ST vs LT tires ?

[Touch N Go]

What do you think about LT tires on the trailer. I've noticed through out the years on the road that it's always the trailer tires blowing and not the trucks. I've seen boat trailer, horse trailers, TT trailers, plus many others SIDELINED .

There are many thing going on to TT tire while park, sun,Temp,weather,etc. I just DONT agree in a tire going in 1-3 yrs.

There got to be something to that, ST vs LT,

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK????

[3'senough]

There are numerous threads on this site pertaining to the debate and it comes up at least once a month.

Here is what I know:

LT has softer sidewalls
ST has more load per tire in same size and load rating
LT has higher speed ratings
ST life span is less based on miles

You can run LT's but you need to get a adequate weight rating to meet your trailer.

[Camper_bob]

I'm sure you'll get many thoughts on this. Lots of members have changed to LT tires over the years.

For me personally, I went with Maxxis M8008 ST tires in a LRE (one step above my "required" load range) and I'm very happy so far. The tires run cool and are spec'd significantly above anything I'll throw at them. Many are getting 5 years or more out of their Maxxis ST tires. It's the Towmax tires that are only going 1-3 years. But those tend to go without much warning; it's not like they're showing wear and people are pushing them, they just lose a tread and blow up unexpectedly. Or in my case, you see the tread separation before any damage occurs and take proactive measures.

Anyway, there's a case to be made either way. In my situation, ST tires made the most sense this go around. Next time I need tires, I'll examine the option of going to LT again and see where it takes me. A large part of my decision matrix this time was budget related; I couldn't get good LT tires for the deal I got on the Maxxis ST tires. There are structural differences to consider as well...

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by 3'senough

There are numerous threads on this site pertaining to the debate and it comes up at least once a month.

Here is what I know:

LT has softer sidewalls
ST has more load per tire in same size and load rating
LT has higher speed ratings
ST life span is less based on miles

You can run LT's but you need to get a adequate weight rating to meet your trailer.

Do a little research. My Dad put LTs on their old Nomad, larger tire, better clearance, better quality tire, never had any issues. They do need to be derated for trailer applications, but I do not recall the percentage. You also have to derate for having tandems (ST or LT tires) I think it was 20%, for tandem applications. If you can find a set of LTs to put under your rig, I would do it in a heartbeat.

[clubhouse]

I'm sticking with ST tires. I believe it's the age, environment and long periods of sitting that causes trailer tires to degrade much more than mileage. I take care of my TT tires; always covered when not in use, vigilant about watching air pressure and I visually inspect them frequently. That said I will replace my TT tires at 4 years from MFG date.

Ironically the only tire blowout I have had was on my Duramax with the off brand Chinese LT tires that the dealer put on it when I bought the truck. They were <2 years old, ~10k miles, properly inflated and well under the load maximums. My truck is not my daily driver, but does get driven frequently and since they were LT I didn't think I had to cover them. Guess that was a mistake because after the blowout occurred I inspected the others and they were showing signs of sidewall cracking as if they were developing dry rot.

Why do I mentioned that, because this personal experience has proven to me again the environment is the bigger issue, not ST vs LT, so the truck will begin to get tires replaced based on age opposed to miles, the same as my TT.

The daily drivers at our house create enough wear that those tires are being replaced about the same 4-5 year interval, but tread life is dictating it as much as age.

Everyone will have there own opinion, but I think we all agree that age needs to be the decider not exclusively tread life.

[norty1]

I ran a set of Goodyear LT's on my old rig. I had no problems with them. Look for info on the Goodyear site about the reduction in load carrying capacity.

[3'senough]

Here is quote I found that tells the brief difference in construction between the 2.

Tim Fry, senior development engineer with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company stated, “The major difference is reflected in the polyester cords used in ST tires. These cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable P or LT tire. Typically, the steel wire also has a larger diameter or greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements. Because of the heavier construction for an equal volume of air space, an ST tire is designated to carry more load than a P or LT tire.”


I too changed my Towmax this past season to Maxxis 8008's as well based on reputation.

If I were to go LT it would have to be most likely a F or G rated tire to meet the same weight ratings. But the cost is very high going to that tire and I would just go with a 17.5 commercial tire at that point.

Here is a little more info based on pressure and weight capacities.

"Light Truck tires are not always the same size, and do not always have the same load carrying capacity as ST tires. Depending on your trailer’s axle weight rating the tire load capacity might be 3420# @ 80 psi for example. The Michelin XPS RIB LT235/85R16E tire load capacity is 3,042# @ 80 psi. If you switch to LT tires for trailer applications the tire inflation pressure and/or the size of the tires would need to be capable of matching the load capacities of the trailer. If the size of the tire is increased to compensate for load capacities there needs to be sufficient clearance for the larger tires. Cost can be prohibitive too when you not only consider purchasing new tires but larger wheels for the tires to go on."

[Fairenatic]

First trip will be 1200 miles. Did not want to take any chances with a TT this large over that distance. Went with the ST 16" Radials by Maxxis from the factory.

Maxxis M8008 Radial Tire | Maxxis® TiresÂ*

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Fairenatic

First trip will be 1200 miles. Did not want to take any chances with a TT this large over that distance. Went with the ST 16" Radials by Maxxis from the factory.

Maxxis M8008 Radial Tire | Maxxis® TiresÂ*

It's nice that they are finally offering this as an option. When I bought my trailer, there was no mention of tires. AND I didn't know to ask. It's one of the things I learned to learn about here on the forum. After some research inside and outside this forum, I became very aware of the shortcomings of the OEM tires supplied with my trailer, and that knowledge is the only thing that saved me from A LOT of damage and heartache.

[3'senough]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

It's nice that they are finally offering this as an option. When I bought my trailer, there was no mention of tires. AND I didn't know to ask. It's one of the things I learned to learn about here on the forum. After some research inside and outside this forum, I became very aware of the shortcomings of the OEM tires supplied with my trailer, and that knowledge is the only thing that saved me from A LOT of damage and heartache.

I knew and asked and there was nothing they would do for me at the time in 2013-14.

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by Touch N Go

I've noticed through out the years on the road that it's always the trailer tires blowing and not the trucks. I've seen boat trailer, horse trailers, TT trailers, plus many others SIDELINED .

Sometimes folks tend to overload trailers...not anyone on the Jayco site, however
I also noticed that SOME people tend to pay no attention to the age of trailer tires cuz the tread looks good. Like the guy parked next to me in the storage lot has a TT with 11 year old tires. Yikes!

[robkelly]

Originally Posted by troutslayer

Sometimes folks tend to overload trailers...not anyone on the Jayco site, however
I also noticed that SOME people tend to pay no attention to the age of trailer tires cuz the tread looks good. Like the guy parked next to me in the storage lot has a TT with 11 year old tires. Yikes!

Stopped to help a guy with a blown tire last year. The tires were ancient, and under inflated, but all he did was complain that they didn't have many miles on them.

[DocBrown]

Age, under inflation, and driving at speeds that exceed the rating of the tire are usually the biggest reasons for ST tire failure. That's not to say that LTs should not be considered. But stories of premature failure are just that, stories. Without knowing the details and having a tire examined by an industry professional, one can say anything they want about why they think their tires failed.

That said, there does seem to be an issue with 15" and 16" ST tires on large trailers. There are more than a few anecdotal reports out there that lead me to believe that underspeced tires are being used.

On the flip side my current and previous trailers use 13" ST tires. The previous trailer was single axle. I was told over and over again how bad it was to have a single axle, and how 13" ST tires are prone to failure. In 10 years of towing that trailer over an estimated 20k miles I never had one single problem with a tire. In 3 seasons of the X20E and at least 3400 mile in travel, not a single problem. I keep the recommended 50 psi in them, drive under 65 mph, and in the case of the old trailer put new tires on after 6 years. Hmm...

[Fairenatic]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

It's nice that they are finally offering this as an option. ................................................I became very aware of the shortcomings of the OEM tires supplied with my trailer, ..........................

Several people have asked me why I did not buy a used TT. I asked myself. But after looking at a LOT of trailers, new and used, I found that it was harder and harder to find a floorplan that I was willing to spend my hard earned money on. It is also amazing how many changes have been made to the trailers in just a few years. It is hard to go back to the older designs after seeing the new ones with all the newer features like LED lights, tire and wheel options, slides, exterior colors, islands, pantry, etc.

Glad that they are responding to the customer, albeit slowly and not always in the right direction.

[jadatis]

To my conclusion in time , there is yust little difference in the construction of an ST and LT tire. Read ST sometimes has less deep profile, wich is better for cooling of tire specific place where it heatens up the most.
But I suspect a tiremaker to yust recalculate a LT designed tire to ST by allowing more deflection for the lower speed of 65m/104km/h instead of the 99m/160km/h for wich an LT tire is mostly calculated.
Will give link to topic of mine on RV forum about how to compare tires for replacement.RV.Net Open Roads Forum: How to compare tires for replacement and needed pressure

If you read that , you see that an ST tire has mostly about 18% more maxload then an LT tire for Q speedrated( 160km99m/h and about 12% more then that of an LT for N speedrated( 140km/86m/h) and this is only because of the calculatation for lower speed.
For P-tires its probably a bit different, smaller differences.

So its all about the maximum load of tire recalculated for 160km/h to compare tires , then the maximum load has to be enaugh for the ( over) load on seperate tires with even some reserve of say 10%.
Mosly the GAWR's are used for that , but mind that even if you stay below that, there is often misbalance R/L , wich makes weight on one tire go over maximum load. A weightdivision per axle of 48/52% is pretty comon for trailers and 5th-wheelers.

Main conclusion in my topic is , why use a pressure that is theoretically yust enaugh for the speed, if you can have a reserve with gripp and "comfort" still acceptable.

In practice pressure measurement can be inaccurate, loads can be misyudged, pressure droppes in time, etc.

[Shorty Cox]

Touch in Go,

This is a horse that has been "beat to death" on every RV site there is. You will get as many opinions as members on the board. It is like asking which is best, Ford or Chevy. Those that drive Fords, like Fords, those that drive Chevys, like Chevys. There is not changing their minds. Those that run LT tires, like LT tires, those that run ST tires, like ST tires. Likewise, there is no changing their minds.

The topic has been covered many times on this forum. Do a search and read. Much good info.

Shorty

[Cdash]

Originally Posted by Touch N Go

What do you think about LT tires on the trailer. I've noticed through out the years on the road that it's always the trailer tires blowing and not the trucks. I've seen boat trailer, horse trailers, TT trailers, plus many others SIDELINED .

There are many thing going on to TT tire while park, sun,Temp,weather,etc. I just DONT agree in a tire going in 1-3 yrs.

There got to be something to that, ST vs LT,

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK????

I'm never buying a ST tire ever again!!! EVER!!!

Had nothing but problems on my 5th with ST, at least one blow out every year and I checked pressures often. Even went from the supplied D range up to E range thinking it may help. Nope.

Finally got sick of it and replaced with LT (similar load range) and haven't had a flat in 4 years. I don't think quality exists in trailer tires.

Did I mention that I'll never but a ST tire again?

[Shorty Cox]

Touch N Go, I apologize, after reading my post, I realized it sounded somewhat harsh. That was not my intent. I, like you, ask the same question a few years ago.

Tires are truly an interesting topic on all RV forums I’ve visited and always instigate discussion/argument. I’m now convinced there are as many opinions regarding tires as there are members on the forum and tire brands. It is like the old topic of: Which is best, Ford or Chevy? One gets thousands of opinions and no tested facts plus one will never change the OPINION of the other.
I had the opportunity recently to visit with a relative regarding this very topic, camper/RV tires. This relative spends most of each year traveling, towing, and living in his 5er. Because he lives in the RV for months on end, he has made modifications to it which added weight.
I thought I would broach the topic with him and get his OPINION and tap into his experience with the subject. He stated that in all his travel, he has had one blow-out. (Caused by hitting an object on the road)
To paraphrase his statement, RV tires are like all other things, one can put as much money into them as one wishes. Expensive or cheap, one will only safely get approximately four years out of tires as miles don’t wear them out, sunlight, heat, and setting extended periods of time without turning does. Always purchase ST tires in the proper load range for the weight of your rig, don’t speed, and always inflate to proper pressure before hitting the road. At each stop, physically touch each tire to get a feel for the heat build-up. Always do preventive maintenance and you will have few problems.

Shorty

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by 3'senough

I knew and asked and there was nothing they would do for me at the time in 2013-14.

Who did you ask? Many people have had changes & additions. A lot depends on how your dealer and his sales rep approach it.

[TWP723]

Stay with ST tires.