New tires for the T@G

WilliamA

Just got back from the local tire joint. I was running the stock Westlake tires that came on my 2017 T@G XL Boondock. To be sure, I was extremely satisfied with the Westlake tires. They gave me 50,000 (ish) miles of great performance with nary a problem, never leaked air or had any wear issues. I simply replaced them because they were in excess of 5 years old. I'm just funny that way. I'd not have replaced them but for the fact that we are working up the itinerary for our April trip to the Mojave and beyond and I did not want any surprises with the tires.

For replacements, I chose Cooper AT3 4S all-terrain radials in the same 235/75/15 size. They have the same 3 ply tread face (load range C) with 2 ply sidewalls. I'll be able to run less air in them so the trailer should ride easier. I'll run 32 lbs as compared to the 45 lbs I ran in the Westlake tires.

They are a tiny bit smaller diameter than the old tires by around half an inch, but that's mostly due to the lower pressure.

I paid $311.20 for both tires, mounting and balancing (NOT balancing beads!!) and old tires disposal. They have a 65,000 mile treadwear warranty that is void if you run them on a vehicle that doesn't have an odometer. Sigh...Ah well...

I've pretty much always run Cooper tires and have had nothing but great service from their tires, so I don't anticipate these will be any different.

Raised White Letters baby. Right on...

WilliamA

zgfiredude

Great tire!

JohnnyLoco

You don’t inflate them to the sidewall pressure. 20lbs is about all a T@G needs or at least deflate them until proper contact as looking at them on a smooth concrete surface

LuckyJ

@JohnnyLoco said:
You don’t inflate them to the sidewall pressure. 20lbs is about all a T@G needs or at least deflate them until proper contact as looking at them on a smooth concrete surface

Their was a debate on this here a l9ng while ago. Now it probably move to the facething. I totalu agree with you btw, tire pressure shoukd be adjusted to load and contact patch with the ground, but what also came up is that dezter rec9mend ru ing them at sidewall tire pressure and also that recomended tire pressure is on a sticker on the T@G frame.

So, ......

You all of you, do what you want with this knowledge. But less air will mean less airtime. 😉

JohnnyLoco

“ But less air will mean less airtime.”

Dats funny right there, I don’t care where you from

LuckyJ

@JohnnyLoco said:
“ But less air will mean less airtime.”

Dats funny right there, I don’t care where you from

Alusion to how much they bounce and and much time they spend in the air. but I'm sure you got it!

⛷

JohnnyLoco

@LuckyJ said:

@JohnnyLoco said:
“ But less air will mean less airtime.”

Dats funny right there, I don’t care where you from

Alusion to how much they bounce and and much time they spend in the air. but I'm sure you got it!

⛷

Been there

WilliamA

Tire pressure is incredibly important. Different kinds (bias, radial, etc) have vastly different characteristics. Running tire pressure significantly lower than the recommended is a recipe for disaster. It's about heat.

Tire ply ratings and compounds need a pressure value to prevent excessive flex in the sidewall. Run too little and the tire sidewall flexes excessively as it rolls, creating loads of heat from the friction of the plys reacting against each other. When heat builds faster than the tire can shed it, you've got a problem.

If you are dramatically lowering tire pressure to get the trailer to ride better, you're asking the tire to do the suspension's job. If your trailer bounces down the road, solve the problem where it exists. Don't add another problem.

I run the spec's tire pressure in my tires. Always. What does that mean? That means that a tire rated for, say, 2,200 lbs on a trailer weighing 1,600 lbs is hauling about 700 lbs (assuming 200 lbs tongue weight). Sure. You can run a tire rated at 45 lbs down to 32-34 lbs based upon the trailer weight/tire capacity ratio, but at that pressure and weight, the tire will flex about the same as if it was fully inflated at its max operating capacity, hence, similar flex ratio. 20 lbs is dangerous.

The "Jeep guys" theory of setting pressure based upon the "chalk test" (contact patch) is complete B.S. Measuring contact patch in a driveway says nothing about tire flex in the road. Tire load rating, rim width and a host of other factors are at play. Low tire pressure at highway speeds is russian roulette.

WilliamA

JohnnyLoco

Maybe this goodyear tire chart will help decipher BS. You don’t run tires to the max unless its called for...just the facts jacks.

https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

LuckyJ

I have to slide toward @JohnnyLoco on this one. But I also agree with @WilliamA that under inflate a tire specialy on the highway is waiting for disater.

When you are mentionning jeep guy and tire pressure, my original tire oem pressure is set at 32 lbs if memory is correct. Bjt feom the 215 225 /75r15 oem, I now run 33/10.5r15 on tge same wheels. So if I would run the same pressure, the foot print would only touch in the middle of tge tire and have the side wall overstrech. Basic result is ware and handling would be on the crazy side.

As for the trailer, the load range is made for a full weight. Run it light, then you do not need the same tire pressure. But I do agree that 20 lbs would be low.

So leave it as spec, of work to find the sweet spot wheel and tire have improved a lot s8nce the wooden spoke wheel and flimzy rubber latex tube, and it is for a reason. 😉

JohnnyLoco

I installed trailer tires but under the unique circumstance of the teardrop I personally think vehicle tires are the better option.

LuckyJ

@JohnnyLoco said:
I installed trailer tires but under the unique circumstance of the teardrop I personally think vehicle tires are the better option.

The only offocial trailer tires I have are the ones that came with the T@G. All the other trailers I have or have used had car/truck tires, and I never had any issues with them, and they have traveld thousand of miles with different kind of loads. But, none are commercial trailers of have ever been used as commercial trailers.

Next tires on the T@G will be car/truck trailers.

jahorsle

Excellent tire choice! I have these on my TV currently, and love them. The fact that they are “Severe Snow Service” rated and have some of the lowest road noise ratings for an AT tire from Tire Rack sealed the deal for me. I’ll likely replace my trailer tires with them, when the time comes. 👍🏻👍🏻

Bob297

I’ve got the LTs. They have been great on everything but ice.
Edit: Let me just state they suck in deep mud or even some not-so-deep mud if you do any off-roading. The side walls are pretty good, just make sure you’re wearing sliders. I just upgraded to RCI sliders. Also, ignore the green valve stem caps as my tires are aired up & down on site.