I am having a 24' 10,400gvw enclosed trailer built to haul our classic cars in to shows, ect.
It will use ST22575R15 tires (Radials) and I have heard that like car/truck tires thre are good and bad trailer tire brands out there.
I'm not a fan of anything coming from China, and have been told the GOODYEAR MARATHON in load range D is the best going......any comments??

 

Well, I've heard good and bad about just about every trailer tire. So I think the most important thing is to stay well below the rated capacity of whatever tire you choose. When you run the tires right up to their capacity, that's where you start to see marginal performance out of any of them.

I've had Goodyear, and they were fine. I've used the Pep Boys trailer tire, Carlisle is the name IIRC, and they were fine too.

Trailer manufacturers tend to spec tires that will just barely suffice for the GVWR, because they cost them less. Usually if you go up one load rating from the OE, you will see better life, less sidewall stress cracking, and fewer failures. If whoever is custom building your trailer says they will use D rating, do your own math. Maybe if marginal, ask them what it would cost to over rate them a little bit, either in a larger size, or more plys.

 

Ditto that. Also, check with whoever is building your trailer and find out the specific tire they intend to use. Look at the load ratings for that tire. You will find that tires come in a myriad of ratings (for example load range "D" or "E") and within those ratings, you may find many similarities.

For example, you may find that a Load Range "D" tire may have the same load rating as Load Range "E" tire from another manufacturer. It can all be quite confusing. However, I tend to be more cautious than others when selecting tires. If I found the above situation, I would choose the "E" tire for a few reasons such as a higher ply count and stiffer sidewalls. While the "D" tire will handle the load, the "E" will tend to be more stable and handle the load better with less sidewall flex.

An "E" tire will tend to generate less heat in the sidewall under load and will be less prone to sidewall failures such as blowouts. Sometimes, I feel I am in the minority, but I advocate using tires that are rated higher than any load you'll ever haul. It's hard to put a price on safety. Also, the last thing you want is to have a blown trailer tire on the side of the road in the middle of the night due to using sub-par tires.

In the long run, you can't go wrong with a higher load rating. It's on a trailer and not the tow vehicle so it won't affect your ride in the cab and will give you added piece of mind. And, while the "E" may cost a little more at first, it'll be worth it for the added safety.

 

I'm looking for a E rated 15" tire and can not find one! I have a trailer like your weight (11,400) my D rated tires are 2540lbs. If you can find a E rated tire higher rating please let me know. Looks like 16" is the way to go.

 

You might look at these from Maxxis. They've got two "E" rated tires - one is a 15" and one is a 16". The 15" is rated at 2830 lbs. which, with four tires, would get you to 11,320 and considering the truck carrying the tongue or pin weight, you would probably be fine with them.

http://www.maxxis.com/Industrial/Tra...ST-Radial.aspx

 

Thats good to know...thanks for the link. I noticed the psi for that tire is 80, my wheels are stamped 60 psi max! Its sad because i like the looks of the wheels.

 

Just out of curiousity, why do you want to change yours out? If those are the OEM tires, you should be alright. On fifth wheels, the manufacturers generally put axles and tires on these that are rated at less than the GVWR of the trailer itself. The reasoning in that the tow vehicle carries a portion of the trailer's weight (in your case, pin weight) thus taking some of the load off of the trailer axles and tires.

I suggested the OP look at going with some "E" rated tires but that was because he was having his trailer built. If I were in your shoes, I would keep what you've got. Those tires should handle your fifth wheel fine. Just make sure to keep your pressures at recommended levels and don't go over the trailer GVWR. Only other problem with changing to 16" in your case is that your fifth wheel appears to be new and it may void your warranty.

Just some thoughts.

Oh, and by the way, nice truck!

 

The OEM tires say (made in China) and that scares me. I will be taking the 5th out for the first time during Spring Break to test it out. I had the trailer delivered from MI. a 1250mi trip. The OEM tires say 65psi , the wheels say 60 psi max . This is my first Ford Truck....i really like it!

 

> I am having a 24' 10,400gvw enclosed trailer built

Then spec it to use a P235/85r/16 E rated tire on an 8 lug rim and put some Goodyears or Michelins (my favorite) on it. That will give you a 15,000+ pound towing capacity and a good safety margin on an easy to source and cheap tire size.

 

Nice setup! I agree with you on the "Made in China" thing. I can understand you wanting to upgrade now. I'd find out the lug pattern, etc. from Heartland if you can and go from there on wheels and tires if you really want to replace them. Or you could source a tire from Carlisle, Maxxis, etc. that's the same load range and size as yours. Good luck and stay safe.

 

I understand the tire issue you are having, I have done a lot of research on trailer tires and have found that there are no tires made for trailers that are made in the USA. Goodyears are now made in China. Tireco is a company tha imports a large number of tires for diffrent companies and all are made in China. If you want a USA made tire with that load rating you need to go to a 16inch rim and a truck tire. 15 inch LT tires do not carry the load that you need. I have had a tire that was coming apart with only 3K on them on my trailer and started looking for a USA made set. I have yet found one that was made here.

 

Are you guys sure the chinese tires you speak of are not "Made in Taiwan?" I think there is a big difference in quality between China and Taiwan. Taiwanese do not exactly consider themselves chinese. I have Greenball Taiwanese tires on my 15K loaded trailer and have driven them over 17000 miles in mostly 90-100 degree temps on rough roads with no issues yet. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I am very particular about maintaining even tire pressure at all times.

 

I am now a AARP member but i can still read... I have run my last set of made in CHINA tires through 118 degree heat at 70 mph without any problems. But still I am the type of person that perfers to go overboard on safety, I want a USA made tire with a load rating of near double the GVW. All the cars and trucks i own have this rating so why not a trailer tire?

 

I prefer a USA tire too, but you can't find the darned things anymore.

 

> If you want a USA made tire with that load rating you need to go to a 16inch rim and a truck tire.

Exactly why I suggested it.

My Ford van 4x4 is running Made In the USA tires - Interco.