Gone to the "darkside" (lt tires)

[M109Rrider]

In the motorcycle world going to the darkside means running a car tire usually on the rear as a way to extend tire change intervals. Those that do it claim no adverse handing, longer life, better traction, etc.
After my blow out last month of the 3 year old, never seen sunlight unless the were spinning and always properly inflated oem China bombs I spent literally minutes on the intraweb researching tires. Decided to go the LT route. What's the worst that could happen.... A blow out? Been there done that. I found a couple Mesa ap2 tires (by Cooper) on craigsist that looked like they about 4 miles on them. I picked up 2 matching tires new from a local shop. They are lt245/75/16 load E which are the same diameter but a smidge wider than the 235/80/16 road riders. All mounted and balanced for the next trip. Time will only tell.

[Buck1032]

Interesting idea. I wouldn't have thought about mounting vehicle tires on out TT. I have read about and seen a few car tires on bikes though.

[M109Rrider]

Actually fairly popular...... and controversial.....lol

[Buck1032]

Yes I have known about the controversial aspect of car tires on bikes. Is it controversial to have them on a camper?

[RhoZeta]

One of my buddies drives a truck for his fathers trucking company, they have several gooseneck trailers for hauling heavy equipment and I asked him to get me the size and type of tires on them and almost all of them were 16" E rated LT tires with a few on the dual tandems being G Rated. That Cat Dozer I have seen him haul weighs hella more than my 5th, riding on 4 16" E rated LT tires and I know for a fact they abuse the ever loving shite out of their tires, low press, high press, rough terrain etc. I will be getting appropriately load rated LT tires soon for mine.

[jevanb]

My triple axle 5 er equipment trailer has had nothing but e rated tires it's entire life. 300k miles and counting. Loads up to 22k

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[M109Rrider]

Originally Posted by jevanb

My triple axle 5 er equipment trailer has had nothing but e rated tires it's entire life. 300k miles and counting. Loads up to 22k

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Oem were e rated st. I switched to e rated lt.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by M109Rrider

Oem were e rated st. I switched to e rated lt.

What is your max load on the new tires? And how much do you need per tire?

From what I have read, the LTs have lower carrying capacity than STs. From my weighings, I think I'm right on the cusp of that cut off.

[M109Rrider]

3080 @ 80 psi. Can't remember exactly what the ST's were but the lt is a couple hundred pounds less. Bottom line I still have 6160 lbs worth of tire on 5200 lbs axles.

[Kuba]

I will be doing the same thing. don't want to take any chances with the crappy st tires being sold and mfgd these days.
It was night and day difference when I switched to lts on my boat trailer. The trailer was tracking better and did not bounce as much. It had Carlisle brand on and it was all over the road with these.

[zs325RES]

Interesting.
I just swapped my china bombs for Goodyear Marathon 'E' STs.
The load range is certainly most important, but I also consider the side loading the tire can put on the axle mounts, which can be severe when in tight corners.
The ST tire has softer sidewalls that will flex easier than LTs, so less stress on the axles and mounts.
On the heavier duty gooseneck trailers, this may not be an issue, but with the lighter built RV chassis???

[prof_fate]

When I looked into this the tire folks say that trailer-specific tires are built to lessen sway compared to car/Lt tires.

Don' know.

I bought a boat (19' i/o) and it has car tires on it - car radials. LOTS of sidewall 'bulge' like you see on cars but NOT on trailers, even radial trailer tires. I can certainly induce sidewall 'flex' (think jello) by just pushing on the side of the boat.

i did haul it home, about 45 miles a mix of hiway and back roads (35-55mph) and didn't notice anything unusual - no sway, no bounce, no nothing.

As for pressure and ratings..check your rims- TT rims are cheap and often not rated for much more than the factory tires and pressures.

[M109Rrider]

Having both the e rated st and e rated lt on the shop floor there is an obvious difference between the 2. The st was several pounds lighter and the sidewall was much softer. The st just felt cheap. You could spend hours researching varying opinions on the internet. But most are just..well..opinions. Some tire manufacturers say lt's are great trailer tires while others(mostly those who make st tires) say no bueno. Who do you believe? Something I had difficulty finding was published negative findings by folks who have first hand experience. That might be because they are too proud to admit they were wrong or because problems are few or don't exist. Have a 400 mile trip this weekend and will be sure to report back.

[Kuba]

I'm doing about 600m trip starting tommorow and my "trail distress" are worrying me.

[M109Rrider]

Made it to our weekend destination. Some city, some highway, some curves. No noticeable change in handing. Tire temp as felt by my highly sensitive and calibrated palm were the same as the TV. I will say I was a little nervous because my last trip ended with carnage but I can see my confidence returning.

[DocGTO]

I have used e load LT tires on my trailers for years. I got tired of the China bombs blowing. My new fiver came with a higher quality china bomb filled with nitrogen and laser aligned axles but they will he swapped out within 4-6 months. I usually use commercial grade Firestone Transforce HTs. Strong and dead reliable!

What most people don't know is that the trailer use only tire does not have the same strict DOT requirements as vehicle tires and the manufacturer can basically put whatever it wants for specs. If they were so good, why do they blow so much. I had a friend just get back from a 3500miles trip ands blew 3 ST tires.... He is OCD about pressures, ect but didn't make a difference. Also, an ST tire is rated to a 65mph max speed. Well, I like to go the speed limit so I'm not getting blown off the road from semis ect.

[itat]

The softer side walls on the ST tires would work to a degree to help absorb shock for the trailer. Do you have shocks on your trailer? Switching a TV from P tires to LT makes a noticeable difference in the ride depending on the tire pressure. Have you played with tire pressures at all?


2010 Rockwood Roo 23SS
2009 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew with Max. Towing
10K Equal-i-zer

[M109Rrider]

No shocks. Running 80 psi, same as the old tires. I do have the Equa-flex suspension which is suppose to make the trailer ride smooth.

[dj3spots]

We had Cooper LT tires on our horse trailer for years. When it became necessary we replaced with "trailer" tires. There was a difference in handling. If I'd have had the money I'd have gone back to the LT tires. Trailer tires felt like the wheels we're dragging and the trailer was heavier. And.... Can't complain about our nitrogen filled China bombs. Bought the trailer in the fall, trailer parked in driveway all winter on cement pad and tires we're not covered. Took off from Maryland, drove to Gulf shores Alabama and followed I-10 out to California. Stayed in North San Francisco for a week. Returned to Maryland via I-80. Docked back in Maryland 2 months after starting trip. No probs with tires at all. I do the driving and parking. DH sets up and breaks down. We both check all equipment - 4 eyes being better than two.


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[MotorCanoe]

Hmm, Has me thinking if I want to switch to LT tires. I bought a new to me 07 Shamrock and I know they are the original tires. Trailer is in extremely good shape and I don't think this trailer has anymore than a few k on it. (Not a spec of rust underneath, zero wear on the carpets and upholstery, one mattress still had factory plastic on it etc) I'm a fanatic about my trailer tires though, carry two spares and I know 6 year old tires are due to fail me, so they are def. being replaced before my cross country trip next spring. I have a small 16' aluminum lund and I went thru 3 tires this summer. At most, I did about 2500 miles of towing. Seems the China tires are getting cheaper and cheaper as time goes on.