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Good Sam Roadside Assistance

What Brand Tire Is The Best For My Travel Trailer?

by Steve
(Waterford, Michigan)

What Brand Tire Is The Best For My Travel Trailer?

What Brand Tire Is The Best For My Travel Trailer?

Looking the replace the Duro Tires on our travel trailer. They are cracking on the side walls and we want to replace them with a quality trailer tire. Any suggestion would be most helpful.

ANSWER: Greetings Steve thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.


There are many brands of tires available for RVers to choose from. Since I own a Motorhome and have not done any extensive testing on tires for Travel Trailers, I am unable to give you a personal recommendation on what I think would be the best brand tire for your needs.

I am going to open up this question to our visitors. Who better to give tire recommendations to you then other RVers that have Travel Trailers?

So if you have a recommendation for Steve on what brand tires are the best leave a comment on this page and tell us why you recommend these tires.

Over 1,500,000 successful roadside rescues—Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service


UPDATE: Since I originally posted this question, we have received a lot of comments. Most of the comments are not tire recommendations they are basically complaints from other RVers about their RV tires (who knew?). Take a look at the comments near the bottom of this page.

I am sure that Steve has found replacement tires by now :) But do feel free to leave your comments on this page so that other RVers that read this page in the future can get your tire recommendations or complaints.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

Comments for What Brand Tire Is The Best For My Travel Trailer?

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Check valve core and stem after checking air pressure
by: Anonymous


Maxxis Triler Tires


As a Tire dealer, we have seen all different brands peel and tear up campers. The best trailer tire hands down we have sold have been Maxxis. This is what I run on my 44 ft fifth wheel.

Age is usually the biggest problem and I change tires every 3 years. The second biggest problem is people not knowing how to check the air in their own tires. When checking them makes sure you have an electronic gauge
. which is most accurate, look at valve stems for rot, and ALWAYS check valve core to make sure it doesn’t start leaking after sticking air gauge to it.

A spray bottle of soapy water will check stems and valve cores after checking the air. 20 to 30% of the time this and age of Tire is the problem.. You may leave home with 80 lbs in Tire but when you start down road Tire slowly loses air heats up and comes apart.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Lionshead
by: Anonymous

Have anybody had good luck using Lionshead tires? I had to replace all five of mine, three blew, one had a sidewall crack, and I wasn't going to trust the fifth. I also had to replace two rims. the blow outs are going to cost me about $1000 also. I don't know if my insurance will cover it.
Rating
star 		Towstar really Blowstar
by: Anonymous

Stay away from any TBC brand all are time bombs
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Kenda Loadstar
by: JohnR


Kenda Loadstars

I purchased a set of Kenda Loadstars, ST20575R15 load range C from Recstuff.com. This was back in June of 2016. They have been the best trailer tires I've owned.

Trailer came with Carlisle tires, had a blowout on my first trip, 500 mi both ways. Love Kenda's and will put these on all my trailers going forward.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		TIRES I HAVE GOOD LUCK SO FAR
by: Anonymous


Maxxis Trailer Tires

I HAVE 3712 RAPTOR TOYHAULER THAT HAD CARLISLE TIRES ON IT BRAND NEW FIRST YEAR HAD ONE BLOW OUT 2ND YEAR CHANGED ALL SIX THIRD YEAR ONE BLOW OUT THE REST STARTING TO SEPARATE CHANGED ALL SIX TO MAXXIS E RATED GOING ON SIX YEARS AND THEY STILL LOOK GO I RECOMMEND MAXXIS
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		hydrogen filled tires
by: Anonymous

On my trailer I have a "sticker" that says tires filled with hydrogen.. I think hydrogen will not expand when hot like air.. don't know this for sure..

Note From RVing Al: I believe that you are talking about Nitorgen not Hydrogen. Hydrogen is quite explosive and should not be used in tires. Hydrogen was what the Hindenburg was filled with and we know what happened there. You may want to read I Am Saving Money on Fuel By Using Nitrogen in My RV Tires to find out why some RVer's run Nitrogen in their RV's tires.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		New small trailer tire by Goodyear made in USA
by: Anonymous

Goodyear has came out with the Goodyear
icon Endurance trailer tire in sizes 14 up.

It is made in the USA and the ad sounds good. After a tread separation with trailer damage on the Chinese tire that came on my new trailer on the 3rd trip and low mileage. i am trying out the new Goodyear Endurance.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		No Luck With Any ST tire
by: Rattlebear - Ontario


LT Tires


I have been 5th wheeling for the past 18 years. At present we have a 2009 Cameo 36 ft. GVWR of 15000 #s Every trailer I have owned came with ST tires. Brand does not really matter. Everyone separated the tread from the casing and caused damage some of the time. This last one caused $10,000. damage to my Cameo last spring (2016) on I-75 in Ohio coming back from Texas.

My speed was in the 60-65 mph. The left rear tire went off like a grenade because the tread became a whip when it hit the underside of the trailer. The front left tire went flat (tread separation) about 100 miles earlier. Each time I had a flat, I immediately went to a tire store and bought a new tire and checked the others.

All okay - and then they are not. Bottom line for me - no more ST tires. They are garbage. I went to LTs on my Seahawk 5th wheel and never had another problem. I am now purchasing 4 new LT 235/R85-16 - 'G' rated tires. Sure wish I had a third axle.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Trailer tires
by: Anonymous

After much research, I am going to the BF Goodrich all terrain T k o 3. This tires are rated same capacities as trailer tires but have a speed rating hirer than 65mph,and 3ply side walls for stability.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I suggest you look at Airstream forums
by: Anonymous

Read the Airstream forums. They are going Michelin, preferably on 16 inch wheels
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		junk tires
by: Anonymous

Had 3 blowouts on my wildcat tt. was told to use goodyear marathon. put on 4 new tires and 700 miles later one. of them blew. now was told Carlisle has come a long way. now trying 4 0f them. If this doesn't work I'll be ready for a tent!!!!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Trailer tires experience
by: road runners of texas

Having had numerous RV's ,the last three being fifth wheels, tires have always been an issue.

After a set of Chinese tires came apart out in El Paso four years ago doing substantial damage to the body, I was given some great advice from the local camping world
icon service manager that has stood the test of time. If you buy a trailer with Chinese tires, immediately have them pulled and destroyed. Replace with either an american made Goodyear g614 or the Michelin models.

These tires have held up remarkably well and when they went flat which was only once, they didn't destroy the coach. They are expensive but well worth it for the peace of mind.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Bad, Bad Goodyear Marathons
by: Anonymous

I bought a new Prime Time 5th Wheeler in Dec 2013. It had Goodyear Marathon tires on it. In Sep 2015 on my way to TX I had a blow out on the curb side rear axle and did not know it. Ruined my rim. Punctured the front tire with steel belt shreds and ruined that tire.

Had to get new tire and put the spare on. The next day at about the same time of the day, the rear wheel on the drivers side blew. I saw that and stopped in time to have no damaged to the coach. The guys who put the new tire on looked at the front one and found that the tire tread was separating also. Had to buy another tire. I will not ever use Goodyear Marathons again. They were less than 2 years old and less than 5000 miles on them.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		GOOD INFO
by: JLP

In 2012 I bought a 2003 28 ft Forest river and they put new 15in High run tires on that I never herd of but new. In 2013 I went to MT from WI and 2 tires came apart so I replaced them with the same brand on my trip. In spring of 2014 I replaced all 4 with the same brand again because I did not do my home work. We went to SD and back ok but in 2015 we went to MT again and 1 tire exploded under the slide out in WY and $1,800in damages. We have ben looking at newer trailers so we traded it in and bought a new left over 2013 Durango 5th wheel in SD and came home with It but I am looking for heavy tires come spring. 15in High run E rating china tires are no good. The new trailer has 16in.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Towmax
by: figaf25p

Since my last comments, I purchased 5 TOWMAX trailer tires (Load E) prior to our summer trip throughout the North West. We traveled nearly 5,000 miles on these tires and they did great. I had them balanced prior mounting.

One thing I noticed on the tires was the "cold" operating pressure of 80 psi. When starting out on the road the tires were running 80 psi warm and 110 degrees F. When resetting the tire pressures to 80 psi 'cold' (early in the morning before getting on the road), average tire temperatures dropped to 92 degrees. This was a big surprise seeing that a difference of 8 - 10 psi drop from a hot to cold setting would make a nearly 20 degree drop in running temperatures. Lesson learned, pay attention to either Tire/RV manufacture's recommended pressures at 'cold' or 'hot' settings.

Also use a tire/wheel temperature measuring unit to check tire performance. Hot running tires due to low pressures might be the reason for premature failures.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Trailer tires
by: Ken D

I, too am in search of quality travel trailer tires for my 5ver.
Check the latest (12/15) issue of Trailer Life for tire info. I
found thru "Tire Safety Group" my tires, Towmax, are made in China. I have many trailer friends that talk about "China bombs". They have had tires explode, causing severe damage to wheel wells and interior damage. Time to change my tires,
to what brand, still researching.
Rating
starstar 		Missing information makes this info useless!
by: Anonymous

I'm looking everywhere for a comparison of trailer tires, read of endless problems of different brands, but almost nobody is giving the load rating of the tires they use, the air-pressure at time of failure, the total wight of their rig (including contents) and the maximum speeds they drive! One person said he had E rated tire on a 12,000 GVWR vehicle and had tire failures. E1 on a fully loaded trailer that size is not enough, and if he drive over 65 mph, toast immediately! Posters PLEASE give all details before trashing a brand-name that actually might be better than a dangerous brand! The internet is too full of monkeys that do not pay attention to ANY detail.
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Maxxis ST
by: Mike and Lori

7-22-2015

We have a brand new Lance 26' toy hauler and a friend of ours purchased the exact same trailer. He had 2 blowouts w less than 2500 miles. He called to warn us and that Lance didn't include a jack, as well. We are currently on our way back home from a trip to Santa Barbara and in the middle of nowhere, we suffered a blow out. Problem doubled because we didn't realize it' until we ruined the rim. That's how bumpy our ride was.

Over 1,500,000 successful roadside rescues—Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service

Made it to our destination on the spare, but there was no way we were going to drive any farther without replacing all 4 tires.

Luckily, we wandered into a little tavern called Jimboz and met friendly locals who recommended their friends at Woolever Tire in Goleta. They had nothing in stock but promised us 4 new tires the following day.

Greg got us what he called the CADILLAC of RV tires. $700 and 30 mins later we were on the road The difference was IMMEDIATE and IMPRESSIVE. This is the way a truck and trailer should run.... SMOOOOOOOOTH!!!

We highly recommend MAXXIS tires. If you happen to own a new Lance Trailer, you'd best replace your tires PRONTO!!! Oh, and don't forget to buy a jack and a lug nut star!
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Trailer tires by TBC
by: figaf25p

Since my last comments my further search revealed that TBC trailer tires are sold under the names Trailer King, Towstar and Towmax. Some are available through local tire outlets, check them out.

My local 'reputable' tire dealer sells the Towmax, ablbeit considerably more than online.
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Trailer Tires ST
by: figaf25p

My search for TT ST tires is still ongoing. What I've learned:

1) ST tires are specifically designed for Trailers in that they roll straight and do not have a sidewall flex as do passenger or truck tires for cornering stability - thus making the trailer more stable.

2) ST tires are made with an UV compound that will aid in improving shelf/time life of the tire (Trailer/RV tires generally exceed warranty time life, rather than wearing out as do passenger/truck tires, because of element exposure.

3) Treat TT or ST tires as you do all tires; maintain proper tire pressures, don't overload, keep speed at/below manufacturer recommendations, and avoid road obstacles (curbs, large rocks, etc.) that could bruise/compromise tire integrity.

4) Balance the tires when mounted. Balancing not only improve tire life/performance, but also keeps things from bouncing around inside the trailer (esp. Cabinet doors & drawers).

5) Choose the right tire for your specific trailer GVWR. and

6) Trailer King so far has had the best reviews (must order online which may make warranty service an issue).

I will likely choose Trailer King and up the Load factor to 'E'.
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Marathons getting better?
by: Anonymous

We had 2ea. 14" "C" Marathons on our 16ft Casita (2400#). All wore/separated within 6000-8000 miles (1+ year towing). Replaced with Costco "Tow Masters" which lasted twice as long.

Now have a 28ft TT (7600#) with 4ea 15" "D" Marathons. Over 20k miles in two years towing, and these tires "look" great. Still worry about internal condition, but perhaps Marathon has improved quality (or 15" size D better). Will be replacing regardless of looks after 3 years use.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Maxxis Tires
by: Thatsgre8t

The majority of Maxxis trailer tires (M8008 ST) sold in the U.S. are made in Thailand. They get great reviews. That's all I will put on my 5th wheel.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Never had an issue
by: Anonymous

I have experienced blowouts with every trailer tire I have ran EXCEPT the Loadstar tires by Kenda - bought em from recstuff.com about a year ago - I've since then switched all of my trailers over to these tires.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		WHAT TRAILER TIRES TO BUY
by: Anonymous

I HAVE HAD MY PROBLEMS WITH TRAILER TIRES AS SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE.I HAD A SET OF CARLISES AN THEY ALL SEPERATED ,LUCKY I CAUGHT THEM BEFORE THEY DID DAMAGE. THEN I WENT TO GOODYEAR ,HAD A BLOW OUT BUT AGAIN LUCKY I HAD MIN DAMAGE, I ALSO NOTICED HOW FAST THEY WORE DOWN .

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY I DO CHECK MY TRAILER WEIGHT EVERYTIME WE GO ON A TRIP AND I ALSO CHECK ALL MY TIRES EVERY MORNING BEFORE WE HIT THE ROAD. I AM NOW TRYING TO FIND A GOOD TIRE TO USE ON MY TRAILER, I DID NOTICE IN A TRAILER LIFE MAG THAT THEY PROMOTED THE MAXXIS TIRES, SO I AM CHECKING THEM OUT TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO REPORT ON THEM.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		trailer tires
by: Anonymous

EVERY trailer tire is made in china. You can spend big money for Goodyear or go as cheap as you can with a off brand and both are china produced.

I would go with a Hercules. You will save a few bucks compared to major brands and still get a great tire. I have sold them all as a independent tire dealer and they have been the best brand by far dollar per year owned.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Trailer tires.
by: Anonymous

Monkey camping.....

Yes I know how to drive an RV. Whom ever edited my post moved the word "china" to the next line, as those common brands are made in China. Does anyone know of an ST trailer tire made in the US? Again, not larger tires like the 225 16's. The majority of travel trailers and smaller 5th wheels use 205 75 14, 205 75 16, 215 75 15.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		tires issues
by: mokey camping

I have quickly went through the list of comments about tires here and some are not on the mark, the biggest issue with tires today is not weather they are made in china or not ( since most are) but weather you purchase a known brand name! here is a link that all rv's should save and read before
saying or buying tires ttp://www.rvtiresafety.com/
this will give first hand info that is great to know and have.

Also the person who said that his china tires were only rated at 65 miles per hour is no good should read about how to drive an rv, since ALL trailer rv tires are rated at 65 miles per hour, not just china tires!! And also all trailer tires SHOULD have the ST stamped in the side!!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Travel trailer tires
by: Anonymous

Travel trailer tires..... First, good luck finding an American made tire in smaller, non 225 16s, good years, made in china. Duro, max is, Carlisle.

China. Trailer tires are rated at max 65 mph. Most people go faster or some people overload their trailer. They are only good for a maximum of five years whether they have 100 miles or 5000. They dry out and the side walls crack.

Another poster said check date code. Good advice. Yes, some brands are pure crap. Even new they have been known to have blowouts. Trailer mfg's save money by using the cheapest tires they can.

The tire mfg's will replace a tire under warranty but leave the damage up to the owners insurance or out of pocket.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Don't buy these tires
by: Jim Anonymous

We bought a new travel trailer and started home with it. After about 120 miles on brand new tire delaminated and shreaded. A second tire was at 25 lbs air pressure when we reached home. The tires the trailer came with were "WESTLAKE TIRES". Research on the net reveals that these tires are made in China and have been nothing but problems.


DON'T BUY WESTLAKE TIRES.
DON'T BUY WESTLAKE TIRES. Jim
Rating
starstarstarstar 		tires
by: Anonymous

Make sure date of manufacture is recent, tires should be made in usa. I have Cooper tires on my 5th wheel. don't bother with extended warranties
because none of the companies will do you justice.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Power King tire (Poor Quality)
by: Steven

I had 4 power king tires (235 R-80 16 on my Heartland 36'5th wheel. With less then 2500 mile on the tire I had one throw the tread of the tire. Read about the failure rate on this tire I desided to change out the other three, glad I did because the other 3 had bubbles inside the size of a foot ball. When I ask the dealer why it would do that he said the pressure on the tires could have be to low. This is not possible because the trailer has a tire pressure monitor system that alerted me to the tire losing pressure just before it started to throw the tread and the other tires pressure all check out to 80 psi with a calibrated pressure gauge. I feel the tire were poor quality. I replace them with Maxxis tires.
Rating
starstarstarstar 		carlisle tires
by: Tom / Indiana

Replaced 4 5th wheel tires with Carlisle & had 2 tire failures in 3 years with 10 ply rated on a 12,000 gvwr trailer . $1800.00 in damage each time.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		giving up on goodyear
by: Steve

goodyear marathon tires on my R Vision Lite had one blow-out after 3 yrs (did nxs of $2000 damge to the wheelwell and another blew out 2 days ago at around 5 year old. there were some light cracks-dryrot?- in the sidewalls and intended to replace when as soon as I got home. 1st tire probably had 3-4000 miles on it and latest one had around 8-9000 miles. kept em inflated properly and checked them for problems at every stop. had 2 dealers advise me carlisle tires are better --so will give em a try
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Duro tires
by: Anonymous

Sidewall seperation on Duro travel trailer tires seems to be reported often. We bought a new Dutchman equiped with Duro tires that sidewall seperation was apparent at time of sale. Dealer replaced the two tires. Within the year the dealer replaced four Duro's with new(?) Duro's. Now less than 2 years, 3000 miles, and consant air pressure checks later sidewall seperation is again appearing on one tire. Consumers need to know these things.

Note From RVing Al: This is not the first complaint that we have received about Duro Tires. You may want to read Duro Trailer Tires Good For 1 Year Max to learn about problems that other RVers are having with these tires.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Goodyear Marathons not so good?
by: Anonymous

My 2007 Jayco Jay Feather 30R travel trailer came factory equipped with Goodyear Marathons (made in China. One tire separated and blew out with less than 2500 miles after 2 years, a second tire separated after 3 year and less than 3000 miles, and a third tire is cracking on the side.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		problem
by: Anonymous

I have a 2008 dutchman and dont pull it often.It has duro tires on it,and i noticed them cracked too. That can't be safe?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Same problem with my Duro tires.
by: Ben in Canada

Just wondering if this is a common problem for Duro tires? We purshased our new RV end of Aug 2010. The unit is a 2010 so it was as new as they get.I went to check the air pressure for spring check up and found all tires cracked on the sidewalls.They weren't even exposed to the sun on either side during the winter so i'm not sure if they're just cheap tires or if they have a problem with them.
Any thoughts?

THANK YOU.
Ben

Comments From RVing Al: The problem may be the actual age of your tires, believe it or not they may have been sitting on the shelf for awhile before they ended up on your RV. You need to check the code on the tire to determine the actual production date of the tire and you may be in for a surprise.

eHow.com has a great article on how to do this called How to Determine the Age of Tires. Read the article check your tires and do me a favor and leave a comment letting us know what you found out.

Happy RVing

RVing Al
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Choosing Trailer Tires
by: Lew Mann

I work for a towables dealer. We sell Airstream, Rockwood, Trailmanor and Salem travel trailers and fifth wheels.

I can tell you that All Airstream trailers are equipped with Goodyearicon Marathon tires.

Rockwood (by Forest River) recently switched to the same Goodyear Marathon tires.

Trailmanor uses Goodyear Marathons

Salem? I'll have to go on the yard and check. But, since Salem is another Forest River product I bet the tires will be Goodyear.

Lew Mann
Webmaster & "Doer of Many Things"
J.D. Sanders RV Center
Alachua, FL
www.sandersrvs.com
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		tires
by: Frank Kreutzer

Goodyearicon tires on my motor home 6 yrs old never had a problem with them and guaranteed nationwide.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Good Year
by: Stoney

I have Goodyearicon Marathon tires on my Everest 5th wheel. Whatever you decided don't go cheap on tires.

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