2019 T@B 400 Boondock Tires: Rainier Apex ST235/R75

N7SHG_Ham

I haven't heard of any issues, I think I am around 6000 miles in 18 months or so and they look good. Nonetheless I will probably swap out in spring of 22 which will be around three years from date of manufacture. At that point I may just put the Rainier Apex back on if they have done well.

Brett

After an exhaustive search for replacements for the Rainiers on my 400 BDL, I finally landed on the Goodyear Endurance 225/75/15. I really wanted to try an LT tire, but ultimately decided the load range E tire was the way to go for long range durability and piece of mind on a single axle trailer.  I almost went with the Michelin Defender but didn’t see the point with the reputation of these Goodyear Endurance.  I lost about .6 inches in ground clearance, but not enough to worry about.  

Yeh, they don’t look as aggressive, but they tow like a dream and they should last a long time without incident (fingers crossed). Plus, they’re readily available just about everywhere in this size.  

If you’re  wondering what they look like on the BDL:

bergger

We've only got a few thousand miles on our Rainiers so it'll be a while before we need to replace them but this is good to know.  Let us know how they hold up and perform over time.  Also did you replace your stock spare with a new Endurance and if so does it fit in the factory spare location?  

gulfarea

And being a little smaller diameter it will be easier to remove when a flat occurs. Art

Denny16

The new Goodyear tires look great.  I have heard only good things about them as RV tires.

Also, the trailer tire is not providing power, they just follow along, so the tire only needs to be up to this job in rough trails/roads, as well as highway.  Aggressive tread is only needed on wheels providing traction /and/or steering, and need the extra grip.
cheers

Brett

bergger said:

We've only got a few thousand miles on our Rainiers so it'll be a while before we need to replace them but this is good to know.  Let us know how they hold up and perform over time.  Also did you replace your stock spare with a new Endurance and if so does it fit in the factory spare location?  

I haven't replaced the spare yet. I should, I just haven't gotten to it.  I'll update you when I do.

Denny16 said:

The new Goodyear tires look great.  I have heard only good things about them as RV tires.

Also, the trailer tire is not providing power, they just follow along, so the tire only needs to be up to this job in rough trails/roads, as well as highway.  Aggressive tread is only needed on wheels providing traction /and/or steering, and need the extra grip.
cheers

Understood, I made that comment because folks earlier in this thread were discussing the looks of the tire and that it was important to them.  While I like the looks of the off-road tread and would have liked to have kept them, I too agree that it adds nothing much to the performance. I'm hoping the heavy duty E range tires are strong enough to handle a little off road work as well. 

Denny16

Yes, the AT tread looks cool, but not that functional.  I have read good comments about the Goodyear Endurance tires from Jeep,owners that have used them.  This is going to be the replacement tire I will probably get when it’s time to switch out thenTaB tires.  

Cheers

JeffroNC

I have about 16,000 miles on the GY tires. The trailer tows better with them.

N7SHG_Ham

I just put a set of the GY Endurance on my Wells Cargo, so will be testing them there for at least a year before I decide what to do on the Tab 400. I actually got my 16 year old wheels powder coated and replaced the complete hubs too. About 35k miles, figured it was time for some TLC, tires were GY Marathon about 10 years old, wear was good with only about 10k miles, but didn't trust them due to age, also replaced the original spare made in 2004. Rocking all new parts on the important stuff now, so trailer should be like new!

The wheel powder coating looks good, $90 a wheel to blast them and do the coating. I have already considered doing the Tab wheels in a color to match my trim

DenisP

I have 20k on a set of Endurance D rated tires which have performed very well. The 400 tows very well and I think I picked up fuel economy slightly.  In anticipation of a cross country 10k miles trip, I bought another pair and a new matching alloy wheel and had one of the used GY tires mounted on the steel spare wheel and an alloy for the spare tire.  The change gives me new rubber for the Tab 400 and matching spare with a spare for extended travel. I understand this seems over the top but Peace of mind is important to me.  As a side note the Endurance tires with 20k (2yrs old) still look great and visually look to be only half worn. Very pleased with the investment.

GatorEgg

Just flat out- they’re Chinese bombs.  After having a blow out on I95 on half a year old Chinese tires they are the first things I always change on a trailer.  Goodyear’s are the way to go.  As far as “Boondock” look, phooey.  It’s not a drive axle, it doesn’t need an aggressive tread.  Safety, dependability and piece of mind outweighs a false cool look.

Denny16

The only situation where AT type tread on a trailer wheel works, is in loose sandy or rocky/gravel type roads that are not flat, the the extra tread can help the tire bite into the surface to avoid slipping sideways or skidding when stoping.
For highway or hard surface roads the GY Endurance is better.  So tire choice is down to how you will use your trailer.

I am considering getting an extra set of rims, to have the GY road tire on one set, ant the Apex AT on another, so I can setup for both situations.
cheers

N7SHG_Ham

@Denny16 the sidewalls have what looks to be extra scuff resistance too on the Rainer Apex tires. Could also be a benefit on rough rocky roads. I have destroyed a sidewall on a pickup tire by rubbing against a rock while on a goat path, flat in about 5 seconds, left a good shovel there at the site of the incident!

Denny16

Yes, good point, the extra sidewall tread protection is good to gave on some trails.
cheers

JeffroNC

@N7SHG_Ham I find that cow paths are more forgiving. LOL

gspdx

Denny16 said:

The only situation where AT type tread on a trailer wheel works, is in loose sandy or rocky/gravel type roads that are not flat, the the extra tread can help the tire bite into the surface to avoid slipping sideways or skidding when stoping.
For highway or hard surface roads the GY Endurance is better.  So tire choice is down to how you will use your trailer.

I am considering getting an extra set of rims, to have the GY road tire on one set, ant the Apex AT on another, so I can setup for both situations.
cheers

Very true. Includes muddy off camber roads as well.  One of the reasons I bought this trailer is because we do go in areas that aren't as developed.  So if I was staying in RV parks and on paved roads all the time it wouldn't matter. 

The little extra ground clearance is also appreciated.  I would actually like to get more ground clearance but the Tab axle mount design makes this quite difficult.  

Blueespy

As anyone considered the goodyear wrangler trail runner AT, 225/75R15 as a good replacement for the Rainier tires?

Blueespy

Just priced the GY Endurance on the GY site and they want $513 installed.  Why does that seem awful high

DenisP

@Blueespy Is it for three tires or two?  I paid $335 for two endurance tires, one tire dismounted and three tires mounted and balanced. 

bergger

Blueespy said:

As anyone considered the goodyear wrangler trail runner AT, 225/75R15 as a good replacement for the Rainier tires?

In that size they only have a max load rating of 1,874 lbs per tire.  I would not run those on a 400.  I like the goodyear endurance but do not really want to go down a size and kinda like the more aggressive look of the raniers.  However I may look at these tires for a replacement.  The Nokian Rotiiva AT LT235/75 R15 in load range E1, 2760 lbs load rating per tire.  Just a hair less than the GY Endurance but they look better in my opinion.  Looks like people have used them on their airstreams with good results.  

williedean

So for the folks that have switched to the GY Endurance tire, what air pressure do you run them at? I have heard that you should run them at the max pressure as stated on the sidewall. I have also heard that you should run them less than max because their load rating is much higher the the weight of the 400.

Denny16

The stock TaB tires have a recommended 50psi cold with the max load rated at 75psi warm.  That said you can run them around 45psi for a little smoother ride.  Off road I would air them down to 40psi.
cheers

N7SHG_Ham

I just found an online seller of the OEM Boondock tires, $180 each so an option to maintain factory tire if you wanted.

https://trailersetgo.com/store/rainier-apex-st235-75r15-lrc-off-road-radial-trailer-tire

WilliamA

Just finished my popcorn. An interesting thread for sure. As I have a T@G trailer my tire requirements are much different than a 320 or 400 but some aspects are the same. First, I put over 40,000 miles on the Westlake tires that came on my T@G and they performed flawlessly. Never an issue. I replaced them this spring because they were over 5 years old. I would have put more of the same back on but could only get one in a reasonable amount of time. I replaced them with Cooper 235/75/15 AT's in load range C. (LT's) 
There IS, however, a good reason to run aggressive tires on a trailer. Verna is exactly right. They provide better grip in snow, sand, off-camber situations. It's not a drive axle as stated, but it's a "braking" axle. Lest we forget, a taller tire runs at lower rpm's for a given speed, so less heat and stress. More aggressive tires often have better sidewall/bead protection as well.
 If you stick to the slabs then a road tire is probably fine (except for snow, which I drive in constantly), but if you do forest roads, off-road or even off-camber campsite jogging, you'll grow to appreciate the extra traction. 
They're not just for looks....
WilliamA

DenisP

@williedean For my GY Endurance tires on my 400, I use 62 psi cold. The max is 65psi and I use an arbitrary wiggle room for gauge accuracy. This inflation has worked well for over 20k miles. 

bergger

So does anyone know if a boondock stock Rainer tire will fit in the spare tire space on a 2021 400?  If so I may buy a single tire so the spare is matching.  

qhumberd

bergger said:

So does anyone know if a boondock stock Rainer tire will fit in the spare tire space on a 2021 400?  If so I may buy a single tire so the spare is matching.  

So I had a spare wheel and Rainer tire from the original owner that he gave me with my 400. Was able with some difficulty to get it to fit in place of the stock smaller spare, but I was not happy with it as the holder for the wheel did not match the aluminum rim on the larger Rainer tire, and the wider dimension of the tire was noticeable in the clearance under the tongue. Not a good swap in my mind. I stayed with with original spare.

bergger

qhumberd said:

bergger said:

So does anyone know if a boondock stock Rainer tire will fit in the spare tire space on a 2021 400?  If so I may buy a single tire so the spare is matching.  

So I had a spare wheel and Rainer tire from the original owner that he gave me with my 400. Was able with some difficulty to get it to fit in place of the stock smaller spare, but I was not happy with it as the holder for the wheel did not match the aluminum rim on the larger Rainer tire, and the wider dimension of the tire was noticeable in the clearance under the tongue. Not a good swap in my mind. I stayed with with original spare.

Thanks for the info.  I'll probably just do that.  

ChrisFix

N7SHG_Ham said:

I just found an online seller of the OEM Boondock tires, $180 each so an option to maintain factory tire if you wanted.

https://trailersetgo.com/store/rainier-apex-st235-75r15-lrc-off-road-radial-trailer-tire

It's interesting that this seems like the only place to buy them now. I looked a few months ago, and they were available from Amazon, Walmart, and a couple other places. I wonder if it's a Covid supply issue? 
I've put over 10K miles on my 2021 400's Rainiers and I like them a lot. I'd replace them with the same when the time comes, but I hope they are more widely available by then.

Blueespy

DenisP said:

@Blueespy Is it for three tires or two?  I paid $335 for two endurance tires, one tire dismounted and three tires mounted and balanced. 

After some back and forth, ended up costing me $420 for three installed and balanced.