Thursday, Jun 28, 2018 at 23:43
My opinion below, as regards tyres, after several decades of tyre buying and use, running into literally thousands of tyres.
Bridgestone - Generally excellent. Just watch out for the Bridgestone factory rejects sold on eBay.
Michelin - Excellent, but pricey. No longer the leading tyre in the world.
Goodyear - Highly variable, according to tyre type. They seem to have improved in recent years.
B.F. Goodrich - Highly variable quality, according to tyre type. I long ago decided there were better tyre brands around.
Toyos - Very very good, on a par with Bridgestone.
Sumitomo - Quite good, but hard to find, and limited range.
Kumho - Very good, nearly up with Bridgestone.
Maxxis - Made in Taiwan, often hard to find, good quality.
Continental - good quality, hard to find, rarely cheap.
Pirelli - Variable quality, according to tyre type. Quite often too soft for our conditions.
Dunlop - Not nicknamed "Banglops" for no reason. Some of the worst tyre performance I've endured, came from Dunlops.
Chinese tyres - Highly variable in quality. Some good, some just plain cheap rubbish. Look for who they got their tyre technology from (a lot of the more common Chinese tyre manufacturers got their tyre technology from Bridgestone, Sumitomo, Michelin, and European manufacturers such as Continental).
I find it useful, but not of over-riding importance to have the same wheels and tyres on the trailer/camper/van, as on the tow vehicle.
The problem with that setup is, that if you need to swap tow vehicles, you often end up with a mismatch.
The single important feature is to have trailer/camper/van tyres fitted that have adequate load capacity, and speed rating.
You might be surprised to find how many trailer/camper/van tyres are running at their limit - particularly seeing as most towed items are loaded to the max.
Lower profile and heavier wall tyres will reduce trailer sway movement - at the expense of poorer off-road capability in the case of the former, and heat buildup at highway speeds, in the latter.
Always remember your trailer/camper/van tyres collect all the road
debris and rocks thrown up by the tow vehicle. As a result, cheap tyres are always a risk.
Cheers, Ron.
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