Tires: When to change and what to change to?

[simsfmly]

We have a 2013 BigHorn 3670RL. Sticker says ST235/80/R16E, 80 psi for tires. We've already had the TowMax's blow. They're gone.

So I want to be a little proactive. We normally take two long seasonal trips back and forth from Texas to Ohio, anywhere from 1500 to 2000 miles depending on the route, and the time we have. We normally take a couple of summer trips. Just finishing 5 years with her, and we average just under 5k miles a year. (Yes. I keep a log since we had tire troubles with our last SOB before Heartland introduced us to TowMax). They stay covered when not in use.

Right now, I have Carlisle Tires on the driver's side which have 12,035 miles since Fall 2014. I have Hercules Tires on the pax side which have 15,371 miles since Spring 2014.

So my first question would be, should I change these tires out before our trip down this fall? Before our trip back next spring? Wait till next fall? What would you do?

Next, which ones to go to when I change out? Based on the love I see on this forum and elsewhere, I think we'll limit our discussion to these three:

• Goodyear G614RST which are LT235/85R/16's and 110 psi getting a lot of love.
• Maxxi M8008 which are ST235/80/R16 and 80 psi getting a lot of love.
• Michelin XPS Rib tires which are LT235/85R16E getting some traction

Can I put "85's" on my BigHorn? Do the G rated Goodyear's trump anything else? We're under weight, but I don't mind having more tire on my rig. 110 psi does concern me that it would make a bigger boom than the 80 psi. I've had Michelin's on my truck and swear by them. Trying to do research today on their website, and their customer support was a little disheartening. The Maxxi's are actually my size, is that what I'm limited to?

Would appreciate any and all comments.

 

[WillyBill]

@simsfmly,

You may also want to consider the Sailun S637 LR "G". A high percentage of the heavier rigs here are on these with excellent results. This is now the baseline tire on Heartland products I believe. I have the 85's on my 2011 3 axle Cyclone and have been really impressed so far, and they do fit even thought they are marginally larger. Good Luck!!!

WB

 

[justafordguy]

X2 on the Sailun. If your wheels support the 110psi you should also consider them. I love mine so far (two years).

 

[jnbhobe]

Definitely the sailuns If you have any questions we can talk about it at the rally

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[avvidclif]

All good tires just make sure whatever tires you buy the combined rating of 2 exceeds the axle rating. In my case the 7k axles need tires rated at 3500 lb min. I went with the Sailuns.

 

[RAHanock]

Also most trailer tires need to be replaced at the 4 or 5 year mark regardless of the miles on them. I replaced our Maxxis tires in March at a little over 4 years and had replaced others about 4 years. They were showing hairline cracks in the side walls. They perhaps had 8000 miles total on them. But they had 4 years of Arizona sun and temperature on them. The guy at Discount Tire said "...you are replacing these just in time..."

 

[rhodies1]

We have a 2013 BigHorn 3670RL. Sticker says ST235/80/R16E, 80 psi for tires. We've already had the TowMax's blow. They're gone.

So I want to be a little proactive. We normally take two long seasonal trips back and forth from Texas to Ohio, anywhere from 1500 to 2000 miles depending on the route, and the time we have. We normally take a couple of summer trips. Just finishing 5 years with her, and we average just under 5k miles a year. (Yes. I keep a log since we had tire troubles with our last SOB before Heartland introduced us to TowMax). They stay covered when not in use.

Right now, I have Carlisle Tires on the driver's side which have 12,035 miles since Fall 2014. I have Hercules Tires on the pax side which have 15,371 miles since Spring 2014.

So my first question would be, should I change these tires out before our trip down this fall? Before our trip back next spring? Wait till next fall? What would you do?

Next, which ones to go to when I change out? Based on the love I see on this forum and elsewhere, I think we'll limit our discussion to these three:

• Goodyear G614RST which are LT235/85R/16's and 110 psi getting a lot of love.
• Maxxi M8008 which are ST235/80/R16 and 80 psi getting a lot of love.
• Michelin XPS Rib tires which are LT235/85R16E getting some traction

Can I put "85's" on my BigHorn? Do the G rated Goodyear's trump anything else? We're under weight, but I don't mind having more tire on my rig. 110 psi does concern me that it would make a bigger boom than the 80 psi. I've had Michelin's on my truck and swear by them. Trying to do research today on their website, and their customer support was a little disheartening. The Maxxi's are actually my size, is that what I'm limited to?

Would appreciate any and all comments.

Im about to replace my Marathons with the Michelin XPS,I have a model 3455 Bighorn,just had each wheel weighed with my normal load onboard.They are rated at 3086 lbs at 80 psi.much more reasonable in pricing than the Goodyears.All comes down to personal preference.

 

[danemayer]

Check the label on the front for GVWR. A 3670RL is probably at least 15,500 lbs. Assuming 20% on the pin, that puts 12,400 on the axles. Nominally, that's 3,100 per wheel, if the weight is evenly distributed. But it won't be even. If you allow for one wheel to be as high as 3,500, a Load Range G Goodyear G614 rated at 3,750 would do the job for you with a little margin. Sailun S637 has the same rating.

Check the stamp on the inside of the rims to see if you can move up to 110 psi or 3,750 lbs. If the rims are good, go for the load range G tire.

Btw, our LM GVWR is 16,000 and I went to 17.5" rims with Goodyear G114 tires. They're inflated to around 110 psi and at that inflation have a load capacity of about 4,000 lbs. They have around 20,000 miles on them and look new.

 

[simsfmly]

Check the stamp on the inside of the rims to see if you can move up to 110 psi or 3,750 lbs. If the rims are good, go for the load range G tire.

Duh. I didn't think about the wheels having to hold 110 psi. Ugh.

When you say "inside of the rims", before I get all crazy and rolling around on the ground, are you meaning the part of the rim facing in to the axle, or with the tire off the rim?

What kind of issues am I going to run into if I change tires AND wheels?

 

[danemayer]

Duh. I didn't think about the wheels having to hold 110 psi. Ugh.

When you say "inside of the rims", before I get all crazy and rolling around on the ground, are you meaning the part of the rim facing in to the axle, or with the tire off the rim?

What kind of issues am I going to run into if I change tires AND wheels?

Facing the axle.

I think there might be some questions when selecting the new wheels. Ours came mounted and balanced from TrailerTiresandWheels.com in Oct 2014 and their staff figured it all out over the phone.

 

[JWalker]

Bob, When we purchased our Elkridge, we had the tires changed to Goodyear G614's from the very beginning. 17,200 miles later and they still look like new. The Goodyears are a higher price. But from what I heard, they have excellent damage claim reimbursement.

If I had to change both tire and wheel. I would probably change to 17.5 inch combo and never have to worry about weight issues.

Good Luck

 

[simsfmly]

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. They're all appreciated.

Pulled the trigger today on four 215/75R17.5 Load Range H Sailun S637 Radial Tires mounted and balanced on 17.5" 8 Lug Lynx White Aluminum Trailer Wheel.

Since we're going to be at the Ohio Rally in Port Clinton, we're going to hop over to Trailer Tires and Wheels, Inc. and they'll install them gratis. Out the door price, $1630.20.

Less than $410 per unit for tires, wheels, mounted and installed. I'm very happy and feel like we'll have peace of mind for the life of this particular rig.

 

[jnbhobe]

They may buy your old tires and wheels, they did mine.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[simsfmly]

They may buy your old tires and wheels, they did mine.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Ugh, I forgot to ask about that when I was talking to them. Thanks for the reminder!