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Old 11-08-2015, 05:17 PM   #1
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US made ST tires??

This last week I called my tire shop to get the price on the Maxxis ST M8008 tires. I was trying to figure out if I can buy them this spring or next. I always thought they were US made. On a whim I emailed the company just to confirm. They emailed back that they were made in Tailand. I was almost in disbelief since I had been sure they were US made. While the reviews for Maxxis have been good here and other sites I would like to buy a US made brand if they are reliable. Are there any US made ST tires? I'd like to buy American. Canadian made would be my second choice.

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Old 11-08-2015, 05:52 PM   #2
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No, there are no US-made ST tires. Except for Maxxis, they are all made in China.
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Old 11-08-2015, 06:38 PM   #3
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Not sure of your tire size, but I have had great success with the Kumho Radial 857. It is a metric sized tire, but it fit the bill when I had a Maxxi blowout a couple years ago. They are speed rated up to 99 mph, carry the weight needed, and are built with standards required to be on a delivery vehicle. A member of another forum is how I found out about them.

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Old 11-08-2015, 07:30 PM   #4
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Not sure of your tire size, but I have had great success with the Kumho Radial 857. It is a metric sized tire, but it fit the bill when I had a Maxxi blowout a couple years ago. They are speed rated up to 99 mph, carry the weight needed, and are built with standards required to be on a delivery vehicle. A member of another forum is how I found out about them.

Cale
My trailer takes a 205/75R 14. I'll revisit the Kumho Radial 857

Dale
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Old 11-08-2015, 07:52 PM   #5
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If there are any ST tires still being made in the US they are going to be bias ply and probably in limited sizes. Maxxis is a good tire. I have used them in the past with good results. Just looked up the Kumho, they are made in China or Vietnam...

Read the reviews... guess what? Yup people complaining about blowouts.

I don't know if there is any sure fire way to avoid them.
However I take the following steps:
  1. Check for proper inflation
  2. Inspect at every stop
  3. buy highest weight range I can find
  4. run a TPMS for real time warnings
I really wish there was a way to REALLY know why various tires fail.

Aaron
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Old 11-08-2015, 08:30 PM   #6
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I have not checked on them for blowout reviews...I know when I was looking for them, there were very few complaints...much like Maxxis. With that being said, it doesn't matter where the tires are made, if they are operated beyond their limits and fail, you cannot blame the manufacturer...let me stress.......I am in no way sticking up for the Chinese made tires...I think they are complete crap. However, the RV industry is notorious for putting tires on the trailers with marginal room for weight and these tires have a speed rating of 65mph....I bet those hotshot drivers don't abide by that...

I have had my fair share of tire problems...I 100% agree...check pressures, run TPMS, stay off the curbs, run within weight/speed limits...may not stop a blow out, but will decrease the chances.

Now, why aren't there any made in the USA, probably not a high demand for them...sounds funny, right? But for the amount of vehicles out there, the ratio of trailers may be quite low. Yes, this is me talking out my rear, but the number of trailers on the road is less than vehicles, why spend money making better tires when you have all those cars to win over...

Cale
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Old 11-08-2015, 08:41 PM   #7
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No argument from me Cale. I am sure you know how I feel about the bean counting profits at all costs RV industry.

I agree that most of the entry level tires that they put on many RV's are complete garbage. BTW 16.5 million new cars sold in 2014 versus 356,725 RV's. And you have to figure some of those RV's were on a truck chassis with decent rubber from the manufacturer. I would WAG that MoHo's are probably 10%-15% of the total market.

Another factor is owner education. How many people are really aware and educated as to what tires they need and how different tires perform? I would suspect that it is in the single digit percentages.

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Old 11-08-2015, 11:26 PM   #8
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What about the Goodyear G614 G rated tire. Ive had two sets of them. Ok so far.Are they junk also thanks GW.
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Old 11-09-2015, 08:56 AM   #9
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What about the Goodyear G614 G rated tire. Ive had two sets of them. Ok so far.Are they junk also thanks GW.
From what I understand, they are good tires, just ridiculously expensive. I opted for Sailun tires instead of the G614 tires...almost half the price.

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Old 11-10-2015, 04:53 PM   #10
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OK, my dumb...what is an ST tire?

Looking to go with LT Light Truck tires this Winter and will make sure they are load an speed rated for what I need/want.

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Old 11-10-2015, 05:28 PM   #11
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An ST tire is a special service tire....in this case, it is used for trailering. The bad thing about these tires, they are not regulated the same as a vehicle tire is regulated.

I have read many contentious debates concerning the ST vs LT tire use on an RV. A lot has to do with the way the sidewall performs (stiff vs flexible).

The Sailuns are ISO certified (cannot remember which ISO), but it means they do abide by some sort of regulation. Also, since they are commercially used, they need to perform...blown tires in the commercial worl equals down time, and that ultimately means loss of money...

Cale
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Old 11-10-2015, 06:21 PM   #12
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Thanks Cale. I will talk with Son-in-Law next week about them.

He's a Store Manager for Discount Tire in Denver...guess where I get all my tires...

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Old 11-10-2015, 06:33 PM   #13
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Most not all ST tires will be 15" or smaller. There are a couple brands of ST 16" tires, but not many.
I switched to 17.5 tires as that's what lowboy over the road trailer use. Also the commercial tire shops I deal with recommend going to 17.5". Seems like big horse trailers have tire problems with the 16" tires also. They switched those folks over to 17.5 & like me the tire problem went away.
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Old 11-10-2015, 08:31 PM   #14
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I had a set of Goodyear G614s on my previous rig after many many ST tire failures. Very very good tire. Your rims have to be able to handle 110psi.

I have LT tires on my current rig but I don't think you'll find 15" LTs. I will never run another ST tire.

YMMV.
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Old 11-11-2015, 12:29 AM   #15
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Quote:
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OK, my dumb...what is an ST tire?

Looking to go with LT Light Truck tires this Winter and will make sure they are load an speed rated for what I need/want.

Pirate
ST is Special Trailer.

Why I don't know.
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Old 11-11-2015, 12:38 AM   #16
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Based on the number of crappy ones out there I would venture that the ST stands for Sorry Tire...

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Old 11-11-2015, 06:26 PM   #17
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Thanks Cale. I will talk with Son-in-Law next week about them.

He's a Store Manager for Discount Tire in Denver...guess where I get all my tires...

Pirate
Hey Pirate, I'm in Golden. what store is your son-in-law at?
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Old 11-13-2015, 11:17 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by calewjohnson View Post
An ST tire is a special service tire....in this case, it is used for trailering. The bad thing about these tires, they are not regulated the same as a vehicle tire is regulated.

I have read many contentious debates concerning the ST vs LT tire use on an RV. A lot has to do with the way the sidewall performs (stiff vs flexible).

The Sailuns are ISO certified (cannot remember which ISO), but it means they do abide by some sort of regulation. Also, since they are commercially used, they need to perform...blown tires in the commercial worl equals down time, and that ultimately means loss of money...

Cale
X2 on the sidewall. Go to the Goodyear site and look for the comparison of ST vs LT tires, if I remember correctly is written by one of the tire engineers. If you want to tow over 65MPH then spend the tire on a properly speed rated tire that has the LR to handle the weight.

Add Gladiators to the list, they also produce a wide variety of commercial tires and they seem to be gaining traction around here. I see alot of them on the Cube Vans, from one ton to five tons, where I buy my fuel.

I'll be visiting my buddy this afternoon, he's been a trucker for more years than, if I can remember I'll ask him if the big boys are using them.
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Old 11-13-2015, 11:19 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by wahoonc View Post
If there are any ST tires still being made in the US they are going to be bias ply and probably in limited sizes.

X2

Read the reviews... guess what? Yup people complaining about blowouts.

Yep and I'll bet that weather we want to admit it, we are usually the writters of our own destiny. Now don't lynch me, but when I watch camper after camper pulling out of campgrounds and the tires are not the only thing that's not checked. You the important stuff like the running lights, the taillights are working. How many do a tug test, with the breakaway pin pulled? Only ever saw one person other than my self do it and that was DW.

I don't know if there is any sure fire way to avoid them.
However I take the following steps:
  1. Check for proper inflation
    Check
  2. Inspect at every stop
    Check
  3. buy highest weight range I can find
    Check
  4. run a TPMS for real time warnings
    [COLOR="Blue"]Not sold on all these nice modern computer controlled devices, but if it gives you a sense of security, why not.[COLOR="Blue"]
I really wish there was a way to REALLY know why various tires fail.

Aaron
Jim
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Old 11-13-2015, 11:28 AM   #20
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Jim,
I don't mind electronic deevices but am not a slave to them either. The TPMS is money well spent. It will give you early warning if you have a tire starting to go down due to a leak. I tow a single axle trailer, it is critical. I personally have not had one go down yet. But a buddy uses it on his fifth wheel. We were leaving a campground; we had both physically checked out tire pressures. About 5 miles down the road he pulls over, one of the tire monitors had gone off. We checked the tire, found a screw in it that he must have picked up just as we were leaving the campground (probably fell out of a Dutchmen product ) He has had a blow out before due to unknown causes, that one did over $6,000 worth of damage. The TPMS cost him less than $600. We both use the TST system.

Aaron
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