Have you planned out your next summer trip? And are you looking forward to taking out your RV for this long, fun getaway? RVs, also known as Recreational Vehicles, make for the perfect road trip cars as they allow you to move freely and easily while exploring beautiful sceneries and places on your way. Owing to their spaciousness, you, along with your family, can easily relax and sit back with legs stretched out. This kind of mobility and comfort level is hard to enjoy in a normal car.
Big RVs can accommodate small beds/sofas, bathrooms, and kitchens as well. This is not only a great source of convenience but saves a lot of money as you won’t have to spend your hard-earned money on expensive hotels. Since an RV can allow as many as 12 people to sit comfortably, it is an ideal pick for large families. Modern life is terribly busy and hardly gives families a chance to bond on a daily basis. But with an RV, families can plan out a trip together and bond with one another in the car. During their car rides, they can take funny photos, snack on junk food, play cards, or the best of all, have a nice, hearty conversation with one another. However, you can’t enjoy an RV trip if it doesn’t have strong, durable tires. So having good RV tires is as important as a good RV.
In this blog post, we have gathered different types of RV tires that you must have a look at. Once you have finished reading it, you will have enough knowledge to make a wise decision about your ultimate RV tires’ choice.
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1. ST Tires
ST tires which stand for Special Trailer tires are specifically designed to be used on trailer axle positions. These tires tend to have strong sidewalls that prevent the tire from moving under the rim, especially when turning or cornering the RV. These strengthened tires are specially constructed to afford extreme load requirements, and since an RV consists of plenty of heavy stuff, these tires can be the best option. All ST tires consist of speed rating of 65 mph, which means that you can drive your RV perfectly and smoothly on the road.
What sets these tires apart from others is their design that is made from polyester cords. These cords are known to be larger and stronger. Their steel wires are also wider in diameter and have greater tensile strength; all of which helps in carrying the additional load.
If you are looking for an ST tire to purchase, we’ll suggest that you look at the Goodyear Unisteel RST Radial Tire. It is an ST tire that is capable of withstanding the heaviest pressure when applied on an RV. The tires also don’t get affected during dangerous situations like heavy rainfall or snowfall or when the road is torn or broken. You can also find them in a wide array of sizes, so you have plenty of options to choose these versatile tires from. The only downfall of these tires is that they are expensive, but that shouldn’t keep you from investing in these worth-every-penny tires. Some other great trailer tire options for you are discussed as follows:
Trailer King ST Radial Trailer Tire
This is the perfect choice for any RV with a fifth wheel or travel trailer. It has a number of remarkable features, starting with a center groove that keeps the tires stable and functioning, even during peak times. The purposeful center groove also offers a smooth ride at all times, especially during poor weather conditions.
What adds strength and durability to this RV tire is the nylon overlay which is embedded inside the tire. Every tire has a selling feature, and for this tire, it is its unbreakable resilience that gives an RV owner assurance that their vehicle is in safe to drive.
Carlisle Radial Trial HD Trailer Tire
This is another high quality tire that is made for RVs with a fifth wheel trailer. Its unique tread pattern keeps the RV from wear and tear and allows the tire to stay in the best possible shape for a long period of time.
Additionally, trailer tires have a built-in weathering and ozone protection that prevents the car from overheating. Hence, these tires can be safely used in the scorching summer season. Carlisle radial tires also help limit road noise through their distinctive pitch patterns, meaning that an RV with these tires will provide an easy and comfortable ride to its owner.
Freestar M-108 Radial Trailer Tire
This is the best choice if you are looking for the newest kind of RV trailer tires. These versatile tires provide a number of great features that come in handy for extended traveling. For example, the tires are composed of a rubber compound that keeps the tires robust. And therefore, you don’t have to worry about the tires flipping or rolling when making a turn.
These tires also have remarkably deep grooves that drive out water in times when it can become an issue. There is also a cooling layout that lessens the heat produced through your tire’s over-excessive use. It also helps protect these tires from dangerous UV rays that often rot the tires.
2. LT Tires
LT stands for the Light Truck tire and refers to those tires that can be installed in any light truck vehicle such as a pickup van, SUV, and RV. Please note that light trucks like pickups and RVs and SUVs greatly differ from standard passenger cars due to their strength, load-carrying capacity, and driveline complexity. Therefore, the tire options for these vehicle types are slightly more complicated than the average passenger cars. Factors like ply rating, load range, and tire sizes differ greatly from those of passenger cars’ tires.
LT tires are often compared and contrasted to ST tires, and that’s because of the similar function they both serve. Both of these tires are designed to handle higher load and stress, but it is ST tires that are able to withstand extreme conditions. LT tires, on the other hand, are less reliable and durable than ST tires. However, they are still stronger than passenger car tires. When compared to ST tires, LT tires are far more flexible and tend to be more prone to damage. If you have a small RV that tends to exert little pressure on the tires, your best bet would be to invest in LT tires.
3. Radial Tires
You will observe that modern RVs that are being manufactured today consist of radial tires more than any other type of RV tire. These newer tires boast steel belts that run at a 90 degrees angle from the thread’s center line. This shows that these tires have a tougher construction, a long-lasting tread, increased stability, and a larger footprint.
In addition to these features, these tires also come with super flexible sidewalls that keep the tread durable for a long period of time. Another great function of these sidewalls is their ability to lessen fuel consumption and rolling capacity. Since these tires are durable, sturdy, and meant to withstand wear and tear, they are best for long road trips or for regular use.
On the downside, radial tires are costly and may put a dent in your bank account. But their high quality and resilience make the investment totally worth it. If you are looking forward to purchasing radial tires, following are some of the best options for you:
Boto Tires BT926 Radial Tire
These tires are known for their impressive treads that work without losing their strong control and stability. Another notable feature includes their 5-rib design that makes these tires ideal for both short and long road trips.
What we love the most is that these impressive radial tires offer high-speed driving to the RV user and are capable of handling a considerable amount of load.
Hankook AH12 Radial Tire
This is another excellent tire option that most RV drivers love to own. The tires have supreme grooves that expel water instantly to maintain the tires’ grip and keep hydroplaning at bay during intense rain falls.
They also consist of several snipes that improve the RV’s navigation on wet roads. These radial tires also have a strong belt structure that reduces the production of heat during bad weather.
Micheline XPS RIB Truck Radial Tire
Featuring in numerous sizes, it is astounding to see the number of vehicles these tires can easily fit into. Their most striking feature is the durable steel casing that protects the tires’ life for a long period of time. Micheline XPS RIB radial tire also has notable tread designs that improve the tire’s durability and stability level.
The only disadvantage that these tires possess is the difficulty to ride well on snow or ice. Therefore, it is best to avoid using these tires on extreme rainfall and during the winter seasons when the chances of snowfall are high.
4. Bias Tires
As compared to radial tires, bias ply tires are less expensive and have low quality as well. Unlike other RV tires, these tires are designed from nylon belts that can run at a 30 to 45-degree angle from the thread’s center line. Owing to this reason, their sidewalls tend to be stronger and are able to manage a substantial amount of weight load. Unfortunately, the added pressure tends to lower the tire’s flexibility and can create massive issues for an RV driver, especially during times when the tire needs to work for an extended period of time.
Since their sidewalls aren’t flexible in nature, the lifespan of bias tires is comparatively short, too – approximately only 12000 miles. If we compare this time span to that of a radials tire’s, then it is quite a disappointment as the radial tire can work for up to 40, 000 miles. This means that while bias tires are great at handling pressure and heavy loads, they are short-lived. Owing to this reason, many newer RVs are coming with standard radial tires rather than bias ply tires.
Bias ply tires also happen to be less expensive and are ideal for short trips. If you are going on a short journey and are not too keen on getting super costly RV tires, we recommend that you get bias ply tires.
5. Nitrogen-Filled RV Tires
Among RV owners and lovers, nitrogen-filled tires are all the rage; plenty of new RVs are coming with standard nitrogen-filled tires. One of the major advantages of these types of tires is that they don’t get affected by outside temperatures. For example, the tires won’t suffer from exposure to extreme cold or heat. This puts less pressure on the tires, and they retain their resilience for a long time.
Another plus point of having nitrogen-filled RV tires is that nitrogen leaves the tires slower than the tires filled with the regular air mixtures. This is beneficial for RV owners that do not check their tire pressure on a regular basis. Tires filled with nitrogen are identified with the help of a green valve stem. If the tire lacks this attribute, then it is highly likely that they are air-filled ones.
RV owners wanting to get tires for their car should have a look into the details mentioned in this article to decide which one would be their best pick.
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