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Old 04-12-2011, 11:34 AM   #1
moutard2
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My FINAL Word about TIRES!

I had a lengthy conversation today with an RV salesman who apparently has made it his mission in life to know everything there is to know about RV tires ... at least he spoke intelligently and his arguments made sense to me anyway. He supported a lot of what he said by giving me copies of several articles clipped over the years from RV magazines, tire dealer magazines and other sources. What I got from the conversation was the following: 1) Forget "ST" tires and use a brand name "LT" tire as the quality of manufacture, etc. is usually much better. 2) ALWAYS inflate your tires using NITROGEN rather than air. Here's why ... http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...stions/4302788. 3) Fill each tire with half a can of tire sealant such as ... http://www.vikingseal.com/faq.html. There's a lot of good sealants on the market. Viking is just one of the better ones offered. 4) Run your tires at or slightly under maximum pressure. 5) Have your axles aligned!
I realize that some of the suggestions he offered may be controversial so form your own opinions and conclusions. Finally, if you can find a copy, read RV Lifestyle Magazine, volume 39 number7 and the article "Better Tires for Your Trailer". This article pretty well sums up what I've stated above but in a more expansive and detailed manner. If you do nothing else, replacing air with nitrogen seems to be huge in terms of payoff.
 
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Old 04-12-2011, 11:38 AM   #2
moutard2
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Remove the final period from the links and they'll work!
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Old 04-13-2011, 08:33 AM   #3
CamillaMichael
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Don't think I agree with your source on a couple of points. The construction of trailer tires (ST) is supposed to account for the stresses on trailer tires not common on truck tires (LT), so STs seem to be a better fit for trailers. From what I have read, nitrogen does not provide a lot of benefit in tires. Now, I have not done a lot of "study" on either issue, so I cannot claim expert status...just offering an opinion.
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Old 04-13-2011, 10:11 AM   #4
ols1932
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`There are several who advocate ST tires instead of LT tires on their Montana. Mostly it's because ST tires were designed for trailers; trailers like those we used on the farm. They will not stand up to the high speeds that the LT tires will withstand. A lot of tire sellers who sell ST tires will also tell you that you don't need to balance the tires on a trailer. They are mistaken. Farm wagons we used never had tires balanced but the highest speed the tires had to withstand were between 10 and 15 mph. As for nitrogen in your tires, that's a personal thing. I don't find many advertisements by reputable tire dealers specifying nitrogen for the tires. Buyer beware.

Orv
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Old 04-13-2011, 11:47 AM   #5
Hooker
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The logic for ST tires sounds good and makes sense. However, as long as they are pieces of junk, made in China...LTs are my tire of choice.
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Old 04-13-2011, 12:33 PM   #6
08UltraRider
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Nitrogen does not expand as much when the tire get hot but it's really not necessary for the daily driver. NASCAR teams use it for this reason but pressures are critical in the car set up.

Ever want to tick off a tire repairman? Bring him a flat tire with sealant in it.... That stuff makes a real mess inside your tire!

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Old 04-13-2011, 12:46 PM   #7
Lambchop
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Dry air that you get from a compressor has about 78% Nitrogen & 20% Oxygen & few other things in it. So, why put nitrogen in & waste your $$$$??

Roy
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Old 04-23-2011, 09:41 AM   #8
sreigle
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I didn't know about the nitrogen/oxygen ratio noted by Roy but still wonder where one would buy a compressor that will add nitrogen to the tires. When we're getting ready to pull out of a park and I'm checking tires I sure don't want to try to hunt up a source for nitrogen.

As for ST and LT tires, I really don't know what's best. However, we have had many troubles with Chinese ST tires. Many. On our prior Montana we got fed up and went with BF Goodrich Commercial T/A in an LT size and had zero problems. On this Montana we got fed up after this (see below) and went with the Goodyear G614RST tires which are an LT tire made for trailers (see the Goodyear website for confirmation of that). Anyhow, here's what happened with our last good 'ol ST Chinese tires. I could post several other pictures of problems with ST tires, also. This one didn't run flat. It blew out and we heard it go as it blew body parts across 5 lanes of busy San Diego freeway (I-8). Maybe 80 miles prior it was fine and checked fully pressurized.

By the way, that's a $2100 repair. Plus tires and hassles.
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