Trailer Tires? Plus video on basics

Tires have often been a topic here in the past, but I’ve not seen much recently on this topic. During this past few months, many TMers have been trailering with both good and bad experiences.

I’m wondering which tire brands, and ages thereof, have worked out pleasantly and which ones have not. Be fair and mention any possible faults in the use of those tires, please. Plus, give the details on brand, type (truck, RV, ?), radial, etc., and whether you would buy again.

Here is a YouTube video that if you ignore the obvious promo for Carlisle Rv tires, the rest of the video has a lot of good basic info. Note: the start of the video also mentions Dodge trucks, but keep on watching for the trailer tire part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erQMCQ0LYZI

ps - If you have and like the above mentioned Carlisle tires on your TM, where did you buy them?

[commodor47]

Our TM came with the 14" Goodyear Marathon tires. We purchased the unit from a private party in 2004.

This link will give you more information:

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...52&postcount=2

Since 2004 we have traveled to AZ and back 8 times for a total of approximately 70,000 without a tire failure. I replaced the tires with another set of 14" Marathons in 2007 and again in 2011 (also replaced the steel valve stems and balanced the tires).

Based on my experience, I will continue to purchase the 14" Marathons. We tend to hear from owners who have experienced tire failure. It would be nice to hear from owners who have not experienced tire failure.

Dick

[davlin]

TravlinOn,

Probably would have posted this in "Tires, Tires, Tires." So much has already been said there. Here are some written tire tips (also from Carlisle) in case you missed it. http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=14067

I've been running on Carlisle 225/75R 15, Load Range E since January (2007 3124KS). So far, I like them a lot. I run them at 75 psi, rather than 80. Just a bit softer ride.

Lots of back and forth on whether it's better to run on Special Trailer (ST) tires or Light Truck (LT). The only argument I can find for LT's is that you can run them faster than the 65 mph speed rating for ST's. Since I don't need to go faster than that when I'm pulling my trailer, and since there are notable downsides (as per the video) to running LT's, I'm sticking with ST's.

I ran Goodyear Marathon's on my old 3326. I did have one blowout, and it was a bit scary, but I'm not sure that I blame Goodyear for that incident. My tires were too old, and I was running them too fast.

I think that several companies make good, reliable trailer tires. The real key to problem-free trailer tires is to protect them from heat and injury. To protect them from heat, you have to keep them properly inflated, not overload them, not drive them above their recommended speed rating, and not let them get too old. This last item becomes a bit subjective, because every tire owner must find his/her own comfort level, but I believe that six years from the manufactured date stamped on the tire is absolutely the longest it should go. Some are not even comfortable keeping them that long.

Hope this help,

Dave

I have had only Goodyear Marathons, so can't comment on others. Based on several years of comments on this forum and my personal research/experiences, I would recommend the following to maximize your chances of not having a failure. This doesn't mean you will have a problem if you don't follow these suggestions...your experience will vary.

1) Upgrade to 15" wheels and tires.
2) Don't keep your tires longer than 4 years from the date of manufacture.
3) Maybe the most important, use metal valve stems.
4) Keep your speed below 60 and monitor your pressure each day.
5) Balance your tires.

Anyone think of anything else?

What is the need for metal valve stems?
David

There was a recall a couple of years ago on about a zillion Chinese rubber valve stems. No one knew if theirs was affected since the id numbers were on the inside. Since then, the recommendation has been to use the metal stems. Interestingly enough the number of tire failures seems to have lessened since this became common knowledge.

Our current Marathons ST225/75R15D's have about 40,000 km (25K miles) on them. They are 3-4 yrs old from date of manufacture in China. Original rubber valve stems and balance.

No problems so far and lots of tread left. Because of the high mileage, I do rotate them, including the spare, every year. Usually travel ~62mph (100km/h). Check the pressures ... occasionally, when I remember.

[Bill]

Scott is exactly right about the cheap Chinese rubber valve stems. And there is an adiditional thought to add here. Many 14" trailer tires, including Marathons, have a max inflation pressure of 50 psi, which good rubber stems can handle. But many 15" trailer tires, including Marathons, have a max inflation pressure of 65 psi. I seem to recall that rubber stems won't take this pressure, while metal stems will. WMTire would know for sure - in fact, he may be the one who clued us all in on it.

Bill