Quote:
Originally Posted by lcv800
When you all switched to 17.5's and dumped your Westlake's, did you go to Light Truck or stay with Special Trailer. I'm reading about sidewall flex and things from Tire Rack, Consumer Reports, etc. and am getting confused. For 3 grand, I want to make the right move. Thanks,
Rusty
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Well here we go again, gonna stir it up the debate one more time.
Before I get started, I absolutely hate that the North American tire manufacturers have shipped jobs to China. I also hate that the RV manufacturers use the absolute minimum that they can get away with.
Not all ST tires are created equal and not all Chinese ST tires are junk. The following link discusses ST vs LT tires.
Trailer Towing – ST Tires vs. LT Tires | RV 101® your education source for RV information
Tim Fry, senior development engineer with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company stated, “The major difference is reflected in the polyester cords used in ST tires. These cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable P or LT tire. Typically, the steel wire also has a larger diameter or greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements. Because of the heavier construction for an equal volume of air space, an ST tire is designated to carry more load than a P or LT tire.”
Yes I have heard all of the speed related reasons that people use to justify bigger wheels and tires. How fast do you really have to tow your camper? Even at 65mph the electric drum brakes are marginal, add a couple thousand miles after you adjust them and your trailer braking effectiveness is cut dramatically. Please if your going to be towing at 75-80 MPH let me know, I'll stay home that day.
I had to replace my tires while we were in Newfoundland in 2013. I had the choice of a tire that was a direct replacement or go up one aspect ratio and two load ratings. The direct replacement tires felt flimsy, the side walls deflected easily and just seemed too light handle the load asked of it. The tread rubber on the Power King Towmax tires I replaced seemed like it was too soft. There was significant wear on the outside shoulder of the tire, due to out of aligned axles.
The Gladiator QR-25 ST tires I purchased have very little sidewall deflection. The Towmax tires looked like they would peel of the wheels on tight turns.
We put about 10K miles on the Gladiators during the rest of our Newfoundland trip in 2013. We stayed fairly close to home in 2014, due to my wife's hand surgery, put on less than 5K. This year we did the Alaska trip and added another 10K miles.
At the last fuel stop on the way home I looked at the right side tires and thought they would be good for another trip next year. There was wear on the outside edge of the right side tires, but they still had lots of meat left. (the axles were still out of alignment)
Somewhere in the last 250 miles is where the shackles broke on the left rear axle, by the time we got home the tires on the rear axle were down to the wear bars. never felt a thing where the shackles broke and never saw any tire smoke from the tire rubbing the top of the wheel well.
I for one am glad that I didn't fall for the bigger wheels and LT tire myth. Of course if you start upsizing tires to the degree of larger wheels and tires you will eventually get to an LT tire that comes close to the durability of a good ST tire. I invested the money I saved on wheels to upgrade my running gear and convert to disk brakes.
Next spring when I buy new tires they will again be Gladiator QR-25 ST.
I know that I will be bombarded by the LT tire folks, but until Gladiator proves they are a reliable tire, I will keep using them.
If not here the short version. All American made Goodyear 14 ply 16" tires failed on my Teton. 
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