RE: Re [VAL] TIRES!

["Forrest McClure" <forrest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gerald,

The way I see it, comparing tires for an automobile with tires for a trailer
is like comparing apples to oranges. The application and dynamics are quite
different. I'm not saying that radial tires shouldn't be used on trailers,
but on the other hand the list hasn't been reporting complete and total tire
failure with bias belted tires - all the reports in that regard seem to be
for radial tires, and no one seems to know exactly why. Perhaps the radial
tire does provide more footprint and resists sideways motion more than a
bias belted tire, but while that may be good for the tow vehicle it doesn't
necessarily mean that it is a good characteristic for the towed vehicle.
Perhaps the radial tires are experiencing tread separation as a trailer tire
precisely because of their road hugging and tracking character?

Forrest