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  1. #11
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by howson View Post
    An article I found informative: http://www.rvtiresafety.net/search/label/Speed%20Rating

    Thanks goes to @bigb56 for the original link to the article in an different thread.

    A few quotes from the article that caught my attention:

    Tire failures usually occur because of cumulative internal structural damage from heat and time. The excess heat comes from the combination of speed/inflation/load.

    ...tires can tolerate a certain level of abuse be it over-load, under inflation or over speed. But every minute a tire is operating outside its design capacity the driver is consuming large portions of the tire life and the tire will eventually fail. Sometimes in a catastrophic manner.

    When that happens all to often the driver says
    "I was just driving 50 mph down the road and had checked the air that morning when the tire blew out. must have been a defective tire". In reality it was the driver's conscious decision to ignore the specifications for the tire be it load, inflation or speed and many miles of improper operation finally caught up with the driver.
    Roger is pretty active over on the Airstream forums as well as several other RV forums. There is another engineer over there that goes by Capriracer or something along those lines, Roger goes by Tireman9. If you go to his blog home page there is days of worthwhile reading for anyone really interested in this sort of stuff, like me. I have read most of his blog in the past year or so. He outlines how to properly inspect a trailer tire and it doesn't involve just looking at it and kicking it, it's called the spin test and involves lifting it off the ground and doing some careful inspecting/spinning. He recommends this be done on a regular basis to find a tire in the early stages of separation instead of waiting for a blowout.

    Another fun fact for the day: Did you know that nearly a quarter of the RVs weighed by the Recreation Vehicle Safety Education Foundation had loads that exceeded the capacity of the tires on the RVs? On average, these RVs were overloaded by over 900 pounds based on manufacturer specifications. In a separate survey conducted by Bridgestone / Firestone, 4 out of 5 RVs had at least one under inflated tire, a third of which were dangerously under inflated and at risk of failure
    (from RV Tires 101 by Mark J. Polk)

  2. #12
    Big Traveler
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cate&Rob View Post
    Leon T - The article that Howard linked to makes the specific point that there are no product improvements or actual data to support the increase in ST speed ratings.

    Quoting from that article . . .
    The addition of higher speed ratings was not accomplished with improved engineering but because of Import Tariffs being imposed on non-speed rated tires by US Dept of Commerce in 2017 and as if by magic each and every tire company making ST type tires almost overlight added high-speed capability to the tires.

    Rob
    The article seems to imply that LT and ST tires are built the same when they are not. Speed ratings also vary based on different construction techniques. A great deal of good info though but I will always use ST tires and will stay at 65 mph.
    MidwestCamper

    Jim & Dawn
    Near Milford, Michigan
    2017 Imagine 2600RB
    2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Double Cab 4x4

  3. #13
    Rolling Along RVRunners's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WhittleBurner View Post
    With everything we have learned it would be a good reason ( as Rob had pointed out before) for replacing the trailer tires after 3 or 4 years regardless of how they look.
    Agreed. Replacing tires with the aforementioned frequency is a big part of hassle free use of ST tires in my opinion.
    The Adams - 2017 Reflection 367BHS, 2019 F-350 6.7L PSD 4x4 CC DRW, B&W hitch on Ford pucks, Air Lift Loadlifter 5000 Ultimate Plus air bags, "Rupert" the Weimaraner.

  4. #14
    Site Sponsor
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    I've seen the "new, upgraded" speed ratings, but I will continue to tow at 62 - 65 mph because I feel safer. I have no need to go flying down a road at 70+ mph just to get to a campground a few minutes earlier. Just doesn't make any sense to me.
    Happy campers! / Lorna & Eric and our little furball, Finnan, Canandaigua, NY
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali HD 6.6L Duramax Turbo Diesel, Allison 6 speed transmission, 5th wheel setup, Pullrite SuperGlide 20k
    2018 Reflection 303RLS Built 3/2018, Dual AC's

  5. #15
    Site Sponsor Rapid1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MidwestCamper View Post
    The article seems to imply that LT and ST tires are built the same when they are not. Speed ratings also vary based on different construction techniques. A great deal of good info though but I will always use ST tires and will stay at 65 mph.
    I believe this to be correct. ST tires are subject to far different stresses than a tow vehicle tire. Folks that have issues with their trailer tires have other issues than just the tires. Might have been before they took delivery, or because of some other factor, but still, once the damage is done, it's done. The other thing that I have noticed is the comments about how much heavier the upgraded tires weigh than the tires that came off...even 25lbs a tire is 100 more lbs of unsprung weight the springs and shackles have to deal with going down the road, and that is considerable, whether you think so or not. Are the experts on this and other forums really smarter than the guys that engineer this stuff? Sure costs come into play but there is far more that factors into this than most of what I have read here...it really is mostly opinions...and most don't make a whole lot of sense considering the whole scheme of things.

    How many of you would have your coach if it cost another 20 or 30% more because is came with Goodyears and disc brakes and loomed wiring and all of the other things people complain about here...I'm certainly not an expert on this, or anything else, but I have not had a single issue with factory installed tires or the wiring or anything else, on any of my RV's, mostly because I maintain my equipment properly, and have been lucky as far as road hazards.

    Also, I will add that I got a sweet coach I can enjoy for years, as long as I don't stress out over the small stuff...especially since much of the stuff I have to replace sometime anyway. I replace the tires on all my vehicles at 5 years or so, regardless. I haven't actually worn out a set of tires since I can remember. And I can't remember the last time I had a flat or any other tire failure either...

    When it's all said and done, you can bulletproof anything you want, but there's always gonna be a downside, usually money and if you got it, go ahead and spend it but don't start pointing fingers and complaining. Most folks roll with what it comes with and it works just fine...
    2018 Reflection 303RLS
    2006 Chev 2500HD Duramax CC/SB/4X4
    Superglide2700 Bakflip F1

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