Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor 285's & Towing
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Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor 285's & Towing
Some people on this forum have reported that these tires may have caused some wandering. Has anyone else experienced this with these tires in this size or any other problems, particularly when towing? I just ordered 4 for my 2002 Ex, but I wanted to make sure before I have them installed. I am hoping that there were some other problems involved with those vehicles that caused the problem and that the tires were not the cause. I tow a 2006 Jayco 31BHDS which tops out at around 9000 lbs.
Than you in advance for your assistance.
Than you in advance for your assistance.
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If you were not towing 100% of the time (say only about 5%), do you think they would have lasted longer? I was particularly concerned about how they handled when towing, although I am using my Ex as a daily commuter (yes, even with the price of diesel around $5.00 per gallon). Since I don't tow that much, I am very interested in finding out how well they handle when not towing on the highway.
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Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Oswego NY
I got the 285s put on about a month ago. I did find that I get a little more wander than I had with my stock 265s. I am thinking that it is because of the bigger tire (not the brand). I do not tow. The increase in wander was VERY slight. Hope this helps.
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Joined: Sep 2001
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I have the goodyear silent armours and cant say anough good about them. I have not towed with them yet though.
I agree with the above post any wider tire will wander noticably more. My impala SS has 285 wide tires on it now as opposed to the 255's and has VERY noticable wander on any road thats not perfectly flat. Same with my camaro SS with 275s on teh front. A steam roller wide tire will want to track in the nataraul grroves in the roads that are made from cars driving over the same spot over and over day in and day out. Nature of the beast.
I agree with the above post any wider tire will wander noticably more. My impala SS has 285 wide tires on it now as opposed to the 255's and has VERY noticable wander on any road thats not perfectly flat. Same with my camaro SS with 275s on teh front. A steam roller wide tire will want to track in the nataraul grroves in the roads that are made from cars driving over the same spot over and over day in and day out. Nature of the beast.
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From: High Point, NC
I'm pretty sure tht SA's are what X_Hemi_Guy runs and he's been happy with them both empty and loaded - he can't chime in rightnow becasue he's at the Grand Canyon. He'll be back next week (I think).
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Yes, it does help. The tires should be in sometime today or tomorrow morning and I will have them installed tomorrow afternoon. Then I will be packing up the trailer and leaving for the Jersy Shore (Cape May) on Sunday, June 22nd and not returning until July 3rd. Can't wait!
Thank you to all who replied. I have received so much great information from this forum.
Thank you to all who replied. I have received so much great information from this forum.
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I have had the 285's on my 2005 since last October. They have been great in the snow and general driving. I just got back from Lake Powell towing a 5100# boat that was loaded with camping and fishing gear for 3 days plus I had 6 full ice chests in the back of the ex! I held the speed about 65 and was passed by a lot of trucks without any issues. The tires have worked out great for me.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Alberta, Canada
I have them and have noticed wander even though I downsized from 295 T/As.
However, I've only towed a few miles with them so the real test will be in a couple weeks. In addition to the brand new tires I've recently upgraded the front sway bar with a new Helwig, added a Helwig to the rear, bilsteins all around, added RAS and brand new ball joints.
I'll try to get it in to have the steering box looked at. Anything else?
Also I plan to boost up the tire pressure. So, bottom line - I'm not sure if it's the tires or something else.
Or the fact that my Saab Aero drives like it's on rails plus has directional tread Z rated tires.
However, I've only towed a few miles with them so the real test will be in a couple weeks. In addition to the brand new tires I've recently upgraded the front sway bar with a new Helwig, added a Helwig to the rear, bilsteins all around, added RAS and brand new ball joints.
I'll try to get it in to have the steering box looked at. Anything else?
Also I plan to boost up the tire pressure. So, bottom line - I'm not sure if it's the tires or something else.
Or the fact that my Saab Aero drives like it's on rails plus has directional tread Z rated tires.
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Well, I did purchase the Silent Armor's in the 285 size and they are big tires! Even though they are aired up to about 70 lbs all the way around, they seem to provide a much less harsh ride than my old tires aired up at less pressure. The real test will come on Sunday when I tow the trailer from my home west of Philadelphia to the New Jersey Shore (Cape May area). Then I'll find out how they handle the extra load and length of the Jayco 31BHDS. The only mod I have (besides the new tires) is the RAS...not even the rear sway bar. We'll see. I'll update after the tow to the 'shore'. Thank you all for the tire advice.
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Well, after our vacation trip to the New Jersey shore from west of Philadelphia, I have decided to switch the tires back to the 265 75 R16's because I could not control the vehicle. It was all over the road. On the way down, it was bad, but not that bad. I thought I could re-adjust my Equi-L-izer hitch to solve the problem, but that did not do it. There was much more wind on the way back and I had one additional passenger in the Excursion on the return trip. I was all over the road! I will be switching back to the stock tires of the same type on Monday.
One other note: when I called the shop where I purchased the tires and had them installed, they said they were not aware of Goodyear's 30 return policy for these tires. Luckily, I had picked up a brochure for these tires from a Goodyear dealer earlier and it states the 30 day unconditional warranty in the booklet.
One other note: when I called the shop where I purchased the tires and had them installed, they said they were not aware of Goodyear's 30 return policy for these tires. Luckily, I had picked up a brochure for these tires from a Goodyear dealer earlier and it states the 30 day unconditional warranty in the booklet.
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I just swapped out the 285's for the 265's and it seems steadier on the road without the trailer. I'll probably have to wait until the weekend to try them towing, but they seem steadier already. This time I had the shop mount the tires with the OWL's out (I had them mount them in last time with the 285's).
One question: the guy at the shop told me that the 265's are 10 ply while the 285's are 8 ply. Does anyone know if this is true? It did not sway my decision as I had already decided to switch them back to stock size, but I am just curious. It may explain a few things.
One question: the guy at the shop told me that the 265's are 10 ply while the 285's are 8 ply. Does anyone know if this is true? It did not sway my decision as I had already decided to switch them back to stock size, but I am just curious. It may explain a few things.