New Tires

[D Tharp]

Next week we will be buying new tires and was wondering what others are using.
We have a 2000 Scamp SD Deluxe.
It has Carlisle ST175/80 D 13 tires.
What is best ?
Thanks Dave

[Al V]

i am running some towmasters they are out lasting the OME goodyear marathons .

[BobB]

I would go with Les Schwab or whatever your local trusted tire dealer recommends. Make sure you get an adequate load rating and insist on fresh dates, less than 6 months from manufacture. I've found that the choice is often limited by availability when it comes to trailer tires.

[Bill F.]

Next week we will be buying new tires and was wondering what others are using.
We have a 2000 Scamp SD Deluxe.
It has Carlisle ST175/80 D 13 tires.
What is best ?
Thanks Dave

Trailer tires (ST= Special Trailer) have heavier sidewalls than P series(passenger) tires. If you run these heavy sidewall tires under inflated the sidewalls flex too much and they get hot and break down rapidly. I use the same size tires your talking about and run them at 45PSI.(50PSI is max.) My truck tires(P225/70R14) which are much bigger run lower at 29PSI(35 PSI max.) . I have 12 ply utility trailer tires(8.5" x 14") that I keep at 100 PSI. Regardless of what brand you go with if you keep them properly inflated you shouldn't have trouble. The D (Bias ply) can be an R(Radial). I spent half an hour in a store awhile ago trying to find out what the D stood for. The employee phoned three tire shops before he got an answer. I was asking because it was the first time I saw D used on these trailer tires and they were about $25 per tire cheaper than radials. I think a lot of the FGRV's(1970's) were on the road before radials were common so they would likely be quite satisfactory. If you cover the tires when the trailer isn't being used you can extend the life by reducing UV damage (sidewalls crack). Hope this helps.
Bill

[Tom Trostel]

175/80-13 is made in two load rating by Goodyear. Marathon tires with a load rating 'B' support 1100 lbs. at 35 psi. Tires with a load rating 'C' support 1360 lbs. at 50 psi. There is very little cost difference between the two ratings. Tirerack sells the Goodyear Marathon 175/80R-13 for $55 plus shipping. Tom Troastel

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...yes&place=1

[BobB]

Dave,

I neglected to state that I have Goodyear Marathons on my Casita and they have been fine for 3 years. Goodyear is the largest tire company in the world, I think. Mine came from the New Zealand factory. My daughter and son in law live in WA and really like Les Schwab stores. I would go to LS in Modesto if we didn't have a good tire man (Tony) right here in Arnold. I do run my tires at the 50 psi cold maximum. Tires for Christmas, eh?

[Brian B-P]

"What is best?"
That's a bit like asking which baseball team is best... a guaranteed start to a "lively" discussion. We've had a few of those, and it would make sense to look at them - here are some examples:
More Tire Talk, Regulations say ST
tires n rims, 14 inch
Auto/Truck tires on 13 ft. Scamp?, Bias or radial?

One approach would be simply to get replacements which are the equivalent of the original equipment; if doing that, there are a couple of factors to consider...

The "load range" is missing from the spec of the existing tires; that's the "B" or "C" which Tom mentioned. It is mostly an indication of the maximum operating pressure, which determines how much load can be carried. Modern passenger car and light truck tires have switched to a "load index" system to identify capacity. Regardless of how it is stated, the capacity must be appropriate to the trailer (the total for two tires must be greater than the highest axle load carried, and preferably greater than the axle weight rating) and the pressure must be maintained high enough to deliver that capacity.

That "D" means "diagonal ply", which is more commonly known as "bias ply", as Bill mentioned. It refers to the direction which the cords of the fabric in the tire structure run; it's a detail which doesn't matter to the customer, but I would be hesitant to believe any information from staff in a store or tire shop who is so ignorant of their own business that they don't know this. Only the smallest and least critical or lowest-speed applications have bias ply tires these days (meaning in this century) - the world uses radial tires now, but I'm sure bias ply tires will work as well (or as poorly) as they did decades ago, or when Casita saved a couple bucks by putting them on in 2000.

My 17' Boler has P205/75R14 tires, which are a close size and capacity match to the original F78-14 tires. I need to replace them, and about the only thing certain is that I won't be using those sizes/types again.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Just keep in mind, when selecting a load range, that bigger isn't always better! If you put on a tire that has too great a load range, and inflate it to the max, you will get a very rough ride in the trailer. Like the springs or torsion axle rating, all parts of the suspension, including the tires, should be matched to the load expected, not to an Abrams M1A1 tank.

Goodyear inflation tables

Also, keep in mind that the higher pressures in the higher load ranges mean the tire can be more easily damaged when off the highway.

Bikers will realize that what works well on a road bike sux on a mountain bike and vice versa.

Also, as discussed on this forum before, tires are constructed with chemically protective carbon molded into the material; as the tire is flexed over time, the carbon moves to the surface and does its job -- Tires in storage don't flex, so stored RV tires age faster than tires in constant use.

Tire Info from Discount Tire

[Larryb]

I have only heard bad things about Carlisle tires, how has your held up?

Next week we will be buying new tires and was wondering what others are using.
We have a 2000 Scamp SD Deluxe.
It has Carlisle ST175/80 D 13 tires.
What is best ?
Thanks Dave

[D Tharp]

I have only heard bad things about Carlisle tires, how has your held up?

Do not really know we just bought thr trailer but we will try another brand when we install new tires.