling in traffic was very nice (I'm not a road runner just passed a few 5ers to say I did it) hahaha.

Good Luck

[wmtire]

Bobby,

Thanks. The Date Code really is only on one side of the tire and of course the tires were all mounted with that facing inwards.

Mike

Of course, Mike. Tire mounting adheres to the "dropped buttered toast" principle. The good side is always going to be facing away from you...ie the buttered side always lands on the floor. :D

We take classes on how to make sure we do it like that. Sad thing is, I've hired some guys before who weren't even smart enough to make toast. :)

[KSBASS]

Mike
What is the date code on your Coopers? I put some on my '04 2720 back in June. I've got datecodes of 1207 on L & R and 1107 on spare. (Not that I selected them that way, that's just how it ended up!) The Cooper dealer I got them from in KC had to order them in from Atlanta. Took a week. I paid $354.92 for the 3 tires mounted and balanced. I've only got 400 miles on them so far but agree they run fine. The thinner sidewall does make it easier to mount on the spare rack and also didn't require the skirt to be removed to mount them. I did squint a little putting 65psi in them though!
Troy

[MikeD]

Troy,

My Date codes are all 1207. My dealer was able to get the tires in one day, there must be a stocking center in Northern California. Did you also get the high pressure metal stems ? Mine were beginning to crack, the metal stems look like they will last close to forever.

Mike

[KSBASS]

I guess I needed a picture of a metal stem to know what to look for. I asked the tire dealer to use them and he sent me to the parts store to get some (he didn't have any). Nothing that I considered metal stems at Autozone or O'Reillys. I stopped at a Goodyear tire center and they had some heavy-duty 80 psi max stems. They have a metal core but still with a black rubber outer covering. What did you get?

Troy

[wbmiller3]

Mine are all shiny metal...see attached picture.

[wmtire]

Mine are all shiny metal...see attached picture.

That is what we refer to as a clamp-in valve stem in the tire business. They will hold over a hundred pounds of air pressure. It does have a rubber grommet in them, that will eventually dry out and crack, but this will be many years down the road. You can just replace this grommet without having to replace the stem. I know, that I personally carry the grommets for replacement, but the whole stem itself isn't very expensive. They cost me around .80 to a $1.25.

The solid black rubber coated stems are called snap-in valve stems. Depending on the brand, they are rated for between 60 to 65 psi. They do make an all rubber coated high pressure snap-in stem, but it's hard to correctly identify just by glancing at it.

Most of the high pressure snap-in valves stems nowadays are half black rubber coated and half exposed brass. It makes them a lot easier to identify by looking at them. Depending on brand again, these high pressure snap-in valve stems usually hold between 80 -100 psi.

There has been some discussion on these forums about the quality of some imported rubber snap-in valve stems. Our tire trade journals have been discussing this too. Some are being made with lesser quality material and are prone to drying out and cracking a lot faster than the more quality made ones. It's going to be hard for the average consumer to know a quality made stem from an inferior one. The imported ones cost about half as much as the quality ones. It depends on your tire dealer, and on how much money he wants to save and where to cut costs...on which stems he carries. Everyone needs to remember that. Your safer bet will be to go for a metal clamp-in type like Wbmiller3 has smartly installed (see pic) on his. These stems are heavier than the rubber snap-in type, and subsequently will usually require more weight to properly balance the tire/wheel assembly.

If you do purchase a snap-in valve stem (for your vehicle, trailer, motorbike, etc), try to find brands like Schrader. They are argueably the best in the tire industry.

Here is a link to Schrader, with catalog pics to see the different types of valve stems, we just discussed.

http://www.schraderbridgeport.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=5203&location_id=5276

I'm going to add this tidbit in conclusion of my long winded post.There are certain kinds of wheel cleaning products out there, that don't play nice with valve stems. The chemicals in the cleaner will actually deteriorate the material in the valve stem. Try not to spray cleaner onto your valve stems, if possible.

[wmtire]

I found another brand of the Euro sized 195R14 inch Load range D (8ply rated) tires in a Continental Vanco 8. Tire Rack is selling these.

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/us/en/continental/automobile/themes/van/motor_home/vanco_8/master_en.html

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Continental&model=Vanco-8&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&partnum=9R4VANCO&tirePageLocQty=%26partnum%3D9R4VANCO

Just informing everyone of more options should they go this route in replacing their 14 inch tires. If memory serves me, we have so far discussed in the radial Euro sizing-- Cooper/Mastercraft, Kumhos, and Hankooks.

[bjmjr1]

I have been reading this thread as well as other threads about the Cooper 195R14C Load Range D tires. When I called my local tire place, they asked me what type or model Cooper tire I was interested in. They said it had to do with the tread design. Can anyone help me with this detail??

[wmtire]

Hey Benny, in a Cooper branded tire, it's called a SRM II

http://www.coopertire.com/html/products/specs.aspx?page=srm_2_radial_lt&LanguageId=1&tiretype=S&sorttype=T

In a Mastercraft brand (the same tire made by Cooper) it's a Courser R/D. You have to scroll the page to see the specs at the bottom.

http://www.mastercrafttires.com/html/products/tires_lighttruck.aspx?page=mastercraft_tires_light _truck_courser_RD

If you notice the specs/sizing are identical for both tires, it's because Cooper makes both, but just puts 2 different names on them, even though they are the same tire. A lot of the time, you might be able to get a better price deal on the Mastercrafts. Hope this helps you.

[bjmjr1]

This is a big help. Thanks alot Bobby.

I read the thread which included your tire comparison. Has there been any feedback from the other TM owners about their tires.

Also do you have an openion on Cooper vs Kumho, or Dee Stone bias ply?

[wmtire]

This is a big help. Thanks alot Bobby.
I read the thread which included your tire comparison. Has there been any feedback from the other TM owners about their tires.

All the feedback so far has been positive for the EURO sized tires, irregardless of brand.


Also do you have an openion on Cooper vs Kumho, or Dee Stone bias ply?

That's the purpose of our little experiment with different brands and sizes: to see if we can come up with an informed opinion based on real world use on our trailers. This real world use will take several years to see how well the tires hold up.

In my professional dealings, I have had many customers come to us with problematic trailer tires, which a large percentage has been Goodyear marathons........but I also have to note that GY Marathons are going to be the tire on a larger percentage of trailers, so realistically I should see more of them. If you read these forums, you can see where others have had problems too. We are trying to determine just where the problem lies, if it is the brand, age, air pressure, weight, or a combination....that might be causing the problem.

I have not sold enough of the Euro tires (and the only ones I have are the Hankook brand) to offer a real world use professional summation...........yet. In the last year I have sold a few, and haven't adjusted any. However I wouldn't expect to adjust any tires that early in the game.

Unbiased feedback from the other Trailmanor owners (and me) is crucial for our experiment to have any validity. I can offer many opinions on tires that I sell and/or have experience with, but I am limited to just those tires. As others run different brands and sizing on their trailers, then report their feedback, we all should be able to develop a better picture on what is working the best, and then make an informed suggestion for what tires to buy.

All I can say right now, is it appears the Euro sized tires are performing well on the 14 inch wheel equipped trailers. All brands being experimented with, are doing what we hope they would do.

I hope to reach a point where others will be able to read this forum and see the results of our experimentation, then to confidently buy a tire based on it. We are getting there. I strongly believe that changing to the Load Range D Euro tires, using the heavy ply bias tires like Freedom is, or upgrading the 14 inch tires to a 15 inch tire with more load carrying capability, is a right step. Having more weight carrying capability/reserve cannot be a bad thing for trailers.

[Joseph]

Just wanted to throw this into the mix.;)

Swapped out the 14 inch Marathons with a Triangle TR645 tire. They are 195R14C load range D types. Date code of 2008. Specs on the side wall are 2057 lbs @ 65 psi. They appear to be just a tad smaller than the Marathons but have more tread on them. In my situation I do not see a down side to that. I am afraid that my test may be more of a stationary type than anything as I have no long trips planned for the rest of this year, but even that data too should be useful. There are a couple of more trips coming up this year of varying lengths but nothing over 300 miles one way. I will post any problems. Thanks to all the members of the board that responded to my requests for information on your tires.