Trailer Tires

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

This past Sunday I ran the first of the equipment to the new house. A trip that normally is just under four hours took 6-1/2. A little over half way down, I had a blowout on the trailer, luckily, on the right side. No, I never bought a spare and actually I will be selling this trailer due to the new house's HOA storage rules. I gambled with the fact that I would be selling the trailer than buying a spare. 

 

I probably had about 500-600 miles on these tires but they were three years old and stored in the shade. No curbing or rough handling to break a cord. Before we left I checked them out and were at the correct pressure. It was only the weight of two Black Hoods and a 48" SD deck. We had been driving about 1-1/2 hours driving at around 55 mph +/-  and then had been on I-81 for about 25 miles. Of course the blowout occurred between an exit and entrance ramp, and was dicey with all the traffic passing at 70-80 mph. Luckily Mrs. Sailor was following in her car so she stayed with the truck while I ran down the road to the local TSC for another tire and wheel. It is a Kenda Loadstar, also Chinese.  After that it was off the interstate and then took the back roads the remaining way. The trailer got left at the new house as I traveled back alone with our dog and didn't want to have another incident, even though it would be hauled empty.

 

After getting back to MD, I have been researching trailer tires, I have found that Goodyear has a trailer tire made in the USA called the Endurance. It will cost about a third more for two (I don't even want to consider using the remaining Constancy tire) even though I will be selling the trailer.  Anyone have feedback on the Goodyear Endurance tire?

 

 

 

 

[WHX?? 48,763]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune John. I have never experienced a blow out like that even tho I have punished my trailers to no end. I think my time is coming. Anything with Goodyear on it is going to be more... hear tell those blimps are expensive toys these days. I have no knowledge of those tires but will be interesting to see if others have.

[squonk 41,020]

RT 81. All you need to know. There are enough car parts along that road to practically build another one. Prolly hit something like an ash tray or 6 cyl. crankshaft. 

 

In in all seriousness, if you’re selling it go with the cheap tire. If you hit a radiator on the next trip you’ll be out even more money. 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

I'm sorry but I'm not a Goodyear tire fan, maybe back in the day but currently I have no faith in then, the Trailblazer I had came with Goodyear Fortura and couldn't keep them balanced and driving in rain was iffy at best, on my '14 Silverado Goodyear Wrangler SRA same deal still half tread life, and the '06 Silverado same thing, how about the Carlisle Sport Trail trailer tires (made in China) but been on my 5x8 TSC since new and no weather cracking as of yet and sets out in the sun rain snow grass ect and I use it up and down I-81 and back home to WV,  just my personal experiences, Jeff.

[wh500special 2,160]

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who have had a blowout on the interstate, and those who will have a blowout on the interstate. 

 

I have the predecessor to the endurance tires on my boat trailer.  Marathons.   Only had them for a year and a half, but no complaints.    Replaced a set of passenger car tires the po had on there.  

 

Maybe 1500 miles on them so far. Still look new.  Hit a bad hole at 60 mph on the interstate that blew tires on other vehicles and these survived for now.  

 

From what I see on the web they’re good tires and the endurance tires are better.  Might be apples and oranges. Made in USA is a genuine positive.  

 

Mine are ST215/75R14’s.  It was $224 for two of them shipped to my house which I thought was fair.  That was pre-mounted to galvanized rims. Bought on eBay which was cheapest deal I found at the time.  

 

It it would have cost me more to buy separately and have them mounted to my rims.  I put my old ones out by the curb and somebody took them in 10 minutes.  

 

They seem  to have good traction.  The trailer brakes haven’t locked up yet in rainy weather.  I don’t know if they are balanced, but I don’t notice any issues.   

 

Hard to be enthusiastic about trailer tires.  Or tires in general.  

 

I have more confidence in big brands than I do in the smaller ones.  

 

Steve

 

 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I spent today on and off reading up on different brands, and even called Sure Trac, the trailer manufacturer, regarding tires. Surprisingly, they gave me the brushoff to contact the dealer. Mine is closed on Friday afternoon but I called the other dealer in my area. Told my story and they asked if anybody was hurt, which I thought was a nice gesture. They are currently selling Gladiator Trailer tires as they had too many complaints about Tow Max.

 

One of the reasonable ways to extend life I have been reading about is to have them balanced. That lessens the dynamic and unsprung stress put on the hub and suspension.

[wh500special 2,160]

What are the odds of this???

 

Another forum I frequent also started a thread on Goodyear Endurance tires today:

http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=675641

 

Not much there yet, but who knows.  Maybe something will pop up.

 

Steve

[briankd 817]

10 hours ago, shallowwatersailor said:

Anyone have feedback on the Goodyear Endurance tire?

i had theses tires on my boat trailer a little pricey but they lasted 15,000 miles and still look like new sold boat and took em off and still have them thought some day would build a trailer. i have a good axle and would reuse theses tires 

[Digger 66 3,478]

20 hours ago, shallowwatersailor said:

Before we left I checked them out and were at the correct pressure. What was the "correct pressure ? I always inflate to the maximum as overheating can be fatal to tires .

It was only the weight of two Black Hoods and a 48" SD deck. ( Don't forget about the weight of the trailer itself , guessing 800 # ? )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

1 hour ago, Digger 66 said:

Before we left I checked them out and were at the correct pressure. What was the "correct pressure ? I always inflate to the maximum as overheating can be fatal to tires .

It was only the weight of two Black Hoods and a 48" SD deck. ( Don't forget about the weight of the trailer itself , guessing 800 # ? )

 

 

The original tires are Load Range C and correct pressure is 50 PSI.  I am not sure if the Constancy Brand are speed-rated but I kept it at around 55 mph. Most trailer tires in the 205/75R15 size are rated to 65 mph.

 

The trailer, according to mfr. spec, is 990 pounds with a GVWR of 2,990 pounds. That leaves 2,000 pounds for a load. I figure the two tractors and one deck at no more than 1.400 pounds.

 

Even though it won't increase the carrying capacity and they would be more expensive, I am looking at Load Range D tires with a speed rating higher than 65 mph. That way I can use a tire that would be understressed with my type of load.

[clueless 2,975]

4 hours ago, shallowwatersailor said:

 

The original tires are Load Range C and correct pressure is 50 PSI.  I am not sure if the Constancy Brand are speed-rated but I kept it at around 55 mph. Most trailer tires in the 205/75R15 size are rated to 65 mph.

 

The trailer, according to mfr. spec, is 990 pounds with a GVWR of 2,990 pounds. That leaves 2,000 pounds for a load. I figure the two tractors and one deck at no more than 1.400 pounds.

 

Even though it won't increase the carrying capacity and they would be more expensive, I am looking at Load Range D tires with a speed rating higher than 65 mph. That way I can use a tire that would be understressed with my type of load.

Sidewall blow out for sure. I have a friend who runs a local U-Haul business, a couple of years ago I asked him about what type of tire they use on their trailers. He said the used Goodyear for years, they were specifically made for them. Then when Goodyear merged they discontinued that line, they now use Carlisle. He said sidewall blow out is the biggest problem with trailer tires, people put truck tires on trailers thinking if their made for a truck they should work just fine on a trailer. Truck tires are designed for a truck that has suspension, shocks, struts, and sway bars. On most smaller trailers used to haul 3000#s or less the tire is the suspension, trailers with a single axle have a lot more up and down (bouncing) and swaying going on at high speeds than a double axle trailer. This creates a lot of heat, to much and something has to give, usually the weakest link, the side wall. He said there are a lot of trailer tires out there some really good, some good and a lot of bad ones. U-Haul does a lot of testing when it comes to their trailers, they wouldn't use Carlisle if they didn't work best for them, think liability. They use Carlisle trailer tires ST, Bias, 4ply, load range D. He also said that a trailer with a lighter load, can cause a blow out more then one with a heavier load, more bouncing at speed. Your tire is your shock absorber on most light weight trailers, at highway speeds while not noticeable, the trailer is constantly bouncing and swaying, a lot of heat builds up, Boom . OOPS, I think I already said that, time to go do something else.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,268]

I have a #13K 5th wheel.  It originally came with Good Year Marathon tires in 2011.  Many enthusiast sites recommend replacing trailer tires every 5 years.  Last year on our final camping trip, the right rear tire on the trailer went down.  Thankfully we were just pulling away from a light and I saw in the mirrors the tire getting flat.  We pulled over and changed to the spare before any damage, even to the tire happened.

 

Yesterday, I just finished replacing all the tires.  I went with Good Year Endurance.  My local Mavis store gave me a great price.  The previous Marathon's always seemed to be wavy, but the Endurance seem to be a well crafted tire.  My first trip isn't until a couple weeks, but I anticipate that the Endurance will be a good reliable tire.

 

I chose the Endurance based on the reviews of fellow RV'ers, and I went up a load range as well from D to E.  Remember when you go up in load range, the tire pressures are usually higher as well.  It's important to insure that your rim can handle the increase in tire pressure. 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

A followup on replacing my trailer tires. So Iwouldn't waste a trip with hauling equipment, I rented a U-Haul trailer one way to go and retrieve my trailer at the new house.  I worked with a local independent tire dealer in our new city who was able to get two Goodyear Endurance tires from his distributor. They are Load Range D and rated as "N" to 87 mph. He installed and balanced them for less than I expected.  I was also able to check out my plow guides in the rearview mirror. Although I could see the sides of the trailer in the two trailer mirrors, by looking in the rearview mirror I could "see" the trailer as well.

 

I'm not sure if the balancing can be credited for the smooth ride but there were times that I actually forgot the trailer was back there. The gate folding down probably helps with the push-pull effect. I kept my speed to mostly 60 mph just to be on the safe side. The plus to that was picking up about 2 mpg!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by shallowwatersailor

[953 nut 55,065]

13 hours ago, shallowwatersailor said:

The plus to that was picking up about 2 mpg!

Wonder if the new tires contributed to the fuel savings at all?

[RandyLittrell 3,877]

Its amazing how much drag the gate makes! I have a very similar trailer and I can tell a difference when I put a tractor in it. It seems to make the air flow around the gate. I think spending a little extra on tires is worth it as well! 

 

 

 

 

 

Randy