We all know that our trailers are only as good as the tires it rides on. No hoof no horse right?
What does everyone love or hate for tires? Looking for 205/75R15 if that matters any. But makers to stay away from? Tires that blow out more than you’d like?
Let me hear it!
Goodyear is making tires in the US again, and that’s what I switched to for the old trailer which used 15" tires.
What is the GVWR on your trailer? What load range are you using?
Years ago when we were having blowout after blowout (high temps, high speeds, out West) it was always the drivers side tires that we’d lose. By doing the math, we discovered that load range D tires were overloaded given the conditions and the fact that horses carry more weight on their forehand (slant load trailer. Plus I had a water tank on that side.) We had to have 15" wheels special ordered to handle the 80 psi of a load range E tire for that trailer.
I have not yet had to replace tires on the new trailer (which has 16" wheels, one of my requirements since there are few options for load range E in a 15" tire) but will most likely stick with Goodyear.
Michelin would be the gold standard, if you want to pay for it!
Michelin. No way I’d touch Goodyear - had way too many problems with them on my truck (two that needed to be replaced due to screws getting into them on the highway - both had less than 10K miles on them, and two that had to be patched way before the rated mileage on them). Couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. Both my truck and SUV have Michelins. I’ve always gotten a lot more miles out of them than what they are rated for. When my trailer needs tires that’ll be the brand I’m going for.
Trailer is 2 horse straight load bumper pull, GVWR is 7000. Used but new to me so I’d like to replace the (well-worn) tires on it all around. It currently has load range C on it, but that seems light?
please explain why or how Screws punching your beloved tires is the fault of the manufacturer?
We have Goodyear Endurance tires (which are made in the USA) on our horse trailer and none have this ability to date (but if they learn how insert screws into their tread they are covered by a road-hazard warranty)
Tires to stay away from… Any Made in China … very poor. When the production of the Goodyear Marathon trailer tires moved there it was blow out … the one made in New Zealand were OK.
Beloved tires?? Goodyear tires are HORRENDOUS. Please tell me why I would put them on any of my vehicles after all the issues I’ve had. High quality tires won’t have issues with screws like the way I’ve had issues. I’ve known others who have had blowouts with their Goodyears too.
Would you continue to use a product/brand that you continuously have had issues with? Only a fool would do that.
picking up screws on a road sure is not a tire problem, you might want to add a magnetic bar to the truck like we have on airports to pick up metallic trash
https://www.fodcontrol.com/power-bar-magnetic-sweepers/
I’ve known others who have had blowouts with their Goodyears too.
yes that was a prevalent problem with Any tire made in China. Goodyear did move its Marathon tire production to China from the US and Canada. Before the move the Marathon was the trailer tire of choice by nearly ever one but after move of the prodcution to China (for cheaper labor) they had to bring back the production because of terrible manufacturing. The Endurance trailer tires that replaced the Marathon line (name developed such a poor reputation that they had to change it), these are are US made.
As for truck tires we, like you now, have used the Michelin LTX tires since the 1990s, not because they rejected screws but we would always got about 100,000 miles on set and still have excellent wet road handling
I’d agree screws can happen to any tire, trailer or not that is a bad time all around.
Most agree US > China in terms of manufacturing tires. And appears speed ratings have changed from the old days of trailer tires not being rated greater than 65 mph.
Looks like inflation issues are key to tire life. Anyone travel with a portable air compressor?
yes Way Up…
the Endurance tire is available in Load Ranges D and E to accommodate larger load capacities, according to Goodyear. It also has a speed rating of N (87 mph), which is considerably higher than the usual trailer tire speed rating of L (75 mph)
be sure to check for discounts, I see $150 off four from Goodyear now… that is like getting one plus for free
I wish… Only on selected tires. Trailer tires not included in the sale. Waiting on what the Tire sale places do.
Do you have a USE (formerly, USEF) membership, even a “fan” membership? There is a Goodyear tire discount associated with that. We used it for trailer tires.
I learned this summer that sometimes the tire valves are not heavy duty enough for some tires, and you have to change them out…
While I will never touch the Goodyear Marathons again, I hear the Endurance is the new trailer tire of choice these days. I’ll be putting them on next time I need tires if the reviews I’ve been are accurate.
We have the Endurance tires on one of our trailers, and I plan to put them on my GN next.
We moved up to 19.5” Boar wheels and tires on our big LQ trailers. End of problem flats.
After you decide on a manufacturer, learn how to identify the date of manufacture on the tires. With most trailer tires, you will run into dry rot long before you wear out the tread. I would not buy a tire if it was made longer than a year ago. I bought a set of Endurances last year and asked the dealer to let me check the tires before he put them on.
Just got myself a lovely Sundowner that needs a few minor repairs, including new tires (sat for 3+ years), so I’d like to piggy-back on this thread if I can.
Can you take trailers to any auto tire store for new tires??
Got a quote from a trailer repair place, he said it would be 10 ply tires though and apparently trailer currently has 8 ply. I read online 10 ply will be a way more rough ride, has anyone had a problem with this?
yes, without a problem as many at least here keep the several brands of trailer tires in stock
I have always just used a national chain that has stores everywhere then purchase their road hazard warranty which has come in handy after hitting debris on a cross country trip… there was one of their stores a short distance away, the road hazard warranty covered the replacement
Looks like plan is to wait until spring and use the member perks off USE/USEF for a 20% discount on the Goodyear tires. Even if we have to go to the Goodyear place to have them put on it was still cheaper than any Black Friday discounts around.
If they pull that perk I will be ripping mad though!! But all my research and everyone’s experience and comments it looks like the Goodyear Endurance is a good bet. I will be militant about keeping them properly inflated. Currently still researching best options for portable air compressor that can top off the tires.
I did a ton of research this spring before getting new tires for my Euro trailer. No one sells the brand that it came with. There’s a lot more mis-information out there about these vs typical, American trailers. I talked to big tire stores, trailer service/sales and trailer owners. Got all sorts of recs:
I took the advice of a trailer repair shop quite far from away because they explained everything, and ordered the right specialty trailer tire, vs try to sell me what they had on hand.
PS: I keep a digital gauge, portable compressor and can of RunFlat in my tow vehicle.
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