I've been running off brand tires on my vehicles for decades. I've had good success buying used tires off Craigslist and other sources. Those tires have never let me down. I have yet to have a catastrophic failure with "off brand" tires. Based upon the failures that I have witnessed over the decades I will not run retreads.
For a time I was a Goodyear Marathon Radial Special Trailer tires only guy for my trailers. I run my trailer tires at max pressure. The Marathons were expensive, but gave great service. Until maybe 10 years ago. I began having problems with the Marathon radials. Because my trailer tires age out before the tread goes bad I changed over to buying cheap already mounted radial special trailer tires. Even complete mounted on new wheels they are considerably less expensive than the Marathons only off the shelf. I have yet to experience any cheap trailer tire failures, but I only changed over trailer tires about 5 years ago. Many large RV trailer owners have switched from Marathons to E rated LT tires. I've seen reports of other name brand expensive tires needing warranty replacement. So much for the magic of the brand names.
Added: The above 225 75r 16 E tires are "Q" rated.
"What does 'Up to 99 mph' really mean?
Tires with a Q speed rating can safely sustain speeds of up to 99 miles per hour. The tire may be able to reach higher speeds, but going faster than 99 mph for any length of time is not safe. The tire is not designed to handle the stresses."
https://www.ntb.com/info/a20022/what-is-a-tire-speed-rating
* Vic note. OEM NAS aka NAFTA Sprinters have a 85 mph speed limiter as standard.
Tire load index = 115 (properly inflated)
"Load Index Load (lbs)
112 2469
113 2535
114 2601
115 2679"
https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tire-guide/tire-load-index
****
I ordered the tires before seeing Autostaretx's alternate tread tires.
Many Sprinter owners will never see the benefit of the higher mileage that comes with premium priced tires. The tires will age out long before wearing out. An RV which sees periods of storage should pay heed to tire age. It is reported that storage is tougher service vs daily use when it comes to tires deteriorating from age.
Tires do need to meet standards. I realize that lower price does generally mean lesser quality. Premium tires may offer newer designs. Research, retooling, and fancy ad campaigns cost money. Making a perfectly serviceable same design tire year after year keeps production cost down. Higher price can also be driven by brand name recognition.
Some warn against ever buying tires made in other countries. As a practical matter, that is becoming more and more difficult. Does anyone really know for certain where the premium priced tires that they love so much are produced?
Please provide specific reports of other country or even USA low priced manufactured tires suffering catastrophic failures. I don't mean belts shifting, or similar issues. I've witnessed that with premium tires. I'm looking for 1st person reports of tires flying apart or having tread separation.
vic
For a time I was a Goodyear Marathon Radial Special Trailer tires only guy for my trailers. I run my trailer tires at max pressure. The Marathons were expensive, but gave great service. Until maybe 10 years ago. I began having problems with the Marathon radials. Because my trailer tires age out before the tread goes bad I changed over to buying cheap already mounted radial special trailer tires. Even complete mounted on new wheels they are considerably less expensive than the Marathons only off the shelf. I have yet to experience any cheap trailer tire failures, but I only changed over trailer tires about 5 years ago. Many large RV trailer owners have switched from Marathons to E rated LT tires. I've seen reports of other name brand expensive tires needing warranty replacement. So much for the magic of the brand names.
I ordered 2 ea. highway tires delivered to store.Good find on the tire.
The steer tires on my 2004 will pass inspection this month, but are close to needing replacement. Given the price, I'm thinking I'll be a guinea pig too. A pair of more tread new cheap tires should be better this winter than marginal tread old Goodyears. It looks like mounted and balanced for about 100 bucks a tire.
vic
****Here is a cheapo tire (225/75-16) that is listed as having a weight of just under 35 pounds. Clearly not the same level of quality as a Michelin, but they would probably be more than sufficient for my van. The rear axle of my van will never see more than 1,000 pounds of extra weight, and even that would be less than once per year. The tires will dry out before I ever wear out the tread. A cheap, light tire like this one might make the ride a little smoother, too.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Crosswind-LTR-HWY-L780-225-75R16-115-Q-Tire/450956875
Added: The above 225 75r 16 E tires are "Q" rated.
"What does 'Up to 99 mph' really mean?
Tires with a Q speed rating can safely sustain speeds of up to 99 miles per hour. The tire may be able to reach higher speeds, but going faster than 99 mph for any length of time is not safe. The tire is not designed to handle the stresses."
https://www.ntb.com/info/a20022/what-is-a-tire-speed-rating
* Vic note. OEM NAS aka NAFTA Sprinters have a 85 mph speed limiter as standard.
Tire load index = 115 (properly inflated)
"Load Index Load (lbs)
112 2469
113 2535
114 2601
115 2679"
https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tire-guide/tire-load-index
****
I ordered the tires before seeing Autostaretx's alternate tread tires.
Added: Dick's tires listed above also have a 115 Tire Load Index.If you're looking for a slightly more aggressive tread, Walmart is currently having a sale on the "all terrain" version of that Crosswind tire: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Crosswind-A-T-225-75R16-115-Q-Tire/862928733
A roaring $7 more than the "summer" tire.
--dick (who still has 15" wheels)
p.s. then there's this load range "E" tire: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Travelstar-EcoPath-H-T-All-Season-Tire-LT225-75R16-E-10ply/577195247
Many Sprinter owners will never see the benefit of the higher mileage that comes with premium priced tires. The tires will age out long before wearing out. An RV which sees periods of storage should pay heed to tire age. It is reported that storage is tougher service vs daily use when it comes to tires deteriorating from age.
Tires do need to meet standards. I realize that lower price does generally mean lesser quality. Premium tires may offer newer designs. Research, retooling, and fancy ad campaigns cost money. Making a perfectly serviceable same design tire year after year keeps production cost down. Higher price can also be driven by brand name recognition.
Some warn against ever buying tires made in other countries. As a practical matter, that is becoming more and more difficult. Does anyone really know for certain where the premium priced tires that they love so much are produced?
Please provide specific reports of other country or even USA low priced manufactured tires suffering catastrophic failures. I don't mean belts shifting, or similar issues. I've witnessed that with premium tires. I'm looking for 1st person reports of tires flying apart or having tread separation.
vic
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