Misc. Wheels, Tires and Axle Discussions

[jpmorgan37]

Curtis, I know this doesn't answer your question, but it is a site worth reading. Forrest posted this back in June. Good Trailer Tires and you did get an answer to your question from tstammer. Read post #28 here

John

 

[Loco]

Maxis Makes a Ten ply 15 inch

Maxxis makes a G rated 15 inch tire for trailers. I have had good luck with Maxxis tires on my service truck and our old trailer we had. I am going to try their 10 ply tire on our Cyclone next. It is G rated and should work better than D rated we have now. We have over 10K on the Mission with NO troubles so far. So I figure if I go too 10 ply I should be OK

The standard tires on my 3795 are the same 225/75/15's that crazybanshee mentioned. I would love to replace mine with an E rated or at least nicer tire but there isnt much out there unless I want to buy new rims. After purchasing the rig, I don't have tons of money to toss around so thats a bit out of the question. Does anyone know of any good quality 15" E rated tires out there?

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I still have the same question. What size Michelin tires should I put on my 08 3055? Michelin does not make ST235/80R16, so what size should I go to and not have to worry about rubbing or clearance????? I know someone has this answer.

Curtis, I didn't do the research but I think I remember the Michelin's coming in an LT235/85-16 Load Range E. They are a bit taller but work fine. There are many threads regarding tires on this forum. It's funny too how on any forum the thread goes away off of the original post or question. Regarding LT tires, it's a personal choice as to weather or not they are safe or adequate for trailers. There are a lot of owners using them with no problems but there are also articles saying not to .

 

[jimtoo]

I just this last month had the Michelin XPS Rib LT235-85R16E installed on out 3055 Bighorn. I have plenty of clearance on the springs and shocks and the tires are about 1&1/2" apart in the center, which gives plenty of room.

Needless to say, I feel a lot safer now.

Jim

 

[Deepsky3539]

This may be a bit off topic as well but has anyone invested in a tire monitor system? The price tag is pretty high when you are talking about 12 tires but it may be worth it. Anyone have any stories where the system saved a blowout?

 

[jbeletti]

Hi marty,

Lots of talk about this over on the tire Pressure Monitoring System forum at this link.

Jim

 

[Pat McFall]

This may be a bit off topic as well but has anyone invested in a tire monitor system? The price tag is pretty high when you are talking about 12 tires but it may be worth it. Anyone have any stories where the system saved a blowout?

Marty,

I will PM you.

Pat

 

[jimbb732]

D v/s E v/s 15 v/s 16 tire and wheels

This subject just keeps getting me more confused. here is what I have been able to find out and concluded:

1. GoodYear has a tech bulletin saying if you are going to run their Trailer tires over 65 mph then increase the tire pressure 5 lbs for every 5 mph max speed up to 75 psi. ( sounds like Loco is on track there)

2 The 'E ' rated tires that I have found all have a cold max psi of 80 which is what you should run it this tire if you are going to max load the unit.

3. The wheels are rated at a max psi of 75 so you should NOT run the 'E' rated tires at 80 psi on the Cyclone standard wheel. IF you lower the tire pressure on a E rated tire to 65, 70, or 75 psi then it also lowers the max load on the tire to no more ( or VERY CLOSE) than the D RATED tire at the same pressure.

Conclusion1: The unit NEEDS 16" tires and wheels if you want any comfort level. The Factory guys have NOT included any wiggle room in the safety of the tires when the unit is loaded to the max GVRW which WILL be MOST of the time due to the low carrying capacity of the unit. They ARE within the range when you do the math. ( I hope the entire unit was not built to the same engineering standards.

Conclusion2: There is little advantage in going to the E rated 15 inch tires unless you go to a wheel that can handle 80PSI.

Conclusion3: run the D rated tires (NOT the Chinese ones) and standard wheels at 70-72 psi (see Loco's post) and a max speed of 70-72 and you will "PROBABLY" be 'OK'. (oh yeah, hold your breath too...lol) for MORE comfort level?? Drive Slower.

What you say?

 

[Loco]

Jim,
I see all these post on here about tire troubles and have a few myself over the years on our old trailer. But most of the time they were because the trailer sat for long time and we did not use it. So the tires went bad. Now on our Cyclone I make sure I stay on top of them and keep them up to pressure at all times. I also take the trailer out for short runs every month during the winter when it is in storage. I may only take it for a 4 mile run, but I make sure the tires get worked a little through out the winter. Something else I see when we are out on our travels is how some people drive their Rigs. They will take a 30 to 40 ft trailer and turn around in a very small place or run over the curb, etc. Well that is asking for troubles with your tires. I have been driving fire apparatus and tractor trailers for years and I take pride in being a good driver and love to show people I can put our big Cylcone in places they say I can not put it. But I make sure it will go without hurting anything on the trailer that includes the tires. Any way I feel most folks tire trouble are not in the tire manufactures or where they are made. But in the way they drive,how fast they drive,roads in the area of the country they live,How they care for the tires,ETC. If you look, and look close just about all trailer tires are manufactured over seas. I know Maxxis has it home office in Norcross GA. But there ST tires are made in China too their Specs. I have had GREAT LUCK with their LT tires on my service truck. I have also used their trailer tires on our old trailer. Never had one fail.As for our Cyclone it has Mission tires on it now. As you know by my other post, I have not had one fail me,but I could have one go on my next trip. If it does OH WELL. I will fix the rig and go on.I truly think by me running my tires at 72 PSI, It has given us many miles of trouble free service out of the D rated tires. So I figure when I put new tires on I will stay with 15 inch ST but buy Maxxis 10 ply G rated. Then I will Run 80 psi in them. Sure my wheels are rated at 75 psi max, but I figure they will handle 80. The wheel manufacture most likely puts a little safety factor in the wheels. I think I will be safe only going up 5 psi over.