Quote:
Originally Posted by rhagfo
Why not? They were LT's still in very good shape, always covered and the last couple of years most of our trips were about 150 miles.
I see so many post on here of those running ST tire get a blowout thinking back to maybe hitting a curb, or a bad set of tracks. Heck these tires did this many times and still preformed great.
So many on this site are so happy to get a set of ST tires for their 5er and pay less then $400 for a set of four, then bitch like crazy when one blows after a year of service. I paid over twice that for a quality set of LT same size and weight capacity as the OEM LT tires.
I see all this talk of the ST being "Special" to deal with the scuffing when turning. Well I don't buy that, had a neighbor that ran log truck for years, ran the same casings, be it be steer, drive, or trailer position. When drivers got worn a bit and still had ok tread depth, but traction was down, those were moved to trailer position, then when tread was worn out, they were capped. Could be capped for either drivers or rib tread for trailer use.
Just my personal experience.
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Going back in Keystone's tire fitment history you will find that in model years 2005 & 2006 they fitted all 6000# axles with LT235/85R16E tires. Mostly Missions from China and Uniroyal's by Michelin. As the off shore ST tire manufacturer's adapted to the USA market, more sizes and increased load capacity ST tires were built and saturated the RV trailer market. Keystone, like most all other RV trailer manufacturer's took advantage of the cost difference and started using all ST tires in 2007.
This is a fact. No tire manufacturer of any design would ever recommend their tires to be used beyond 10 years. Also, most recommend professional annual inspections from the 5 year point forward.
Because Keystone fitted LT tires to a lot of their models does not mean individuals can do the same. You cannot find a LT tire with the load capacity of a like sized ST tire. Example, LT235/85R16E has a maximum load capacity of 3042# @ 80 PSI. ST235/85R16E has a maximum load capacity of 3640# @ 80 PSI. Since 2007 the prefix ST & LT are part of the tire's size.
The wording in the tire fitment standard the trailer builders must abide is such that it avoids monetary or brand consideration. It goes like this: "The size designation and the recommended cold inflation pressure for those tires such that the sum of the load ratings of the tires on each axle is
appropriate for the GAWR." Remember, all the builder has to do is meet the minimum safety standard, the vehicle certified GAWR (s). If you get more than that, consider it a gift of load capacity reserves.
Once understanding how and why particular words are used in regulations/standards written in government documents it becomes clear why in the paragraph above "appropriate" also means that the recommended inflation pressures are also minimal. That is supported by the tire industry as they say to never use less tire inflation pressure than what is recommended on the tire placard. REF: US Tire Manufacturer's Association.