[m&mmariah]

Anybody had any experience with Khumo tires? My Carlisles, which were on the trailer when we purchased our boat, are about shot. They're developing lots of cracks in the side walls. The reason I'm thinking Khumos is that they're made in Korea, and not China. Lots of reports on the internet of Chinese tires where the tread comes off, blow outs, etc.

[Dredd]

I served four years in a tire shop and installed a lot of Kuhmo heavy truck tires but we didn't deal much in their light applications. I remember at least one fleet owner that preferred Kuhmos for steer tires on all his Petes and that guy's attention to detail was remarkable. Everyone has a different opinion on tires... but I think Kuhmos and Yokohamas are two of my top choice tires, for such an application, based on my experience. I'm running Yokohamas on my truck right now and they're the best set of tires that truck has worn in its 140K miles.

[ShabahZ250]

I ran a set of Kumho's on my Audi. No issues at all, lasted around 30k! Give them a try and let us know how it works out! It's probably a good thing to get those Carlisle's off there.

[garyg]

I put Carliales on my trailer (six of them) last fall and they were made in the U S A.I got all six for under $600.00 with a lifetime guarantee.This summer I cut a side wall on one my tires and they replaced it no cost to me. I bought them at Discount Tires. I have been very happy with the tires and service, Hope this may help you. Gary G

[m&mmariah]

Perhaps Carliales are just a marketing name used by a tire company that specs out tires and buys them from least expensive manufacturer, wherever they may be located. Mine say "made in China" right on the sidewalls. Could be that "Carliasle" might get 205/75R14 size tires from the Xiong Dou (made up name) tire factory in China, while their 195/75R15 tires might come from the Schlotzkie (made up name) tire factory in Bulgaria, for example. In any event, it's tough to get a US made trailer tire. I heard that the major US brands gave up on the RV trailer tire market because it was too small of a niche market, with not enough volume and profit. I prefer to buy USA to keep our home economy going, but it's getting tough to do so.

[ShabahZ250]

I run Load Star K550 tires on my trailer, and I've never had an issue. They get good reviews everywhere, they're affordable, and they're available at a lot of retailers. Reviews mean a lot to me, so I always check those first, and I didn't find too many negative ones for the Load Stars. If you've got an afternoon to spare, do a search for "Carlisle" on the boating related forums. You'll be shocked at some of the reviews, even for tires used as spares that have never touched the ground... I just don't think their quality control is as good as many competitor tires. A lot of tires are made overseas, but I'm not concerned at all. If you want an American made trailer tire, Goodyear makes the Marathon Radial trailer tire, i think they're a little pricey though.

[m&mmariah]

ShabahZ250 -- According to the Tire Rack web site, all of the Goodyear Marathons, save for the 205/75R14 size, are made in China, so even though you're buying a American brand, you may not be getting an American made tire. The 205/75R14 sizes are (according to Tire Rack) made either in the US or in New Zeland. So you're never sure without checking the sidewall of the actual tires you're buying. There's many bad reviews for Marathons. As a matter of fact, most all reviews for trailer tires are pretty negative. Even buying new tires every couple of years just to be safe isn't a gaurantee that the tread won't separate or the sidewall blow out. As you can tell, I'm pretty bummed out about getting new tires. Don't want to be changing tires on the side of the highway!