glider trailer tires

what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

thanks,
Ken

Ken Ward wrote:
what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

thanks,
Ken

Use the heavist duty tires that will fit your rims (or get bigger
rims). There is something about trailer duty that is hard on tires.
Myself and several friends have had tire blow-outs in recent years on
tires that should have been ok. It might be the (slight) fish-tailing
that you see on all trailers in tow is extra hard on the side walls,
but I really don't know for sure. I am refering to single axle trailers
(no experience with dual axle).

Tom Seim
2G
Richland, WA

Trailer tires are preferred, especially on single axels, trailer tires
have heavier built side walls and withstand side torque better.


wrote:
Ken Ward wrote:
what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

thanks,
Ken

Use the heavist duty tires that will fit your rims (or get bigger
rims). There is something about trailer duty that is hard on tires.
Myself and several friends have had tire blow-outs in recent years on
tires that should have been ok. It might be the (slight) fish-tailing
that you see on all trailers in tow is extra hard on the side walls,
but I really don't know for sure. I am refering to single axle trailers
(no experience with dual axle).

Tom Seim
2G
Richland, WA

Ken,



Check the archives on RAS. This has come up several times over the past
several years and there is some very good discussion in there.



Larry

"01" USA





"Ken Ward" wrote in message
:

what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

thanks,
Ken

Ken Ward wrote:
what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

thanks,
Ken

Almost no trailer loads a tire as much as a car.
That said- a couple things to consider-
A slightly lower profile tire can go a long way toward reducing
sidewall flex which does feed back to the towing vehicle as sway. Paul
Cordell found some cool inexpensive wheels for his Cobra trailer that
were larger in diameter allowing low profile tires and retaining ride
height.
MOST IMPORTANT- A not well know fact is that materials of tire
construction have changed and the usefull safe life is less due to
aging affects. Car manufacturers now specify replacement after 5 years.
This is mostly due to changes made to get long wear life and better
fuel economy.
The bottom line is it probably less important what you change to than
that you change.
Good luck UH

Whether it is a $10,000 HP or a $100,000+ ASG/DG/LS/S-H/Antares/wh
atever, I think I would err on the side of the 'ST'
tire. It's precious cargo back there and I don't want
to 'skimp' on the tire. Sure, I might get a car tire
for $30 or $40 vs. the 'ST' for $80 or $90, but I still
go back to thinking about the cargo I'm hauling. And
in the case of a nice trailer, the cargo and the trailer
itself!

The last time I bought tires for my homebuilt trailer,
I bought the 'ST' tires from Goodyear. Now I have
new trailer and when the five or six years have come
and gone, I'll put 'ST' tires on it. Sway was not
a problem with the old ugly homebuilt (it towed extremely
easily) and it isn't a problem with the factory trailer.
It too tows well, both empty and loaded, behind a
Honda Accord V6.

Amazing that we can drop thousands of dollars (or whatever
currency) on instruments and gel coats and winglets
and fuzzy dice or whatever, but we want to skimp on
the trailer tires.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA


At 12:48 27 September 2006,
wrote:

Ken Ward wrote:
what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular
automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

thanks,
Ken

Almost no trailer loads a tire as much as a car.
That said- a couple things to consider-
A slightly lower profile tire can go a long way toward
reducing
sidewall flex which does feed back to the towing vehicle
as sway. Paul
Cordell found some cool inexpensive wheels for his
Cobra trailer that
were larger in diameter allowing low profile tires
and retaining ride
height.
MOST IMPORTANT- A not well know fact is that materials
of tire
construction have changed and the usefull safe life
is less due to
aging affects. Car manufacturers now specify replacement
after 5 years.
This is mostly due to changes made to get long wear
life and better
fuel economy.
The bottom line is it probably less important what
you change to than
that you change.
Good luck UH

Whether it is a $10,000 HP or a $100,000+ ASG/DG/LS/S-H/Antares/wh
atever, I think I would err on the side of the 'ST'
tire. It's precious cargo back there and I don't want
to 'skimp' on the tire. Sure, I might get a car tire
for $30 or $40 vs. the 'ST' for $80 or $90, but I still
go back to thinking about the cargo I'm hauling. And
in the case of a nice trailer, the cargo and the trailer
itself!

The last time I bought tires for my homebuilt trailer,
I bought the 'ST' tires from Goodyear. Now I have
new trailer and when the five or six years have come
and gone, I'll put 'ST' tires on it. Sway was not
a problem with the old ugly homebuilt (it towed extremely
easily) and it isn't a problem with the factory trailer.
It too tows well, both empty and loaded, behind a
Honda Accord V6.

Amazing that we can drop thousands of dollars (or whatever
currency) on instruments and gel coats and winglets
and fuzzy dice or whatever, but we want to skimp on
the trailer tires.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA


At 12:48 27 September 2006,
wrote:

Ken Ward wrote:
what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular
automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

thanks,
Ken

Almost no trailer loads a tire as much as a car.
That said- a couple things to consider-
A slightly lower profile tire can go a long way toward
reducing
sidewall flex which does feed back to the towing vehicle
as sway. Paul
Cordell found some cool inexpensive wheels for his
Cobra trailer that
were larger in diameter allowing low profile tires
and retaining ride
height.
MOST IMPORTANT- A not well know fact is that materials
of tire
construction have changed and the usefull safe life
is less due to
aging affects. Car manufacturers now specify replacement
after 5 years.
This is mostly due to changes made to get long wear
life and better
fuel economy.
The bottom line is it probably less important what
you change to than
that you change.
Good luck UH

Directly from Dicount Tier web page:

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/inf...rTireFacts.dos

Trailer Tire Applications
Trailer tires are designed for use on trailer axle
positions only, not for the loads applied to or the
traction required by drive or steering axles.
An 'LT' designation on a trailer tire size specifies
load range only. It is not designed for use on light
trucks.
Do not mount 'ST' or 'LT' trailer tires on passenger
cars or light trucks.
Inflation
Always inflate trailer tires to the maximum inflation
indicated on the sidewall.
Check inflation when the tires are cool and have not
been exposed to the sun.
If the tires are hot to the touch from operation, add
3 psi to the max inflation.
Underinflation is the number 1 cause of trailer tire
failure.
Load Carrying Capacity
All tires must be identical in size for the tires to
properly manage the weight of the trailer.
The combined capacity of the tires must equal or exceed
the GVW of the axle.
The combined capacity of all of the tires should exceed
the loaded trailer weight by 20 percent.
If the actual weight is not available, use the trailer
GVW. If a tire fails on a tandem axle trailer, you
should replace both tires on that side. The remaining
tire was likely subjected to excessive loading.
If the tires are replaced with tires of larger diameter,
the tongue height may need to be adjusted to maintain
proper weight distribution.
Speed
All 'ST' tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph.

As heat builds up, the tire's structure starts to disintegrate
and weaken.
The load carrying capacity gradually decreases as the
heat and stresses generated by higher speed increases.

Time
Time and the elements weaken a trailer tire.
In about 3 years roughly one third of the tire's strength
is gone.
Three to five years is the projected life of a normal
trailer tire.
It is suggested that trailer tires be replaced after
3 to 4 years of service regardless of tread depth or
tire appearance.
Mileage
Trailer tires are not designed to wear out.
The life of a trailer tire is limited by time and duty
cycles.
The mileage expectation of a trailer tire would be
5,000 to 12,000 miles.
Why Use An 'ST' Tire
'ST' tires feature materials and construction to meet
the higher load requirements and demands of trailering.

The polyester cords are bigger than they would be for
a comparable 'P' or 'LT' tire.
The steel cords have a larger diameter and greater
tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements.

'ST' tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to
resist weather and ozone cracking.
Storage
The ideal storage is in a cool, dark garage at maximum
inflation.
Use tire covers to protect the tires from direct sunlight.

Use thin plywood sections between the tire and the
pavement.
For long term storage: Put the trailer on blocks to
take the weight off the tires, lower the air pressure
and cover tires to protect from direct sunlight.
Maintenance
Clean the tires using mild soap and water.
Do not use tire-care products containing alcohol or
petroleum distillates.
Inspect for any cuts, snags, bulges or punctures.
Check the inflation before towing and again before
the return trip.
Three Keys to Avoiding Trouble
Make sure your rig is equipped with the proper tires.

Maintain the tires meticulously.
Replace trailer tires every three to five years, whether
they look like they're worn out or not.

wrote:
Ken Ward wrote:
what's the story on tires? is it OK to use regular automotive radial
tires or are ST tires required?

Ken, what trailer do you have, what tires are on it now, and is the
towing stability satisfacory?

Almost no trailer loads a tire as much as a car.

This might lead the unwary to think they can get by with a lesser tire
than they could on their car, yet glider trailers seem to suffer far
more tread separations than cars do (mile for mile). You need to match
the tire to the load, and trailer tires are rated differently than car
tires. Generally, passenger car tires need to be derated about 10% from
their load rating to be equivalent to a trailer tire rating.

That said- a couple things to consider-
A slightly lower profile tire can go a long way toward reducing
sidewall flex which does feed back to the towing vehicle as sway. Paul
Cordell found some cool inexpensive wheels for his Cobra trailer that
were larger in diameter allowing low profile tires and retaining ride
height.

It's not sidewall flex that's the important factor, but "lateral slip
stiffness", but enough of the technobabble - it's not something you can
read on the tire spec sheet in any case. Lower profiles tend to have
this, as do higher speed ratings. So, if stability was an issue, going
to a lower profile and higher speed rating will help. Lower profile
tires tend to ride harder, and may be more susceptible to impact damage
from potholes, road hazards, and things like curbs, so they should be
checked more often.

Speaking of speed, ST tires are rated for 65 mph, unless you run them at
a much higher pressure than the load rating tables show. Be careful if
you plan to tow at 65+ with an ST rated tire. For towing above 65, I'd
use a high speed rated tire instead of an ST tire, and (somewhat
arbitrarily) pick one rated for at least 20 mph higher than I intended
to tow.

MOST IMPORTANT- A not well know fact is that materials of tire
construction have changed and the usefull safe life is less due to
aging affects. Car manufacturers now specify replacement after 5 years.
This is mostly due to changes made to get long wear life and better
fuel economy.
The bottom line is it probably less important what you change to than
that you change.

Indeed.


--
Note: email address new as of 9/4/2006
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

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

In the USA I have had good luck buying my trailer tires from:
www.tirerack.com

They ship same or next day and you get them installed locally for
cheap. You get exactly what you want every time. I think I paid $58
each for Goodyear Marathon trailer tires last time. Not more than I
would expect to pay for auto/LT tires if bought from a shop.

I always change my trailer tires after 3 years of use no matter how
they look. It's not worth the risk of a blowout to take them much
beyond that.

Pat Russette
CQ