Yes... I'm bringing up tires yet again, because I'm in the process of shopping for new shoes to replace the Akuret's that came with the rig. One of those developed a sidewall bubble last summer that I had to get replaced... and, of course, I've read the threads about blowouts with them.
So now the question turns to... which tires? Should I stick with ST-type tires, or go with LT-type? Then what brand... what model... what price?
Obviously the size is pretty much set in stone: 235/80R16 (or something very close)
Looking at what's on the rig now... they have an "E" Load Range rating... meaning each tire is theoretically able to handle 3420 lbs at the full inflation rating of 80psi. Multiplied times 4... that means the max load on the tires should not exceed 13,680 lbs.
I have a rig with a GVWR of 16,000 lbs... and when I'm loaded & moving down the road, I figure I'm pretty much right at that weight. Now if we figure that I have 20% of the rig's weight on the 5th wheel (3,200 lbs of hitch weight)... that leaves 12,800 lbs on the tires & axles.
Ok... while that's only an 880 lb cushion, I'm still within spec, provided I'm vigilant on keeping my air pressures checked.
But now let's add what I've began calling the 'unknown factor' into the equation, which is... these tires have no speed ratings. Over the past few days, I've done a few Google searches... but I can't find anything official that tells me what speed these tires can handle. I've "heard" from various people, and "read" on various forums where the max sustained speed that should be put on ST-type tires is 65mph.
Well, in the northeast, that's good enough... as there are few highways with speed limits greater than that. But down here in the south where I live, and in the southwest where I'm going to be headed this spring... if you're not doing the 70mph speed limit, you're being a nuisance & holding up traffic.
So considering that I have a lead foot that has no problem doing 70 (and even 75) for miles on end... the question then becomes do I want to ride on tires that are loaded near to their max rating at speeds that may or may not be over what they are built to withstand?
If not... what are my options?
Well, yes, I could slow down... but I'm not one for wanting the be the guy that's a burden on others by holding up traffic on the road so I can go on a pleasure trip.
The other option is to obviously look for other type tires that can handle both the load & speed... which leads me to Light Truck tires (LT)
During my shopping, I came upon the Goodyear's UNISTEEL G614 RST tires... which they say are suitable for 5th wheel trailer applications. They only come in one size, which is 235/85R16, which means the tire is just a tad taller than OEM. They each have a "G" Load Rating, which is 3750 lbs at 110psi... and an "R" Speed Rating, which is 106mph.
The load x 4 = 15,000 lbs of capacity, which gives me a decent size buffer between actual load & capable load... and the speed factor becomes a non-issue.
As all of that to ask this...
Is there anyone else running these tires on their rig? If so, what's your experience been? Satisfied? Any issues?
My Google searches on these tires always tend to send me to a lot of rancher & cowboy sites, where they discuss pulling horses. Apparently, this is one of the tires of choice for those folk who are moving livestock around... and it's hard to find anything negative said about them.
My only holdback at this point is the price. At over $300 per tire, these puppies ain't cheap. But if they do the job, then fine. I guess I'm just looking for other feedback from this community before I shell out the money for them.
Ok... that's it. I'm sure I've bored you enough. Looking forward to any feedback you guys care to offer.
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