Tire longevity & replacement recommendations

[davidmurphy02]

I can say for sure that you want to replace them before they look like this. We pulled into Moab a few years back and when I was getting set up in the campsite I saw this. Clearly I had been negligent in checking my tires thoroughly and regularly, a mistake I will never make again. We were lucky that time, there was a tire shop in Moab and we were able to get new tires. Had we been way out in the boonies it would have been white knuckle driving until we got to civilization and a tire shop - I think I got perhaps 99.99% of the usable life out of those tires.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

I can say for sure that you want to replace them before they look like this. We pulled into Moab a few years back and when I was getting set up in the campsite I saw this. Clearly I had been negligent in checking my tires thoroughly and regularly, a mistake I will never make again. We were lucky that time, there was a tire shop in Moab and we were able to get new tires. Had we been way out in the boonies it would have been white knuckle driving until we got to civilization and a tire shop - I think I got perhaps 99.99% of the usable life out of those tires.

Are those trailer tires? That one spot is down to the belt cords while there is usable tread on the other side.

I've seen that on trailer tires before but it was because the carcass had developed a bubble. On a vehicle, it would have been a really bad alignment problem.

Do you know what caused this?

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Are those trailer tires? That one spot is down to the belt cords while there is usable tread on the other side.

I've seen that on trailer tires before but it was because the carcass had developed a bubble. On a vehicle, it would have been a really bad alignment problem.

Do you know what caused this?

Yes, these were on our old stickie fifth wheel. I don't recall the brand, they were trailer rated tires and while I don't recall how old they were they definitely had some years on them. I asked at the tire shop what might have caused that and they didn't have a definitive answer. The replacement tires held up fine for a number of years until we sold the trailer so I suspect it was a problem specific to that tire.

[davidmurphy02]

If you think my tires were bad you should see my hiking boots....didn't quite make it to the end of the trip

[Farther]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Help me understand this. Trailer tires wear out faster than truck tires?

Hmm, you would be really shocked by the lack of mileage out of motorcycle tires. 7k miles out of rears and 14k miles out of fronts.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Farther

Hmm, you would be really shocked by the lack of mileage out of motorcycle tires. 7k miles out of rears and 14k miles out of fronts.

No I wouldn't - currently own a shovelhead and a 650 dual sport. Been riding since I was 14, been through a lot of bikes.

Small contact area and lots of horsepower equals short tire life. Not much you can do about that.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

In the case of my 21, Goodyear left the trailer connected to the truck & jacked each side (by the frame, not axle). I don't know how they do a 5th wheel...

They did the same on my 5.0TA last summer, one side at a time, same way I work on the wheels. What screws you up is the foam, I made a bracket for the floor jack.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by padlin

They did the same on my 5.0TA last summer, one side at a time, same way I work on the wheels. What screws you up is the foam, I made a bracket for the floor jack.

I hadn't even thought about the foam being in the way of a jack....I have one of those Trailer Aid drive-on ramps for my own use in adjusting brakes etc., but I probably won't always take it on the road with me on long trips. I'll have to check out jacking points and rethink that, would hate to have to figure it out the first time on the side of the road needing to change a flat.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Farther

Hmm, you would be really shocked by the lack of mileage out of motorcycle tires. 7k miles out of rears and 14k miles out of fronts.

hah, my bmw, I'd be lucky to get 5-7K out of both, using sport-touring rubber. sportbikes running sport rubber are likely to get no more than 2-3K

if your fronts last 14k, you're not cornering near hard enough

[stephen99]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Help me understand this. Trailer tires wear out faster than truck tires? Why?

I replaced the trailer tires on my Casita with LT truck tires - they are still on that trailer and doing fine after many miles and more than a few years.

The Carlisles that came on this trailer are doing good but I'm still tempted to replace them when it comes time with LT's just because of my past experience with the China Bombs.

Are the Goodyear Endurance equal to the LT's such that I could go with them instead?

Good article from Tire Rack about the differences in tire types:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...jsp?techid=219

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by stephen99

Good article from Tire Rack about the differences in tire types:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...jsp?techid=219

Good article but it is a comparison between ST and P rated tires. P rated and LT rated tires are very different.

I wouldn't run P rated tires on my trailer either.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Help me understand this. Trailer tires wear out faster than truck tires? Why?

1. Most trailers are equipped with tires which are barely big enough to meet load requirements; most cars and light trucks have tires sized more for appearance and perhaps handling than for load capacity.
2. Tandem-axle trailer tires are scrubbed sideways in every turn.
3. Most trailer tires are the cheapest round rubber things that can pass industry standards.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Yes, these were on our old stickie fifth wheel. I don't recall the brand, they were trailer rated tires and while I don't recall how old they were they definitely had some years on them. I asked at the tire shop what might have caused that and they didn't have a definitive answer.

It certainly looks like it was dragged with a locked brake.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

I wouldn't run P rated tires on my trailer either.

If you do run P-type tires on a trailer, remember to divide the rated tire load capacity by 1.1 to get the capacity when used on a truck, van, or trailer. ST, LT, and commercial tires don't need this de-rating.

[Upfisk]

On our BMW motorcycles 5-7,000 is all we get for mileage, cost almost $200/ tire. Of course these are speed rated tires and spend quite a bit of time on their sides not just the square bottom tread.

[Mucram]

Thanks for the good advice. I may have worded the original post to suggest I was only going by an arbitrary mileage number. My intent was to ask if 24000 miles is a short time to need new tires. Some have answered that so thank you. Looks like the Goodyear endurance or the maxxis are the top choices. Now to find them in boise. Shot a couple of pics of both tires. Sure are some unheard of brands here such as towstar (les swab) or thunderer (big o). Again thanks for SOME of the helpful responses 😁

[stephen99]

Originally Posted by Mucram

Thanks for the good advice. I may have worded the original post to suggest I was only going by an arbitrary mileage number. My intent was to ask if 24000 miles is a short time to need new tires. Some have answered that so thank you. Looks like the Goodyear endurance or the maxxis are the top choices. Now to find them in boise. Shot a couple of pics of both tires. Sure are some unheard of brands here such as towstar (les swab) or thunderer (big o). Again thanks for SOME of the helpful responses 😁

That's what my Carlisles looked like too after 2 years. The outside edge was especially worn. One source I read said it was caused by under inflation but I always kept them at 50 psi as recommended.

[Mucram]

Originally Posted by stephen99

That's what my Carlisles looked like too after 2 years. The outside edge was especially worn. One source I read said it was caused by under inflation but I always kept them at 50 psi as recommended.

Yep, me too.

[Iowa Dave]

No comment just pass the popcorn.
Iowa Dave

[Defenestrator]

Wow! That's some seriously uneven wear. I'd be a bit hesitant to chalk that up to the tires themselves, since it looks like only about a quarter of the tire did all the work.

Underinflated tires can cause uneven wear, but in that case it would be both shoulders with excess wear and a relatively unworn middle.

If it's just one tire unevenly worn, I'd say something might have gotten tweaked/misaligned in the suspension or something. If it's all 4... well, I guess it could just be a symptom of the relatively primitive suspensions on travel trailers not having good camber control under varying loads. If it's the inside on both wheels on one side and the outside on the two wheels on the other side, you may be unevenly loaded.