Original tires/new tires question

[Kroni]

I have a 2016 Primetime Avenger 28DBS. The stock tires (Rainiers)are at least 5 years old and although there is plenty of tread left I feel I should replace them before my trip to Yellowstone this summer (I’m in NY).

A few years ago 1 of the tires had to be replaced. It’s a different brand (Gladiators) than the others and I like it better so I was thinking of getting these to replace them all. I will post up pictures of the originals and the 1 newer. Anyone have any experience with Gladiators? The Rainiers are 8 PR, load range D and the gladiators are 10PR, load range E. I don’t know the difference between then but I assume the Gladiators are better.

Any advice I’d appreciated.

Thanks

[Kroni]

Ok. I don’t know how to upload a picture here from my phone...

[phillyg]

Raniers have a lousy reputation. I know nothing about Gladiators. Theoretically, a 10-ply tire can carry more load than an 8-ply, or carry your load at lower psi. I suggest you take a look at the GY Endurance, which is getting many good comments. Keep in mind, when it comes to ST tires, all comments are anecdotal.

[Kroni]

Ok. Thanks!

[Randy-2198]

I replaced the oem tires on my Primetime unit with Goodyear endurance. They did not have any issues other than wearing out faster than i anticipated.

I think the life expectancy being low was the endurance tires do not come with alot if tread depth. I'd guess I had less than 18k miles in 3+ years.

If you don't put alot of miles on, I would recommend the tires. Since I put on the miles, I am anticipating a new solution. Maybe a switch to LT?

[Savagerunner59]

I have found the issue with trailer tires is never the mileage put on them but rather how old they are. I would say that 5 years is the max one should expect to get out of any tire no matter the brand. Going with a 10 ply rating is a good choice.

[Randy-2198]

My issue is I put on alot of miles in the last 3 years and had to replace two due to lack of tread.

The Goodyear Endurance has only 8/32" of tread when new. So leaving 2/32" as a change out point that's only a use of 6/32".

My Goodyear LT truck tires came with 13/32". Using the same 2/32" minimum, it's almost double the usable tread and maybe 30-35k miles vs 15-18k. On the truck I average 50-60k miles per set.

Some folks swear by the LT tires, others say no. I have no experience with LT on a trailer.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Randy-2198

My issue is I put on alot of miles in the last 3 years and had to replace two due to lack of tread.

The Goodyear Endurance has only 8/32" of tread when new. So leaving 2/32" as a change out point that's only a use of 6/32".

My Goodyear LT truck tires came with 13/32". Using the same 2/32" minimum, it's almost double the usable tread and maybe 30-35k miles vs 15-18k. On the truck I average 50-60k miles per set.

Some folks swear by the LT tires, others say no. I have no experience with LT on a trailer.

Getting a bit sidetracked from the OPs question but if you put 4 Goodyear tires on at the same time and had to replace just two of them because of tread wear, you have an alignment problem.

I put 4 on, they are all wearing evenly and with about 10k on them, I likely have only used 2/32 of tread.

[Kroni]

Thanks for the replies.

I’m going to look into both the Gladiators and the GY’s.

I’m a little hesitant about the GY’s because I have had GY’s on a 1500 pickup and they wore out very fast but I do realize there is a big difference between a truck tire and a TT tire.

[rwmurphy]

3 years ago my RV mechanic recommended I get new tires. And said Gladiators were the best tires he ever sold and used on his own RV. The tires stopped a lot of the sway and the ride was way smoother than my old Tires.He also balanced the tires and added balancing beads what a difference. I am sold on these tires.

[Randy-2198]

Both of the worn out tires were on the rear axle. The tread thickness was pretty uniform, just thin. The two on the front axle were marginal with about 4mm left. They will probably get replaced this spring.

The tires were rotated once front to back when i repacked the wheel bearings.

My trailer was a touch high in the front and that put more weight on the rear axle? I had only 5-6" of clearance on the box so I did not lower the pin box.

I did have both axles measured from the pin. All of the measurements were equal side to side so I think the alignment should be good? Not sure how to check this better. Ideas welcomed.

The trailer has since been lifted to level it out and hopefully equalize the axle loads. New springs, shackle kit and equalizer. I did not know the equalizer was a greaseable zirc. It was worn out. That may have contributed to my wear issue.

Getting accurate weight per axle at the scale would have been a good idea too?

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Randy-2198

Both of the worn out tires were on the rear axle. The tread thickness was pretty uniform, just thin. The two on the front axle were marginal with about 4mm left. They will probably get replaced this spring.

The tires were rotated once front to back when i repacked the wheel bearings.

My trailer was a touch high in the front and that put more weight on the rear axle? I had only 5-6" of clearance on the box so I did not lower the pin box.

I did have both axles measured from the pin. All of the measurements were equal side to side so I think the alignment should be good? Not sure how to check this better. Ideas welcomed.

The trailer has since been lifted to level it out and hopefully equalize the axle loads. New springs, shackle kit and equalizer. I did not know the equalizer was a greaseable zirc. It was worn out. That may have contributed to my wear issue.

Getting accurate weight per axle at the scale would have been a good idea too?

Measuring from pin to axles will just show axles are at 90 degrees to centerline. That affects tracking.

Your rapid wear could be caused by uneven load but I'd check toe on the rear axle.

Easy to do if you have a block of wood, a nail, some chalk, and a tape measure.
Jack up one rear wheel so it spins free.

Pound nail into wiid block then cut off head aith diagonal cutters.

Hold chalk on center of tread while helper turns wheel. Holding chalk still make a 1" wide chalk line around the circunference of the tread.

Take block of wood, place on ground so nail point is aligned with center of chalk band. Hold block firm and while helper turns wheel so tread goes UP as it passes the nail. Move block so nail scribes a line on the band of chalk. You should now have a black line on the tread that shows the center plane of the tire, 90 degrees to the spindle. Scribing like this eliminates any error that might exist due to tire/wheel runout.

Lower wheel and repeat the abovo on other side.

After both tires are scribed enlist your helper to hold the end of a tape measure on the scribed line while you read the distance to the scribed line on the tire on opposite side. Measuring tape needs to be level across when measuring. Same distance off ground on each side while measuring.

Record measurement and repeat on other end of tire. If you measured front first, now measure rear. Record measurement.

Now subtract one from the other. If distance between lines on front is less than distance in rear you have toe-in. If greater, Toe-Out.

Most solid axles will run a slight amount of Toe-In to compensate for how an axle behaves when running down the highway and effects of Camber. Most I've seen over the years have a spec around 1/8" +/- 1/8". That means any toe from 0 to 1/4" shouldn't be a problem. Better of course to be close to spec.

FWIW, this is the same way toe was measured from the first cars well into the 70's. Takes time and two extra hands but pretty accurate if measuring is careful.

[Randy-2198]

Thanks for the detailed description. When spring rolls around I will try this.

It could be a tow in/out issue. I think my rear axle was running heavy, so i might have had wear from this.

With the lift, new springs and equalizer, I am hoping it is corrected. We shall see.

My truck is stock gmc 3/4 ton. Due to the higher side edges of the bed and the oem trailer springs partially flattened my rig was a bit high on the front. After the repairs, its very close to level, just a tiny bit low in front. I asked about raising the hitch setting but was told it's so close to level not to do it.

Thanks again for the workflow info.

[Kroni]

So, I can get both the Gladiators and the Goodyear tires from Walmart. The Gladiators are $82 a piece and the Goodyear’s are $133. The Gladiators are made in China, Goodyear’s USA.

I want to go with the Goodyear’s. Mainly because they are made in the US AND I don’t want a China bomb but $50 more per tire jacks up the cost.

What do you guys think?

Any experience with Gladiators?

[Doppleganger]

Originally Posted by Randy-2198

I replaced the oem tires on my Primetime unit with Goodyear endurance. They did not have any issues other than wearing out faster than i anticipated.

I think the life expectancy being low was the endurance tires do not come with alot if tread depth. I'd guess I had less than 18k miles in 3+ years.

If you don't put alot of miles on, I would recommend the tires. Since I put on the miles, I am anticipating a new solution. Maybe a switch to LT?

We're running the stock 235/75/15 Westlake CR857+ since we're only a year old, but being that they're not a common size trailer tire, I've also been considering replacing them with LT's when the time comes. I know Airstream offers LT tires as an "upgrade" over the ST's they offer, so if they're OK with LT tires on a trailer, I don't see a reason any trailer couldn't run them. Of course, make sure they're at least rated for the weight you'll be carrying, and the plus side, is most LT tires are higher speed rated than ST. In my mind, at least, that gives me a bit more cushion for heat buildup at any given speed.


But, for the OP's question, I haven't heard anything negative about the Goodyear endurance tires (other than the treadlife above), but also have read lots of positive comments about Carlisle tires, too.

[rsdata]

there are literally dozens of posts on this forum that name the GY Endurance tires as giving a superior trailering experience. If you put enough miles on the old tires, you can feel that the trailer tracks better with Endurance tires. They have a thick sidewall scuff guard that protects against sidewall strikes on curbs, that often happens when pulling into and out of gas stations. When I physically picked up and compared my Westlake tire carcasses ( when off the wheel) to the tire carcass of the GY, I was very convinced that the Endurance tire was superior to what I took off... much heavier and stiffer construction.

I gladly paid $50 more per tire for the feeling that I did ALL that I can do to keep from getting a flat while on vacation. I personally never skimp on tire purchases...

[Randy-2198]

I agree the Goodyear Endurance are a very well built tire. They have ann excellent reputation on rv threads.

I just wish they came with more tread to extend the life. Using 6/32" tread on an LT tire would still have double the life vs an endurance that is in need or replacement.

That said many folks probably don't put alot of miles on a trailer in 4-6 years. 75% of people will change out on time, or should.

Even the Goodyear 614 tire comes with more tread than the Endurance.

[Kroni]

Ok, thanks all. That’s what I needed to hear. I’m pretty sure my tires will time out before wear out but I’m going to Yellowstone from NY this summer and I’ve been nervous about tires since I planned the trip.

I agree, if rather pay the $50 extra to not have a problem but I’ve got to say, just by looks, the Gladiator looks MUCH better than the Rainers that my camper came with. And with the soaring costs of diesel lately, I was look to save a little money.

GY Endurance is what I’ll be buying.

[mmangiarelli]

I put the gladiators on our trailer 2 years/6000 miles ago along with upsizing load rating and have experienced no issues. Previous Towmax tire tread separated after4 years/10000 miles. Gladiators are very popular with landscapers in my area.

[Eddie2002]

I've used Gladiator tires on my previous camper which was a 26 foot Dutchmen Lite. The Gladiators had less sway during towing when compared to the original tires and I liked them. It came with Goodyear Marathons which were junk, the trailer was all over the road at speed, even had one blow out on the spare tire tire carrier on the rear of the camper.
Currently have a 2017 26 foot Catalina Coachmen with 5 year old tires and a 8 year old spare which came from a dealer. I think they are Seeker brand and were original on the camper when I bought it used. Moving up to eight ply tires this week just for safe towing down here in Florida during the summer heat.
I learned the hard way that after five years it's time to replace the rubber including the spare. As to your question about Gladiator tires, I never had a problem with them and they towed well.