Freestar Tires?? what say ye?

[kancop]

Well, I pressed my luck this weekend, had a premonition that I would have a blowout and I did. My fault for not following my gut instinct to replace my old tires.

That being said, called the local Goodyear shop and they have a Freestar 205/70R14 tire, he said it was a 6 ply tire, that they have had "good luck" with.

What do the real experts say on this. I was surprised they did not sell the Goodyear brand tire.

[dcg9381]

Ask for the DOT code (or ask where they are made). The DOT will disclose where they are made.

I didn't see NHTSA complaints on that brand. That could be because they are good tires. Other reasons might be that they're not sold very often, complaints are made under another brand, or that they're really a re-brand of a tire that has had issues (maybe Mission tire).

They may be manufactured / imported by Nankang.

A search turns up:
Heartland Owners


How much are they asking for the set? Whats the load rating? In the event of a tire failure not caused by the owner, who is backing the tire?

[JRTJH]

The 225/75R14C is a difficult size tire to find in ST applications. Carlisle, Maxxis nor Goodyear make that size in an ST tire. I'd be weary of an "off brand" tire, and have no experience with Freestar, but would think that your choices in brands is going to be extremely limited. In later year models, Keystone stopped using that tire size and moved to 225/75R15C tires which are much easier to find.

[kancop]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

The 225/75R14C is a difficult size tire to find in ST applications.

I was looking at the Passport Specs for that year and saw that they ran a 225/70R14 tire. When I went to look at what was actually on my trailer, it is a 205/70 R14.

How easily could I move to a larger wheel such as the R15?

I am not reading good things about Freestar other than they are cheap $$ tires and perhaps a rebrand of Mission tires. . .

I am willing to pay some money for a good set of tires, I do not want to minimize safety of the family.

Carlise, Maxxis and Goodyear???

[Desert185]

Carlisle or Maxxis would be my vote.

[JRTJH]

If you elect to go with 205/70R14's, run the numbers carefully. Remember that ST tires "degrade" about 10% annually, so what looks "OK by the numbers" this year may be a hazardous situation in 18 months.....

It's possible that keystone made an error when they published the tire sizes for your trailer on their website (they have made similar errors in the past) or it may be that your RV is simply too heavy/big for the 205 series tire. I'd contact Keystone and ask for their confirmation on the website information, then discuss the situation with a knowledgeable tire dealer.

If you are going to buy the 205 series tires, then as Desert185 suggested, I'd stick with Maxxis or Carslile. Remember that with the 205's, you'll be at or very near your maximum tire weight if you run close to your trailer's GVWR.

[bsmith0404]

If you can get a better quality 225 I'd go that route. It's only 1" taller so just an half inch on top difference in clearance. May be able to get a higher load capacity in the different size as well.

[kancop]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

If you can get a better quality 225 I'd go that route. It's only 1" taller so just an half inch on top difference in clearance. May be able to get a higher load capacity in the different size as well.

Would I need a new rim to go to a 225/70R15 from a 205/70R14?

[bsmith0404]

I was referring to 14" tires. I just checked Carlisle's website and they don't make a Radial Trail RH in a 225 for 14" wheels, but they do make a 215/75R14 with a load capacity of 1870. That tire is 1.4" taller than your current, so only .7 higher in the wheel well, which should still be okay, but take a look and see how much clearance you have.

[kancop]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

I was referring to 14" tires. I just checked Carlisle's website and they don't make a Radial Trail RH in a 225 for 14" wheels, but they do make a 215/75R14 with a load capacity of 1870. That tire is 1.4" taller than your current, so only .7 higher in the wheel well, which should still be okay, but take a look and see how much clearance you have.

I will go to my trailer later this week and measure but I think I am okay. Is there any benefit to getting a larger diameter rim?

[bsmith0404]

The advantage of a 15" rim is that you have more tires available. For example if you went to a 15" rim, you could get a 205/75R15D tire with a load rating of 2150. You gain load capacity and therefore a smaller chance of a blowout/tire failure due to load.

[kancop]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

The advantage of a 15" rim is that you have more tires available. For example if you went to a 15" rim, you could get a 205/75R15D tire with a load rating of 2150. You gain load capacity and therefore a smaller chance of a blowout/tire failure due to load.

I guess that would make sense. . . LOL! Thanks for the info. This is helpful for me to get aquainted with tires!

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by kancop

I will go to my trailer later this week and measure but I think I am okay. Is there any benefit to getting a larger diameter rim?

When you're there why don't you take a look at the trailer's certification label - found on the LH FWD external section of the trailer - and see what the original equipment tires were? (They don't have to match the owner's manual or any brochure info but they did have to match the certification label at the time of first sale).

Even if the OE tires have been replaced they still remain the bench mark for all replacements.

[kancop]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

When you're there why don't you take a look at the trailer's certification label - found on the LH FWD external section of the trailer - and see what the original equipment tires were? (They don't have to match the owner's manual or any brochure info but they did have to match the certification label at the time of first sale).

Even if the OE tires have been replaced they still remain the bench mark for all replacements.

Will do. Thanks for the tip!