Do we need to upgrade our tire?

[aboyz]

I read a lot of people saying to upgrade their tire. But I don't know why they do it and what is the benefit of doing it. Its better to upgrade for safety?

If so can someone tell me what brand of tire is good and fit my 20bhs? I heard the Goodyear BF terrian is good?

Where do you purchase your tire? and do you change it yourself or where you purchase it from? Do you drive your trailer there? What is the best tire for the geo pro 20bhs? or what tire will fit? I'm planning to upgrade my tire. Is the stock tire not good enough? please advise. I got the off road package.

Tire spec:
ST235/75/R15 110/105L Speed rating "L" 75MPH max Westlake
Load Range C 6 P.R
Max load single axle 2340lbs single tire

[rsdata]

Often, rv's are fitted with tires that merely meet load ratings expected on a trailer axle. Tire load ratings are expressed as letters... C, D and E ratings are popular sizes on trailers, as is 14 inch and 15 inch diameter tires.

It appears that you have one axle. Look at your tires... I expect they are load range C and 14 inch... something like 205/75-14 load range C.

You can look up the rating of the tire, multiply by 2 ( 2 tires) and compare that number with the GVWR of your trailer.

Say the 2 tires together give you 6600# load rating and the trailer say has Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 5800# then you have 800# safety margin.

I for one wanted a higher margin for safety so that hitting a pothole or road debris at speed would not pop my tire because of excessive loading if even for an instant, so I opted for load range D ( up from C) and I bought Goodyear Endurance ST ( special trailer) tires made for trailer usage. The tire you mentioned is not designed for trailer usage.

I purchased my GY Endurance online at the goodyear website... had the tires shipped to the local GY company store and brought my wheels/tires to them for changing. Left my trailer propped on jack stands while I did that. I then had the wheels fitted with metal ( not rubber) valve stems and had the tires balanced at the same time.

There are literally dozens of tire threads on here posted every month... lots of reading if you care to search. Many do not care to use the cheaply made China tires that most trailers come with.

What size and brand do you currently have? That is a starting point.

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by rsdata

Often, rv's are fitted with tires that merely meet load ratings expected on a trailer axle. Tire load ratings are expressed as letters... C, D and E ratings are popular sizes on trailers, as is 14 inch and 15 inch diameter tires.

It appears that you have one axle. Look at your tires... I expect they are load range C and 14 inch... something like 205/75-14 load range C.

You can look up the rating of the tire, multiply by 2 ( 2 tires) and compare that number with the GVWR of your trailer.

Say the 2 tires together give you 6600# load rating and the trailer say has Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 5800# then you have 800# safety margin.

I for one wanted a higher margin for safety so that hitting a pothole or road debris at speed would not pop my tire because of excessive loading if even for an instant, so I opted for load range D ( up from C) and I bought Goodyear Endurance ST ( special trailer) tires made for trailer usage. The tire you mentioned is not designed for trailer usage.

I purchased my GY Endurance online at the goodyear website... had the tires shipped to the local GY company store and brought my wheels/tires to them for changing. Left my trailer propped on jack stands while I did that. I then had the wheels fitted with metal ( not rubber) valve stems and had the tires balanced at the same time.

There are literally dozens of tire threads on here posted every month... lots of reading if you care to search. Many do not care to use the cheaply made China tires that most trailers come with.

What size and brand do you currently have? That is a starting point.

Sorry, i forgot to post the picture and tire size. Here is a picture of the tire
ST235/75/R15 110/105L Speed rating "L" 75MPH max Westlake
Load Range C 6 P.R
Max load single axle 2340lbs single tire

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by rsdata

Often, rv's are fitted with tires that merely meet load ratings expected on a trailer axle. Tire load ratings are expressed as letters... C, D and E ratings are popular sizes on trailers, as is 14 inch and 15 inch diameter tires.

It appears that you have one axle. Look at your tires... I expect they are load range C and 14 inch... something like 205/75-14 load range C.

You can look up the rating of the tire, multiply by 2 ( 2 tires) and compare that number with the GVWR of your trailer.

Say the 2 tires together give you 6600# load rating and the trailer say has Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 5800# then you have 800# safety margin.

I for one wanted a higher margin for safety so that hitting a pothole or road debris at speed would not pop my tire because of excessive loading if even for an instant, so I opted for load range D ( up from C) and I bought Goodyear Endurance ST ( special trailer) tires made for trailer usage. The tire you mentioned is not designed for trailer usage.

I purchased my GY Endurance online at the goodyear website... had the tires shipped to the local GY company store and brought my wheels/tires to them for changing. Left my trailer propped on jack stands while I did that. I then had the wheels fitted with metal ( not rubber) valve stems and had the tires balanced at the same time.

There are literally dozens of tire threads on here posted every month... lots of reading if you care to search. Many do not care to use the cheaply made China tires that most trailers come with.

What size and brand do you currently have? That is a starting point.

I didn't get the last part. You ordered the tire online and ship it to a local tire place to change it out? You bring in your two tire for the change? is that what i'm seeing? After that you bring it home and install it onto your trailer?

[Paumacamper]

Originally Posted by aboyz

I didn't get the last part. You ordered the tire online and ship it to a local tire place to change it out? You bring in your two tire for the change? is that what i'm seeing? After that you bring it home and install it onto your trailer?

The stock tires are inferior and many have had blowouts that have damaged the trailer. After our first long trip we went to Discount Tire and had Goodyear Endurance tires installed there. They ride much better and no worries about blowouts.

[rsdata]

I didn't get the last part. You ordered the tire online and ship it to a local tire place to change it out? You bring in your two tire for the change? is that what i'm seeing? After that you bring it home and install it onto your trailer?

Order GY Endurance online at goodyear dot com website... they often have the best online price but you may want to shop around.

Have the tires shipped to a local dealer OR to a local GY corporate store... there is a difference... dealers sell all brands, GOODYEAR does to but is owned by GY Tire CO.

I jacked up my trailer, actually one side at a time, and pulled wheels off. I took the wheels to GY store for
MOUNTING with a METAL valve stem and balancing

I returned and re-installed two tires, then took in the other two wheels.

Many (NOT ALL) tire installers will NOT work on tires on travel trailers, AND if they do, they often jack the trailer incorrectly on the frame OR the axle tube and do damage. So often corporate policy ( like Walmart) says No jacking on trailers.

I did go from Load range C to Load Range D.

When at tire shop changing tires, pick up the Westlake tire carcass when it is off the wheel, and push down on it. Do the same with the Endurance tire and feel the weight and structural difference between the two tires. I know that I was amazed... I could not deform the GY tire even off the wheel, where the Westlake had no resistance in the tire structure to it at all.

To reuse a perfectly good tire, list them on craigs list for a utility trailer. $50-60 a pair is a great price for non-RV usage. That size you have is a popular size and you should have no trouble getting rid of them.

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by rsdata

Order GY Endurance online at goodyear dot com website... they often have the best online price but you may want to shop around.

Have the tires shipped to a local dealer OR to a local GY corporate store... there is a difference... dealers sell all brands, GOODYEAR does to but is owned by GY Tire CO.

I jacked up my trailer, actually one side at a time, and pulled wheels off. I took the wheels to GY store for
MOUNTING with a METAL valve stem and balancing

I returned and re-installed two tires, then took in the other two wheels.

Many (NOT ALL) tire installers will NOT work on tires on travel trailers, AND if they do, they often jack the trailer incorrectly on the frame OR the axle tube and do damage. So often corporate policy ( like Walmart) says No jacking on trailers.

I did go from Load range C to Load Range D.

When at tire shop changing tires, pick up the Westlake tire carcass when it is off the wheel, and push down on it. Do the same with the Endurance tire and feel the weight and structural difference between the two tires. I know that I was amazed... I could not deform the GY tire even off the wheel, where the Westlake had no resistance in the tire structure to it at all.

To reuse a perfectly good tire, list them on craigs list for a utility trailer. $50-60 a pair is a great price for non-RV usage. That size you have is a popular size and you should have no trouble getting rid of them.

Seem like alot of work just to change the tire . So I will look for the newest goodyear tire store and order it online and have it ship to the store. I then schedule a appointment with my trailer to go in and have them swap it out? is this a better route?

With your route. I'm afraid to jack up the trailer and mess something up. But if I have to. Attached is the bottom of the trailer. Do I jack it on the RED X or the Yellow X? also what jack did you use to do this? How did you manage to remove two tire at once? what is holding it?

thank you

[Jfkmk]

I just purchased GY Endurance tires from Mavis for less than what I would have paid on the GY website.

I believe rsdata probably has a dual axle trailer, which is why he pulled two off st s time (which is what I did). For me it was much easier taking the wheels off than trying to manipulate the trailer in the Mavis parking lot.

Jack up the trailer at the frame as close to the axle as you can, you’ll be fine.

[SailorSam20500]

As RSDATA said, the risk to the tires is the safety margin between your actual trailer weight and the max the tire is designed to support. Many trailers were delivered with tires that had a margin of 10% or less. Those setups are more likely to have problems. In my case, my trailer tires had a safety margin of nearly 30%. I put about 25k miles on them and only had a flat due to a nail. No tire will protect for that. I decided to replace them when the tires got to 4 years old (many manufacturers tell you that tires age out, many say 5 at 5 years you should have a professional inspection done and absolutely replace at 10. I have dual axles and believe turning the trailer causes more stress to the tire than a car or truck, so I picked 4 years as time to replace.

If you are worried about taking the wheels off, check with some of your local tire stores. I replaced my tires at a Discount Tire. They had Goodyear Endurance in stock, if your store doesn't carry them, many can order for you. When I did mine, the difference in price of ordering and then paying to have them installed was about the same price that DT quoted me. I pulled my trailer to the store and they did all the work. Only caveat, make sure you and the installer know how to properly jack up your trailer. If you have Torflex axles you can not jack on the axle tube, you must jack on the trailer frame. If your trailer has axles mounted to a spring, you shouldn't have any worries.

[aboyz]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

As RSDATA said, the risk to the tires is the safety margin between your actual trailer weight and the max the tire is designed to support. Many trailers were delivered with tires that had a margin of 10% or less. Those setups are more likely to have problems. In my case, my trailer tires had a safety margin of nearly 30%. I put about 25k miles on them and only had a flat due to a nail. No tire will protect for that. I decided to replace them when the tires got to 4 years old (many manufacturers tell you that tires age out, many say 5 at 5 years you should have a professional inspection done and absolutely replace at 10. I have dual axles and believe turning the trailer causes more stress to the tire than a car or truck, so I picked 4 years as time to replace.

If you are worried about taking the wheels off, check with some of your local tire stores. I replaced my tires at a Discount Tire. They had Goodyear Endurance in stock, if your store doesn't carry them, many can order for you. When I did mine, the difference in price of ordering and then paying to have them installed was about the same price that DT quoted me. I pulled my trailer to the store and they did all the work. Only caveat, make sure you and the installer know how to properly jack up your trailer. If you have Torflex axles you can not jack on the axle tube, you must jack on the trailer frame. If your trailer has axles mounted to a spring, you shouldn't have any worries.

Thank you.. I'll call into discount tire as they are near me and see if they have it..

[RobRockz]

I would also look into the Maxxis 8008 trailer tires. Just my 2 cents.

[Tundra 2014]

The Westlake tires, in my experience are one of the better China made tires. They are made by Lionshead, who also makes many of the wheels for RV's. If they were Castle Rocks, I would change today. They are most likely 6 months older than the trailer they came on. KI change RV tires at 5 years of age.

[Tundra 2014]

Many dealers carry the GY Endurance, got my last set at Discount Tires. They had a $100 rebate for 4.

[PodGeek]

Originally Posted by Tundra 2014

The Westlake tires, in my experience are one of the better China made tires....

Agreed.

I have the same Westlakes as the OP and they've gone > 10,000 miles and look like new.

I think the OP may be overthinking this.

If he does change them out and wants to get rid of them, I would take them off his hands in a second if I was anywhere near him.

[rsdata]

IF you do not have a bottle jack, then get one from Walmart or Harbor Freight... just need a one or a ton and a half bottle jack. If you have a flat on the road out away from civilization, CAN YOU CHANGE a tire with the tools you carry? None of this stuff is supplied with the trailer. I have a 25 inch long 1/2 breaker bar with the lug nut kit from Harbor Freight. And a few pieces of 2x4 and 2x6 lumber for supports on soft or muddy ground I carry with me.

You want to jack the tire off the ground with the jack on the frame of the camper as close to the axle as you can get... never 3 feet away from the axle. Use the leaf springs if you have them, but I believe you have what are called torsion axles which have no leaf springs attached to the axles.

Practice taking the wheels off in your driveway before you have to do it on the road.

Discount Tire may do the entire job... which is good, but clear that ahead of bringing in the trailer. AND WATCH the tech in how they jack up the trailer... if he tries to jack it 2 feet away from the axle, then ask him to jack it closer. The frame is supported much better close to the axle then it is from further.

This process will let you learn how to change tour tire yourself... a valuable lesson.

Not that much work... OH.. you got a torque wrench don't you? Gotta make sure those wheel lug nuts don't come loose...

don't forget to pick up the old tire carcass and compare it to the GY Endurance tires while they are off the rim...

Valuable experiences ahead...

PS Westlakes, Castle rocks, Constancy... all tires come from the same china plant... your mileage may vary... safety and time lost on the side of the road are all up to your ability to deal with a flat tire that might have been avoided with a better tire.

[lorenc]

I do like GY Endurance I put them on my 2014 FR Surveyor after 3 yrs. Bought a new Jayco in 2020 it came with Endurance tires on it picked it up Sept 2020 hauled it to Fl for the winter and just last week blew a tire . So they are good tires but not bullet proof’

[rsdata]

Sept 2020 hauled it to Fl for the winter and just last week blew a tire . So they are good tires but not bullet proof’

tires blow for lots of reason... some CHina tires blow while parked, some tires blow because of curb strikes and potholes and road hazards... NO TIRES are bullet proof as you said, but what caused your blow out? Was it parked at camp like so many CHina tires blow out? Are you blaming GY for a faulty tire?

[RobRockz]

I picked up two of these and stow one in my trailer. I absolutely love these jack/stands all in one. Used them on my other vehicles doing brake jobs and such

[tomkatb]

My Westlake tires made 10,000 miles, 23 months. Looked perfect!

Tires were holding air that morning. No curbs hit.

One blew out. Only $1000 of damage.

Installed Goodyear commercial trailer tires.

Gamble as you see fit.

Quality in China is pretty hit and miss.

[itat]

aboyz, it looks like those tires are an off-road type tire? The Goodyear Endurance is a great tire (I put a set on my Rockwood Signature 5er) but they aren’t an off-road tire. They definitely don’t have the same aggressive off-road tread as those Westlakes. If you use the Geo Pro off-road for boondocking, then I would suggest you research a bit more to see if there is a better quality off-road trailer tire. Look at what manufacturers use on the current generation of off-road trailers and larger teardrops with off-road packages. If you don’t use the Geo Pro off-road then the GY Endurance will be a great tire.

Just make sure you buy something with plenty of safety factor in load capacity. If you’ve weighed your Geo Pro fully loaded and gotten the actual axle weight that would be helpful. I’d want tires with a load rating of at least a 20% higher than they’ll experience.

Wondering if anyone here has used the GY Endurance extensively in an off-road situation?