Toy hauler wheels n tires again

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ArnieTex

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Tried to continue my previous thread but the forum did not allow it after I spent a long time typing it out and lost it lol, pop up said I could not reply cause it was over 39 days old. So here it goes again.
Competition season is fixing to go full blast for us now so need to move forward with this.
Mainly just hauling the competition pits, ice chest's and gear in the Toy hauler.
Bought the air bags and they helped level the truck ok also bought the weight distribution hitch, with the sway bar but have not installed it. Can I just use the sway bar with out the other stuff? Crosswinds and 18 wheelers still cause a little sway.
Will likely keep the 15 tires but up grade to a higher rating at least one more up. Just doesn't make sense to spend $1600.00 to upgrade to 16's right now.
Apparently in 15's there is very limited options, some off brand and Carlisle, I have never owned a Carlisle tire, are they really ok for running across the country?
Thanks in advance and below is the old thread for reference.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=242465
 
I have a weight distribution hitch with sway bars. It works very well. I can still tell if a truck or semi comes zipping by and cross winds can get tough but it works very well. I just drove to FL and back from OH. Most of the drive I couldn't even tell there was a trailer behind me.
 
One thing I did buy this weekend was air pressure sensors for the trailer. This way I can see if the tires are hot or not filled correctly and if one of them blows I will know immediately. Well worth $89 for the sense of security.
 
RLTXBBQ,

I feel your pain when it comes to finding a good answer on trailer tires/ I have 16" on my toyhauler and upgraded to the Michelin XPS but it is a big expense, but it is also piece of mind. I have seen so many trailers with damage due to tire blow outs I figured the cost of the tires outweighed fixing damage. I am not sure if you have a single or tandem axle but my opinion is to stay away from ST tires. I see you are in Texas, so a bit like here in Florida the heat is a destroyer of trailer tires. We just had bike week here last week and I had to travel the North South interstate a few days and I saw atleast 10 trailers on the highway with blown tires.

I run LT tires on my triple axle 40 foot gooseneck and have never had a failure. I take it easy backing in and avoid tight turns so that I keep the side load to a minimum and have never had an issue and I tow about 20 K miles a year.

I have a great relationship with the tire shop here and the only trailer tire they recommend is Carlisle. I do have a couple of them for spares but I have never had one on the highway.
 
Years ago I was carrying a pallet of floor tile and had a blow out. Limped into my tire guy on the spare and he hooked me up with some Goodyear's especially made for U-Haul. At the time he said they were not supposed to sell them to the public, made it sound like they were proprietary to U-Haul. Anyhow, they were GREAT and I'm still running them on a utility trailer 5-6 years later! I would sure look into availability?
 
thunderalley3 said:
RLTXBBQ,

I feel your pain when it comes to finding a good answer on trailer tires/ I have 16" on my toyhauler and upgraded to the Michelin XPS but it is a big expense, but it is also piece of mind. I have seen so many trailers with damage due to tire blow outs I figured the cost of the tires outweighed fixing damage. I am not sure if you have a single or tandem axle but my opinion is to stay away from ST tires. I see you are in Texas, so a bit like here in Florida the heat is a destroyer of trailer tires. We just had bike week here last week and I had to travel the North South interstate a few days and I saw atleast 10 trailers on the highway with blown tires.

I run LT tires on my triple axle 40 foot gooseneck and have never had a failure. I take it easy backing in and avoid tight turns so that I keep the side load to a minimum and have never had an issue and I tow about 20 K miles a year.

I have a great relationship with the tire shop here and the only trailer tire they recommend is Carlisle. I do have a couple of them for spares but I have never had one on the highway.
Click to expand...

I'll add another ++ for the LT tires.
My last two 5th wheels seemed to eat the factory trailer tires. I switched to LT tires of the same size and never had another problem.
Since then I've gone to LT tires on the boat and utility trailers.
Some will say don't do it but my experience says different.
 
Thanks for the replys everybody, was all set to buy some 15's with 10 plys on Monday with my local tire guy, Carlisle's. The more I read the more I see everyone has a different opinion and experiences. Will try and find an interesting comment I read on another form, it made sense but again everyones experiences can be different. Just did not want to make the expense on 16's but maybe the best thing to do, Texas is BIG and HOT, pluse we cooked over 30 events last year all over the place and a couple out of state too.
Thanks
 
I believe you are overthinking this. Properly inflated tires in excellent condition are almost never the problem.

Most trailers with 16"+ rims also have heavier axles and are rated for the aft mentioned loads.

are you overloaded? If you are, you have bigger problems then the tires.
 
Here is a quote from another forum, I'm adding it so if it helps someone else make a good decision too, hopefully I'll make one lol. Will most likely buy some 16's wheel and tires from local Discount tire just because they have so many locations nationwide and it may help in the long run if there are any issues.

"Was on the phone with a tire safety guy last week and he had an unusual twist in the ST vs LT debate.

LT tire tread is designed to provide optimum traction under power and turning performance in all weather conditions. As such, the tread design provides for high friction in side loading to provide "grip" while turning. It also has an aggressive tread for high friction when used as a drive tire. It also has channels for water to squirt out the sides to keep the drive and steering wheels from hydroplaning. These channels also provide high friction when the tire is twisted in hard turns.

"ST tires have a unique tread design. There are only ribs and channels that follow the rotation of the tire. There are no (or few) side to side grooves and the tread itself is very "non-aggressive" to provide a minimum rolling friction for better tire life and fuel economy.

In the past, the higher tire loading in high end campers was not being served by the tire industry so to provide the load carrying capacity required they put LT tires on at the factory. Today, there are more choices available and for a given load factor better performance will come from an ST tire.

Under similar driving conditions, the ST tire will provide better gas mileage and longer tire life. During sharp turns the ST tire will crab sideways much more easily than an LT tire. This will reduce uneven wear and "scrubbing" of the tread.

ST tires also have a much higher emulsion content in the rubber since most ST tires don't get a lot of use. LT tires are run at highways speeds more often and the emulsion can lubricate the rubber more easily when the tires get hot at highway speeds. The higher content in the ST tire rubber prevents/delays dry rot in tires that don't get much use. "
 
Untraceable said:
I believe you are overthinking this. Properly inflated tires in excellent condition are almost never the problem.

Most trailers with 16"+ rims also have heavier axles and are rated for the aft mentioned loads.

are you overloaded? If you are, you have bigger problems then the tires.
Click to expand...


LOL, I agree, we do tend to do that as bbq guys right haha. However as I mentioned Texas is very big and in the past seems every time I have had a problem it has been driving home at night or if in the day time is way out in the middle of nowhere where, OR on Sunday when everybody is closed. Weird how it happens that way so yea I definitely want to think it through.
Will add, my toy hauler is 6400 empty, water is around 550, plus cookers and two large ice chests loaded full plus all the stuff, charcoals wood ect. So trailer is somewhere on the edge imo of the 10K limit of the two 5K axles. Currently running Goodyear Marathons with a max load of 2850 x 4 = 11400 total, that's at MAX of course but just makes me a little uncomfy to be that close plus when I am loaded and look at the tires they look like they are over loaded anyways even if they are not, just makes me nervous and I do like to run 70-75 mph because we do usually run 300-500 miles on average each weekend that we cook and I want to get there lol. Anyways maybe I am over thinking it but do plan to run a lot of miles this year too.
thanks
 
There are LT tires that have a tread design that is similar to a trailer tire. Look at the Michelin XPS and that will show you the design. Firestone also has one similar, I think it is a transforce, that is priced lower. I have no idea why someone would want them on a truck, unless it was rear wheel drive and you used them for steering tires only as they only have tread that runs around the tire.

Also when considering the load you have to deduct your tongue weight from your overall weight as that is supported by the tow vehicle. The best way is to go to a scale and weigh truck and trailer loaded then you know what you are dealing with as far as load rating requirements. I think the last time I weighed it was $10 at a commercial certified scale. It will really open your eyes as to how much weight is transferred to the tow vehicle.
 
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