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View Full Version : which tires to buy?


troutbum53
01-03-2015, 11:17 AM
We have a 2014 3155RL, (and love it!).....I am wanting (needing) to upgrade the tires. We only have about 1500 miles on our new unit, but I am worried about the factory tires (Marathon's). We are not full timers, but we make one trip a year that is about 2000 miles round trip, everything else is under 400 mile round trip. Probably 4-5000 miles a year total. I know the G614's are probably the best thing to get, but I was wondering about other tire options that would be a good reliable alternative. All help is appreciated ....thanks....[8D]

Tom S.
01-03-2015, 11:50 AM
Before someone steps in here and suggests "E" rated truck tires, you need to be certain your trailer doesn't currently exceed their rated capacity at each wheel when the trailer is loaded. If each wheel weighs less than the 3080 "E" rated truck tires are rated at, then they are a viable and attractive alternative. However you must be certain of the weight first.

JandC
01-03-2015, 12:07 PM
Tom S. is giving some pretty sound advise. If you can't get your individual wheels weighed, at least run it over scales at a local truck stop and get the loaded weight for your drive axles. That should put you in the general neighborhood for what rated tires you are probably going to need.

DQDick
01-03-2015, 12:29 PM
If you can't get each wheel weighed individually leave yourself plenty of extra capacity. Many Montana's, such as ours, have wheels carrying more weight than the others.

bigskyjimmy
01-03-2015, 01:23 PM
Me and some fellow RV friends are running G rated 14 ply LT Geostar G574 110 P.S.I. tires with great results for quite a bit less than G614's and they have a Full Warranty from Les Schwab tires here on the west coast

denandannie
01-03-2015, 05:49 PM
I guess I'm the exception here. I am still running my Marathons. Have about 12k miles on them with no problems. However, I religiously check the air pressure, never overload the Monty and NEVER exceed the speed rating of the tires. Yes, someday I'll upgrade to a G rating tire, but for now I'll be prudent and see if I can get a few more miles on my hated Marathons.

bigskyjimmy
01-03-2015, 07:18 PM
Yep I never had a problem with my Marathons either on 2 years of shorter trips but then we started going on longer trips when we went fulltime and did not want to take any chances of having Blowouts in the middle of nowhere and wanted piece of mindquote:Originally posted by denandannie

I guess I'm the exception here. I am still running my Marathons. Have about 12k miles on them with no problems. However, I religiously check the air pressure, never overload the Monty and NEVER exceed the speed rating of the tires. Yes, someday I'll upgrade to a G rating tire, but for now I'll be prudent and see if I can get a few more miles on my hated Marathons.

WaltBennett
01-03-2015, 11:49 PM
I'm one of those that worry about tire age just as much as load. Since I've also got to get ours in and out of our driveway with some sharp turns (really torques the tires doing that) I've gone with LTs vs STs. Their weight ratings are a little lower in the same class as ST tires (more reserve capacity), but they've also got a higher speed rating. Just rolled over 10k miles on our Firestone Transforce tires with about 5k at max gross, with no problems at all (save for one nail I picked up at a gas station!).

troutbum53
01-04-2015, 01:31 AM
Our Montana weighs in at 13,060# fully loaded for an extended stay trip, pin weight is 3180#....I do not have each tire weight individually.

hookman
01-04-2015, 01:37 AM
If LonnieB is around get a hold of him and he will tell you what tires you should get as he is our tire expert and has helped a lot of members.

Tom S.
01-04-2015, 02:49 AM
quote:Originally posted by troutbum53

Our Montana weighs in at 13,060# fully loaded for an extended stay trip, pin weight is 3180#....I do not have each tire weight individually.


Let me give you an example of why weighing each wheel is important. Our 3625 weighed in at 15,125. Minus the pin weight, it's 12,200. If that weight was evenly divided, it would be 3,050 which would be at the top of light truck tires ratings, but well within the Special Trailer "E" ratings of 3,420lbs. In measuring each wheel, however, they were:

LF = 3,450
RF = 2,800
LR = 2,650
RR = 3,300

So as you see, one wheel is slightly beyond what the rating of the Marathons are!

K0LCB
01-04-2015, 03:10 AM
I used a F rated trailer tire, 12 ply and never had a problem on my 3750

steelpony5555
01-04-2015, 03:33 AM
Yes, but at only 10k on the axles he should be fine with LT tires. If he had over their rating on one tire he would have to have a lot of stuff on one side of his trailer..... At Tom's weight he is at the borderline for LT tires and yes get each tire weighed. At 15k lbs I would go G rated tires too. I have about the same weight as the OP on my trailer and LT's are fine.

Tom S.
01-04-2015, 04:09 AM
quote:Originally posted by steelpony5555

Yes, but at only 10k on the axles he should be fine with LT tires. If he had over their rating on one tire he would have to have a lot of stuff on one side of his trailer..... At Tom's weight he is at the borderline for LT tires and yes get each tire weighed. At 15k lbs I would go G rated tires too. I have about the same weight as the OP on my trailer and LT's are fine.


troutbum53 is a little unclear with his weight post. He said the trailer full loaded weighted 13,060 and the pin weight is 3,180. What's unclear is if the loaded weight includes the pin weight or not. If it does, your 10,000 figure is correct. I wouldn't be surprised though if the trailer weight hooked to the truck (so minus the pin weight) is the 13,060 weight he is referring to. In which case LT tires are going to be overloaded.

steelpony5555
01-04-2015, 04:34 AM
I am curious cause I never looked it up but what is the speed rating on an F rated tire???

Ozz
01-04-2015, 04:38 AM
Oops.. posted this on an old thread...I have CRS and am mostly incompetent, but here it is on this thread.. got to get more coffee.

Lonnie:

These are my suggestions for LT235/85R16 load range E in order of prefference.
1. Michelin XPS RIB
2. BRIDGESTONE DURAVIS R500 COMMERCIAL LT
3. BF GOODRICH COMMERCIAL TA
4. BRIDGESTONE DURAVIS R250 COMMERCIAL LT
5. FIRESTONE TRANSFORCE H/T

drillagent
01-04-2015, 07:03 AM
I'm thinking of getting Sailun S637 tires. The 235/85R16 are 126/G with 3750lbs max load. Is anyone using this? I've seen good and bad about them.

Ozz
01-04-2015, 07:30 AM
quote:Originally posted by drillagent

I'm thinking of getting Sailun S637 tires. The 235/85R16 are 126/G with 3750lbs max load. Is anyone using this? I've seen good and bad about them.


Here is some info I found for you:
http://tinyurl.com/http-www-rv-net-forum-index

http://www.autoexpeditor.com/showthread.php?423-Sailun-Tire-Review-19-5

http://keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14021

My two cents worth would be to buy a tire that has a network of dealers wherever you travel, in case of tire replacement problems.

troutbum53
01-04-2015, 12:29 PM
Sorry, did not make my weights clear.....I am 20,300# truck and trailer.....my Montana is 13,060# total weight minus my pin weight of 3,180# is 9,880#.....I can see us adding at least another 500# to the mix in the near future if I haul a small freezer to put fish in and more outdoor gear. My small freezer holds 135# of fillets (chocked full)...I do not want to cut corners on tires. But I don't want to spend any more than I need to. How is the best way to get each individual tire weight?

DQDick
01-04-2015, 12:40 PM
Some places, such as some of the Escapee parks, can weigh each wheel separately. Also, at Rally's there are often folks with portable scales that can do it. You can goggle it and you'll find listings like this: http://fifthwheelst.com/wheel-by-wheel-rv-weighing.html

sambam
01-04-2015, 03:46 PM
The Marathon is a gamble. I don't care how closely you monitor your speed, weight, pressure, whatever. Low quality manufacturing with no oversight seems to be the problem. Maybe you got a good set. If you have 12k on them, you probably did. I joined this forum when I bought my Montana and read all about the issues with these tires, too. I also decided that I will do what you're doing, keep a close eye on everything. I wasn't in the position to spend money (lots of) on new tires at the time. I bought a used camper and they put new Marathons on it, so, as long a I'm careful, I should be okay. I even bought a tpms system to help keep an eye on things. Well, in less than 2k I had a bubble appear on one sidewall. That was it for me. I contacted GY and they told me to take my tires to a local dealer for inspection, which I did. The tech told me it was broken belts inside the tire. It wasn't weight or speed or air pressure. We do have one of the heavier Montanas, but we travel light and this was a weekend getaway, not loaded up for a long week of camping. In my opinion, the Marathon is a roll of the dice. You've got 12k on yours. It's up to you how long you want to stay in the game.

troutbum53
01-06-2015, 06:39 AM
Well I am back, I have been checking out the Geostar tires.....no dealers in our area at all. They are made in China also, but seem to have a real good track record. They are 31.8" tall so they will raise me up about 2"..the G614's are 30.7"....with our 2nd A/C unit we are 13'4" (what we were told by Montana) so I will be 13'6" which is still legal, but man that is tall! [8D]

8.1al
01-06-2015, 08:27 AM
If you do any travelling you might want to pick a readily available tire. As a side note if a tire is 2" taller it will only raise your trailer 1". One on the top and one on the bottom

bigskyjimmy
01-06-2015, 09:33 AM
That would be the only thing about the Geostars,they are readily available here Out West at Any of the mass Les Schwab dealers here but i don't know about the East coast, they are made by NanKang and Discount Tire sells that brand around the Countryquote:Originally posted by 8.1al

If you do any travelling you might want to pick a readily available tire. As a side note if a tire is 2" taller it will only raise your trailer 1". One on the top and one on the bottom

troutbum53
01-06-2015, 02:24 PM
quote:Originally posted by 8.1al

If you do any travelling you might want to pick a readily available tire. As a side note if a tire is 2" taller it will only raise your trailer 1". One on the top and one on the bottom


8.1Al....lol...I wasn't thinking too good was I...my math skills are usually a bit better than that.....I like your end result better...[8D]

Happycamperscolorado
01-06-2015, 03:06 PM
Just checked my rims and they are 3750 110 psi. So new g614's. Next week. Need to drop spare and check that. Rim is white and now sure if it will handle the new tires. Going with these for the piece of mind. Have had blow outs in past and no fun in that at all

CalandLinda
01-06-2015, 08:27 PM
There is something very peculiar about the Goodyear G614 tires. They require fitment to 16 X 6.5” rims.

Cal

8.1al
01-07-2015, 03:20 AM
Many, many members have used their 6" wide rims with no problem

jlb27537
01-07-2015, 09:12 AM
My '14 3150RL has about 11K lbs on the axles. I went with Bridgestone Duravis R250. A all steel tire, weights 59 lbs (same weight as a G614) speed rated @ 101mph. I am very happy with them. The tires in the pics have about 9K or so miles. The marks on the outer rib is tire dressing, not abnormal wear.

http://www.montanaowners.com/attachments/photobucket/img_563244_0_bc9a98e09ae83fc810a57e8efd323057.jpg

http://www.montanaowners.com/attachments/photobucket/img_563244_1_0344a112d42171041ba40cda814c5bee.jpg

Jim

fauch
01-10-2015, 08:44 AM
Goodyear year G614 RSTs are rated to carry their maximum weight up to 75 MPH
LT tires are rated to carry their maximum weight up to usually 106 MPH
I opt to use LT tires rated at 3042 LBS at 106 MPH; which is still well within my average per tire loaded axle weight (at 106MPH) with the pin on the truck.
I had at one time posted a chart that showed the diminishing load rating per speed. I cannot find that chart right now.
What it equates to for me after studying that chart, is that I would much rather the capacity of a 3050 lb. at 106 MPH tire (at my tow-speed of 65-70 MPH) than the capacity of 3750 lb.. at 75 MPH tire (at my tow-spped of 65-70)

lawrenceb42106
01-10-2015, 09:50 AM
We went with Bridgestone Durvas R500. Have had them for 5 years and still look good after 2 trips to Alaska. Will replace this year as we are doing Alaska again 2015.

mazboy
01-12-2015, 12:42 PM
after all of that, G614s:-)

troutbum53
01-14-2015, 02:36 PM
Ordered a set of Duravis R250's for our 2014 3155RL....getting them put on Friday morning....$900 out the door after trade in allowance on my Chinese rubber![8D]

CalandLinda
01-14-2015, 02:59 PM
I don't think any of the Bridgestone Duravis R250s will satisfy the minimum requirements for the GAWRs on the 2014 3155RL.

Cal

troutbum53
01-14-2015, 04:49 PM
I ran her (3155RL) across the scales.....13060# loaded minus 3180# pin 9880# on my axles....have not been able to weigh individual tires as of yet...but plan to when possible. I think the R250's should be fine, I reckon time and mileage will tell. [8D]

CalandLinda
01-15-2015, 12:38 AM
A trailer with tires having less load capacity than the units certified GAWRs is a trailer in violation of all safety regulations and industry safety standards.

Cal

troutbum53
01-15-2015, 12:49 AM
Cal, they are selling them brand new with load range E tires aren't they?[8D]

CalandLinda
01-15-2015, 01:09 AM
The LRE LT235/85R16E tires have a maximum of 3042# of load capacity at 80 PSI whereas the LRE ST235/80R16E have at the very least 3420# at 80 psi. The 2014 3155RH must have GAWRs in the 6500# range or greater.

Cal

JandC
01-15-2015, 01:25 AM
quote:Originally posted by troutbum53

Well I am back, I have been checking out the Geostar tires.....no dealers in our area at all. They are made in China also, but seem to have a real good track record. They are 31.8" tall so they will raise me up about 2"..the G614's are 30.7"....with our 2nd A/C unit we are 13'4" (what we were told by Montana) so I will be 13'6" which is still legal, but man that is tall! [8D]


If you don't do anything else, measure your own height. You could find that you are 13'2" tall or you might be 13'9" tall. I wouldn't take anyone's word for how tall my rig is when I am going down the road.