I dont know what some of you guys are saying... but when I had the GY SR-A on my truck, the thing felt like a water truck. Most horrendous truck tire I have ever had.

6700miles and half gone sounds a little much... but I cant say it enough, the SR-A's really are that bad. I cant beleive they are even considered a truck tire.

One of the reasons factory vehicles come with tires this soft is to capture the guy taking the test drive with the allure of a super plush ride. If you dont beleive me, push on the tire sippets with your thumb and see how much they flex. Tell me that a 6000lb vehicle at highway speeds or turning a corner for that matter isn't going to chew those tires up quick.

 

Are your trailer brakes working properly or is your truck doing all the braking?

 

while i will say that something else is going on here, because it is not just the tires - i can say that the goodyears that come on that truck are absolutely awful. i love goodyear's MT/R series as well as their Duratracs - but the GS-A's are absolutely awful awful tires. i had mine on for 15,000 miles and they were chunking and peeling and wearing very quickly

 

When in tow/haul mode the rear tires are definitely being beat on when the truck is trying to maintain the speed on downhills by downshifting, not even using the truck or trailer brakes at that time. The trailer brakes are working properly, but only when I use the brake pedal.

I don't wonder if I chewed them up last Thursday in the 102 degree scorcher we had as I was trailering to the campground. The combination of extreme road temps coupled with the excess duty cycle of the tow/haul may have been enough to exceed the temperature at which the tire rubber is stable?

 

Also, I measured the distance between fronts and rears on both sides, the right side had an extra 1/8" of distance, would that be enough to crab the rear axle enough to scrub the tires too?

 

1/8" well within acceptable limits.

Brad

 

Sorry, I should have added "...when not towing."

Of course tire pressure is critical when the truck is loaded heavier than the 'everyday' weight, and underinflation at any time can cause handling and wear problems. What I was specifically addressing was your previous comment...

...which is incorrect. The max load carrying capacity of any tire is presumed to be at, or very near, maximum inflation pressure as it is critical to structural integrity. That includes, as you rightly stated, sidewall stiffness, but also includes the ability of the tire to carry the load without overheating. Underinflation will cause the tire to overheat, meaning that max load WILL require inflation pressure beyond the everyday-driving rating (presuming the tire is mounted on a rim that falls within the mfgs recommended widths for the tire). The 41 PSI recommendation for towing in my owners manual takes into account heating while in use. It's allowing for the 30 or 40 deg F of heating that will occur, leaving the three extra psi as a hedge against heat-related pressure increases so the tires do not exceed the 44 psi max inflation rating.

Brad

 

I ran my SR-A's 61,000 miles, and they were just starting to feather when I replaced them. FX4, rotated tires every other oil change (15-17k). Your wear isn't normal. I still had almost 30% tread when I traded.


-Andy

 

Sorry, but that is incorrect when talking about most P series tires. True for LT, but he has P series.

While the tire may have a higher maximum pressure, it's maximum load carrying ability is reached at 35, unless it is an XL tire. Then it is 41.

http://www.spiriteddrives.com/tire-specs-explained/

 

Then I stand corrected on load rating. But I still maintain that a tire loaded to at or near its maximum will run cooler, thus wear better, than a tire inflated to the minimum pressure needed to "meet" the load rating criteria. Safer, too, as the sidewall flex will be minimized and help the tire resist side-loading failures better.

Brad

 

I agree with what you say except the safer part. Running close to max would be cooler and safer in most average driving conditons, but a max inflated tire will get less traction and not hold the road as well when used on wet or snow covered roads. The same is probably true for braking on dry roads. There are advantages to both higher and lower inflation rates and it pays to adjust pressure accordingly. There is no one "right" answer IMO.

 

Keep in mind that what I said was in the context of towing, not everyday driving. When pulling a trailer with several hundred to several thousand pounds of hitch weight, traction is not an issue. What loss of traction there is due to inflation pressure is several time less than the extra traction you get from added weight of the trailer.

As for pulling a trailer on snow-covered roads? No. Friggin. Way. Unless someone's life depends on it, that trailer will just have to stay home until the road clears.

Sidewall flex, however, is an issue. A big one. People have no clue how much side loading there is on a tire when towing a heavy load. Given a heavy trailer, a modestly low tire, and a hard turn & brake, and you can roll a tire right off the bead with relative ease, or cause an inevitable failure (like a split or cut) to happen sooner, and usually at the worst possible moment. Having a back tire let go during a turn while towing a trailer with a couple thou tongue weight and loaded to 15 or 20k can be... exciting.

Brad

 

Update?