Best RV Tires: ST Trailer, All-Steel and Motorhome Sizes
The Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R15 carries 2,833 lb at 80 psi and is rated to 87 mph. Picks by axle rating, wheel size and load range.
The best RV tire for most towable rigs is the Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R15 117N: load range E, 2,833 lb per tire at 80 psi cold, and an 87 mph speed symbol instead of the old 65 mph trailer-tire ceiling. Heavier fifth wheels move up to an all-steel 14-ply or 16-ply casing. Motorhome tires are bought by size at a truck tire shop.
ST, LT or P: which tire your RV is allowed to wear
An ST (Special Trailer) tire belongs on a towed trailer axle, an LT (Light Truck) tire belongs on a motorhome or a tow vehicle, and a P (Passenger) tire belongs on neither once it is carrying RV weight. The three letters describe different engineering targets, not different quality levels.
ST tires are built with stiffer sidewalls and a higher load rating per size than the same-size passenger tire, because a trailer axle has no suspension geometry to speak of and no steering input to relieve side loads. That stiffness is why a trailer tracks straight behind you instead of wallowing. It is also why an ST tire rides harshly, wears its shoulders when misaligned, and has a shorter service life measured in years rather than miles.
LT tires carry a light-truck load index and a proper speed rating, and they are what sits on a Class B or Class C motorhome. A Class A on 19.5-inch or 22.5-inch wheels wears commercial truck tires in an all-position steer pattern, which is a different supply chain entirely.
P-metric passenger tires appear on cheap utility trailers and on some older pop-ups. The Tire and Rim Association derates a passenger tire by dividing its stamped load capacity by 1.10 when it is used on a trailer, so a P205/75R15 stamped at 1,655 lb is only good for 1,504 lb behind your truck. On a 3,500 lb axle that is 3,008 lb of tire under 3,500 lb of trailer, and the tire is the part that fails.
| Tire type | Where it belongs | Load behaviour | Typical service life |
|---|---|---|---|
| ST (Special Trailer) | Travel trailer, fifth wheel, boat and utility trailer axles | Full stamped capacity at max sidewall pressure only | 3–5 years, rarely tread-limited |
| LT (Light Truck) | Class B and Class C motorhomes, tow vehicles | Capacity from the load table at the placard pressure | 5–7 years or tread depth |
| 19.5 / 22.5 commercial | Class A motorhomes, super C chassis | Steer-axle all-position casing, dual capacity is lower | 5–7 years, mileage rarely reached |
| P (Passenger) | Not on an RV | Stamped capacity divided by 1.10 on a trailer | Replace with ST |
How to size RV tires against your axle GAWR
Divide each axle’s GAWR by the number of tires on it, then buy a tire whose stamped capacity beats that number by at least 15%. The sticker on the driver-side front of the trailer frame gives you GVWR and each axle’s GAWR; those are the only numbers that matter, because a tire never sees the total weight of the rig, only its own corner.
A tandem-axle travel trailer with a 7,000 lb GVWR sits on two 3,500 lb axles. Divide 3,500 by two and each tire must hold 1,750 lb. The ST205/75R14 load range C that came from the factory holds 1,760 lb at 50 psi, which is a 10 lb margin, in theory, on a brand new tire, on level ground, with the trailer loaded perfectly evenly. Nobody loads a trailer perfectly evenly. Move to load range D in the same size and each tire holds 2,039 lb, which is 16% of headroom for the generator you put in the front pass-through.
A 14,000 lb fifth wheel on two 7,000 lb axles needs 3,500 lb per tire. ST235/80R16 in load range E gives 3,420 lb at 80 psi, so it is 80 lb short before you have loaded anything. This is why heavy fifth wheels end up on load range G (3,960 lb) or H (4,189 lb) all-steel casings, and why owners who ignore the arithmetic replace a sidewall every second season.
Two size details break more upgrades than the load math. First, going up a load range usually raises the required cold pressure: load range D wants 65 psi, E wants 80, G wants 110, H wants 125. Your wheels have their own maximum stamped on the rim, commonly 65 psi on a 14-inch steel wheel and 80 psi on a 15-inch, so an E-rated tire on a 65 psi wheel cannot be inflated to its rating and never reaches its capacity. Second, taller sizes eat fender clearance and inter-axle spacing. Going from an ST205/75R14 (26.1 inches tall) to an ST225/75R15 (28.3 inches) adds more than an inch of radius and can put the tandem tires within an inch of each other.
Before you buy, read the correct RV tire pressure by tire type, and if you are not certain what your axles are rated for, the GVWR, GCWR and payload arithmetic is where the certification label gets decoded.
What load range, load index and speed rating letters actually mean
Load range is the air pressure the casing is built to hold, load index is the weight one tire can carry at that pressure, and the speed symbol is the sustained speed the casing was tested at. An ST225/75R15 117N in load range E means: 10-ply rated construction, 2,833 lb per tire, 87 mph.
Load range replaced the old ply count, but the marketing kept the old language. “10-ply rated” does not mean ten layers of anything. A modern radial ST tire has two steel belts and one or two polyester or steel body plies; load range E simply says the casing is certified to 80 psi. The ply-rating equivalents are C = 6, D = 8, E = 10, F = 12, G = 14, H = 16.
Load index is a two- or three-digit number in a lookup table. The ones you will meet on RV tires:
| Load index | Capacity per tire | Common on |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | 1,819 lb | ST205/75R14 in dual position |
| 105 | 2,039 lb | ST205/75R14 load range D |
| 108 | 2,205 lb | ST215/75R14 load range D |
| 117 | 2,833 lb | ST225/75R15 load range E |
| 121 | 3,197 lb | 14-ply ST225/75R15 in dual position |
| 124 | 3,527 lb | 14-ply ST225/75R15 single |
| 126 | 3,748 lb | 16-ply ST235/80R16 in dual position |
| 130 | 4,189 lb | 16-ply ST235/80R16 single |
A tire marked 117/112N carries 2,833 lb as a single and 2,469 lb when it is one of a dual pair, because duals run hotter and share load unevenly.
Speed symbols are where trailer tires changed. Historically every ST tire was engineered around 65 mph, and the number never appeared on the sidewall. Since the mid-2010s, manufacturers have applied real speed symbols: L = 75 mph, M = 81 mph, N = 87 mph. A Goodyear Endurance stamped 117N is tested at 87 mph. A tire with no speed symbol at all is a 65 mph tire, and the industry rule for running an unrated ST tire between 66 and 75 mph is to add 10 psi over the sidewall pressure (never exceeding the wheel’s rating) and reduce the load. Most owners are better served by driving 62 to 65 mph, where trailer tires generate the least heat and fuel burn drops with them.
The 12 RV and trailer tires compared
| Tire | Size | Load range | Max load per tire | Cold PSI | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST225/75R15 | E (10-ply) | 2,833 lb | 80 | Most tandem travel trailers | |
| ST215/75R14 | D (8-ply) | 2,205 lb | 65 | 14-inch wheels, 3,500 lb axles | |
| ST225/75R15 | E (10-ply) | 2,833 lb | 80 | Replacing one damaged tire | |
| ST205/75R14 | D (8-ply) | 2,039 lb | 65 | Full set of four, 14-inch | |
| ST205/75R14 | D (8-ply) | 2,039 lb | 65 | Cheapest safe step up from C | |
| ST225/75R15 | E (10-ply) | 2,833 lb | 80 | Spare that matches the road tires | |
| ST225/75R15 | E (10-ply) | 2,833 lb | 80 | Lowest cost per E-rated tire | |
| ST225/75R15 | E (10-ply) | 2,833 lb | 80 | Replacing one axle at a time | |
| ST205/75R15 | E (10-ply) | Sidewall stamp | 80 | 15-inch small trailers | |
| ST225/75R15 | G (14-ply) | 3,527 lb | 110 | Toy haulers and heavy tandems | |
| ST235/80R16 | H (16-ply) | 4,189 lb | 125 | Fifth wheels over 14,000 lb | |
| ST205/75D14 | C (6-ply, bias) | 1,760 lb | 50 | Utility and boat trailers |
Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R15: the default replacement for a tandem trailer
Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R15 117N
The moment this tire exists for: you are 40 miles from anywhere on I-40 in August, the pavement is at 140 °F, and you have four tires that were made by the lowest bidder sitting under 6,500 lb of trailer. Goodyear launched the Endurance in 2017 specifically because the Marathon, its predecessor, had spent a decade being the tire people blamed for shredded fenders.
Three specifics carry the price. The casing is rated 2,833 lb at 80 psi cold, so a pair covers a 5,000 lb axle with real headroom rather than the theoretical margin an old load range C gives you. The N speed symbol means Goodyear tested the casing at 87 mph, which matters less for cruising speed than for what the tire does when you have to run 70 to clear a storm. And the Durawall sidewall compound is built against the curb scuff and cut damage that starts most sidewall failures, which is the failure mode that actually strands people, not tread wear.
Its honest limit: the price only makes sense if your wheels can hold 80 psi. Fitting an E-rated tire to a 14-inch steel wheel stamped 65 psi means you inflate to 65, the tire never reaches 2,833 lb, and you have paid Goodyear money for capacity you cannot use. Check the rim stamp before you check the tire.
- 2,833 lb per tire at 80 psi covers a 5,000 lb axle with 13% margin
- 87 mph N speed symbol, the highest on any mainstream ST tire
- Built in Goodyear's Statesville, North Carolina plant rather than sourced offshore
- Roughly twice the price of the Chinese-built E-rated radials in this list
- Sold as a single tire, so a full set is four separate line items
- The stiff casing telegraphs every expansion joint into the trailer cabinets
Goodyear Endurance ST215/75R14: the same casing for 14-inch wheels
Goodyear Endurance ST215/75R14 108N
Most 22 to 26 foot travel trailers left the factory on ST205/75R14 load range C tires holding 1,760 lb each. Two of those under a 3,500 lb axle leaves 10 lb of margin, which is the reason so many owners find a shredded right-rear after a summer of highway heat, always the curbside tire, because that is the side that takes the shoulder drop-offs and the gutter debris.
Stepping to ST215/75R14 in load range D is the fix that does not need new wheels. This tire is stamped 108N: 2,205 lb per tire at 65 psi cold, 87 mph, on the same casing design as the 15-inch Endurance. The section is 10 mm wider and the diameter grows about half an inch over a 205, which almost always clears a stock fender but is worth measuring on a tandem with tight axle spacing.
Where it stops: load range D is the ceiling in this size. If your certification label says 5,200 lb axles, you need 15-inch wheels and an E-rated tire, not a better 14-inch tire. And if you are replacing all four on a budget trailer, four Endurance tires can cost more than the trailer’s book value depreciation for the year.
- 2,205 lb per tire at 65 psi, a 26% margin over a 1,750 lb corner load
- 65 psi rating suits the 14-inch steel wheels most trailers ship with
- Same N speed symbol and Durawall sidewall as the 15-inch Endurance
- Costs more than a full set of four budget ST205/75R14 tires
- Load range D caps you at 2,205 lb, so a 5,200 lb axle is out of reach
- Fewer sellers stock it than the 225/75R15, so availability on the road is patchy
Transeagle ST II ST225/75R15: the E-rated radial to buy one at a time
Transeagle ST II ST225/75R15 117/112N
You hit a shredded semi retread outside Amarillo and one tire is gone. The other three have two seasons left. Nobody wants to buy four tires that day, and mismatching load ranges across an axle pair is how you overload the good tire.
The Transeagle ST II solves the matching problem because it carries the same size and service description most E-rated 15-inch trailer tires do: ST225/75R15 117/112N. That is 2,833 lb per tire as a single, 2,469 lb in a dual position, and an 87 mph speed symbol. Load range E means the casing is certified to 80 psi cold, the same figure you are already running on the surviving tires. Price sits near a third of the Endurance, which is why this is the sensible spare as well as the sensible repair.
What you are giving up: a manufacturer with a published load-and-inflation table and a US warranty network. Transeagle is a house brand built to spec in Asia, and 51 ratings is not the same evidence base as a Goodyear model that has been on trailers since 2017. Treat it as a five-year tire, not a seven-year tire.
- Same 117/112N stamping as the premium tires: 2,833 lb single, 2,469 lb dual, 87 mph
- 300+ units a month move on Amazon, so stock rarely runs dry mid-season
- Sold as one tire, which is what you want when only one is damaged
- 4.5 stars across 51 ratings is a thin sample compared with the Goodyear
- No published US load-and-inflation table from the maker
- Tread compound wears faster than the Endurance on hot southwestern pavement
Transeagle ST II ST205/75R14 (set of four): the whole axle set in one box
Transeagle ST II ST205/75R14 105/101L (set of 4)
The trailer that has been sitting behind the garage since 2019 has four tires with 2019 date codes and full tread. Full tread is not the point. The rubber has been through six summers of ozone and UV, and the sidewalls have the faint spider-web cracking that means the casing is done.
Buying four at once matters more than most people realise. Matched date codes mean all four age together, so you replace them together instead of chasing one failure a year. This set is stamped 105/101L: 2,039 lb per tire at 65 psi cold, 1,819 lb in a dual position, 75 mph. On a 3,500 lb axle that is 289 lb of margin per corner over the 1,750 lb minimum, and the load range D casing runs at the same 65 psi your 14-inch wheels are stamped for.
The catch is the L. 75 mph is the tested ceiling, and trailer tire heat rises sharply above 65 anyway. If your habit is running 72 in the left lane of I-10, buy the N-rated Goodyear instead and stop arguing with physics.
- 4.7 stars across 388 ratings, the strongest review base on any budget ST tire here
- 105/101L stamping: 2,039 lb per tire at 65 psi, a 16% margin on a 3,500 lb axle
- Four tires ship together, so DOT date codes match within a week or two
- L speed symbol caps the casing at 75 mph, below the Goodyear's 87
- Load range D only, so this is not a route to a heavier axle rating
- Tires arrive unmounted; budget $20–25 a wheel for mounting and balancing
Free Country ST205/75R14 load range D: the cheapest honest upgrade
Free Country ST205/75R14 Load Range D (pair)
The failure this prevents is boring and constant: campground curbs. Backing into a site, the curbside trailer tire kisses the concrete edge, the sidewall takes a shallow gouge, and eighteen months later that gouge is where the casing splits at 65 mph. Free Country molds a raised scuff guard rib around the sidewall so the curb meets rubber that is not structural.
Three numbers make it the value pick. Load range D gives 2,039 lb per tire at 65 psi, against 1,760 lb from the load range C tires most trailers ship with, so a 3,500 lb axle goes from 10 lb of margin to 289 lb. The price sits near $70 a tire in pairs. And 844 ratings at 4.7 stars is the deepest real-world sample in this list, which is worth more on a budget tire than any spec sheet claim.
Who should walk away: anyone with 5,200 lb axles, anyone whose wheels are stamped for 80 psi and who would rather have the E-rated capacity, and anyone who routinely tows above 65 mph. This is a 65 mph tire in practice, and it will tell you so in the form of feathered tread edges if you push it.
- 4.7 stars across 844 ratings, the largest review base of any tire in this roundup
- Molded scuff guard rib takes the curb hit that usually opens a sidewall
- Roughly $70 a tire, so all four cost less than one premium 15-inch tire
- Sold in pairs, so a full set is two orders and possibly two date codes
- Load range D at 65 psi, no path to a 5,200 lb axle
- No published speed symbol on many production runs; treat it as a 65 mph tire
Free Country ST225/75R15 load range E: the matching spare
Free Country ST225/75R15 Load Range E 117N
Most RV spares are a lie. The tire strapped under the frame is often the tire that was replaced five years ago because it was worn, or a load range C original left there when the owner upgraded to E. Fit it after a blowout and you have put the weakest tire on the axle that just proved it is working hardest.
This is the tire to end that. ST225/75R15 stamped 117N is 2,833 lb at 80 psi cold with an 87 mph speed symbol, which is the same service description as the E-rated tires you are already running, so nothing changes when it goes on. It also carries the scuff guard rib, which matters on a spare that lives exposed under a bumper collecting road grit and UV.
Its limit is the same as every ST tire: age, not tread. A spare that has never touched pavement is still finished at five years from its DOT date code. Write the fitting date on the sidewall in paint pen, rotate it into service in year three, and buy a new spare then.
- 117N stamping: 2,833 lb at 80 psi, 87 mph, matching E-rated road tires exactly
- Same molded scuff guard as the 14-inch version
- Sold singly for around $87, so a proper spare costs less than a roadside service call
- 4.6 stars across 354 ratings, solid but not a long-established brand
- Sold as one tire, so a set of four takes four clicks and inconsistent date codes
- Needs a wheel rated to 80 psi to reach its stamped capacity
Roundrule Hikee ST225/75R15: the lowest cost per E-rated tire
Roundrule Hikee ST225/75R15 Load Range E
Four E-rated tires at $83 each is $332 for an axle pair set, against roughly $760 for four Goodyear Endurance. For an owner who camps eight weekends a year and replaces tires on the five-year clock rather than on wear, that gap buys a season of campsites.
What you get for the money is a load range E casing certified to 80 psi with 2,833 lb of capacity in the ST225/75R15 size, semi-steel construction meaning steel belts beneath the tread with a polyester carcass, and a review record of 4.7 stars across 350 buyers. That last figure is the one that separates this from the anonymous tires that gave Chinese ST radials their reputation fifteen years ago.
Be clear about the trade. Roundrule does not publish the load-and-inflation tables or the speed symbol data that Goodyear does, so anything beyond the sidewall stamp is unverifiable. Do not buy this tire if you tow above 65 mph, and do not buy it if being stranded is expensive for you, because no tire shop between Denver and Salt Lake City has one on a shelf.
- Around $83 a tire, the cheapest load range E casing in this comparison
- 4.7 stars across 350 ratings, unusually strong for a low-cost brand
- Semi-steel construction: steel belts under the tread with a polyester body ply
- Roundrule does not publish a speed symbol consistently across production runs
- No US load-and-inflation table, so the sidewall stamp is your only reference
- Nobody stocks it at a truck stop, so a road failure means waiting on shipping
ROCKMAN ST225/75R15 117M: replacing one axle at a time
ROCKMAN ST225/75R15 117M Load Range E (pair)
Tandem trailers do not wear evenly. The rear axle carries more weight during braking and takes the worst of the scrub in tight turns, so it is common to find the rear pair cupped and the front pair fine. Buying two tires instead of four is the correct call, provided both tires on the same axle match.
ROCKMAN sells this one in pairs at around $82 a tire and stamps it 117M: 2,833 lb per tire at 80 psi cold, 81 mph. The M symbol is published, which is more than several competitors at this price manage. Construction is a steel-belted radial rather than bias ply, so it will track behind the tow vehicle rather than wandering.
The thing to plan for is age spread. Fit these to the rear axle now and the front pair is a year or two older, which means in three years you will have two tires at their five-year limit and two with life left. Write the fitting date on all four and replace on the older pair’s clock, not the newer pair’s tread.
- Sold in twos, which matches how an axle pair is actually replaced
- 117M stamping: 2,833 lb at 80 psi with a published 81 mph speed symbol
- Steel belted radial construction at roughly $82 a tire
- 4.6 stars across 56 ratings is a small sample
- M speed symbol is 6 mph below the Goodyear's N
- Buying two now and two later leaves two years of age difference across the tandem
NAMA NM616 ST205/75R15: the 15-inch set for small trailers
NAMA NM616 ST205/75R15 Load Range E (set of 4)
ST205/75R15 is an awkward size. It is what a lot of 18 to 22 foot trailers and larger boat trailers run, and most of what is sold in it is load range C at 1,820 lb, which leaves nothing spare on a 3,500 lb axle. Finding the same size in load range E is the whole reason this set is here.
The set ships four tires together, which fixes the date-code spread problem for around $275 total. The casing is load range E, certified to 80 psi cold. Read the capacity off the sidewall rather than from any listing: NAMA publishes no US load-and-inflation table for the NM616, and the sidewall stamp is the legally binding figure. That is not a knock unique to NAMA, it is true of most house-brand ST tires, and it is the single habit that would prevent most trailer tire overload.
Skip it if your 15-inch wheels are stamped 65 psi, because you will be running an E-rated tire at D-rated pressure and paying for nothing. Skip it too if you want a documented speed symbol, since NAMA’s is not consistently published.
- Set of four with matched date codes for around $275 total
- Load range E casing certified to 80 psi in a size usually sold only in C and D
- 200+ units a month sold, so replacements stay available
- NAMA does not publish a US load table, so the sidewall stamp is the only capacity figure to trust
- 4.5 stars across 92 ratings, the thinnest evidence base of the radials here
- Needs a 15-inch wheel rated to 80 psi, which many small-trailer rims are not
All-steel ST225/75R15 14-ply: the upgrade for toy haulers
All-Steel ST225/75R15 14-Ply 124/121M (set of 4)
The pattern that sends people here: a toy hauler with a side-by-side in the garage, 6,000 lb axles, and a load range E tire that failed in its second season with tread left. E-rated tires were not undersized on paper. They were undersized in heat, because a polyester body ply flexes, flexing makes heat, and heat is what destroys trailer tires.
All-steel construction changes that. Steel runs through the body plies and the belts, so the sidewall flexes less and sheds heat faster. This set is stamped 124/121M: 3,527 lb per tire as a single, 3,197 lb in dual position, 81 mph, at 110 psi cold. On 6,000 lb axles that is 527 lb of margin per corner, against a load range E tire that would be 167 lb short.
The hard prerequisite is the wheel. A 110 psi tire on an 80 psi rim is a wheel failure waiting to happen, and 15-inch trailer wheels rated to 110 psi are a specific purchase, usually a 14-ply-compatible steel or aluminium rim. Budget for wheels and tires together or do not start.
- 3,527 lb per tire at 110 psi, a 24% jump over load range E in the same size
- Steel body plies, not just steel belts, so the sidewall resists flex heat
- 4.7 stars across 265 ratings, the strongest record among the heavy-duty sets
- Needs wheels stamped for 110 psi; standard 15-inch trailer rims are 80 psi
- $527 for the set of four, roughly double the budget E-rated sets
- Ride is harsh enough that cabinet latches and TV mounts become the weak point
All-steel ST235/80R16 16-ply: the fifth wheel answer
All-Steel ST235/80R16 16-Ply 130/126M (set of 4)
Do the arithmetic on a 15,000 lb fifth wheel and the problem is obvious. Two 7,000 lb axles means 3,500 lb per tire minimum. The ST235/80R16 load range E that came on it holds 3,420 lb at 80 psi. The tire is 80 lb short of the axle rating before a single case of water goes in the basement, and the owner spends five years wondering why the curbside tire keeps failing.
Load range H in the same size is stamped 130/126M: 4,189 lb per tire as a single, 3,748 lb in a dual position, 81 mph, at 125 psi cold. That is 689 lb of margin per corner. The casing is all-steel, so the body plies as well as the belts carry steel, which is what keeps sidewall temperature down on a 300 mile day in Arizona.
Two prerequisites, both non-negotiable. The wheels must be stamped for 125 psi, and most factory 16-inch fifth wheel rims are 80 psi units. And you need an air source that reaches 125 psi cold, which rules out most 12 V inflators; check the portable air compressors that reach trailer tire pressures before you commit to this load range.
- 4,189 lb per tire at 125 psi, which is what a 7,000 lb axle actually needs
- All-steel casing rated load range H, two ranges above the common E-rated 235/80R16
- Set of four with matched date codes
- Requires 16-inch wheels rated to 125 psi, which most fifth wheels do not have from the factory
- $659 for four, before wheels
- 125 psi is beyond many portable compressors, so inflation needs a real air source
Tire and wheel assemblies: when the rim is the problem
Buy a mounted assembly when the existing wheel is rusted, bent or seized to the hub, or when you want a spare that needs no shop visit. An assembly arrives as a tire already mounted, balanced and inflated on a matching rim, which turns a two-hour errand into five lug nuts.
GarveeTech ST205/75D14 Tire and Wheel Assembly (pair)
Salt does the damage. A boat trailer wheel that has been dunked in brackish water for six seasons corrodes where the rim meets the bead, the tire loses air slowly all winter, and by spring the lug nuts have seized to the studs. Replacing the tire alone means paying a shop to fight a wheel that is finished anyway.
This assembly comes as a mounted, inflated ST205/75D14 on a 5-lug wheel with a 4.5-inch bolt circle, sold in pairs at roughly $89 per corner. Load range C carries 1,760 lb per tire at 50 psi cold. And 436 buyers at 4.9 stars is the highest satisfaction figure of any product here, which for a fit-and-forget purchase is the metric that matters.
Read the size carefully before ordering. ST205/75D14 uses D for diagonal, meaning bias-ply construction, where the body cords cross at an angle instead of running radially. Bias tires are cheaper, tolerate curb abuse better, and run hotter and wander more at highway speed. They are appropriate on a utility or boat trailer that sees 50 miles at a time and wrong under a travel trailer crossing Nevada. At 1,760 lb per tire, a 3,500 lb axle is also at its limit with no margin, so this is a small-trailer solution, not a camper solution.
- 4.9 stars across 436 ratings, the highest rating in this roundup
- Ships mounted and inflated on a 5-lug, 4.5-inch bolt-circle wheel
- Around $89 per assembled wheel, less than a tire plus a rim plus mounting
- ST205/75D14 is a bias-ply tire, not a radial: the D in the size is the giveaway
- Load range C at 1,760 lb per tire, which is marginal on a 3,500 lb axle
- Bolt pattern must match exactly; 5 on 4.5 is common but 5 on 5 exists on the same trailers
Two other assemblies fill the gaps this one leaves. For 15-inch, 5-on-4.5 utility trailers, Garvee sells the same concept in ST205/75D15: Check the 15-inch Garvee assembly . For 6-lug travel trailers that need a radial rather than a bias tire, eCustomrim’s ST225/75R15 load range E assembly is the closest equivalent, at 2,833 lb per tire on a 6-lug rim: Check the eCustomrim radial assembly .
Match three things before buying any assembly: bolt count and bolt circle (5 on 4.5, 5 on 5, 6 on 5.5 are all common), centre bore, and the wheel’s stamped pressure rating against the tire’s load range. A 5-on-4.5 wheel will not sit on a 5-on-5 hub even though both have five studs.
Motorhome tires: bought by size at a tire shop, not by brand online
Motorhome tires are a size-and-date purchase made at a commercial truck tire dealer, because the tires that belong on a Class A or a Class C are sold, mounted and torqued by shops rather than shipped in boxes. Michelin’s XZE and XRV lines, Toyo’s M154 and M144, Sailun’s S637 and Continental’s HSR series are the names that show up on motorhome placards, and none of them are meaningfully available as a boxed Amazon purchase for the sizes that matter.
There are three practical reasons for that. A 22.5-inch commercial tire weighs 110 to 140 lb and needs a machine most tire shops do not own. Mounting on a 22.5 wheel requires torque specs in the 450 to 500 lb-ft range on the lug nuts. And the tires must be balanced, often with internal balancing beads or a Centramatic ring, in a way a passenger tire shop is not set up to do.
What to do instead of shopping by brand:
- Read the sidewall and the placard. Common motorhome sizes are 235/80R22.5, 245/70R19.5, 255/80R22.5, 275/70R22.5 and 295/80R22.5. The placard inside the entry door or in a cabinet gives the size, the load range and the cold pressure your chassis maker specified.
- Weigh the coach, corner by corner, loaded. Escapees SmartWeigh and many RV rallies offer four-corner weighing. The heaviest corner on each axle sets the pressure for that whole axle, from the manufacturer’s load-and-inflation table.
- Ask for the date code before the tire is mounted. A commercial tire that has been on a rack for two years has spent two of its five to seven years already. Anything older than 12 months from the date code is worth refusing.
- Use an RV-focused programme. FMCA’s Michelin Advantage programme and Good Sam’s tire programme both give members set pricing at participating commercial dealers, which usually beats retail on 22.5 sizes by a wide margin.
22.5-inch tires on a Class A: what changes
A 22.5 tire is a commercial steer or all-position casing, and the load rating drops when the tire runs in a dual pair. A 275/70R22.5 in load range H is commonly rated around 6,175 lb single and 5,675 lb dual, which is why a tag-axle coach with a 20,000 lb rear axle needs the dual figure, not the single one, times four. Pressures run 95 to 120 psi cold depending on the load table, and a 5 psi error on a 22.5 tire moves the load capacity by hundreds of pounds.
Cost is the other shock. Budget $400 to $700 per tire installed for a name-brand 22.5, so a set of six on a Class A runs $2,500 to $4,500, and a tag axle coach on eight tires runs higher. That figure is why motorhome tire age matters so much: almost nobody wears out a 22.5 motorhome tire, everybody replaces them on the calendar.
How long do RV tires last, and when do you replace them?
Replace ST trailer tires at 5 years from the date code regardless of tread depth, and motorhome tires at 5 to 7 years with annual inspection after year 5. Trailer tires almost never reach their tread limit. They fail from age, heat and ozone, and the tread depth tells you nothing about the condition of the casing underneath it.
The mileage numbers make the point. A travel trailer that goes to four campgrounds a year covers maybe 2,500 miles. Over five years that is 12,500 miles on a tire with a tread pattern good for 40,000. Meanwhile the tire has been through five summers of UV, five winters of thermal cycling, and 250 days a year of sitting still with the entire trailer weight on one contact patch.
| Tire | Replace at | Inspect from | The failure that ends it |
|---|---|---|---|
| ST trailer, load range C–E | 5 years | Year 3 | Sidewall cracking, belt separation |
| ST trailer, all-steel G/H | 5–6 years | Year 3 | Sidewall cracking |
| LT on Class B/C | 6–7 years | Year 5 | Age or tread, whichever comes first |
| 19.5 / 22.5 motorhome | 7 years maximum | Year 5, annually | Age; tread rarely reaches limits |
| Spare, never used | Same clock as road tires | Year 3 | Ozone and UV, unloaded |
Four signs mean replace now regardless of the calendar: cracks in the sidewall or between the tread blocks deep enough to catch a fingernail, a bulge anywhere on the sidewall (that is a broken body cord and it is finished), uneven wear across the tread that persists after alignment, and any tire that has been run flat or badly underinflated even once, because the sidewall has already been damaged internally.
How to read a DOT date code
The last four digits of the DOT code on the sidewall are the week and the year of manufacture. A code ending 2224 means the 22nd week of 2024, so late May 2024. The full code starts with DOT and runs 10 to 13 characters; only the final four matter to you.
The date code appears in full on one sidewall only, and manufacturers are permitted to stamp a partial code on the other side. If you cannot find a four-digit date, look at the other side of the tire before assuming the tire is pre-2000. On a mounted trailer tire the coded side often faces inward, which means crawling under the fender with a flashlight, and it is worth doing on any used trailer before money changes hands.
How much do RV tires cost?
Trailer tires run $70 to $210 per tire, all-steel heavy-duty sets $130 to $170 per tire, and motorhome 22.5-inch tires $400 to $700 per tire installed. The size and load range set the price far more than the brand does.
| What you are buying | Price per tire | Set cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ST205/75R14 load range D | $65–80 | $260–320 for four | Mounting adds $20–25 each |
| ST225/75R15 load range E, budget brand | $80–95 | $320–380 for four | Most common trailer replacement |
| ST225/75R15 Goodyear Endurance | $180–210 | $720–840 for four | US-built, N speed symbol |
| All-steel ST225/75R15 14-ply | $130–135 | $520–540 for four | Needs 110 psi wheels |
| All-steel ST235/80R16 16-ply | $160–170 | $650–670 for four | Needs 125 psi wheels |
| Tire and wheel assembly, 14-inch | $85–95 | $170–190 per pair | No mounting cost |
| 19.5-inch motorhome | $300–450 installed | $1,800–2,700 for six | Class C and super C |
| 22.5-inch motorhome | $400–700 installed | $2,500–4,500 for six | Class A |
Costs people forget: mounting and balancing at $20 to $25 a wheel for trailer tires, new valve stems at $3 to $10 each (replace them every time, rubber stems age exactly like tires do), disposal fees of $3 to $5 a tire, and TPMS sensor rebuild kits if you run internal sensors. On a 22.5 tire, add a road-force balance or balancing beads.
The cheapest way to buy trailer tires is a full set shipped to your door and mounted at a local independent shop that charges for labour only. The most expensive is buying one tire at a time at a highway service call, where the same tire plus a callout runs $250 to $400.
Why ST tires get inflated to the sidewall maximum
Inflate ST trailer tires to the maximum cold pressure stamped on the sidewall, every time. This is the opposite of the rule for a car or a motorhome, and it is the single most common trailer tire mistake.
An ST tire only reaches its stamped load capacity at its stamped pressure. A load range E ST225/75R15 carries 2,833 lb at 80 psi. At 65 psi that same casing carries roughly 2,400 lb, and nobody prints that number where you can see it. Because trailer axles cannot be corner-weighed reliably in the field and trailer loading changes every trip, the industry answer is to run the maximum and accept the harsher ride.
Three rules that follow from it:
- Cold means cold. Set the pressure before the first mile of the day, not at a rest stop 200 miles in. A hot trailer tire reads 8 to 12 psi higher and bleeding it down to the sidewall figure leaves you underinflated when it cools.
- The wheel is the ceiling. If the rim is stamped 65 psi and the tire is stamped 80, you inflate to 65 and accept the lower capacity, or you buy wheels. Never exceed the wheel’s rating.
- Check every travel day. A trailer tire that is 20% underinflated builds enough sidewall heat to fail within an hour at highway speed, and it does not look flat. This is the failure mode behind most trailer blowouts.
Motorhomes work the other way. An LT or commercial tire’s pressure comes from the manufacturer’s load-and-inflation table applied to your actual corner weights, and running max sidewall pressure on a lightly loaded motorhome gives you a crowned contact patch, centre wear and a jarring ride.
The “China bomb” reputation, and what actually destroys trailer tires
“China bomb” is RV forum slang for cheap imported ST trailer tires that failed at highway speed during the 2000s and 2010s. The failures were real, and the explanation was more complicated than the country stamped on the sidewall.
The documented history: from the mid-2000s, most ST tires sold in the US were built in Asia to a price. Goodyear moved Marathon production offshore in that period and the model’s reputation fell sharply. NHTSA has run multiple investigations into trailer tire failures, and in 2015 published research showing that trailer tires were routinely being operated overloaded and underinflated in real-world use. The agency’s response was a rule requiring more visible load and inflation information on trailer tires, not a ban on imports.
What actually kills a trailer tire, in order of frequency:
- Underinflation. The largest single cause. Heat in an underinflated sidewall separates the belts, and the tire fails minutes to hours later, usually at speed on a hot day.
- Overload. Load range C tires under a trailer that was already at its GVWR when it left the factory, then loaded with batteries, water and gear.
- Age. A five-year-old ST tire has lost sidewall flexibility whether or not it has been driven.
- Speed. Running an unrated or L-rated ST tire at 75 mph, where heat generation climbs steeply.
- Road hazard and curb damage. The gouge in the sidewall from two seasons ago that finally opens up.
Country of manufacture is a proxy for build quality, not a cause of failure. Today several Asian-built ST tires carry published speed symbols, steel belt packages and review records in the thousands, while the fastest route to a blowout is still a US-built tire run 20 psi low under an overloaded trailer. Buy on load range, speed symbol, date code and inflation discipline, and the flag on the sidewall becomes a tiebreaker rather than a verdict.
Which Goodyear RV tires were recalled?
Goodyear recalled the G159 275/70R22.5 tire in 2022, after a long NHTSA investigation into its use on Class A motorhomes. The G159 was designed in the 1990s as a regional delivery truck tire rated for 65 mph, then fitted as original equipment to motorhome chassis that cruise at 70 and above. Heat build-up at sustained highway speed was the mechanism, and the recall covered the small number still in service by then, the tire having been out of production since 2003.
Two clarifications matter for anyone reading that headline today. The recall does not touch the Goodyear Endurance, which is a different, current-production ST trailer tire launched in 2017. And the Goodyear Marathon, the model most often complained about on RV forums, was not recalled; its reputation problem came from a production shift and from being fitted at the edge of its load capacity, not from a defect finding.
To check any tire, take the full DOT code off the sidewall and run it through NHTSA’s recall lookup at nhtsa.gov, which searches by tire identification number. Manufacturers also register recalls by DOT code, so a dealer can check for you at no charge. Do this on any used RV before purchase and on any tire you find already mounted on a used trailer.
Do trailer tires need to be balanced?
Yes, balance trailer tires, even though many shops will tell you it is unnecessary. A trailer has no steering wheel to transmit vibration, so an out-of-balance tire feels like nothing from the driver’s seat while it shakes the trailer frame, the cabinets and the appliances for every mile of the trip.
The cost argument is not close: $10 to $15 a wheel at mounting time, against cupped tread that shortens tire life and against cabinet hinges and TV mounts that work loose. Balancing also makes cupping visible as a diagnostic; a tire that will not balance within spec is usually telling you the casing is out of round.
Two alternatives to spin balancing on the machine. Balancing beads poured into the tire redistribute themselves at speed and self-correct as the tread wears, and they are the standard approach on 22.5 motorhome tires. Centramatic-style balancer rings bolt behind the wheel and do the same job externally on motorhomes and heavy trailers. Neither is necessary on a small utility trailer running bias-ply tires at 50 miles a trip.
Alignment is the other half of this. Trailer axles bend. A trailer that wears the inside edge of one tire and the outside edge of another has a bent or shifted axle, and no amount of balancing fixes it. Axle alignment shops can shim or straighten, and doing it before you fit new tires stops the new set wearing the same way.
How to stop RV tires dry rotting in storage
Cover the tires, keep them inflated, park them on wood or plastic rather than bare asphalt, and move the rig a few feet every month or two. Dry rot is ozone and UV attacking the rubber’s surface, and it happens fastest on a stationary tire in direct sun.
-
Inflate to the sidewall maximum before storage
A tire stored soft develops a flat spot and a stressed sidewall at the flex point. Expected: full cold pressure, checked again after the first cold snap.
-
Park on wood, rubber mats or plastic blocks
Asphalt reaches 150 °F in summer and leaches oils; bare soil holds moisture against the rim. A 12 x 12 inch pad wider than the tread is enough. Expected: no part of the tire touching asphalt or dirt.
-
Fit opaque tire covers
White vinyl or fabric covers block UV, which is the main driver of sidewall cracking. Expected: sidewalls fully shaded, covers not trapping water against the rim.
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Clean with soap and water only
Petroleum-based tire dressings pull the antiozonant waxes out of the rubber, which accelerates cracking. Use a water-based protectant such as 303 or nothing at all. Expected: matte finish, not glossy.
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Move the rig every 4 to 8 weeks
A quarter turn puts a different section of tread under load and redistributes the antiozonant waxes in the rubber. Expected: the contact patch changes position.
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Disconnect nothing else, but check pressures monthly
Tires lose 1 to 2 psi a month, faster in cold weather. Expected: pressure within 5 psi of the sidewall figure at every check.
Jacking the trailer so tires are off the ground is optional, and it matters most for storage longer than six months. It removes the flat-spot and sidewall-flex issue entirely, but it puts the load on the frame and jack stands, and a poorly supported frame is a worse problem than a flat-spotted tire. For seasonal storage, blocks under the tires and covers over them do most of the work. If you are already carrying pads, the same levelling blocks and pads that go under the jacks work under the tires.
TPMS: the only warning you get before a blowout
A tire pressure monitoring system is the only way to know a trailer tire is losing air, because you cannot see, hear or feel a trailer tire going down from the driver’s seat. A TPMS reads pressure and temperature at each wheel and alarms before the tire has been run flat long enough to destroy itself.
Two numbers explain why this matters more on a trailer than on a car. A trailer tire at 20% below its cold pressure builds enough sidewall heat to separate the belts within about an hour at 60 mph. And a slow leak from a nail typically takes 30 to 60 minutes to reach that point, which is precisely the window a TPMS gives you to pull over.
Get a system with a sensor per wheel including the spare, temperature alerts as well as pressure alerts, and a repeater if your rig is longer than about 30 feet, because the signal from the rearmost sensor has to reach a display in the tow vehicle. Cap-style sensors screw onto the valve stem in seconds and are the practical choice for trailers; internal sensors need the tire dismounted but cannot be stolen. The RV tire pressure monitoring systems worth fitting covers the specific sensor counts and repeater ranges.
Fit metal valve stems if you are running an external sensor at 80 psi or above. The added weight of a sensor on a rubber stem at highway speed flexes the stem base, and that is a slow leak you created yourself.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place to buy RV tires?
For ST trailer tires, order a full set online and pay a local independent shop $20 to $25 a wheel to mount and balance them; that beats retail tire chains, which mark up trailer sizes heavily and often do not stock load range E. For 19.5 and 22.5 motorhome tires, use a commercial truck tire dealer through the FMCA Michelin Advantage programme or the Good Sam tire programme, both of which give members set pricing. Discount Tire and America's Tire will mount customer-supplied trailer tires at most locations.
Can I put LT truck tires on my travel trailer?
Physically yes in some sizes, but you lose capacity. An LT tire's load rating is calculated for a steering, suspended axle; the Tire and Rim Association derates LT tires used in trailer service. An LT235/85R16 load range E rated at 3,042 lb single drops in trailer application, while an ST235/80R16 in the same load range carries 3,420 lb. LT tires also have softer sidewalls, which lets a tall trailer sway more. Fit ST tires unless the trailer manufacturer specifically specifies LT.
Should I run a spare, and does it need to match?
Carry a spare, and make it the same size, load range and pressure rating as the road tires. A load range C spare on a trailer running load range E tires means that after a blowout the spare is the weakest tire on the axle that just failed. Age the spare on the same five-year clock, and rotate it into service in year three so it does not sit unused until it is too old to trust.
Can I mix tire brands across a trailer axle?
Mix brands across axles if you must, never across a single axle. Two tires on the same axle should be the same size, load range and inflation pressure, because they share the axle's load and any mismatch loads one tire more than the other. Different brands with the same service description on the front and rear axle of a tandem is acceptable, though matched date codes across all four is the better practice.
Do trailer tires really have a 65 mph speed limit?
Older ST tires with no speed symbol on the sidewall do: their load ratings were established at 65 mph. Newer ST tires carry L (75 mph), M (81 mph) or N (87 mph) symbols and are tested at those speeds. Even with an N-rated tire, trailer tire temperature rises sharply above 65 mph, and heat is what causes most failures. Look for the letter after the load index; if there is no letter, treat it as a 65 mph tire.
Does tire sealant work in trailer tires?
Sealant handles small tread punctures and does nothing for the sidewall failures and belt separations that cause most trailer tire blowouts. It also coats TPMS sensors, interferes with balancing, and gives some shops grounds to refuse a repair. A TPMS that warns you of a slow leak in time to pull over is a better use of the same money.
How many years are RV tires good for if they are barely driven?
Five years for ST trailer tires and five to seven for motorhome tires, driven or not. A tire stored on a rack ages, and a tire sitting under a parked trailer ages faster because the loaded contact patch is under constant stress and the sun is on the sidewall. Tread depth is not the measurement that matters; the four-digit DOT date code is.
Three jobs to do the same weekend the tires go on
New tires solve one of the four things that put trailer tires on the shoulder of an interstate, and the other three are cheap. Pressure is the first: buy a compressor that reaches your load range’s cold pressure, because a 12 V inflator that stalls at 70 psi is useless on an 80 psi tire, and the portable air compressors and inflators sized for RV tires covers what actually reaches 110 and 125 psi. Monitoring is the second, since a slow leak you cannot see is the failure mode a fresh set of tires does nothing about, and an RV tire pressure monitoring system buys you the 30 minutes you need. The third is knowing your real numbers: the cold pressure your tire type and load range calls for is not the number on the tow vehicle’s door jamb, and the rest of the towing, tires and levelling gear hub covers what goes under the rig once the tires are sorted. Fit the tires, cap the pressure, watch the temperature, and trailer tires stop being the part of the rig you worry about.
RV owner since childhood trips in a Class C. Mr RV Expert is where I write down what actually works after fixing, replacing and testing the gear myself.
About Mr RV Expert →Keep reading in Towing, Tires & Leveling
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