16K miles on travel trailer tires?

[swj]

My 2 year old GY Endurance trailer tires with 16,000 miles have 3/32 to 4/32 of tire tread left. Wear is even across all 4 tires. Do travel trailer tires wear out this quick? Anyone have a similar towing experience with GY Endurance trailer tires? Had hoped to get 40k miles.

My travel trailer is FRiver Surveyor 251RKS. Scaled trailer weight of 6500lbs loaded. My scaled weight for my truck and trailer are all well within specs. Tires are rated 80 psi, running at 75 psi.

[moose074]

In my experience yes not sure I have gotten more than 20 k out of a set.

[aceinspp]

I doubt if you get 40k miles out of a set of trailer tires to many things take place such as sharp turns. I also have the GY endurance and have just over 4000 miles on them and less than a year old. My camper weighs in right at 11,000# and show little tire wear. Later RJD

[MR.M]

the Endurance only start out with 8/32 so at 4 /32 your just over half way gone . I would say your good to 2/32 so new tires soon

[TitanMike]

Endurance tires come with slightly less tread depth than car/truck tires. Mine started with 8/32 and if yours are same they're at 50%.

Last half wears slower than first half due to less tread squirm. You have more miles left than you think.

[Cabinfever97]

I only get about 16K on my work trailer and you can see the air in them when I finally change them. My dump trailer gets even less. The biggest issue with those two trailers is all the backing and turning. That really scrubs rubber off trailer tires. Our TT the tires age out before miles. The TT tires likely only have about 5K on them and the tread usually look new. The difference is not nearly as much backing and turning. Also a lot of backing into campsites is usually on gravel.

[jimmoore13]

For what it's worth, I noted that my Goodyear Endurance tires tread -- when NEW -- was very shallow to begin with. Compared to my truck's Michelin Defenders...which already have about 20,000 miles on them...the RV tires' tread depth was only about 1/2 that of my truck tires, when I towed the trailer home from the dealer.

Given TYPICAL RV use, age is usually the first indication that it's time for new tires. Most RVs don't put on 20,000 miles a year (but some do). Continued safe use of your tires, in particular, will be determined when tread depth gets "thin" enough to inhibit braking in the wet...or induce hydroplaning. Also note that "thin" tread is more vulnerable to puncture, and where RVs go, other tow vehicles (TVs) are doing double duty as work trucks...and many of them produce a steady "rain" of deck screws, nails, and other garbage in their wakes. (The only flats I've EVER had have been on the way too or from a camping area.)

If you are a "high-miler", you might look into light truck (LT) tires with substantially deeper tread and a high mileage warranty. Equivalent size and load range LT tires should have similar performance when serving as RV tires, EXCEPT that they are not as well suited to the sideways twisting that comes with maneuvers in tight quarters. In my case, for example, I must spin my rig 180 degrees IN PLACE when parking. My RV tires literally slide sideways as I use a power tongue dolly to rotate it into position. LT tires are not as well suited to this torture as RV tires are.

The photos show my parking spot...with my old PUP (single axle). My new rig is much bigger. The downhill portion of the driveway is at least a 10% grade, and there is very little room for error when spinning the rig. "Downhill" in the parking spot begins about even with the driver's side door on the RAV 4 in photo #1. So I'll be sticking with ST (special trailer) tires to endure this torture. (P.S. I roll the trailer forward and back a bit after spinning to unload most of the side loading on the tires before parking it.)

[lbrjet]

Forget about 40K.

[poorturtle]

My 235/80R/16 Goodyear tires lasted 7000 miles. All worn off in the middle. Goodyear said "over inflation" and so far they have walked away. How can they be overinflated if they are at 80 psi as per the side wall? My OEM China bombs lasted 4 years and I took them off because of age. I replaced the OEM tires with Maxis. When they aged out they still had 1/2 the tread left. Then I changed to Goodyear. If I do get any relief it will be from my independent Tire Pro dealer who has supplied all my tires for the last 20 years.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by poorturtle

My 235/80R/16 Goodyear tires lasted 7000 miles. All worn off in the middle. Goodyear said "over inflation" and so far they have walked away. How can they be overinflated if they are at 80 psi as per the side wall? My OEM China bombs lasted 4 years and I took them off because of age. I replaced the OEM tires with Maxis. When they aged out they still had 1/2 the tread left. Then I changed to Goodyear. If I do get any relief it will be from my independent Tire Pro dealer who has supplied all my tires for the last 20 years.

That 80 psi is only the maximum inflation pressure for max load.

If your tires are not loaded to max then that pressure will be "overinflated".

Weigh your vehicle and consult Goodyear's load/inflation chart to see hof far overinflated you are.

This is common among those who go way up in load rane for replacement tires but don't have enough weight to flatten out the tread. Center of tread wears and no manufacturer will warranty under these circumstances for premature wear.

[Airdale]

Polyester trailer tires (ST) have thin threads (10/32 to 8/32). It's to help in cooling. Trailer tires are, by their manufacturer, normally rated at having a mileage usage of 12,000 to 15,000 and a 3-5 year life expectancy. The steel cased tires normally have a different tread pattern and a taller tread. Probably because they don't have to worry about melting the polyester.

Now days new trailer owners are going to get tires with at least 10% in load capacity reserves. I recommend at least 15% or better for replacements.

Past history with trailer tires (ST) has proven that loading them close to the load carried causes tread separations. They are not commercial tires and degrade quite fast when their loads are close to their maximum capacity.

Bottom line; they are "age-out" tires. Pushing them beyond 5 years is very risky.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

That 80 psi is only the maximum inflation pressure for max load.

If your tires are not loaded to max then that pressure will be "overinflated".

Weigh your vehicle and consult Goodyear's load/inflation chart to see hof far overinflated you are.

This is common among those who go way up in load rane for replacement tires but don't have enough weight to flatten out the tread. Center of tread wears and no manufacturer will warranty under these circumstances for premature wear.

It’s surprising how few people realize or understand this.

Bruce

[poorturtle]

If pressure was the reason for these Goodyear's wearing out, why didn't' the China bombs and Maxis wear out in the same pattern? When I took them off it was and age not wear issue.

[phillyg]

I follow all tire threads here and on other forums. Your wear is the first I've seen reported. While it's true that ST mfgrs. in years past implied their tires age out in 3-5 years and wear out at 15,000 miles, I haven't seen that WRT the GY Endurance or Sailuns. I'm hopeful those limits no longer apply since both tires seem to be built much better. If you're concerned, I suggest you have them evaluated at a qualified tire shop, but my gut tells me you've got another 10,000 plus miles in them.

[PodGeek]

Our OEM Westlake ST 235/75 15s on the R-Pod 195 have gone 12000+ miles in a year's time and look like new. The R-Pod weighs in at about 4500# loaded. I keep them at between 60-65 PSI cold.

[Airdale]

The only official indicator a trailer tire manufacturer is going to give you about usage is going to be found in the warranty package.

Trailer tire life expectancy should be based on what the individual manufacturer has to say. They vary widely. For instance; Carlisle says two years or down to 2/32 tread depth. GY says six years. Goodyear does not state a specific replacement age for RV tires because there are many conditions that dictate a tire's life span. Some factors that influence how long a tire will last are: Usage per year - more frequent usage will result in longer life. Vehicle storage practices (6 months loaded with little or no rotation is not good!)

The life expectancy of a trailer tire varies from manufacturer to manufacturer; however, most are between 3 to 8 years, regardless of mileage. Carlisle Tire estimates that one-third of a tire’s strength is gone in approximately 3 years.

Always check the vehicle owner’s manual.

https://carlstargroup.s3.amazonaws.c...y_Warranty.pdf

https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tire-...to-light-truck

[CCrew]

Originally Posted by nomad297

It’s surprising how few people realize or understand this.

Bruce

What's even better are those that will argue against it until they die. Goodyear publishes it so people can ignore it I guess?

[RobbieH]

Originally Posted by poorturtle

If pressure was the reason for these Goodyear's wearing out, why didn't' the China bombs and Maxis wear out in the same pattern? When I took them off it was and age not wear issue.

Every manufacturer has a different load/psi chart. It isn't the same across all brands.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by RobbieH

Every manufacturer has a different load/psi chart. It isn't the same across all brands.

The standardization is done by the TRA. Brands have nothing to do with it.

[phillyg]

Originally Posted by poorturtle

If pressure was the reason for these Goodyear's wearing out, why didn't' the China bombs and Maxis wear out in the same pattern? When I took them off it was and age not wear issue.

You said you ran them at max psi, 80. Did the load table require 80psi for your load. If not, then I think GY may be correct denying your claim as they all showed evidence of overinflation.