Need new Trailer Tires, and advice.

[Bearly51]

My used 2007 Jayco TT 29' BHS came with old tires that I want to replace. The tires are Goodyear Marathon ST205/75R/15 Load Rating C.
Can I get the same size tire in Load rating D or E ?
If not do I need to get new rims to fit the trailer with ST225/75R/15 tires ?
The existig rims are 15 x 5J. I read that the J means the rim is only rated for 62 mph, does this mean I can't tow faster than 62 mph ?
What brand of tire and or rim is best ?

[nealtrombley]

I'm in the same boat.,,I have 3120 designer with 225/75/15 6 lug...C rating..I want to get D rated tires and new wheels as well...from what I see our local trailer supplier for work trailers has the best price.....my tires are like new but old....I do not want to ruin a hard to get weekend off due to tires...good luck..I also tow with my C rating around 65MPH...but D are rated a better tire not sure about the speed.

[Old Blue]

first you need to know if you can fit a 255/75/15 under your trailer if it cams stock with 205/75/15 the 255 might be to tall on my last trailer I got 205s that were load range d from les Schwab Tires as far as towing speed I have found that 60 and below I grt the best fuel mileage and with fuel prices going up and up I am all about mileage not about speed I will get there when I get there.

[clutch]

I have 15in tires and would like to change to 16 in so I can use a load range E. Then speed rating is not an issue. In fact I just can't believe that our trailer dosen't have 16 in wheels from the factory. Our old trailer, a 5th wheel was only 1000 lbs heavier and had 16in load range E tires.

[Bearly51]

Well I think I may have found some of the answers to my questions while reading every post I could find about tires and rims on quite a few different forums. This is what I found:
1. It doesn't do any good to put a D rated tire on rims that have a C rating.
Rims I found out, are PSI rated just like tires, and if your rims only allow for 50 psi, having a tire rated for 65 psi would force you to underinflate the tires by 15 pounds, possibly causing overheating while towing.
2. It is possible to upgrade your rim/tire combination, but only if the
clearances in your wheel well allow for the extra size.
(Upgrading from a 15 inch tire to a 16 inch adds about 1 1/4 inches in tire diameter.) You need to measure above, in front, between and behind.
3. A 20% "cushion" between the tire/rim load carrying capacity and the
weight of the trailer on the tires is "recommeded". ( I don't remember where I read this.)
I just realized that my gross axle weight is limited to 3500 pounds per axle for a total load limit of 7000 pounds while my C rated tires/rims are rated for 7280 pounds for a measly 4% "cushion", thus I really can't believe you need a 20% cushion as mentioned above.
My C tires are rated for 7280 pounds and my TT max loaded weight is 7500 pounds, minus the weight on the tongue (10-15%), the tires carry about 6700 pounds, a 580#-8 1/2% cushion.(7280 minus 6700) Twice what my axle-tire/rim cushion is. I think I'm safe as is. I just need new tires.
Upgrading to a D rated tire/rim which would be rated for 10,160 pounds would give me a 3460#-a HUGE 51% cushion. (10,160 minus 6700)
I read that this could cause my TT to bounce while towed as it would be "light". This can be some what alleviated by following the tire manufactures PSI inflation recommendations for the actual load the tire is carrying. This means inflating the tire at less than the max psi, which some folks say you should never do because that will "weaken" the side wall of the tire and again causing over heating because of under inflation. A lot of stress is put on the side wall when turning, even more so when turning as you back in to your camping spot. Of course you can't really know what the weight is on your tires unless you have your rig properly weighed. To be safe this is a "must do" no matter what your tires are.
This is the FIRST thing I will do for my TT this spring. I think the weights for my rig are great because it towed so smooth and nice last year but I just don't KNOW because I have not had it weighed yet.(my bad) I will make my tire/rim decision AFTER i weigh and KNOW whats up.
If anyone can add to or correct the info in this post PLEASE do so.
We newbies need all the help we can get!

[clutch]

Bearly, I think you are on the right track.

[Bearly51]

Thanks for the input Clutch! I hope I am.

[Bearly51]

Well I finally decided to get new tires and made arrangements with a local dealer and I was assured that the tires (Maxiss 8008 load C 8-ply) would have a DOT date less than 6 months old. A week later they called and said their shipment of "new" tires had arrived so I hitched up the 29BHS and drove the 5 miles into town. The 1st thing I asked was did they check the tire dates and "oh I forgot to do that, lets do it now". Out of 10 "new" tires they had recieved from their distributor only 1 was less than 6 months old, the other 9 were over 1 1/2 years old. Needless to say I did not buy them and they are attempting to find NEW tires for me. It should be against the law to sell trailer tires that have over 20% of their useful life gone when you purchase "new". The hunt for new tires continues.

[Denise]

Originally Posted by Bearly51

Well I finally decided to get new tires and made arrangements with a local dealer and I was assured that the tires (Maxiss 8008 load C 8-ply) would have a DOT date less than 6 months old. A week later they called and said their shipment of "new" tires had arrived so I hitched up the 29BHS and drove the 5 miles into town. The 1st thing I asked was did they check the tire dates and "oh I forgot to do that, lets do it now". Out of 10 "new" tires they had recieved from their distributor only 1 was less than 6 months old, the other 9 were over 1 1/2 years old. Needless to say I did not buy them and they are attempting to find NEW tires for me. It should be against the law to sell trailer tires that have over 20% of their useful life gone when you purchase "new". The hunt for new tires continues.

We hadn't thought to check for DOT dates before reading this. Just went out and checked the tires we recently bought for our mini-van... They were about 5 months old at time of purchase. Thanks for the info

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by healthi

We hadn't thought to check for DOT dates before reading this. Just went out and checked the tires we recently bought for our mini-van... They were about 5 months old at time of purchase. Thanks for the info

Healthi, you may want to look at the date codes on your Jayco as well. My tires had date codes ranging from 28/08 to 31/08 meaning they were made in the 28th week of 2008 and so on. This of course means they were well over a year old when the trailer was made. They were China Good Year Marathons. The spare was the exception, being made in 09 and was a USA Marathon. I mentioned that in the follow up survey, that a trailer should be delivered with "fresh" tires IMO. -Lee

[Denise]

Originally Posted by Crabman

Healthi, you may want to look at the date codes on your Jayco as well. My tires had date codes ranging from 28/08 to 31/08 meaning they were made in the 28th week of 2008 and so on. This of course means they were well over a year old when the trailer was made. They were China Good Year Marathons. The spare was the exception, being made in 09 and was a USA Marathon. I mentioned that in the follow up survey, that a trailer should be delivered with "fresh" tires IMO. -Lee

K! Just checked on them and they are all four 3809. Our tt was "born" 9-9-09 so looks like it was a pretty new tire. Thanks, good peace of mind to have

[Crabman]

Yeah you got good fresh tires, good show! My TT was made 9/30/09 and had older tires!

[clutch]

On other forums I have read of people buying tires that were four years old. That is a long time to sit in a warehouse or on a tire rack.