We are going to replace all of the tires on our 5th Wheel. I've been getting prices and was quoted on Hercules 12 ply. Also, Loadstar 10 Ply.
Has anyone heard of these makes of tires? Yes, they are imports....all that they seem to have for trailers.
The tire place also suggested Light Duty Truck tires....he said they are better for a lot of traveling and loads. They are more expensive. Anyone have experience with this?? These are tires made in U.S.
Thanks for any imput!
azrving said
08:10 AM Jun 5, 2012
http://www.maxxis.com/Default.aspx I don't think there is a better trailer tire available. The Maxxis tires on my TT are 12 years old and I am replacing them with another set of Maxxis. I had to order them from the local Discount Tire store but you may have more dealers in your area. You didn't post the size, so I'm not sure if they have your size available.
Howard said
12:02 AM Jun 6, 2012
Hi Melanie,
Much depends on the size tires you currently have and on the total weight the tires will be carrying. What size tires are you looking at? And what is the Gross Axle Weight Rating of your fifth wheel?
Imports are not necessarily bad. Most of the major brands make tires overseas. However, in my personal opinion, I would avoid tires made in China by Chinese companies.
To know where they are made and by which manufacturer you can go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. You have to know the first two digits in the tire DOT code on the sidewall.
Once you or your tire salesperson finds that, you can enter those digits into the DOT ID field in the form on this webpage:
That will tell you the plant where the tires were manufactured and by which company.
As for using Light Truck tires on your fifth wheel, they are often used due to their extra load carrying capacity. They have a little stronger sidewalls as well. The disadvantage is they have a bit more tread than trailer tires so the tires "stick" a little when making sharp turns. Still, I prefer Light Truck tires for heavy fifth wheels.
Tires aren't made in multiple plys any more - they have "ply ratings" and those ratings are indicated by alphabetical Load Ranges.
For example, let's look at a Load Range E tire. "E" is the fifth letter of the alphabet so we assign it the number "5". Then we double it to get "10". A Load Range E tire is therefore a 10-ply rated tire. So, an "F" is a 12-ply rated; a "G" is a 14-ply rated; an "H" is a 16-ply rated, etc.
The higher the load range (on same sized tires), the higher the load carrying capacity. However, if you go with a higher load range tire than you have currently, you have to remember that your tire rims and axles may not be rated for the higher capacity so you can't necessarily increase your load, but a little extra safety cushion on the tires never hurts. :)
Hope that helps a little.
Melstar said
04:41 AM Jun 6, 2012
Thanks Mark and Howard! The size tires we need is: ST 235/80R16 Fully loaded our trailer is 14,270 lbs. We usually don't "fully load", but we may be taking a 6 month trip to California in the fall so I'm sure we will have more to carry.
Howard....I definitely will look up the info for the "china tires".
thanks again, Melanie
53 Merc said
10:43 PM Jun 6, 2012
Mel, I posted to this thread, but the ether sucked it up. Loadstar tires are certainly not one of the choices I would make. If your rig weighs 14K (like mine does) you would be happy with Michelin XPS Ribs. I tossed some loadstars with less than 1000 miles on them (yes, 1000) because of tread ply separation. We put on XPS Ribs at the time and have been happy. Not a single problem with the tires, and we are still heavy. Whatever you choose to do, don't cheap out on the tires. Low price means one thing, low quality. No getting around that fact. Pay attention to what Howard said. Since he started weighing rigs, I bet he has seen the full gamut of tires and suspension issues. The good and the bad and ugly.
FastEagle said
07:31 PM Jun 7, 2012
It’s very hard for those that want to do the safe thing to change tires. Because the ST235/80R16E has a load capacity anywhere from 3420# to 3520# it has right at 400# plus load capacity advantage over any 16” Load Range E Light Truck tire (except those too wide for RV trailer use). It’s in the design and why it’s not recommended by the RMA to replace OE trailer tires with LT tires. There is the Goodyear LT235/85R16G rated at 3750# @ 110 psi that will fit your trailer. However, it’s probably going to require new rims to accommodate the higher pressure.
All of us with trailers having 6000# axles must face this dilemma when it comes replacement tire time. Off shore tires are not very popular and sticking to the regulations may become more expensive than anticipated. Many will go with the lower rated LT tire because of reputation and cost. Because of my aircraft background I just have to play within the regulations envelop and insure my tire load capacities are equal to or exceed the vehicle manufacturers recommendations written on the labeling and the in owner’s manual.
The Goodyear G614 also has mixed reviews. But, most of them come from being used on heavier trailers with 7000# axles where their load capacity is stressed. When not stressed they are quite successful and easy to find. Probably the best warranty of any RV trailer tire and made in the USA to boot.
FastEagle
-- Edited by FastEagle on Thursday 7th of June 2012 07:42:54 PM
We are going to replace all of the tires on our 5th Wheel. I've been getting prices and was quoted on Hercules 12 ply. Also, Loadstar 10 Ply.
Has anyone heard of these makes of tires? Yes, they are imports....all that they seem to have for trailers.
The tire place also suggested Light Duty Truck tires....he said they are better for a lot of traveling and loads. They are more expensive. Anyone have experience with this?? These are tires made in U.S.
Thanks for any imput!
http://www.maxxis.com/Default.aspx I don't think there is a better trailer tire available. The Maxxis tires on my TT are 12 years old and I am replacing them with another set of Maxxis. I had to order them from the local Discount Tire store but you may have more dealers in your area. You didn't post the size, so I'm not sure if they have your size available.
Hi Melanie,
Much depends on the size tires you currently have and on the total weight the tires will be carrying. What size tires are you looking at? And what is the Gross Axle Weight Rating of your fifth wheel?
Imports are not necessarily bad. Most of the major brands make tires overseas. However, in my personal opinion, I would avoid tires made in China by Chinese companies.
To know where they are made and by which manufacturer you can go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. You have to know the first two digits in the tire DOT code on the sidewall.
Once you or your tire salesperson finds that, you can enter those digits into the DOT ID field in the form on this webpage:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/manufacture/
That will tell you the plant where the tires were manufactured and by which company.
As for using Light Truck tires on your fifth wheel, they are often used due to their extra load carrying capacity. They have a little stronger sidewalls as well. The disadvantage is they have a bit more tread than trailer tires so the tires "stick" a little when making sharp turns. Still, I prefer Light Truck tires for heavy fifth wheels.
Tires aren't made in multiple plys any more - they have "ply ratings" and those ratings are indicated by alphabetical Load Ranges.
For example, let's look at a Load Range E tire. "E" is the fifth letter of the alphabet so we assign it the number "5". Then we double it to get "10". A Load Range E tire is therefore a 10-ply rated tire. So, an "F" is a 12-ply rated; a "G" is a 14-ply rated; an "H" is a 16-ply rated, etc.
The higher the load range (on same sized tires), the higher the load carrying capacity. However, if you go with a higher load range tire than you have currently, you have to remember that your tire rims and axles may not be rated for the higher capacity so you can't necessarily increase your load, but a little extra safety cushion on the tires never hurts. :)
Hope that helps a little.
Fully loaded our trailer is 14,270 lbs.
We usually don't "fully load", but we may be taking a 6 month trip to California in the fall so I'm sure we will have more to carry.
Howard....I definitely will look up the info for the "china tires".
thanks again,
Melanie
Pay attention to what Howard said. Since he started weighing rigs, I bet he has seen the full gamut of tires and suspension issues. The good and the bad and ugly.
It’s very hard for those that want to do the safe thing to change tires. Because the ST235/80R16E has a load capacity anywhere from 3420# to 3520# it has right at 400# plus load capacity advantage over any 16” Load Range E Light Truck tire (except those too wide for RV trailer use). It’s in the design and why it’s not recommended by the RMA to replace OE trailer tires with LT tires. There is the Goodyear LT235/85R16G rated at 3750# @ 110 psi that will fit your trailer. However, it’s probably going to require new rims to accommodate the higher pressure.
All of us with trailers having 6000# axles must face this dilemma when it comes replacement tire time. Off shore tires are not very popular and sticking to the regulations may become more expensive than anticipated. Many will go with the lower rated LT tire because of reputation and cost. Because of my aircraft background I just have to play within the regulations envelop and insure my tire load capacities are equal to or exceed the vehicle manufacturers recommendations written on the labeling and the in owner’s manual.
The Goodyear G614 also has mixed reviews. But, most of them come from being used on heavier trailers with 7000# axles where their load capacity is stressed. When not stressed they are quite successful and easy to find. Probably the best warranty of any RV trailer tire and made in the USA to boot.
FastEagle
-- Edited by FastEagle on Thursday 7th of June 2012 07:42:54 PM