Purchasing new tires

[Wannabervin]

Time to purchase new tires for my 5th wheel. First time doing this, so I have a few questions.

1. Where to shop? Regular tire store? Specialty store?

2. How to have them mounted and installed? Take rig to store? I’ve read that trailer tires are harder to mount than auto tires due to stiff sidewalls and a tire jockey w/o the right experience or equipment can make a mess of your rims. How to avoid this?

3. What are the top quality brands?

4. Load range for 16800 gwvr?

Appreciate your help on this.

[Notanlines]

We'll start with brands: Sailun, Maxxis, Carlisle, Goodyear, probably in that order when price and quality are considered.
Avoid any company private brands and Towmax and Trailer King like the plague.
Carlisle tires can be ordered on line from Walmart for about $80-$90 and seem to be the best buy price-wise. Goodyear are the new boys on the block with their Goodyear Endurance, probably been around about three years so not long enough to build an honest reputation one way or another. Do not compare them to the Goodyear Marathon, no longer made, which caused millions of dollars in damage to RVs across the country a few years ago. I believe Goodyear learned their lesson.
Sailun brand usually comes to the top in most cases with learned writers/articles and would get my vote.

[CALinSC]

Originally Posted by Wannabervin

Time to purchase new tires for my 5th wheel. First time doing this, so I have a few questions.

1. Where to shop? Regular tire store? Specialty store? That depends on your traveling habits. For traveling away from home frequently you'll want tires that are easy to find. A lot of 16" LRG tires are mail order, even a big box provider may have to order them and drop ship them to your location.

2. How to have them mounted and installed? Take rig to store? I’ve read that trailer tires are harder to mount than auto tires due to stiff sidewalls and a tire jockey w/o the right experience or equipment can make a mess of your rims. How to avoid this? Inspect your wheels before you pay.

3. What are the top quality brands? Sorry I don't recommend brands, it's to controversial to do so.


4. Load range for 16800 gwvr? Trailer tires are required to support the trailer's certified GAWRs. According to specs I found for your trailer they are 16" LRG, normally found on 7000# & 8000# axles. They are at the top of the load carrying capacity for 16" tires. The next step up is 17.5" low platform trailer tires which are common and easy to find at truck tire retailers.

Appreciate your help on this.

Being a 2018 model I assume your current tires provide the load capacity reserves recommended by RVIA. Your current designated sized tires and load capacity would be a minimum requirement.

[Wannabervin]

Originally Posted by CALinSC

Being a 2018 model I assume your current tires provide the load capacity reserves recommended by RVIA. Your current designated sized tires and load capacity would be a minimum requirement.

For load range, I was thinking of letters like e, f, g, etc. Maybe using the wrong term. Have little expertise in tires (can’t you tell? Lol).

[CALinSC]

The tire load range lettering system is the official method for identification and displaying LT & ST tire load capacities. They are standardized and work “hand & glove” with load inflation charts for all ST & LT tires.

In the example below you will see how a manufacturer labels a specific tire and its load range. The load index system, also present on the example is there for a single purpose; to display the tires speed letter rating (L = 75 MPH). The 14 PR is just that, a tire strength equal to a true 14 ply tire (cotton).

Sailun S637 label.JPG

[Wannabervin]

Originally Posted by CALinSC

The tire load range lettering system is the official method for identification and displaying LT & ST tire load capacities. They are standardized and work “hand & glove” with load inflation charts for all ST & LT tires.

In the example below you will see how a manufacturer labels a specific tire and its load range. The load index system, also present on the example is there for a single purpose; to display the tires speed letter rating (L = 75 MPH). The 14 PR is just that, a tire strength equal to a true 14 ply tire (cotton).

Attachment 1689

Thanks. Your example is the exact tire size that I have.

[MTK46]

I ordered from Simple Tire online. Had them shipped direct free to me at my brother in law's home in South Dakota.
Bought Sailun which are holding up very well.
Had mine installed at My wife's nephew shop in town. They spun balanced them and I installed them.

[friz]

Originally Posted by MTK46

I ordered from Simple Tire online. Had them shipped direct free to me at my brother in law's home in South Dakota.
Bought Sailun which are holding up very well.
Had mine installed at My wife's nephew shop in town. They spun balanced them and I installed them.

Curious. Have never had trailer tires balanced. Some wisdom I heard years ago as a waste of money.

[MTK46]

Didn't cost me anything to have them balanced. I was having them installed on new rims so mounting was also free.
Helps that it was "family".

[wingnut60]

Would not consider balancing a tire to be a waste of money. I changed to Centramatics on my fiver and now MH, eliminates the manual balancing.
MKT46, you don't happen to have any family working at a US mint? Could use that help.
Joe