Tire mysteries

[tom woodward]

time to replace the tires on my Monty 2015 353RL. I've been to Walmart and Discount Tires to investigate Sailuns, Hankooks, and Carlisles 12 ply and higher. Seems the Walmart guy really didn't know anything. I told the DT guy I wanted nothing made in China. Surprise! all of those tires mentioned above have manufacturing plants n China, although some had additional plants in Vietnam, Korea, Germany and other locations. The DT guy said "We don't know what factory (country) they come from until we get them. Could be anywhere". Unless I wanted to go with a $500+ Goodyear, it's a dang crapshoot! Any wisdom from the Monty Masters?

[twindman]

I have used Michelin since around 2008 on both the truck and rig. Your rig weighs around 14000 loaded. Assuming 20% pin weight, that leaves only 11,200 axle weight. My tires are only E's but carry 3086, so >200 lb better than your rig per tire. They are pricey, but less than $500

[Theunz]

The China made Sailuns have a stellar reputation. The Vietnamese made ones had a recall a while back, but I think the issue has been rectified.

[rames14]

Tom, I believe you have 7000 lb axles (but not positive). The RVIA won’t let OEM’s have tires less than a percentage (I believe 10%) greater carrying capacity. The Sailun’s are rated at 4040 lb and the Hartland I just purchased are rated at 4400 lbs. Your call, but I would go G series tires provided your rims are rated 110 psi. The gold standard has been Sailun S637 and Goodyear G614. I wanted the Sailun but couldn’t get them in less than a week and we’re on our way to Alaska. Went with Discount Tire’s Hartland 235 85 16 G Series - 1 steel belt in the sidewall and 4 in the tread, similar specs and weight to Sailun’s.

[CalandLinda]

According to the specs for the OPs trailer, it has 6000# axles and came equipped with ST235/80R16 LRE. The industry standard for replacement tires requires them to be able to provide, at the minimum, the load capacity the OE tires provided.

That ST235/80R16 is one of the most common designated size tires used as OEM on 6000# axles. The only ones I know of that won't qualify are made by Maxxis & GY.

There are numerous manufacturers that build that designated size in LRF & LRG.

Shop around, there are some good ones not made in China, Korea comes to mind.

[ep4me]

Here my 2 cents for I know for 2023 Keystone does put 6000 lb axles on the smaller MHC not sure on Montana confirmed to me by Dexter when I ordered spare parts for them however they are the gladiator axles with thicker tube wall and 7000 lb bearings and g rated tries. not sure how keystone gets away with that as gross vehicle weights for these rigs are 14k plus. For tires i would never put e rated tires on any Montana or other rv of this size. I know earlier years came with e rated but go with a g rated tire. Goodyear makes the best e rated trailer tire out there but the g rated Chinese made are still better for weight bearing loads. Now Goodyear g rated tire is great i know some guys get hung up on its lower weight rating but its a good tire i would not hesitate to replace any Chinese tire with them, including saluins. However they are just stupidly priced(expensive). With that being said, we really dont have much of a problem with any g rated tire on rvs no matter what the brand. My Montana has g rated Rainiers on it from keystone will run them until they need to be replaced. Most likely i will put Hercules on unfortunately Chinese made but American owned with a solid reputation because those are what we carry. They are other brands out there as well. What I am trying to say is use g over e and find a brand you are comfortable with.

[twindman]

I am stuck with E rated tires because when I bought my 2013, I had just put new tires on my Montana 2006. I wanted better tires than the Mountaineer came with so I had dealer swap rims and all. So I only have 80# rims. Otherwise I would have switched to Sailuns on last purchase.

[tom woodward]

So I bought the Sailins G rated 235/80r16 from eBay as Wally World didn’t have them and eBay did have the /85s but my spare was an 80 and I didn’t want a conflict should I have to use it. /80s were what I previously had. Just hoping I get the non-CCP made ones. I’ll let you know how the work

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by tom woodward

So I bought the Sailins G rated 235/80r16 from eBay as Wally World didn’t have them and eBay did have the /85s but my spare was an 80 and I didn’t want a conflict should I have to use it. /80s were what I previously had. Just hoping I get the non-CCP made ones. I’ll let you know how the work

I would definitely check the psi rating for your rims to make sure they can handle pressures higher than 80psi. You should be able to find a stamp somewhere on the back side of the rim. It's usually easier to find when removed from the trailer.

[Carl n Susan]

Unlike an auto with a drive line, the RV wheels are independent and have to use a spare 80 when the others are 85s is not an issue.

[DutchmenSport]

Have you considered Hercules tires? After I had a blow-out, I ended up getting Hercules. Not by choice though (long story), but to my delight, they have held up marvelously for 5 years now. I replaced 2 of them though. One skidded the tread due to a bent axel. Another got ripped by a street curb when I turned too short. I've been extremely happing with them. No issues at all.



As printed on the actual tire:

Trailer Tires
Hercules H-901
All Steel Radial
DOT 1YC 2ARHHE
Made in Thailand
Regroovable
All Steel
ST235/80RR16
128/124L
Rim 6.50
Tubeless

*Tire failure due to underinflation / overloading or misapplication – follow tire placard instructions in vehicle
Check inflation pressure frequently with an accurate guage
*Explosion of tire / rim assembly due to improper mounting – only specially trained persons should mount tires
When mounting use safety cage and clip-on extension air hose to inflate

L.R.G
14PR
Plies: Tread Steel 4 sidewall steel 1
Max. load single 3970 LBS (1800 kg) at 105 PSI (725 KPC) Cold
Max. load dual 3525 LBS (1600 kg) at 105 PSI (725 KPC) Cold

Brand lightly here.