The RV industry consumes over 75% of the the ST tire market. They and brand names like Goodyear have lobbied for years to keep the DOT from creating the strict standards that the auto industry is subject to. ST tires have a much looser set of standards that they are held to. 90% of the ST tires in this country are made in China (including the Goodyears I believe) and tire failure is a common part of RVing. I've researched tires a lot and scoured several other forums since this topic crosses all brand lines.
Without a doubt, if you have 15 inch wheels, the most common recommendation is a brand called Maxxis. They are actually made in Thailand and far superior to any of the China brands. The specifics of their construction bears this out as well as recommendations from some of the more experienced RV experts.
Unfortuately, my TT tires are 14 inch diameter and the Maxxis tire in this size bears the same load and pressure rating that most of the Chinese tires do. The trailer I traded in for our 214WSD was a single axle unit rated at a gross weight of 3,500 lbs. The two tires bearing this load were China made "Provider" brand and comparable to the Goodyear Marathons. They were a 4 ply radial with a 50 psi max pressure rating and a load rating of 1760 lbs. The two of them combined carry 3,520 so they were still borderline given that 15% of the trailer weight is carried by the tow vehicle.
I would have needed to have them at their maximum 50 psi to carry that load. I was also going to be traveling last summer at elevations of 10 to 12,000 feet and pressure differentials at that altitude would have caused the internal pressures in the tires to rise significantly above that, which is a major cause of tires blowing out. The experienced campers I know said that in the past, they had no alternative but to manually lower the pressure at altitude and then add air back again when they came down in altitude.
That's when I discovered the Khumo Radial 857 LT tires. Technically, they are subjected to the standards of an LT (light truck) tire but they are in fact an ST tire and Khumo's description states boldly that these tires are intended for trailer use only. They are an 8 ply radial, pressure rated at 60 psi and load rated close to 2,000 lbs each. They weigh almost 13 lbs more than the Chinese tires due to the extra steel and nylon belts in the ply. I purchased 3 of them (2 per axle and the spare) for about $450 installed. It was a considerable investment, especially considering the original brand new trailer tires traveled about 100 miles back and forth to a dealer before I replaced them. However, the peace of mind that they provided was worth every penny. Keep in mind that they are sized in a metric scale and are about .500 inches taller over all than a standard 205/75/14 tire.
I set pressures to 55 psi which gave them considerable more load capacity over the original Provider brand tires as well as giving them room to expand at the higher altitudes. We covered 8,265 miles in July and August, traveling some days in 110 degree heat and the sidewalls were comfortably warm to the touch. No discernable wear for that distance as well. I'd spend the cash again if I had to.
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Ex Owners of a 2015 Fun Finder 214 WSD
2016 Ram 2500HD with 6.4L Hemi
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