I had a blow out yesterday. Tires are Goodyear Marathon st235/80 R16 made in China. I've heard bad things about "China Bombs" but need advise on replacement tires. I've researched replaced tires but all 23580's seemed to be made in China...Help.
If you want to stay with ST tires, check out Maxxis. They make a very good ST235/80R16 Load Range E tire. They're not China bombs.
If you want to go to LT tires, Michelin Ribs or BF Goodrich Commercial T/A seem to be a popular choice amongst the RV'ers.
Was on the phone with a tire safety guy last week and he had an unusual twist in the ST vs LT debate.
LT tire tread is designed to provide optimum traction under power and turning performance in all weather conditions. As such, the tread design provides for high friction in side loading to provide "grip" while turning. It also has an aggressive tread for high friction when used as a drive tire. It also has channels for water to squirt out the sides to keep the drive and steering wheels from hydroplaning. These channels also provide high friction when the tire is twisted in hard turns.
ST tires have a unique tread design. There are only ribs and channels that follow the rotation of the tire. There are no (or few) side to side grooves and the tread itself is very "non-aggressive" to provide a minimum rolling friction for better tire life and fuel economy.
In the past, the higher tire loading in high end campers was not being served by the tire industry so to provide the load carrying capacity required they put LT tires on at the factory. Today, there are more choices available and for a given load factor better performance will come from an ST tire.
Under similar driving conditions, the ST tire will provide better gas mileage and longer tire life. During sharp turns the ST tire will crab sideways much more easily than an LT tire. This will reduce uneven wear and "scrubbing" of the tread.
ST tires also have a much higher emulsion content in the rubber since most ST tires don't get a lot of use. LT tires are run at highways speeds more often and the emulsion can lubricate the rubber more easily when the tires get hot at highway speeds. The higher content in the ST tire rubber prevents/delays dry rot in tires that don't get much use.
Paraphrased from a 2 hour conversation with
Walter C. Cannon
Executive Director
RV Safety & Education Foundation
Don't shoot the messenger...
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
I replaced the Goodyear Marathons on my 2011 Cardinal 3450RL with 750R16 14 ply Trailer tires. It is still a tire made in China, but feel better knowing that it is a G rated tire,My tire guy also installed metal valve stems and a liquid balancer that also helps the tire run cooler.I run them at 100 psi. Just returned from a 1500 mile trip.All is good and I sold the Goodyears for 125.00 each!
Excellent post, Lou. Less rolling resistance for better mileage, less sideways grip so the tire doesn't wear as much during turns, and better compounds in the tire to prevent aging should get us all thinking about keep ST tires on our trailers.....at least I plan on it.
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Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
Excellent post, Lou. Less rolling resistance for better mileage, less sideways grip so the tire doesn't wear as much during turns, and better compounds in the tire to prevent aging should get us all thinking about keep ST tires on our trailers.....at least I plan on it.
Ditto,
I am working on a modification for the wheel well area to make the tire explosion proof. It won't prevent damage to the skirts but will protect the area above the tires and far enough front to back to take into account the tread seperating and slapping the trailer. Just waiting for the material to make the shields out of.
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John & Deb
2011 F250 Lariat FX4 Crew Cab 6.2
2011 Flagstaff V-Lite 30WRLS
So on my fiver I have Road Rider st225-175-r15. Is this a tire made in China? Is it a good tire? How do you know if it was made in China?
Not all tires made in China are bad; just like all tires made in the USA are not "good." It is a question of price and quality control. Name brand tires, like Goodyear, Pirelli, Goodrich, etc, offer a second level of quality control over and above what is required by DoT.
Here is the web site for manufacturer codes: DOT Codes
Here is how to "read" a tire:
For example: in the pictured tire, find the molded code MDHH right after the DOT
The first 2 digits are WHO actually made the tire.
In this case: Goodyear Rubber Company in Gadsden Alabama.
Look as well at the 4 numbers 2510
This is the manufacturing date code.
this tire was made in the 25th week of 2010
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
the pic I have of tire looks like it says 83B4. So that would be Shandong China? What are the second 2 digits mean? I will have to look at tire tonight again.
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Jim and Carol
2012 Crusader 290RLT
2010 Ford F-250 King Cab Diesel
Harley Davidson Edition
I believe it is the "Traction Code"
AA being the highest traction code.
Since ST tires are designed for almost no "traction," so HH would be reasonable. Traction in an ST tire is counter productive. High traction in a trailer equals high rolling resistance and low tire life.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
My Cedar Creek came from the factory with LT235 85R16 tires. They are now 6+ years old, so this spring they are going away. My replacement tire of choice is Hankook DrnaPro AS LT235 85R16. To the OP. Get a LT235 85R16 and go camping. Michelin XPS Rib is a trailer service rated tire according to Michelin. Also BF Goodrich Commercial TA is a bit lower cost alternative. Someone suggested GoodJunk G614's. Problem is you probably do not have enough wheel to handle that tire. If you really want to do away with tire failures, change everything to 17.5 inch trailer tires and wheels. They come rated at over 4K per tire and should provide years of reliable service.
Thanks, Lou, for the info on tires. My max tire pressure is 65 lbs. I cannot imagine having to put in 100 psi in a trailer tire. It must be the difference in trailer weight. Being I bought the 290 RLT last August, I hope the tires work ok.
__________________
Jim and Carol
2012 Crusader 290RLT
2010 Ford F-250 King Cab Diesel
Harley Davidson Edition
Was on the phone with a tire safety guy last week and he had an unusual twist in the ST vs LT debate.
LT tire tread is designed to provide optimum traction under power and turning performance in all weather conditions. As such, the tread design provides for high friction in side loading to provide "grip" while turning. It also has an aggressive tread for high friction when used as a drive tire. It also has channels for water to squirt out the sides to keep the drive and steering wheels from hydroplaning. These channels also provide high friction when the tire is twisted in hard turns.
ST tires have a unique tread design. There are only ribs and channels that follow the rotation of the tire. There are no (or few) side to side grooves and the tread itself is very "non-aggressive" to provide a minimum rolling friction for better tire life and fuel economy.
In the past, the higher tire loading in high end campers was not being served by the tire industry so to provide the load carrying capacity required they put LT tires on at the factory. Today, there are more choices available and for a given load factor better performance will come from an ST tire.
Under similar driving conditions, the ST tire will provide better gas mileage and longer tire life. During sharp turns the ST tire will crab sideways much more easily than an LT tire. This will reduce uneven wear and "scrubbing" of the tread.
ST tires also have a much higher emulsion content in the rubber since most ST tires don't get a lot of use. LT tires are run at highways speeds more often and the emulsion can lubricate the rubber more easily when the tires get hot at highway speeds. The higher content in the ST tire rubber prevents/delays dry rot in tires that don't get much use.
Paraphrased from a 2 hour conversation with
Walter C. Cannon
Executive Director
RV Safety & Education Foundation
Don't shoot the messenger...
Excellent post Lou, I have ST tires now and when it is time for replacements I see (and this confirms) no reason to switch. Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by herk7769
I believe it is the "Traction Code"
AA being the highest traction code.
Since ST tires are designed for almost no "traction," so HH would be resonable. Traction in an ST tire is counter productive. High traction in a trailer equals high rolling resistance and low tire life.
Although it may appear counter intuitive to (re)include the tire size in the DOT marking (after all it is in much bigger print around the tire) that's exactly what the 3rd and 4th digits are, the tire size. An HH tire would be P225/75R15. Here is a link for the other DOT tire size codes, Tire Size
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Frank & Rita M
2016 Ford F-150 XLT Ecoboost
2017 Rockwood 2703WS
Remember, ST tires have a speed limit of 65MPH. St tires have a long history of catastrophic failures. Often causing thousands of dollars in damage to the trailer. Why anyone in their right mind would put a known inferior product back on their trailer is beyond me? Over the years many many trailers have come equipped with LT tires. They have proved reliable and trouble free. The bla bla about economy is kind of questionable in my mind. If it were true, then people should be running ST tires on their trucks as well shouldn't they? This would save thousand of gallons of gasoline a year using that logic. Tires like the Michelin XPS RIB have a straight highway tread pattern that is very similar to the ST tire tread. But with a much stiffer sidewall. They are Trailer Service rated and an excellent replacement for the ST235 85R16 found on many larger trailers. As always it is the buyers choice as to what they consider their time and money is worth in regards to the safety of their family if one of the ST bombs blows out at 70MPH on the freeway causing an accident or major damage to their trailer. Personally I would not even consider using an ST tire on my trailer.
Although it may appear counter intuitive to (re)include the tire size in the DOT marking (after all it is in much bigger print around the tire) that's exactly what the 3rd and 4th digits are, the tire size. An HH tire would be P225/75R15. Here is a link for the other DOT tire size codes, Tire Size
Thanks Frank, The HH business was a total guess on my part (I hope I conveyed that it was in my post) based on the letter codes.
I had never seen the last two digits mentioned before.
I again learned something new on this forum to add to my "Bag of Tricks".
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
The bla bla about economy is kind of questionable in my mind. If it were true, then people should be running ST tires on their trucks as well shouldn't they?
Don, I think you missed the point of the post. A trailer does not need traction or turning performance. A car/truck does. Aggressive tread is desirable on a tow vehicle but is counter productive on a trailer.
PM me if you want Walter's phone number at the Safety Center.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Guess you have never towed anything in a rain storm? Personally I am not interested as much in straight line performance as I am in longevity and the ability to handle rain soaked roads. A good quality AS truck tire will out perform a ST tire any day even on a trailer.
While this debate will not end soon I am still a firm believer in replacing what ever tire is under a persons trailer with something of far superior quality. To me that is an LT tire. Some people still think they have to have ST tires under their heavy trailers, and that is all well and good. But just don't come back here crying the blues about all the damage that the blowout did to your trailer. Heck, if I was still working my next upgrade would be 7K axles and 17.5 inch tire and wheel package. That would all but eliminate ever having tire issues in the future. Barring of course a nail puncture. IMHO the sole reason ST tires are being installed under larger trailers is $$$. The bottom line. Manufacturers are probably buying the Chinese ST tire for roughly 40 dollars each. So about $160 for tires, vs about $600 for a quality LT tire under each unit that rolls off the assembly line.
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2021 F350 Lariat 7.3 4X4 w 4.30s, 2018 Wildcat 29RLX
2012 BMW G650GS, Demco Premiere Slider
1969 John Deere 1020, 1940 Ford 9N, 1948 Ford 8N
Jonsered 535, Can of WD-40, Duct Tape
Red Green coffee mugs
ST vs. LT Tire problems
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