Trailer tires - I don't get it.

We recently bought a C-Dory 25' Cruiser and went to East Point Florida (Wefing's Marina) to pick it up. Since we live in Houston it was a 770 miles each way experience. Coming back and with tires in pretty good shape and correct (manufacturer specs) inflation, we had a blow out about 500 miles on our way back (never exceeded 60 mph). Fortunately we have BoatUS insurance and 1 hr later they had come and installed our spare.

100 miles later we had another blow out, other side of trailer. Again after several hours on the side of the road and already dark, BoatUs rescued us again, this time a 75' flat truck pulled the boat into it's platform (an incredible odyssey) and dropped the boat in Walmart in Houston. Next day we bought 4 new tires in NTB (Walmart doesn't sell trailer tires).

The problem was finally traced to "Dry Rot". Even though the tires were very good, when they are just supporting the trailer (and sometimes the boat) and not moving, due to the sun uv rays and weathering, little cracks start forming sometimes difficult to see, and this is what will cause the tire to blow up.
 
Gypsy we were at Weffings a few weeks ago,someone had just purchased a 25 C-Dory wondering if it was you? We were waitng for Marc to finish with the new owners to speak with him.
 
I was checking out my rig and thinking about replacing my tires as I believe they are original. I discovered from the manufacturer code that indeed they are from 2003 - 13 years old! They appear to be in great shape but I will replace them for this season as a precautionary step. These tires were made in China (according to the manufacturer code), yet stamped with a "made in Canada" on the sidewall. I am replacing the tires with ST225/17R15 Hercules tire that are 10 ply radials with load range E rating. I think they'll be a great tire.
http://www.herculestire.com/tire-galler ... specialty/
While I have never heard of this tire manufacturer, they seem to have been around since the 1950's out of Ohio. Anyone else heard of these tires and what's your experience with them?

Thanks,
Grazer
 
Grazer,

I've never heard of Hercules and I would suspect that those tires are Chinese imports. The rating is the same as I have on Journey On's trailer, of which 2 blew on last fall's trip.

I started another thread suggesting the use of truck tires. I've never heard of a ST225/17R15, so I assume you mean 225/75/15. A replacement for 225/75/15 trailer tires are 235/75/15, a common truck replacement. Just check the load rating as they come in different weight capabilities. The rolling radius is within a 1/2 inch which should pose no problems as long as identical tires are on the same side.

Boris
 
Thanks for the reply Boris. I was reading that truck tire thread and thought it was this one. By the way I did mean 225/75R/15 tires - typo. I hope some of the folks down in Ohio or greater US have heard of these tires. I suspect from what I have researched is that this company specialized in tractor trailer , farm vehicle and other commercial type tires. With a three year limited warranty they must be fairly good replacement tire.
 
OK, I'll throw my hat in this ring...
Like others have said, trailer tires are a hot topic. I am 56 and have been in and out of the tire industry since I was 14. I spent the last 16 years of my life as the owner/operator of a tire store here in Gunnison, Colorado. I think I bring some hands on experience to the subject, but at the end of the day, it is just my opinion....

Nearly all trailer tires these days come out of the same factory. They nearly all have a tread design copied from the Goodyear Marathon (Marathon, not Marathon II, which was introduced to try to run damage control over the incredibly poor reputation they had). Most do not really come with any warranty (from the manufacturer) that anyone will stand behind. Big retailers may warranty them, but they just eat the loss. The only real exceptions I can think of are the Carlisle RH and the Goodyear G614RST, although there may be others.

I feel ST rated tires are branded as "trailer use only" because of less stringent quality control in the manufacturing process. Over the years, I have replaced so many failed ST tires that I guesstimate the ratio to be probably 1000 to one when compared to P and LT rated tires. This is even in the instance of these tires being used as trailer tires. And as an aside, the ranchers ABUSE old LT tires beyond belief, and even those old scabs outperform most NEW ST rated tires.

Now I agree that many tires sit in dirt, or on concrete and have the moisture wicked out of them and this is a significant contributor to failure. Trailer tires are also frequently overloaded, dragged over curbs, run on the shoulder and get punctures that are un-noticed. The do live a hard life and their track record is no doubt tainted due to this. All taken into consideration, they still fail FAR too often.

I have personally run them both and I will always place my bet on a P or LT rated tire over an ST. I have mounted most brand ST tires (Carlsile, Towmax, Freestar, Trail King, Trail Max, Marathon ((I and II)), HiRun, etc....) and as far as a stiffer sidewall, I wave the BS flag on that. I get that a stiffer sidewall in theory should make a trailer track better and sway less, but that has not been my personal experience when running P or LY rated tires. ANd you talk about sway, what about when those ST rated tires blow, now we are really talking about sway!

So FWIW, I say go for P or LT rated tires. Do your best to stay within your load rating, keep an eye on your tire pressure and pay attention to what you are dragging your trailer tires through, over and across. I think that other than those mentioned (and I'm sure a couple others), ST rated tires are junk and that the "trailer use only" brand is a "get out of jail free" caveat for the manufacturer to sell garbage.

Just my opinion, not trying to argue, worth what you paid for it.

And nitrogen is snake oil. It will maintain pressure much better in different temps (hence the widespread use in the aircraft industry. Take off in Dallas at 105, fly to 40K' at -35, land in Colorado at 65, they HAVE to maintain pressure!). The concept that they maintain pressure better at the same temp as plain 'ol air is nonsense. The air we are breathing is 78 percent, and they really can't get 100 percent nitrogen in your tires. Pet rocks are a better investment!

Have fun and Happy Trails (or trailering...)
 
The argument isn't over gas or diesel; both those engines will do their job of getting you down the road without destroying themselves.

The discussion is how to get tires on the trailer that don't blow. I appreciate that tires might last longer if you align them and use the right pressure which I do. What we're discussing here is how to get tires that last on your trailer without blowing when they've been taken care of. Trailer tires (ST) don't last on the trailer when they are used on long trips. It seems to be a problem common to tires within the last few years, because I've towed a lot of trailers since the 50's without that failure.

I have several pickups and I notice that those tires don't destroy themselves when they're out in the sun and supporting the front end of my truck. In fact, I just replaced 2 off the front of my truck that were well worn and age checked. But they didn't blow. So I'll use LT tires on Journey On's trailer in the future.

After dealing with the trailer tires, I'm rather unhappy when someone says I just didn't care for them. And BTW, a C-Dory 25 puts a lot more stress on the tires that a 22.

Boris
 
Boris, I hear you. But I have also ran heavier trailers with ST tires and have not experienced problems. The only time I did, it was within a year or two after I bought my CD-22. Tires were probably the originals that came on the 2007 trailer. I blew one about 50 miles north of home two years ago on my way to the San Juans. I blew another one later that summer. Tires looked fine. But the individual I purchased the boat/trailer from didn't trailer far, so I suspect my long mileage finally took over tires that very likely were deteriorating from the inside out. I'm not ignoring that others have problems. Just like electric trailer brakes. Some folks just get a bad deal and base their experience on that one bad deal. On long tows I don't drive faster than 65 either. I replaced all 4 tires, and the spare, later that summer two years ago. Since then I have towed that trailer uneventfully to the west coast, Florida, Lake of the Ozarks, Spanish Canada, and numerous trips around Wisconsin. All no faster than 65mph. (Other than passing. :-) IOW, ST tires on my trailers have worked just fine for me. Even with dual axle and a lot of short turns in parking lots and driveways. (Scuffing the tires sideways.) DO whatever works for you. ST tires work for me, and I think like electric brakes, folks are giving a bad wrap where it's not due! Colby
 
I can relate these experiences to the Motorcycle tire market also. There have been many brands and models that have experienced serious failures or drastically accelerated wear due to production problems. The issues are always short lived only affecting a specific window of production, and are quickly corrected by the manufacturer.

Does that stop riders from blaming overseas production? No
Does it cause buyers to swear off a brand for life due to one production run problem? Yes
Does is create a caustic general belief that only tires from a company without a recent limited problem are worth considering? Yes

People have long memories for bad experiences and in my life I have seen this fact affect our decisions long after the problem is relevant.

It would be nice if the QC of all vehicle tires was simply better and we could put more confidence in the products and not have to serve as product testers sometimes.

I would bet the light truck (rated for passengers) tires are treated a bit more rigorously that the trailer tires on the market in general and that is at the very least a good reason to consider the option when I next look for trailer tires. 2 years to go and crossing fingers....

Greg
 
Reddog, I agree with your assesment of ST tires completely. As far as the warranty, I have a different take. Having switched to the "Dark Side" (RVing) a few years ago, I became the owner of Goodyear Marathons. After descending Siskiyou Grade into Ashland OR, the LR blew out and lost it's tread. The trailer was damaged and it required a road service call. I contacted Goodyear and after a couple of weeks, I received a check for $1400 to cover damage, new tire and road service call!

I used the money to install 4 Michelin XPS Ribs and I don't worry about tire failures anymore. I have 4 Goodyear Marathons in the basement for a cheap price!
 
colbysmith":2uf5j2ko said:
... Since then I have towed that trailer uneventfully to the west coast, Florida, Lake of the Ozarks, Spanish Canada, and numerous trips around Wisconsin. All no faster than 65mph. (Other than passing. :-) I... Colby
Click to expand...

The only trailer tires I currently own are on a cargo trailer, so I don't have much of a dog in this... well, it isn't really "a fight."

BUT, inquiring minds want to know: where the heck is "Spanish Canada"???

:?:
 
I'm still researching this, in part because I just put another 350 miles on my ST tires and I just don't get the impression that they are going to last. I still "just don't get it."

The CD 16 might be kind of a special case because of its light weight. I actually don't need a tire that is rated at 1,350#. Still, if more is better, then I'll look for something with a similar load rating.

What I have found interesting is some of the heavy load rated all season tires. Specifically, the Nokia Entyre. A Finnish company with tires made in Russia (if that matters). Famous for their snow tires, they developed a heat dispersal design and then incorporated it in the Entyre. This tire is claimed to increase mileage (in part because it is rated to be inflated much higher). Although not available in 13 inch, I'm okay with going with 15 inch rims and the 15" Entyres are rated at 1,300 to 1,500#. It's not difficult to go 15" with a lower aspect tire and fit under my existing fenders with the same overall diameter. Of course the Entyre rating is like 50K miles, whereas my trailer tires don't have a mileage rating look like they will be shot at 5K.

I haven't pulled the trigger yet because my 13" ST tires seem okay, but I'm watching.

Mark
 
colbysmith":3gufn2i0 said:
On mainland Canada, just north of the middle of Manitoulin Island, on the North Channel! :P Colby
Click to expand...

Colby, thanks for narrowing it down some.

Jim, thanks for asking 'cause I couldn't find it on any map search I did. No biggie, I'm still looking. I guess "north" would likely indicate somewhere in Canada.

Will have to work on it some more.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

:embarrased :oops:
 
Roger, Good to hear Goodyear stood behind their product, they should. Unfortunately your experience is not what I have found when I was arguing with distributors trying to get them to stand behind a tire that failed (although, I have seen many failed Marathons, I have never dealt with Goodyear in a warranty situation).

There is a tire out there made mostly for small RV's sized 185R14(C or D)
I know many shops will say, "You need that middle number" (aspect ratio), but that is not the case in this tire. The are about 26" tall, and your ST175/80R13 should be about 24.5" tall, so not much height difference. The tire is made by many manufacturers, so you have choices there. I'd trust these over the ST 13" units any day. 14" rims would run around 60 bucks each, so not a huge investment there either. You could keep your 13"s for spares, they would get you off the side of the road fine, even though there is a bit of height difference.

All this said, I have had good luck (or my customers have) with the Carlsile RH and the Maxxis ST tires. FWIW, if I go through with a purchase on a C that I'm looking at and will trailer across the country to get home, I'm putting LT tires on it before I leave for the trip home (the trailer, not the boat, boats usually don't have tire problems....). FWIW....

Doug
 
Harvey & Jim: N46 11.004 W82 21.518 (Coordinates for the launch ramp at Spanish, Ontario, Canada.

Doug, I also run the Carlsiles (currently Dura Trail) now, and in the past, with very good luck. It was the Marathons that I blew earlier, but again, I think it had more to do with the age of the tires.

Colby
 
hardee":1m0uz0kc said:
Colby, thanks for narrowing it down some.

Jim, thanks for asking 'cause I couldn't find it on any map search I did. No biggie, I'm still looking. I guess "north" would likely indicate somewhere in Canada.
Click to expand...

I think the missing comma threw you off. It's not "Spanish Canada," but rather
Spanish, Canada. Or more specifically, Spanish, Ontario (which is in Canada) (because you don't say, for example, "Sequim United States").
 
Sunbeam":2ded50hu said:
hardee":2ded50hu said:
Colby, thanks for narrowing it down some.

Jim, thanks for asking 'cause I couldn't find it on any map search I did. No biggie, I'm still looking. I guess "north" would likely indicate somewhere in Canada.
Click to expand...

I think the missing comma threw you off. It's not "Spanish Canada," but rather
Spanish, Canada. Or more specifically, Spanish, Ontario (which is in Canada) (because you don't say, for example, "Sequim United States").
Click to expand...

Thanks Sunbeam, and you are right, and you hit on one of my really pet peeves, Listing a Canadian town like "Vancouver, Canada" instead of Vancouver BC. You have no idea how often I hear ???????, Canada and it does bug me. On occasion, I have asked " Oh, and where are you from?" and when told Spanish Fork, UT (for instance) I repeat "Oh is that Spanish Fork, United States? or SF, America?" Just for fun. Some folks just don't get it.

Rant over now :lol:

Thanks for the help.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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