Tires - Bias or Radial, and what brand have you had good luck with

[chuckworkb]

I am planning to replace my tires after this season, and I was wondering whether to get bias or radial, and what brand. What have you folks had good luck with?

[lx22f/c]

I run the Goodyear marathons on my trailer. Everybody has had good or bad experiences with just about every brand out there. I think find the best tire in the load range for your rig and in your price range and go for it. Proper tire pressure and load rating are the biggest factors in trailer tire failure. Just my .02
Robert

[jamesj]

This is a good question. I had went though new tires a couple years ago after the cheap "Made in China" tires failed due to massive side wall cracking.

My 2cents:
1) Buy "Made in the USA" trailer tires.
2) Bias-Ply -v- Radial - I'm sure there will be plenty of comments on this one.. Here is a bit of info from my local tire store:
Bias-Ply are designed to hold more weight than Radial Tires, however they don't dissipate heat as well, and they don't have as high of a mileage rating as Radial's do = lower cost.
Radial Tires run cooler on the road and will hold up longer = higher cost, however their weight capacity is less than Bias-Ply.

The main question I was asked is:
Am I towing the trailer locally, approx 3-5 hours max, just a few times a year? Go Bias-Ply and save money.
Am I towing the trailer cross-country (full time) driving long term and many times a year? Go Radial so they'll last longer.

I ended up purchasing "Good Year Marathon's" which happened to be Radial's. I never had an issue with tread or sidewall cracking on the Good Years and were still good after 3 winters, unlike the "China" tires which were replaced every year. (Original tires lasted one year, Warranty Replacement Tires lasted 1 year, then Good Years were still in good shape after 3 years).

Hope this helps.
James

[jamesj]

Originally Posted by lx22f/c

Proper tire pressure and load rating are the biggest factors in trailer tire failure.

Speed is probably the BIGGEST factor. Trailer tires are only rated for 60-65 Mph.

[VicS1950]

Originally Posted by jamesj

...Trailer tires are only rated for 60-65 Mph.

That is not entirely true. The information for the individual tires should be referenced. There are some which are rated for higher speeds if the tire is at max cold inflation pressure. I recall one spec that even suggested going 5 psi over the sidewall rating for higher speeds. They specifically mentioned that the higher pressure did not increase the load rating.

The specs for the individual trailer tires are easy to find on the internet. That is what should be used.

From what I've read I agree that most all trailer tires seem to have had their problems at one time or other. That makes choosing what is absolutely best difficult. It is also getting more difficult to find trailer tires which are manufactured in the USA or even in North America.

vic

[jamesj]

Here's a couple good links from Good Year.

TT Tires are LT rated and designed for 65Mph speeds : http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

Motor Home tires are rated at higher pressures and higher road speeds.

Good Year recommends higher PSI in tire for storage, not to be higher than the rims are rated for.

Good Year RV Tire page for additional homework, care, maintenance, and storage tips: http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/default.aspx

[clubhouse]

I'm happy with my Chinese Mfg Marathons. I don't tow at 65+, I regularly check tire pressure, and won't run them longer than 5 years from date code regardless of what the tread looks like. I believe if you do the above and don't overload ST Radial tires will work well for you.

Oh, I also store outdoor but with the tires covered---always covered. UV is hard on tires.

[VicS1950]

Originally Posted by jamesj

Here's a couple good links from Good Year.

TT Tires are LT rated and designed for 65Mph speeds : http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

...

Your selected PDF says what you want it to about 65 mph, but it is older information. The title is even asterisked with a comment which refers to 2005.

Here is some more recent information.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...plications.pdf

The industry standard design may be to 65 mph, but the tires are not restricted to 65 mph if they are inflated to the proper pressures and the rims are designed for the pressure.

FWIW. vic

[jamesj]

Vic,

The PDF I noted was straight off of the Good Year page. As always, updated info is generally better. You'd think that GY would update their web site.

I noticed this verbiage in the PDF link you noted: (wheel must be rated for this higher inflation pressure).

Is one to think that the word 'wheel' refers to the rim?

James

[Doug]

I bought a new set of 13" bias ply from etrailer.com with rims for ~$105 each.
I've towed 6500 miles on current trip with no issues.

Doug