New Tires for 2021 Tab400 BD - a few questions?

xdr

We need to have new tires installed on our 400 due to an issue on a recent trip and we are not interested in getting the same Rainer Apex tires.
After talking to our dealer, they highly recommend the Goodyear Endurance 225 75R15 which looks like a really nice tire specifically manufactured for trailers. Nucamp advised us to get the Goodyear Trailrunner 235 75R15 which is a light truck tire. We prefer not to lose any suspension height as we do a lot of rougher road camping in mud, sand and rocky conditions and it looks like we would lose ~.5" of ride height with the endurance tires. The Endurance also has more of a road tread versus the Trailrunner which has a more aggressive offroad tread. 

Are there any functional reasons to stick with the Trailrunner light truck tires?
Or will we notice any difference if we use the Endurance tire?
Does the more aggressive tread on the Trailrunner help in rough terrain conditions, enough to make a difference?

I did read several threads here on this topic but it was not clear to me which tire was the better choice for our Boondock. 

Thank you!
x

manyman297

I just went through all of this when our Rainiers started cracking earlier this year. They honored their warranty and gave us a great refund on the tires. 

I looked at the wranglers, endurance and a million other options but ultimately landed on the Hankook Vantra trailer tire. It’s identical spec-wise to the endurance and was much cheaper. 

Yeah the wrangler looks aggressive but it’s actually rated towards the bottom end of the load range for the 400. I’m sure it would be fine but I liked the idea of having an E rated tire. I don’t even notice the 1/2” and we do occasionally travel on dirt roads. 

The only time aggressive tread might come into play is with lateral sliding so there’s an argument to be made there. But it also depends on how you’re mainly using the camper. 

WayneW

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but 1/2” difference in tire circumference would result in a ride height difference of 1/4”, wouldn’t it?  Half of that half inch circumference difference is above the axle, half below. 

I would think there would be few cases where that difference would make or break the ability to go on a particular two track. We also do a lot of dirt road and two track stuff to get to some nice campsites and I’m going to have to make a similar tire decision soon. We’ve got a 320 so the load requirement is less but the clearance is a consideration. 

manyman297

@WayneW You have to imagine that the axle is dropping the entire 1/2" so the overall ride height is dropping 1/2". If the axle were stationary then you'd be correct where 1/4" would be coming off the top and bottom. 

Edit: After replying I had a "eureka" moment and YOU ARE CORRECT. I'm thinking about the entire circumference and not the axle. Yes, the axle drops 1/4" which means the ride height only drops 1/4"...back to geometry 101 for me. 

xdr

That 1/4” seems insignificant in the overall scheme of things. I think the GY Endurance will work well for us. Just need my new rim to get here now. 

Thank you both for the input. 

x

Binghi

Also, in case of a flat, it will be easier to maneuver that Endurance tire out from under the trailer wheel well.