ST vs LT tires

[IXLR8]

Forgive me if this has been asked before. I did a search and couldn't find anything. I have been looking at replacement tires for my trailer and I see a lot more options if I go LT vs a "trailer" tire. Are there any issues with putting on a properly rated LT tire vs a ST tire? I have also heard that the quality of the LT tires tend to be higher than most of the ST tires.

 

[Fallon]

Lots of people seem to like light truck LT over trailer tires. I know some travel trailers even come with LT from the factory.

One open question is sidewall strength. Trailer tires expect severe sidewall loading when turning due to physics of during with multiple non-sttering axles.

Personally I'm more likely to put LT on my single axle travel trailer than trailer tires when it's due. Not sure about my new double axle deckover, could go either way when that's an issue in 5 odd years.

 

[IXLR8]

My trailer is a tri-axle trailer for my 9500 lb boat.

 

[George2615]

I replaced 5 tires (incl. spare) on my travel trailer a couple months ago. Now in winter storage. I debated switching to LT but in the end I stayed with ST tires. I kept the same size but went from D rated to E rated for extra weight capacity. Rims were rated for E tires so no harm done there. The original tires had plenty of tread but were 8 years old and sidewalls were just starting to show some light cracking.

 

[om21braz]

Good question. I do not have an answer, but a friend of mine just swapped out his 24 foot gooseneck tires for LT E range tires. After several fairly heavy loads hauled his main observation was that they did not seem to get as warm as the trailer tires.

 

[rusty842]

I remember reading somewhere that LT tired are not designed to take the side loading force from the tire having to slide when turned on tandem and triple axle trailers. The side loading will make the tire “separate”.

 

[WM75Guy]

From what research I have found concerning the sidewall issue is that the sidewall of passenger car tires cannot stand up to the stress of trailer use. ST tires and LT tires have stiffer sidewalls and are suitable for trailer use. The max speed for ST tires is an issue for me, between 65-75 MPH depending on the brand.

Tire Rack

I just replaced the Uniroyal LT tires that were recalled on my Sundowner horse trailer with B.F. Goodrich Commercial T/A tires. I went with the LT instead of ST tires as the max rated speed for the B.F. Goodrich LT is 106 MPH and the Carlisle ST is 75 MPH. When pulling the horse trailer I set the cruise at 70 MPH. I did not like the idea of running close to max speed for long distances and run the risk of having the tires heat up.

The Carlisle ST tires on the Big Tex 20' GN are starting to show weather cracks after 9 years. I may replace them with the newer model Carlisle ST tires. Difference between a set of ST tires vs a set of LT tires will be about $300 cheaper for a set of 5 ST tires, $700 vs $1,000. Both are load range E 10 ply tires. The trailer doesn't go very far or fast on any trip. It is for hauling a tractor to the shop or hauling square bales of hay 3-4 times a year about 20 miles.

 

[rusty842]

Here are some links you can read for yourself.

Are Trailer Tires Better for a Trailer than Light Truck Tires | etrailer.com

Trailer Towing – ST Tires vs. LT Tires | RV 11(R) your education source for RV information

 

[rusty842]

Added a link from Tire Rack as well but it said “Access Denied”.

 

[Monster5601]

Forgive me if this has been asked before. I did a search and couldn't find anything. I have been looking at replacement tires for my trailer and I see a lot more options if I go LT vs a "trailer" tire. Are there any issues with putting on a properly rated LT tire vs a ST tire? I have also heard that the quality of the LT tires tend to be higher than most of the ST tires.

I follow the advise of the experts. I run ST radials on my RV and dump trailer, ST bias tires on my utility trailer.

While Google will pull many articles comparing LTs versus ST bias and ST radials, here is one that is a quick read.

Bias Versus Radial Trailer Tires