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Old 06-22-2009, 07:35 PM   #1
Rondo
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Possible or not?!?

I'm sure this has been on before but I did a search and can't find anything on it! I have LT235/85R16 tires on the 2980 at the present and was wondering if the set of Bridgestone tires I took off the TV will work on the Monte? The tires from the TV are LT245/75R16's! Glenn or Lonnie (or anyone else) what is your thoughts on this? By the way, I took them off the TV because of using the TV out at the farm and in the fields and if it was muddy, I couldn't get around with them. They were the factory tires that came on the TVand they are like new yet!
 
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Old 06-23-2009, 12:12 AM   #2
Glenn and Lorraine
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Yes, So long as they are "E" rated, you could use the TV's tires on the Monty. The 245s will be a bit wider and a bit smaller in diameter than the 235s. This should not be a problem. Both sizes carry the same load capacity of 3420# at 80# PSI.
I had an 04 2955RL and had thorouhgly check out that possibility and saw no reason that they wouldn't work. Your 2980 would have been built on the same frame.
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Old 06-23-2009, 10:31 AM   #3
Art-n-Marge
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Here is a link on why ST tires are recommended over LT tires for a trailer. It is from a major tire dealer and contains quotes from a few representatives of tire manufacturers on the differences between ST and LT tires. Please check it out.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/inf...ionAnxiety.dos

In a nutshell, the tire weight ratings for an LT tire do not translate straight over to the tire weight ratings for an ST tire. Others have mentioned getting a bigger or higher rated LT tire is a good start but hard to know for sure.

Regards,
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Old 06-23-2009, 10:45 AM   #4
bncinwv
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Art,
We (MOC) have had many discussions regarding the applicability of LT tires versus ST tires. My ST tires experienced failure as have many others on this forum. Regardless of what Discount Tire says, I would have gladly defered to the expertise of Lonnie and Glenn in advance of my Chinese bombs that had the "ST" stamped right on them!! Experience is worth many times what so-called professed guidelines offer. The only difference between the tires is on sidewall strength according to your referenced web-site. The ST tires that I had fail failed in the sidewalls, go figure!! When it is time to replace my tires (yet another set of Chinese made ST specials), I will be deferring to previous posts from Lonnie and Glenn regarding either Bridgestone or Michelin tires. The internet is a vast source of conflicting information, but I defer to the expertise of real-life MOCers!!
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Bingo and Cathy - Our adventures begin in the hills of WV. We are blessed by our 2014 3850FL Big Sky (previous 2011 3750FL and 2007 3400RL) that we pull with a 2007 Chevy Silverado Classic DRW CC dually.
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Old 06-23-2009, 11:55 AM   #5
Art-n-Marge
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Sounds fair, and I could have filled the post with other links saying similar things, not just from Discount Tire, but I selected that one because it included quotes from tire manufacturers representative, not to endorse Discount or America's Tire - maybe I should mentioned it's not an endorsement and that would have helped since some of us might not like them. This is a forum that allows many opinions based on personal experience and historical facts.

My purpose was to provide the information. Admittedly, I have learned a lot from the MOC and sometimes this information has conflicted with what I was told, taught and recommended. In fact, pick a Topic and there will be opposite opinions based on each member's experiences all over these forums.

In my post I did not say not to do it, in fact I recognized that some members recommend larger or heavier rated tires. In other topics I have also posted my admission of concerns when I did something "not recommended" and got both support and non-support, but the overall decision is still the member's.

Upon reading the original topic maybe I did not fall into the "(anybody else)" category and should have left it at that. That said, I personally have not had 100% luck with even Michelin and Bridgestone even though others have sworn by them. We are all prejudiced by our experiences and are sometimes tempted to provide information that is asked even when it's contradictory to common opinion.

The above text is my opinion and not the stance of the FORUM or any of its members as all posts from others should be treated. Thanks for your understanding.
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Old 06-23-2009, 12:18 PM   #6
bncinwv
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Don't ever hesitate to post, I, like others I am sure, value every opinion, every experience, and yes every failure that we are subjected to. Remember though, that many who read the forum do not have these experiences and rely on all of us to provide them with information so that they can make better decisions. I wanted to make sure that all understood that just because ST tires are recommended, they may not be the right choice for all. I am not endorsing tire brands, but I have absorbed inforamtion regarding some of the successes that others have had with these brands. BTW, check your tires, if they happen to be "Missions", be forewarned to keep a close eye on all sides of them before, during and after trips. We were fortunate, unlike others that our failures did not damage the rig. If you read back through some of my older posts, you will see that I was actually stupid enough to defend these tires, until the reality of the failure happened. Oh well, live and learn!!
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Old 06-23-2009, 02:40 PM   #7
Art-n-Marge
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LOL... I haven't been on this particular forum as long as many others and with a >6 posts/day average I don't suppose I will ever hesitate to post. I am finding I learn a lot more when I post something.

I agree Missions have a terrible history (even I had one fail), but on this topic going from ST tires to LT creates potentially new issues. From the little I've read, going from a equal rated ST versus LT might be a concern because of the way they are built. But I have heard plenty on the shortcomings of replacing STs with LTs but much of this can be treated as cautionary. It is difficult to take a manufacturer completely seriously all the time (I am being very general, if you want specifics create another topic and I can provide hundreds of exceptions to manufacturers' recommendations).

A side note - One time, I was able to trade in two tires of one type to get what I needed (two SOB ST tires for 2 automotive tires). After I settled on a price for two auto tires on my Mercedes, I used the ST tires with about 300 miles on them as incentive for sealing the deal and they gave me $30 for them - I lost money on them but it was better than nothing. These ST tires were from another trailer that had Chinese tires blow out and were put on my trailer temporarily to get it to a tire store so that I could change them out for a complete set of Goodyear Marathons. Trading in the tires MIGHT be a possibility if the LT tires don't work out for Rondo as opposed to storing them somewhere just to age.

It would be very interesting what someone like LonnieB would recommend as a person in the tire business. Would he recommend Rondo is okay to use the LTs, would he recommend LTs for a customer at his shop, Would he take trade ins? Just curious.

BTW - not all Chinese-made tires are crap any more than not all Goodyear Marathons or Michelins or Bridgestones are bullet-proof, but we try and increase our chances. Now if I can only find a way to put Caterpillar sized Run-flats on my RV.... hmmmm..... LONNIE!!! Okay, enough digression, let's get Rondo back on the road.
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Old 06-23-2009, 02:42 PM   #8
mail2us
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Stating constructive counterpoints to what others may say is fine. I like Bingo and perhaps others would defer to those on the MOC we have come to rely on. Even they allow counterpoints. I did notice that the posting that Art provided had a date year at the bottom of the article of 2001. Could it be dated? in the application of ST and LT tires?? Just a thought.
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Old 06-23-2009, 02:58 PM   #9
Rondo
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The reason I posted this was because I have LT Doninator tires on the Monte at the present time and have no idea how old they are! The tread is relatively good on them yet and the spare still has the new tire sticker on it! The rig has not moved since last fall except to move it to mow around and moved to put on higher ground from flood waters and while checking things out the other day I noticed some cracks in the sidewalls. I should have taken pictures and posted them but have not yet. As I stated on the original post-- the only reason I bought new tires for the TV was because we own property in the country and if I go out there to check out the fields or cattle or crops, I do not want to get stuck! My brother lives a half mile from our property and farms and changed his tires over because of the same reason and he lives there. He is out in the fields and on the bottom land nearly everyday and he has been stuck in the mud because of the tires that came on his NEW truck also. We both bought Goodyear Wranglers and are totally satified with them. I have the Bridgestones that came as factory tires on my 3/4 ton and was trying to figure out what to do with them because they are in excellent shape and only have about 6 months of driving on them. Just wanted to know if the Bridgestones would work on the Monte that's all. I didn't want to start an arguement on tires just wanted some advice on whether I could use them or not! Since the Monte already has the LTs on it I'm assuming it was OK then when they put them on and it should be OK now if I put the Bridgestones on also but just wanted some opinions from my "Brother/Sister MOCrs" to see if they thought the TV tires would work on the Monte! THAT'S ALL I WANTED!! Thanks for any advice already received and hope I get more yet!
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Old 06-23-2009, 04:31 PM   #10
Art-n-Marge
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By process of elimination and the associative properties then:

Your 2980 RV currently has Dominator LT 235/85 R16 tires.
You have Bridgestone LT 245/75 R16 tires you'd like to use as replacements.

IF a.)When you purchased the trailer, the dealer or prior owner put the properly rated LT tires on the rig; and b.) The LT tires meet the current GVWR of the RV; and c.)The load rating on the sidewalls of the newer Bridgestone tires meet or exceed the current Dominator tires and your RV GVRW...

Then you're good to go.

When Glenn mentioned the E rating it raised a red flag to me, because an E rating can be different for different sized tires which you described in your case. But if you have both sets of tires right in front of you look at the numerical weight rating for the actual rating regardless of whether it says E or G or whatever. Then it's a matter of looking at the numbers.

What arguments?... I see points and counterpoints, opinions, references, history, yada, yada, yada. Isn't that what forums are for? I was able to learn a lot more about this today and expect to continue the education. Thanks for that.
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:20 PM   #11
Rondo
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No problem Art! Glad to be of service!! Anytime I can help you in your quest for knowledge just let me know!! I'll have to go out to the Monte to check the exact ratings on the current tires and that's a 45 minute drive but the Bridgestones are sitting in my garage as I speak (oops, type) and I will check them tomarrow morn! Heading back out to the Monte in a day or two and will report back in then-- if I don't jump in before then!
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:32 PM   #12
LonnieB
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Art, maybe you should read Glenn's post again. He made it pretty clear that both sizes in question have the same load and inflation ratings in load range E.

Quote:
quote:By Glenn and Lorraine

Yes, So long as they are "E" rated, you could use the TV's tires on the Monty. The 245s will be a bit wider and a bit smaller in diameter than the 235s. This should not be a problem. Both sizes carry the same load capacity of 3420# at 80# PSI.
I had an 04 2955RL and had thorouhgly check out that possibility and saw no reason that they wouldn't work. Your 2980 would have been built on the same frame.
My Montana rides on LT235/85R16E Bridgestone Duravis R500 tires. IF I thought the ST rated tires would be the better choice, my trailer would have them on it. Nuff said.

Rondo, I agree with Glenn 100%. The only thing that may prohibit the use of the LT245/75R16E is the extra width. IF you have shocks on your trailer, you may have a clearance issue.

Bingo and Rondo, Thank You
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Old 06-23-2009, 07:23 PM   #13
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Actually from our specs that I get; the load ratings are 3042 lbs each for singles and not 3420 lbs at 80 psi for the "E" rated LT235/85R16 tires. This makes quite a difference for a total of 4 tires. Wouldn't want someone to assume that their 4 tire load rating was 13680lbs, when the actual total load specs are 12168 lbs.
Hope this helps and clarifies.
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Old 06-23-2009, 07:41 PM   #14
Art-n-Marge
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Thanks for pointing that out Lonnie, but what I have been trying to understand is how Glenn correlated a letter load range of E to a number weight rating of 3420 at 80psi and provided the conclusion he did.

My problem is that I read his response too closely. Please, allow me to explain.

When I researched the tires to understand the recommendation, I started reading that Trailer manufacturers expect trailers to use ST rated tires because the side walls are stronger and stiffer (maybe it's because they want to lock RVers in, I don't know) to hold the road better, and they don't age as fast as LT especially when a rig is stored. I then read in other sites RV dealers/manufacturers are installing LT tires on some rigs. Note, they specifically state some, not ALL as if it matters where they want to put their risk (again I don't know because they didn't explain why).

When I researched the information provided by Glenn to understand how they satisfied Rondo's needs I found conflicting information for this in his post. I first found at least two sites that explained an E rating does not apply the same numerically for different size tires. Okay, that kind of makes sense because I have seen it. Then I found at a couple of sites that a Dominator 235/85 R16 load rating of E showed 3042 lbs not 3402 (that's 358 lbs per tire difference than mentioned by Glenn, maybe it was a typo). I saw 3042 numbers for several brands of the same size and even found BFGoodrich tires of that size that listed 3086 & 3042 depending on the model of tire - no big deal, that's only a 44 lb difference but it shows that even the same size Load Rating E tires can be different and even with the same vendor. Okay, maybe Glenn has access to better information.

Furthermore, on the Bridgestone website and some of their dealers I could only find that Bridgestone tires specified an E rating for that size but I have not been able to find the numerical translation of that size and Rondo did not state which Bridgestone he has. Glenn stated 3402 as well, but I can't find it – he must have a better browser or book. I can certainly understand the Internet websites are not necessarily comprehensive, but I was not seeing E ratings of close to 3400 from any tire of those sizes.

I also found statements that LT tires can replace ST, but it's best choose a tire with a higher weight rating to make up for the side wall strength difference or soften the ride or be able to drive faster. Of course, as expected this did not come from a trailer tire company

I hope I explained enough so that I can find a way to no longer be confused. I thought that's what the MOC was about – otherwise I suggest private messages or direct email just like any forum I have used. The quick answer is like what I mentioned very similar to Glenn but without actual numbers – to examine the tire's sidewalls and read the numerical (not letter) weight rating then make your decision, not whatever the letter says. As Lonnie pointed out there still might be a sidewall clearance issue if there are shocks or other hardware that could rub.

I will continue to research, learn, question, try to understand and maybe even provide some answers that are certainly going to be questioned. We tend to write our answers in a forum like everyone understands fully but that does not always happen.

Whew.... I am done with this particular topic discussion! Completely! I beg to all for some patience. I have learned all I care to for now. I look forward to seeing you all elsewhere.

Rondo – good luck with your tires. I hope they work for you!
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