Newbie tire question

[ccl]

I am replacing the tires on my 2005 keystone Montana 5th wheel 2955RL.
The tires that are currently on there are Tacoma trail awt M+S LT235/85R16 Load range E.
After doing some research and reading seems that most folks here recommend Sailun tires.

This is the tire that i am thinking of purchasing Sailun S637 Trlr 235/85R16 132/127L G Tire.

I' not sure what all these numbers mean but i think the tire size is correct.

Any comments on this tire? where is the best place to purchase.
Also i have called around to several tire places in my area (cleveland/akron) and it seems that no one installs tires on the trailer. Where do you take it to have them installed.
, or do i need to take them off myself and take them to a local installer

[mlh]

Smart choice.
Great tire good price.
You won’t be back here crying the blues because a tire blue out and took the side off of your camper.
I take my camper to the Goodyear dealer to have them installed.
Lynwood

[davemitchell59]

Not much to offer other than, make sure you get "G" rated tires, which it appears is what you've preliminarily selected.


As for install, about all you can do is call around and ask who has the tires and has the room/accommodations to do the install on their site. Personally, I wouldn't want to pull all of the tires off and let it sit on jacks until you get the new tires mounted. Plus, it's a lot of work that you're really paying them to do if you're paying for the mounting ... Unless you work out a deal with them to just swap tires on the rim.


Sailon has some tires on recall right now for tires made during the week of June 18-25, 2018, so keep an eye out for that. I know Jayco goes with the Goodyear tire as their OEM tire and I've heard of other TT owners switching to them before taking delivery on a new rig.


I am curious to hear what others say. We just bought a used 2017 3731FL with Sailon tires. I don't have an opinion on them other than they worked fine for a recent 4000 mile trip. But, they'll need replacing at some point and we will definitely want the best tire out there on the rig.

[rohrmann]

The Sailun tire recall has nothing to do with any of us with Montana's. The tire and size affected by the recall is, S698 157/154 L PR20 size 315/80R22.5, which is a little too big for our rigs, and it really isn't a construction or failure recall, just not having a tire ID or manufacture date stamped on the side of the tire.

[Carl n Susan]

Sailun tires are wonderful (I have 4 of them) but *WAY* overkill for a 2005 2955. That RV has 5.2K lb axles and the wheels were 80 PSI max. It came with the Tacoma LT Range E tires which were fine for it. This was before the RVIA and friends decided the manufacturer had to give you ST tires (and the cheapest ones they could buy).

There used to be a list here for the best LT tires you could use for your sized rig. I would have to look for it as I don't remember what they were. I suspect they will cost more than the Sailuns. If you buy the Sailuns, check the load chart. I think you will have to run them below 80 PSI to get a decent ride.

[ccl]

Thank you for all the response. This is the kind of feedback i was hoping for. I get confused with "axle weight", "load capacity".
I checked online and the only load capacity chart i could find is this:
http://www.gosailun.com/MRT/Tire/S637T

From what i understand they should be inflated to 110psi

[1retired06]

Good halitosis tire

[Creeker]

The best LT tire I've ran is the Firestone Transforce HT load range E.
I have them on our Wildcat 5er and two tandem equipment trailers right now. Two sets on the Wildcat in 9 years with zero issues. Only changed the first set because of age. They would be an excellent choice for the 2955RL.

Wish they were made in load range F or G. They would be going on our new Montana if so.

[ccl]

i checked the Firestone Transforce HT Tire LT235/85R16/10, this is the description for load range. "This will have a load range of E and will be a 10 ply tire. The tires are capable of carrying weight up to 3,086 lbs per tire".

The cost is about the same as the Sailun. Do you think these would be a better fit for my 5er.

[CaptnJohn]

Instead of the 85 series go with the 235/80/16 series. Sailun produces a chart that shows the capacity at 80 psi. The 85 series is rated at 4400psi at 110 and the 80 series at 4080. Still a good choice even if your wheels are rated for 80#.

[CalandLinda]

Originally Posted by ccl

I am replacing the tires on my 2005 keystone Montana 5th wheel 2955RL.
The tires that are currently on there are Tacoma trail awt M+S LT235/85R16 Load range E.
After doing some research and reading seems that most folks here recommend Sailun tires.

This is the tire that i am thinking of purchasing Sailun S637 Trlr 235/85R16 132/127L G Tire.

I' not sure what all these numbers mean but i think the tire size is correct.

Any comments on this tire? where is the best place to purchase.
Also i have called around to several tire places in my area (cleveland/akron) and it seems that no one installs tires on the trailer. Where do you take it to have them installed.
, or do i need to take them off myself and take them to a local installer

Wow! Those Tacoma tires went off the market at least 8 years ago.

You're considering replacing Original Equipment tire size LT235/85R16 LRE rated at 3042# at 80 PSI with LRG tires that provide 4400# of load capacity. Don’t you think that sort of over protection is more than a little excessive?

There are other more reasonable choices for you that won’t require wheel upgrades. The ST235/85R16 LRE provides 3640# of load capacity at 80 PSI and you can find it in all sorts of brand names including those made in the USA.

[ChuckS]

The Sailun tires in either 235 or 230 series G rated will serve you well for a long time.. look on backside of your wheels and see if max pressure range is stamped there..

Then you will know if you have 110psi rated rims... if not note max psi and call Sailun for their psi inflation loadrange table and see what max load is at max psi of your wheels..

I’d run a G rated tire an6 day over an E rated tire of any brand on a Montana

G rated tire is so much stronger than E rated.... someone around your area should be able to demount and remount tires...

[ccl]

Ok, i am starting to understand this a little better. I am still a little confused on the aspect ratio, what would it mean to go from 85 to 80. Is Trailer King a good brand?
I found these tires for half the cost ST235/80R16 10-Ply Trailer King II ST
ST235/85R16 128/124M F TBC Trailer King II.

I don't want to overpay but i also don't want to sacrifice quality

[scattershot]

FWIW, I have run B F Goodrich Commercial TA truck tires on my 2955 RL for a while now, and will continue to do so. I did have a blowout two years ago due to not changing the tires every 5-6 years ( oddly enough, I was planning to change them at the end of the trip I was on). Lesson learned. Anyway, I am hearing good things about the Sailuns, but they run at a higher pressure, amd will require new wheels.

If your tires are indeed 8 years old, GET RID OF THEM.

Good luck!

[Carl n Susan]

I found the older list of tires for a 2005 2955. This list was built by member LonnieB, a tire dealer who used to be active here. Understand that the ST tires available at that time were *JUNK*. The 2005's (and earlier) came with LT tires. Today there are ST tires that are very good. Trailer Kings are not one of them IMHO.

The list of LT tires and the, then, prices is:

A good quality, name brand LT tire, in the E load range will serve you well. Below is an updated list of my personal preferences, along with a "ballpark" price, not including installation. Prices vary across the country, and even from dealer to dealer, so shopping around a little would be a good idea. I recommend going to a REPUTABLE dealer, one that sells a lot of tires, one whose main business is tires.

LT235/85R16E

1. Michelin XPS Rib - $314.00 each.
2. Bridgestone Duravis R250 - $250.00 each.
3. Bridgestone Duravis R500 - $206.00 each.
4. Firestone Transforce H/T - $162.00 each.
5. BF Goodrich Commercial T/A - $188.00 each.

[Creeker]

Originally Posted by ccl

i checked the Firestone Transforce HT Tire LT235/85R16/10, this is the description for load range. "This will have a load range of E and will be a 10 ply tire. The tires are capable of carrying weight up to 3,086 lbs per tire".

The cost is about the same as the Sailun. Do you think these would be a better fit for my 5er.

Yes. For your trailer weight and wheels, I would absolutely pick the Firestone Transforce HT over the Sailun tires.

The Transforce is a USA made tire with a proven track record of decades.
They are an excellent tire for your intended use.

[CalandLinda]

The OPs Montana has 5200# axles. Tire upgrades in size and load capacity are not a concern. The Original Equipment size he has said are on there were and still are more than just adequate.

The OP only needs to make a decision on brand name and construction (polyester or steel cased) of the LT235/85R16 LRE tires to use as replacements.

Shop around and get some that will fit your traveling needs and habits.

NOTE: A little keystone tire history. Up until mid 2004 they used mostly ST tires. As the size and weight increased with their trailers they started using LT235/85R16 LRE tires exclusively on all 5000# - 6000# axles in model years 2005 & 2006. About that time the China ST tire manufacturers exploded into the RV trailer tire market with just about any size and load capacity the market demanded. IMO, Keystone deliberately used 32" center to center axle fitments to prevent the use of the 235/85R16 tire on those axles when they switched back to ST. (the ST in that size had not yet been built). The ST235/80R16 LRE is normally about an inch shorter than the LT235/85R16 which cannot be used with 32" axle spacings.

The key word in your Keystone owner manual today is designated. As in designated tire size. In the tire industry a designated tire size is as follows; ST235/85R16 or LT235/85R16. They are not interchangeable.

[ccl]

Thanks everyone, you guys are great, gave me a lot of information and learned a lot about tires. I decided to go with the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A. Found a local dealer near me that sells and installs them.

Thank again

[Arky]

Consider the st 235/80 r16 14 ply Greenball towmaster tire steel construction. I went with them and couldn't be happier, sailun are also a good choice though.

[saber707]

Sailuns are getting a lot of attention right now . However, in that size tire, I recommend the Goodyear Endurance. 10 ply but rated for 110 mph.