jl
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 26
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Post by jl on Mar 11, 2024 9:42:16 GMT -5
Question on Mfg's.  I've always run GY Rv tires on my previous 5th's and have never(knock on wood) had problems. Our new KZ has Trailer King tires on it and I'm not feeling real confident with them for our summer travels. I can't put a finger on why I feel this way, but,
I'm considering changing out these tires for some GY tires. Question : how have/are trailer king tires (in excellent shape tread and sidewalls) for durability and road worthiness. Are they the mass purchased tires that KZ put on their units or are they reliable etc. **Not trying to bash brands or ... just looking for real world input.** thanks in advance for your thoughts jl |
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Post by laknox on Mar 11, 2024 11:51:22 GMT -5
Question on Mfg's. I've always run GY Rv tires on my previous 5th's and have never(knock on wood) had problems. Our new KZ has Trailer King tires on it and I'm not feeling real confident with them for our summer travels. I can't put a finger on why I feel this way, but,
I'm considering changing out these tires for some GY tires. Question : how have/are trailer king tires (in excellent shape tread and sidewalls) for durability and road worthiness. Are they the mass purchased tires that KZ put on their units or are they reliable etc. **Not trying to bash brands or ... just looking for real world input.** thanks in advance for your thoughts jl Look up the specs on the tires and see if they are speed rated. Older ST tires were limited to 65 mph. Most newer ones are well into the 70-80 mph range. Also, compare the build specs to other, better, tires to see how they stack up. I'm not a huge GY fan, but ended up with Endurance this last go-round as my preferred tires weren't in stock and I was under a time crunch. Biggest knock on the Endurance, IMO, is that they have less tread depth than virtually every other tire out there. I ran 2 sets of Carlisles with no issues and would have them on now, but for the time issue. If these tires are < 2 years old, check the DOT date codes, I'd feel fairly confident in them. Just keep them fully aired up and well under the speed rating. If you don't have one, get an IR temp gun and check them every time you stop (truck tires, too) and, if you notice any temps out of whack, stop, check the psi and let them cool down a bit. Be aware, if you're not already, that it's not unusual to see 15 degrees difference between the sunny and shaded sides. Lyle |
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jl
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 26
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Post by jl on Mar 11, 2024 16:34:36 GMT -5
Hadn't considered the Carlisles. The local Wally Wurld pitched them to me today, and at a price that I _couldn't_ believe compared to the Endurance tires. *A hint over 1/2 the price of GY* I normally swap out rubber every 3 to 4 yrs depending on the miles we put on them. Or, how they look visually. Since I hadn't had any experience with the TK's, I just figured I'd be pro-active on tires rather than reactive on the road. The Trailer Kings on there now have a Date Code: 3221 I didn't measure tread depth, but all sidewalls and corners seem to be visibly fine. 2 tires show up on the Trailer King listings ... one is ST235/80R16 and one is ST235/80RST. I have the first ones on my unit. Which puts the speed rating @ L - or 75mph, not the ones listed below @ 81 mph) www.speedytire.com/tires/trailer-king/trailer-king-rst/st235-80r16-RST24T note an "M" rating. (Specialty Trailer (ST) Radial tire. Applications: 5th Wheels, RV Trailers, Boat Trailers, Utility Trailers.) Load Index: 124/120 Speed Rating: M 81mph (130km/h) Ply Rating: 10 Pattern Features * M Speed rating with improved load ranges * Optimized tread depth * Nylon overlay construction on most sizes * Covered by a 5 Year Nationwide Manufacturers Limited Warranty I don't scream down the breezeway simply because of my tow vehicle, and we've become accustomed to the 55/60mph speeds while always getting to where we're going at the end of the day. I'm contemplating putting on a tire monitoring system prior to heading out this summer. That can't hurt. And considering the cost of a new set of rubber, the saved $$ will probably look good in the site rental envelope.  I'll have to ponder this one I think, and thanks for your thoughts/input. I'll see what others have to note while pondering. jl |
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WrkrBee
Weekender RV’er
Retired
Posts: 87
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Post by WrkrBee on Mar 11, 2024 20:09:18 GMT -5
QUOTE: The Trailer Kings on there now have a Date Code: 3221
If you haven't looked it up, the Trailer Kings were made during week 32 in 2021.
Our 2017 camper had Trailer Kings on it when we purchased it used, and I ran them until last year. The were doing fine and looked fine. Tires can look pristine, but time and heat are not a tires friend. I replaced the Trailer Kings with Goodyear Endurances. They have performed well for the few trips they made before winterization this winter.
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Post by laknox on Mar 13, 2024 10:13:33 GMT -5
Another thing to consider is to NEVER use any "tire shine" product on your tires. They actually pull the volatiles out of the rubber and age them faster. IOW, your tires look great, right up until they start cracking. Aerospace 303 seems to be a very good product and, from what I've read, actually helps restore some of the volatiles that are lost over time. It works well on decals, too.
Lyle
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Post by rvcouple on Mar 13, 2024 19:15:00 GMT -5
I have Trailer Kings on my 2020. They have at least 5000 miles on them and perform just fine. I fill them to the recommended pressure per the trailer sticker and the max cold inflation on the tire sidewall, which happen to be the same. I assume it's because KC put the smallest tires on they could that met the load limits so that meant the max inflation pressure. I have a Ryobi 18+ inflator that I use every travel day to top up the tires on the trailer and the truck. On the truck the recommended is 39 psi and max on the tires is 44 psi. I run the front at the recommended 39 psi and the rear at the max load at 44 psi. That turned out to be a better ride then leaving all of them at the recommend 39 psi.
I think the correct inflation pressure has more to do with tire longevity than anything else, but YMMV.
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Post by gwinger on Mar 14, 2024 19:54:19 GMT -5
I replaced the Trailer Kings on my KZ TT after the first trip. The Endurance have a much stiffer sidewall.
I could feel the difference towing it. Much less bounce.
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Post by Edd505 on Apr 2, 2024 21:57:30 GMT -5
Might look at Sailun's also, great tire from someone that has always run LT tires. After all the good reviews I decided to try them, not cheap but I'm on my 3rd year and they show no wear and we travel a lot, currently on a trip if about 3,000 miles.
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Post by tiredude on Apr 13, 2024 17:12:41 GMT -5
I would not use the oem tires very long. Not the best quality. I changed out the tires on my 22 Venom immediately with LR G all steel
Heartland brand tires. Good luck.
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Post by blwn31 on Apr 14, 2024 12:17:59 GMT -5
I bought my trailer used, it was only 2 years old, I replaced the Trailer Kings before my first big vacation trip. I did't trust them, and upgraded to 16" rims and Sailun S637. Good luck.
Keith
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Post by a1smith on Jun 13, 2024 9:51:14 GMT -5
Our C241RLK (purchased early 2017) has Trailer King tires (ST205/75R14 LR C) on it. We've used them for 7 camping seasons and haven't had any problems with them. We always keep them properly inflated (50 psi), use TPMS sensors, cover them when the trailer is stored, don't put any petroleum distillate based tire dressings on them (really bad stuff), and drive <=70mph (at least 5mph below 75 mph speed rating). They have 22,000 miles on them now and I'm getting ready to replace them. There is no cracking on the sidewalls, etc and there is still tread left. The tires we have are the older ST version. The new version is RST. The main difference, from looking at the specs, seems to be improved M speed rating (81 mph) vs L speed rating (75 mph). The RST tires weigh 1 lb less (20 lb vs 21 lb) and it looks like that's probably due to 8/32" tread depth for RST vs 10/32" tread depth for ST. www.trailerkingtires.com/tires/Landing.aspx?application=trailerkingrst-product-line |
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