75 MPH Westlake Tires?

[CWtheMan]

Look at the picture below. That's a ST225/75R15D tire with a load index on its sidewall. The tire is from Westlake. Load index ratings are not official load indicators for LT or ST tires but can be put on the sidewall at the manufacturer's discursion. The lettering system used to determine the load range for ST and LT tires is currently the only method approved for those tires.

http://www.irv2.com/photopost/showfull.php?photo=27425

Another thing that is very present with that load index is the letter L following the dual load index. That L is a speed symbol used in conjunction with the load index system which constitutes a complete service description. The L is for 75 MPH. I wonder if Westlake really approves their radial ST tires for 75 MPH?

CW

[GaryWT]

Approval or not I know I am not going 75 while towing. I know some do as plenty pass me. I tend to stay under 65 when towing and will go 65 if pushing it.

[theeyres]

I do 65 because that's my trailer tire ratings. Gotta admit, though, with my diesel and small trailer I'd probably do 70 on the freeways if the tires were rated for it.

[Chinomax]

Search "Westlake Tires" One of the 5 worst trailer tires out there. I swapped mine out when I got the rig home. Chino

[bsmith0404]

Interesting that companies are trying to increase speed ratings on tires and for some it is becoming a selling point. Personally, when towing that much weight with a light duty truck we don't need to be going faster. It took the DW a bit to get used to me driving 60-65 when the speed limit is 75, but now she just sits back and reads her book until we get to our destination. My truck gets the best fuel mileage at about 62 and even with fuel prices dropping, I still prefer to save my money by maximizing mileage.

[Bob Landry]

Load rating and speed rating are not the same. I'm not aware of any ST tire that is rated for more than 65 MPH.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Interesting that companies are trying to increase speed ratings on tires and for some it is becoming a selling point. Personally, when towing that much weight with a light duty truck we don't need to be going faster. It took the DW a bit to get used to me driving 60-65 when the speed limit is 75, but now she just sits back and reads her book until we get to our destination. My truck gets the best fuel mileage at about 62 and even with fuel prices dropping, I still prefer to save my money by maximizing mileage.

Ditto. Other than an increased margin for tire blowout protection, a higher speed rating is a non-issue for me.

[jsmith948]

Originally Posted by GaryWT

Approval or not I know I am not going 75 while towing. I know some do as plenty pass me. I tend to stay under 65 when towing and will go 65 if pushing it.

Have to agree. Had a young (thirtyish) guy pass me the other day like I was up on blocks. Pulling his 3 axle toy hauler with a jacked-up 3/4 ton with one wrist laying on top of the steering wheel and tailgating the small suv ahead of him. Obviously in a hurry to get to Pismo!

[cobalert]

I installed EZ tire pressure temperature and pressure monitors on the trailer, my duel wheels and the front truck axle. It is amazing how your pressure and temps change at different speeds. I have found them to be very accurate and give me the warm fuzzy that I will know something is up before a tire explosion rips my trailer apart as I have seen on a few roadside causalities. Pulling a 404 Chrome with my F350 6.7 diesel I would never feel a tire going down. I have been warned about the China tires and encouraged to get them off as soon as possible. I wonder why a manufacture would still put suspect tires on a rig. Anyone have problems with the China tires?

[JimQ]

I also will keep it at 60 mph while towing. It doesn't make any sense to push any component to save a few minutes. I'm not paranoid about safety, but I do like to be safe!!

[Barbell]

I'm with you JimQ. We just replaced the Goodyear Marathons on our Montana after about 25,000 miles. Two tires were starting to separate but we had no problems. Probably would have if we had tried to get much more out of them or were in a big hurry to get somewhere. Even when tires are going bad, moderate speeds and frequent pressure checks may save a lot of grief.