ST Tire Manufacturers: Any Difference?

Originally Posted by tgpmd1

Thanks for the advice. Sometimes I think the guys at the truck/RV shop don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe because I'm not a guy, that makes them the 'expert'. I'm fixed on adding the lift kit to my TM.

Asked the DH if he had any idea on where to buy tires as someone suggested and the one experience he had a few years ago with getting a nail hole plugged was not good. He left the nail in to show where the leak was at. $25 and a few hours to fix a tire that he took off and brought it soured his trust in tire shops. Also, you won't believe the price of gas out here. We always find cheaper gas the farther we travel from D.C. We love getting away from the city where everything is a bit more laid back than at home.

Another possible avenue, is to order the tires on the wheels, already mounted and balanced. They would show up at your door complete, and all you have to do is bolt them on. Discount Tire Direct offers this, as well as the Maxxis and Goodyear tires. Personally, I have never been a Carlisle trailer tire fan.

You can check their weblink out below, but I would call their number to see about the wheels. If you do purchase from them, explain that you want metal clamp-in style stems ( TR-416 is the stem number) installed in the wheels. (pic below)



http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/home.do

[pauloh]

Originally Posted by wmtire

If you do purchase from them, explain that you want metal clamp-in style stems ( TR-416 is the stem number) installed in the wheels.

Is there any reason you recommend that particular metal valve stem? Just wondering. I'm having my new tires mounted soon (on the original TM 15-inch rims) and was going to have the local garage doing it use steel valve stems (they said they have them but I know know what brand/length right now). I googled the TR-416 and see them offered at several vendors, along with many other types. If these work best I'll order them and hand over to the tire shop with my tires and rims. I plan to install tire pressure monitors on the stems (SecuTire) also...am assuming I wouldn't want real long stems with the TPM out on the end.

Originally Posted by pauloh

was going to have the local garage doing it use steel valve stems (they said they have them but I know know what brand/length right now). I googled the TR-416 and see them offered at several vendors, along with many other types. If these work best I'll order them and hand over to the tire shop with my tires and rims. I plan to install tire pressure monitors on the stems (SecuTire) also...am assuming I wouldn't want real long stems with the TPM out on the end.

It's all in the terminology used. You really have to watch different places, as they don't actually use the correct term (or understand you, when you use the correct term).

That's just a standard industry stem number and is irregardless of brand name. Most likely the ones you were going to get from your garage would be the TR-416 anyway.......if they were going to use a clamp-in type stem (which is the kind that are bolted in with a nut)

Some shops may refer to a metal stem, as a snap-in (not the correct clamp-in stem) high pressure stem, pic below. These are industry stamped as TR600HP



They also may refer to what we call enkei stems as a metal stem.

That is the reason I hate to just say metal stems, here in the forums. It can lead to confusion, as it already does with the professionals. You technically want a metal 'clamp-in' stem (TR-416 is the most common for our purpose). They also make shorter and longer versions of this type of clamp in valve stem which will have a different TR number. You can also use the shorter TR-416B since you are using attached tire pressure sensors, and be just as good.

You tell them that you want a TR-416, and it is hard for them to say they misunderstood what you wanted. Anyone in the tire business should be able to look that one up, even if they aren't properly knowledgeable about it.

Here is a chart showing just some of the clamp-in type valve stems. Note the industry TR numbers, which identify the type.



P.S. If you just want some useless information to take up space in your brain, the rubber snap-in valve stem that comes standard on our trailmanors is a TR-413 (if you want to look it up). LOL

[OneMoBear]

Originally Posted by pauloh

An update to earlier posts here, which may assist someone pondering new tires: I'm in a rural area far from the big tire stores, so chose to order my tires online at discounttiredirect.com (the online version of Discount Tire, a national chain). They seemed to have the best prices with free shipping. I ordered the Maxxis 225/75 - 15" ST "E" range tire ($121. each, I ordered 3 to include my spare). Got a call next morning from a nice service manager (who said he was in Phoenix) explaining they did not have that tire in stock, trying to get me to order "D" rated they had in stock, but offering to call (either Maxxis or his supplier, I'm not sure which) to see how long it would take to get the "E". This I hope he did, before he emailed me the next day that they weren't currently available and that there was no information about when they would be again; did I want to backorder "E" tires or get the "D" tires now. I had been waffling on whether to order the "D" or "E" range anyway (see previous discussions), so I just ordered the "D" instead (these were also cheaper at $108. each, delivered by UPS). Anxious to get them on the TM and move on...

FYI, the tires are not boxed/bagged or anything, just 1 loose tire and the other 2 tied together with plastic straps, shipping labels stuck on them. (UPS man baffled why I only ordered 3 tires for my NTM 2005 Toyota 4Runner. I pointed to TM.) The tires look good, each one has a date code of 5109, which I decipher to mean they were made in the 51st week (late December) of 2009, so about 15 months old. I had asked the service mgr. about the issue of "old tires"--he stated that Discount Tire has so much sales turnover on tires, they never ship anything older than 18 months from manufacture, and to return the tires if I was unhappy for any reason. I'm OK with tires of this age, they sure look "fresh" for over a year old.

So now I'll take off my old TM tires/rims, go down to the local service station and get them changed to the new tires adding the steel valve stems, put on the ebay tire pressure monitors I just bought (Secutire wireless tire pressure monitors, 4 for about $25.), http://tinyurl.com/4dvwnw5 , get the tires balanced, put them on the TM, and go for a test drive (once that last snow drift between the TM and the road melts down). Hope I don't drive over a nail in the first mile.

So, I've been checking online and we stopped by a Discount Tire store today while we were out running errands to ask about the Maxiis tires. They don't stock them but said they could get them.

We asked about the old age issue. Sure enough, they called (I'm pretty sure) the same supplier in Phoenix. He told us that they have 6 of those tires left, that they only get one shipment a year from Maxiis and that they don't know how old the tires are until they get them. He didn't exactly say that no doubt the tires they have now are older. On line $108, in store $134. He recommended Carlisles . . .

Malinda

WMTIRE, what is a good "ball park " price for a metal 'clamp-in' stem TR-416?
Thanks.

Dealer cost is usually around a $1.50- $2ish, depending on how many you buy.

[Barb&Tim]

Originally Posted by moaboy

WMTIRE, what is a good "ball park " price for a metal 'clamp-in' stem TR-416?
Thanks.

3.19 @ our NAPA for their NTH 90-416 (But I notice NAPA prices vary by location)

https://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/R...rd|Keyword&N=0

Caution--Bought these at NAPA and found that some of the stems were not all the same even though they were all in the same blister package with the same part #. The difference was the length of the threads used to tighten them on the wheel. The short threaded ones would not allow me to get the nut onto the threads. Returned the short threaded ones to NAPA and swapped them out.

Tim

[pauloh]

Originally Posted by Barb&Tim

3.99 @ NAPA for their NTH 90416

http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Res...rd|Keyword&N=0

I've ordered these (ebay photo) from ebay, $8.99 for 4 stems incl. shipping, am awaiting arrival this week. They appear to be the same as I saw at other vendors for a bit more (they get you on the shipping cost), though I didn't check NAPA. I thought these looked short, which might be a little better for mounting tire pressure monitors on them.

Originally Posted by pauloh

I've ordered these (ebay photo) from ebay, $8.99 for 4 stems incl. shipping, am awaiting arrival this week. They appear to be the same as I saw at other vendors for a bit more (they get you on the shipping cost), though I didn't check NAPA. I thought these looked short, which might be a little better for mounting tire pressure monitors on them.

That's a pretty good deal.

We had the following happen to another member, which is why I am going to explain it again. In your pic, you will notice that there are two rubber grommets on each stem. They include the two grommets, depending on which size valve stem hole you have in your wheel. The grommet at the bottom of the stem is the one that will fit standard trailmanor wheels, and actually most wheels in general. It is for a .453 valve hole.

The rubber grommet at the top of the stem is for a size .625 valve hole. Most likely, your wheel valve stem hole is not this size, so you just THROW it away. You will NOT use both grommets. You would just use one, and if you had to use the .625 one, you would slide the .453 off and replace it with the .625 one. You DO NOT use one on the inside and one on the outside (which another one of our members had happen to him at a tire store, as they incorrectly installed these stems in his wheels).

I am telling you this, so you can watch and make sure the tire guy does it right, as he may not have experience with a clamp-in stem. Take the top rubber grommet off, unscrew the nut, and remove the chrome washer. Set these aside.

1.You will slide the correct rubber grommet on the metal stem, all the way down to the base, with the thin side facing up to the top of the stem. You most likely will not have to change anything, as the .453 grommet is already in the correct place, according to your pic

2. Now, you will insert the stem from inside the wheel, making sure the thin part of the grommet seats in the valve hole. This is important, cause if the thin part doesn't actually fit up in the hole correct, it will not seal right. I usually just spin the stem with my fingers, while inserting it, to make sure it fits in the hole correct.

3. Now, while holding pressure on the stem, to keep the grommet seated...put the chrome washer on the stem from the outside of the rim...then the nut itself. Tighten it all down (making sure the rubber grommet stays seated in the valve hole).

You don't want to overtighten the nut, as you can actually cut the rubber grommet with the bottom of the metal stem. You also don't want to undertighten it either. I usually do it by feel. You will not just keep tightening it till it stops.

[pauloh]

Originally Posted by wmtire

That's a pretty good deal.

We had the following happen to another member, which is why I am going to explain it again. In your pic, you will notice that there are two rubber grommets on each stem. They include the two grommets, depending on which size valve stem hole you have in your wheel. The grommet at the bottom of the stem is the one that will fit standard trailmanor wheels, and actually most wheels in general. It is for a .453 valve hole.

The rubber grommet at the top of the stem is for a size .625 valve hole. Most likely, your wheel valve stem hole is not this size, so you just THROW it away. You will NOT use both grommets. You would just use one, and if you had to use the .625 one, you would slide the .453 off and replace it with the .625 one. You DO NOT use one on the inside and one on the outside (which another one of our members had happen to him at a tire store, as they incorrectly installed these stems in his wheels).

I am telling you this, so you can watch and make sure the tire guy does it right, as he may not have experience with a clamp-in stem.

I am going to print your complete post above and give it to my tire guy. It's a small local shop, I think they're competent but may not have dealt with this too often.

My TM is once again semi-buried in new snow today so it may be a week or two until I get back to the tire project. Thanks in advance for helping me avoid a possible situation...I had no idea there were two sizes of grommets on there. I do have the standard 15" TM wheels, so maybe I'll just remove that larger grommet before heading to the tire shop.