jcarlyle wrote:
Hi, Eric,
Here's a link to a fairly definitive article on trailer tires:
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/inf...ionAnxiety.dos
As you can see, it states that trailer tires are indeed optimized for
load, and that for the same dimension an ST tire carries more load
than a P or LT tire.

I found this article on the Subaru site: http://tinyurl.com/9jesg

It varies somewhat from the Discount Tire article. I suspect neither
article fully explains what we'd like to know and I wasn't able to find
a decent third article. Two statements were particularly interesting to me:

ST tires are designed for as soft a ride as possible so they don't
transmit too much shock to the trailer and its contents.

That might explain why an ST tire has the same load capablity at a 10
psi lower pressure than an LT.

Trailer tires typically employ heavier steel or polyester cords and
somewhat lighter sidewall construction than light-truck tires, and
trailer tires typically run lower air pressures than their truck
counterparts. This gives ST tires good load-carrying capacity, but
with the desired softer ride. ST tires also have the advantage of
rubber compounds that are specifically designed to resist
deterioration from the elements, including sunlight and ozone, during
extended storage.

I was very surprised at the Discount Tire article giving a 3-5 year life
for trailer tires, as I've always heard they were optimized for much
longer life (time) than car tires. A tire that loses 1/3 of it's
strength in 3 years doesn't sound like one I want on any vehicle, and
I'm very skeptical of that number. I know the person quoted is from
Goodyear, but Goodyear sure doesn't say that about their trailer tires.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org