New tires

[BobnLee]

I am running tow max tires on my Cougar 26SAB. Figure I have about 10,000 miles on them. I have been looking all over for new tires but cant find anything here in Ontario that isnt either China Bombs or only D rated. The tires now are D rated 225 70 R15. I would really like to get the Maxxis 8008 E rated or an Lt tire. dont know if I can find Lt for this unit and cant find a dealer in Ontario that sells. them. Any help would be appreciated. Dont want to take another long trip with these tires.

[LittleJoe]

Look into Hercules tires. They have a d rated tire/65psi

I recommend these tires from the following experience

We run 6 emergency roadside repair cargo trailers. They have 205/75/15 tires on 3500lb axles. These are always loaded to GVWR. These trailers are on the road 24/7 in all kinds of weather/ all seasons .

We have run several different brands, up to and including special ordering UHAUL bias tires (which by the way were the worst, experiencing failure of 3 with in 6weeks.

After a lot of research and recommendation from our tire installer based on his experience we tried the Hercules. We have been using them for over 2yrs now and are very happy with them. They last approx 25-30K miles and are replaced when 2/32 and staggered so that new goes on for the winter months.

[CWtheMan]

I am running tow max tires on my Cougar 26SAB. Figure I have about 10,000 miles on them. I have been looking all over for new tires but cant find anything here in Ontario that isnt either China Bombs or only D rated. The tires now are D rated 225 70 R15. I would really like to get the Maxxis 8008 E rated or an Lt tire. dont know if I can find Lt for this unit and cant find a dealer in Ontario that sells. them. Any help would be appreciated. Dont want to take another long trip with these tires.

Trailer owners with tires your size and load range have hard decisions to make when replacement time rolls around. Especially if unhappy with the ST design or country of origin.

There are no options open for that tire with the LT design because of the load capacity (2540#) of the ST tire. There is an option of moving up in load range to LRE. The problem most often found with that option is the capacity of the factory installed rims. Those steel rims almost always have a maximum pressure rating of 75 psi. Most of the ST tire manufacturers want their tires to be aired to maximum sidewall pressures unless the vehicle manufacturer will recommend a lower value. Using a ST225/75R15E at 65 psi is a waste of the extra money for the LRE tire because at that pressure it’s just another LRD tire.

There are some 15” LT tires that are very close in load capacity. They are mostly from the European commercial truck market. The Goodyear Cargo is one of them. The 225/70R15 LRD provides 2470# of load capacity at 65 psi.

The Continental Vanco 2 has the same size and load range as the Cargo and has CDN retailers.

However you should read this CDN reference before making decisions that could void any tire warranty coverage.

http://ca.coopertire.com/Tire-Safety/Tire-Safety-TIps/Proper-Tire-Loading.aspx

CW

[diugo]

Honestly, do you really need an LRE? Your trailer isn't exactly humongous.

Maxxis doesn't even make an m8008 in 70R15. If you upgrade to an m8008 in ST225/75R15D, it's rated for 2540lb at 65psi, which should be more than adequate.

[BobnLee]

I made a mistake with the tire size should have been 225 75 15 and of course Maxxis do make the E rated tire. Just thinking I.m headed to Alaska this summer and will definitely need new tires so why not upgrade. Better to be under the weight than over. Just dont like the thought of a blow out in the middle of nowhere.

[BobnLee]

Thanks Little Joe i have had a set of Hercules on my pick up and had absolutely no problems with them. They were still on it after it went to the bone yard. Must have had close to 80,000 on those. I will look and see if I can get a set for the traler.

[BobnLee]

CW the Man. Thanks Im reading the article after i type this. I just want the best and safest tire available. Good lord I spent 1750.00 on mud and ice tires for the truck I can spend a little on the trailer.

[chuck&gail]

If changing Load Range BE SURE to check RIM RATING!!! Usually stamped on rear, or in valley under the tire. Not any safer to overload rims than to overload tires IMHO.

[diugo]

I made a mistake with the tire size should have been 225 75 15 and of course Maxxis do make the E rated tire. Just thinking I.m headed to Alaska this summer and will definitely need new tires so why not upgrade. Better to be under the weight than over. Just dont like the thought of a blow out in the middle of nowhere.

A fully loaded X-Lite 26SAB shouldn't weigh more than 10K, and 2K of that will be borne by the hitch---so 8K on the tires. Maxxis LRDs are rated over 10k, providing an excellent 27% margin of safety on high quality tires. But LREs will give you 11320lb at 80psi, which is almost 42% over 8K. That's just too much. Simply put, LREs will be overinflated for the weight they are carrying. They will ride like wagon wheels and you will have reduced traction and braking.

My Cougar has nearly the same GVWR as yours, so I faced the same LRD/LRE decision as you when I had to replace a pair of my Towmax. Obviously, I went with LRD.

[BobnLee]

Thanks for the info Diugo My head hurts from all of this but I.m thinking your right to go with the D Load range tires, which of course leads me back to the same problem We cant get Maxxis tires in Canada. Think I will check out the Hurcules which I know (or hope) I can get. I can however get the Goodyear Maratons in a D rated tire Too many choices

[diugo]

BobnLee, have you explored the online option? I had to do that to get mine, even in Arizona. At google.ca, simply search for TL157100000, which is the Maxxis part number for the ST225/75R15D.

You may be able to find a tire warehouse or retailer somewhere in Canada and have the tires shipped directly to your house. Failing that, find a USA retailer that ships internationally (like DiscountTireDirect or Summit Racing). Then you just take them to Walmart (or any cooperative tire shop) and have them mounted and balanced.

Often the total price is similar to what a local shop would charge if they had them in stock.

[diugo]

Another option is the Big O tire chain, gobigo.ca, which carries Maxxis. They do have locations in Canada---but only in British Columbia.

The good news is, BC is on the way from Ontario to Alaska. But I would definitely call ahead first to make sure the location has the tires in stock. They may need to be ordered.