Tire recomendation

I plan on replacing China made brand X tires upon purchase, actually making it a condition of purchase.

Does the factory have recommendations on size of LT tire or do they recommend against using LT tires.

Seems many people are using LT tires vs. trailer tires.

I'm not sure about how the factory may feel about LT's on their trailers but there are several post's relating to Brand name tire rep's telling us they should not be used. On the other side of that there are owners here that have LT tires on their rigs and swear by them. I don't think the tire dealers care much because they're making a sale. The more reputable ones may advise against it though. We're still running Loadstars and will continue for another year or an explosion, whichever comes first.

The factory does not have a recommendation regarding the LT tires. Heartland feels the tires that come with the fifth wheel are more than adequate to meet your needs. I understand some people have strong personal preference on tires brands and we generally leave that decision up the up the the owner. Maybe someone else can make a comment on the LT tires for Creeper...

Having two friends with 5th that had Chinese brand tire do extensive damage to their rig , I'm trying to skip that whole blow out, repair bit.

What type tires are current going on Bighorns?

While I don't profess to be an expert on tires by any stretch of the imagination, a great many post have been made on this forum and other forums around the net on the virtues (or lack thereof) of different brands/originating countries/manufacturers of tires... with that being said, from my reading and investigations, if you are going to exchange a brand of tire you don't trust for one that you can and you are needing an "E" load rating, Michelin XPS Ribs seem to come to top a lot... expensive but some say they are worth it... if you are looking for "G" rated tires, the market narrows to either staying with foreign brands for GY 614s..

As far as LTs are concerned, my current Cedar Creek has 235/85/16 LT E rated Merits (stamped "Made in America" for whats that worth) but they are pushing 3 years old now and will be replaced if I have to haul it a long distance before I get my Landmark... as I have looked at dozens and dozens of 5th Wheels RV at all price levels in the last few months/years, there seems to a predominance of LT tires as STs are harder and harder to find in 16-17-17.5" tires.. when you get into the E and G ratings (minimum of 10ply) and get an "up brand", the sidewalls are quite stiff, therefore negating the need for STs...

As far as what kind of tire Heartland puts on... that is a roll of the dice, but I agree they won't put a tire on that is dangerous to the end-user (albeit not to our personal preferences and not withstanding all the horror stories of the "china-bombs"), but nothing stops you from replacing them immediately upon delivery or negotiating with your dealer for a swap for the tire brand you wish..

Again, this all just my opinion and your mileage may vary...

Goodyear G614's were my choice...not cheap but I have no blow out worries.

grizzlygiant said:

Goodyear G614's were my choice...not cheap but I have no blow out worries.

Click to expand...

Reading a lot of posts on G614 blowing out.

We had 3 G614's blow on a single trip to Washington DC. They were on a heavier and different brand unit, but they did major damage to slides. And, they are hard to find. There are only a few dealers that have 16" G rated tires. We ended up with one BTC G rated tire for the remainder of the trip. The Goodyear factory replaced 2 of the 3 tires and paid for the repairs, but it was frustrating and took 3-4 months of down-time. The tires were 3 years old and it was during the summer months, so they did get hot. We never(try not to) drive over 65 MPH. We're switching to Michelin XPS when the unit gets delivered.

The Michelin XPS are only an E rated tire, vs the Goodyear G rated. How are you able to do that?

The Michelin XPS are only an E rated tire, vs the Goodyear G rated. How are you able to do that?


The Doubletree came with G614ST as standard equipment. I'm referring to the the unit we're coming out of, not the 3055 Bighorn. The GVW for the Doubletree is 16K on the placard, and they have, since our purchase, moved it to 17K for the 16" wheels. Not real thrilled about any more explosions under the slides. We'll be changing to a different tire asap when we take delivery. Probably the XPS...

I guess I misread your post. The Mich XPS would be a good tire for that particular fifthwheel. I've been doing some research on fifthwheel tires and the stress they endure. I have found that under-inflation and maximum weight load is probably the primary cause of tire failure, but have also come to another conclusion. The scuffing, or scrubbing, or torquing--whatever you want to call it--the stress from the tires being forced to slide sideways when subjected to a very tight turn and being at max load could be another major cause of failure. Tires are not subjected to that amount of stress on a vehicle because the axles are far apart, and the front wheels turn resulting little side pressure, and a very low rate of failure. However, when you have to back into or pull out of a campsite, for example, where the axles are almost a pivot point on the inside of the turn, the fifthwheel tires can be severely stressed. The tires could be suffering belt damage from such a turn under load, which could result in a catastrophic failure. I've watched these tires in a very sharp turn, and it would seem that it would have to be damaging. It is my intent to not put my tires in that situation in the future if at all possible.

Yes, a few years ago, I had a 30' travel trailer and while backing and turning in a tight space, the tires actually "flopped" all of the way on the sidewall. It took several back and forth movements to get it back to a straight position. Tires are a pretty sticky topic on all forums and discussion boards. After losing 3, I understand why.

P.S. I'll never have a travel trailer again...only fifth wheels.

I have a question. I am replacing my Kenda Tires ASAP and have found the Goodyear Marathons 10 ply E rated tire are the ones. My question is the same E rating on the current Kenda tires are inflatable to 90psi yet the same size and rating on the Goodyear are inflatable to only 80 psi. Is there a difference? I have a 3055 and the load rating in lbs for the Goodyears are at 3000lbs or 3400 lbs. Since my 3055 is a 14K trailer I would imagine the axles are 6K axles requiring only a 3K lbs load tire, Yes?