Tires made for use on US highways have a regulatory test they must pass. This "Rim roll off" test establishes the minimum side force a tire must resist before the tire comes off the wheel. Since it is the air pressure that carries the load, not the tire sidewall, two tires of same load capacity, size and inflation will have very similar flexibility.
RE: Anti-Oxidants and Ozone and UV protection of rubber.
Marketing claims of "More" or "Better" are in my opinion just PR as they never say better than what other tire. There is also an upper limit in the amount of these special chemicals tire companies can put in a rubber compound before other properties are negatively affected. There are also different chemicals that could be used. One tire company may choose chemical "A" and have 2% while another company may select Chemical "B" and use 1% but since chemical "B" is better then "A" less is needed for similar protection but "B" is probably more expensive.
I know of no recognized industry test that gives a meaningful comparison number for weathering and Ozone protection so it's impossible to compare different brands.
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Back in "the old days" I always ran LT tires on my trailers. Then at some point I fell for the PR that ST trailer tires were somehow better. However, experience with first Goodyears and then Maxxis has changed my mind. ST tires routinely fail years before my LT tires and I will not buy ST's again.
ReplyDeleteI too have wondered about changing from ST tires to LT. My concerns are the weight differences. LT don't seem to carry the same load. ST tires seem to have a more flexible side wall than LT. I assume this is preferable due to the sidewall flexing during sharp cornering and backing with closely spaced duals. I do notice that when backing sharply, I do leave a lot of rubber streaks on the pavement and worry about the effects this dragging has on the Dexter Nev-R-Lube bearings.
ReplyDeleteAnyone care to comment on these concerns ???
Anon Yes ST are rated for more load but at a lower speed than ST.
ReplyDeleteBarry I have older posts on trailers that point out the tandem axle damage done to tires since the tires are dragged around. This is one reason trailers should always run the tire sidewall max inflation.