CONTINUOUSWAVE

Due to frequent reminders from the Admiral that we are overdue in replacing the tires on the Karavan trailer under our 190 Montauk I have started the process.

The tires are about seven and a half years old and although barely worn should have been replaced as early as two years ago but I'm comfortable with a seven year interval.

I had decided to replace the stock ST [Special Trailer] tires with LT [Light Truck] tires due to the general poor quality of ST tires compared with LTs. The problem was that I was unable to find an appropriate form fit LT substitute. However, I did find that the new to the market Goodyear Endurance ST is made in the USA and has a form fit replacement available.

We try to do our due diligence when buying so I did a thorough internet search for the best possible all inclusive price for the Endurance tires. I tried all the better and some lesser known sites. I was very surprised to learn that Goodyear now sells tires direct to consumers from their web site. The only catch is that the tires must be installed by a Goodyear authorized installer which is almost always a Goodyear store. If road hazard insurance is desired that also is available from the installer. I was also pleased that the price from Goodyear was better than from anyone else I found. Selecting the installer and making an appointment for the work is done on the site during the check out process. The cost to me was $271 which includes balancing and new valves. If you know of a better price let us know.

JEFE--many thanks for the information about the Goodyear Endurance ST trailer tire. I had not heard of that tire before. Also the ability to buy the tire directly from Goodyear sounds very interesting. Good information like yours is much appreciated.

I found this description of the Goodyear Endurance ST tire on a reseller's website:

The Endurance is Goodyear's special purpose trailer tire developed specifically for use on travel trailers, pop-up campers, boat trailers, toy haulers and fifth wheels. Endurance trailer tires are designed with durability in mind to help make towing a trailer less stressful by reducing impact-related failures experienced during use.

Special purpose trailer tires are not intended to be used on cars or light trucks.

Endurance trailer tires feature a rounded profile to help cushion the trailer's ride, and the symmetric tread design with closely spaced ribs provide constant rubber-to-road contact for straight tracking, dependable highway stability and long-lasting wear. The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts with a two-ply nylon reinforcement to stabilize the tread, increasing traction and durability. The Endurance features a polyester cord body to help smooth out the trailer's ride, and a scuff guard is molded into the sidewall to further increase durability by resisting damage from contact with curbs during parking lot maneuvers.

I visited the Goodyear buy-on-line store, and searched for a trailer tire of ST20575R14. I found the price would be $108 per tire, with an additional cost of $14 for installation per tire, or $122 per installed tire, or $244 for two tires with installation. However, when I clicked the BUY NOW button, the price was calculated with a further discount of $21.60 and the total came to ony $222.40. Later in the check-out process, taxes and disposal fees were added, bringing the final cost to purchase and install to $238.90. (I did not actually order the tires, as I don't need them at this moment.)

As a comparison, I then visited the DISCOUNT TIRE on-line ordering website, and researched the cost for the same tire from that reseller. Their final price was $274.87, or about $36 more than directly from Goodyear.

I have had very good experience with Load Star tires on three different trailers. A good online source of tires and tire-rim combinations is http://www.easternmarine.com

Another good source for trailer tires and or wheels is

Trailer tire and wheels Edon, Ohio

I have purchased from this company for camper, boat and motorcycle trialers

Phil,

In fairness, I've never had a problem with the LoadStars on our trailer. When we bought the boat/trailer I was disappointed to see Chinese tires were installed. However, they were new so I decided to give them a try. If I'd been unable to buy a Made in USA tire for our trailer I would likely have replaced the LoadStars with LoadStars.

Update.

Yesterday morning the new tires were installed. The Goodyear store did not have a lug centric adapter for the balancer so they used a conical centering device. I expect the tires will be fine.

This was the most painless and efficient tire purchase I've had in 64 years of vehicle ownership. Everything was done on-line without human interface. I arrived at the Goodyear store five minutes before the appointed time, I walked in and told the counter man (manager) I was there for my 11:00 AM appointment. He replied, "trailer tires?" I nodded and he asked me to back my pickup to the bay so they could unload the old tires/wheels which I did. At 11:15 he told me I was ready to go that the news tires were loaded in my truck. I had to sign a zero charge work order and an acceptance document for the tires.

The $11 plus for mounting and balancing each tire include lifetime balancing which was unexpected. I also learned the tires are load range "E" instead of the "D" I expected.

The maximum inflation pressure of the tires is 80 PSI which I'm sure is much higher than needed for a 190 Montauk fully loaded. I had the tires inflated to 70 PSI but I'm going to get an inflation table and adjust accordingly.