Castle Rock Tires

[AWLINK]

Hello Everyone, Checking to see if anyone has had any problems from the factory Castle Rock tires that came on their rv. We have only been camping locally with no issues,but plan to travel from Tenn. to Gettysburg Pa. in july and was wondering about the tires. I know the air pressure has to be right on any tire or they want last. Thanks

[ronheater70]

Check your air pressure, inspect the tire, Be sure to check lugnut torque if you havent yet and go enjoy your trip. I had Castlerock tires on My shasta for 2 seasons and no problems.. Our current Cherokee is just starting it's second season and its Heavy with 3 slides. I will probably change them out at the end of this season, or start of next just because I can.

[WTP2]

We had Castle Rock Tires on our used 21ds when we bought it. Drove 1000 miles on them in December with no issue, but tires are cheaper than blow-out repairs so I just upgraded to Goodyear Endurance tires last week before we begin this season's long haul trips. Sold the Castle Rocks for about $100.00 to someone who will use them locally. You will probably be OK, but I would change them before next year. Castle Rock and Chinese tires in general have a bad reputation. There are many negative post regarding them in the forum.

[tdiller]

Originally Posted by AWLINK

Hello Everyone, Checking to see if anyone has had any problems from the factory Castle Rock tires that came on their rv. We have only been camping locally with no issues,but plan to travel from Tenn. to Gettysburg Pa. in july and was wondering about the tires. I know the air pressure has to be right on any tire or they want last. Thanks

I check pressure often and have almost 2,000 mile on my castle rocks

[frank4711]

Originally Posted by ronheater70

Check your air pressure, inspect the tire, Be sure to check lugnut torque if you havent yet and go enjoy your trip. I had Castlerock tires on My shasta for 2 seasons and no problems.. Our current Cherokee is just starting it's second season and its Heavy with 3 slides. I will probably change them out at the end of this season, or start of next just because I can.

? Recommended ft lbs for lugs ... Thanks

[Iwannacamp]

There should be a sticker on the RV...I think mine is above the tires. MEMORY tells me mine is 110 ft lbs

[5picker]

Originally Posted by AWLINK

Hello Everyone, Checking to see if anyone has had any problems from the factory Castle Rock tires that came on their rv. We have only been camping locally with no issues,but plan to travel from Tenn. to Gettysburg Pa. in july and was wondering about the tires. I know the air pressure has to be right on any tire or they want last. Thanks

Below is a forum search for Castle Rock tires.
There have been hundreds/thousands of posts since I started the first discussion several years ago on Castle Rock tires.

Castle Rock Tires

[Go West]

I'm approaching 10,000 miles on the Castle Rocks that came with my '17 Cherokee trailer. I keep them inflated to 50 lbs and I don't exceed 70 mph. I just finished a 1,500 mile round trip to Alabama, and will probably do one more big trip out west before I swap them out.

[kfd82]

I had them on my Rockwood 8311WS for almost 2 years.
First year, no problems. Second year, had a blow out at night on I-45. Tore up the fender well and trim pieces.
Looked like a tread separation. I had less than 5000 miles on the trailer.


Put it in the shop for repairs and when I picked it up I drove straight to discount tire for 4 new goodyears,
Had a buddy that wanted the old tires for a farm trailer, so I told the tire guy to throw them in the back of the truck.
He said "do you want that bad one too?" Went and looked an sure enough, another one was about to blow out (tread sep) good thing the tire shop was only a couple miles from the trailer place where I picked it up!



I always checked my tires before I pulled the RV. Visual inspection and air pressure.

The moral of the story, as far as I'm concerned, is that the Castle Rock tires are great...until they aren't.



I suggest replacing them now before theres a problem.

[itat]

Originally Posted by AWLINK

Hello Everyone, Checking to see if anyone has had any problems from the factory Castle Rock tires that came on their rv. We have only been camping locally with no issues,but plan to travel from Tenn. to Gettysburg Pa. in july and was wondering about the tires. I know the air pressure has to be right on any tire or they want last. Thanks

Up until September 2017, RV manufacturers installed tires that were insufficient for the loads they would be experiencing. After September 2017, the RVIA upgraded their tire recommendations. I suspect that has a lot to do with the "China Bomb" complaints. A lesser quality tire and insufficient load rating is a recipe for failures. Most people, when they upgrade to a tire with a better reputation, increase by one or two load ratings, so its difficult to know if the "cure" was the tire brand or the higher load rating.

Anyway, I recommend that you weigh your trailer at a CAT Scale when you're loaded and ready to go camping. Once you know what the axles weigh and thus the approximate weights on each tire, you can determine if your tires have sufficient load rating. The RVIA recommends the tires provide a safety factor of 110%, meaning the two tires on the axle can carry 1.1 times the axle's weight rating.

If your RV is newer, the tires should have a sufficient load rating. If they don't have sufficient load rating, I'd replace them with a higher load rated tire of your brand choice. If they have sufficient load rating for the weight, you'll have to decide if you should replace them strictly based on the tire's reputation.

Happy camping.

[TitanMike]

Starting my third season on the OE Castle Rocks with zero issues. Wearing evenly, no separations beginning, no weather cracks. 10,000 miles on them last season alone and so far this year another 5,000. Total miles approaching 18,000. First season was cut short as I had to take time off for a quad bypass Will be adding more miles on same tires next week. Since my trips are open ended it could be a couple hundred miles or a couple thousand more. Won't know until I get home.

Added TPMS last year as a safety consideration. Keep inflation proper and also drive at posted speeds for vehicles towing trailers (or 60 mph, whichever is lower). I weigh my trailer after any major load changes as I load light for local trips and heavier for longer cross country trips. I always tow with my water tank filled as I boondock whenever possible (Larger, less expensive, campsites)

I plan on replacing them when the tread depth drops below 50% where most tire failures occur, even on premium tires. In the meanwhile I'm going to enjoy and get my money's worth out of them.

I'd suggest a TPMS system (I chose the TST 507) so you get early warning when you pick up a nail or piece of highway debris. This early warning helps you stop before the tire comes apart causing damage. ANY tire can have this happen and a TPMS is invaluable even for the "premium" tires.

[kantonburg]

Originally Posted by frank4711

? Recommended ft lbs for lugs ... Thanks

I just did mine yesterday. My sticker on the front says 100 ft./lbs.

[itat]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Starting my third season on the OE Castle Rocks with zero issues. Wearing evenly, no separations beginning, no weather cracks. 10,000 miles on them last season alone and so far this year another 5,000. Total miles approaching 18,000. First season was cut short as I had to take time off for a quad bypass Will be adding more miles on same tires next week. Since my trips are open ended it could be a couple hundred miles or a couple thousand more. Won't know until I get home.

Added TPMS last year as a safety consideration. Keep inflation proper and also drive at posted speeds for vehicles towing trailers (or 60 mph, whichever is lower). I weigh my trailer after any major load changes as I load light for local trips and heavier for longer cross country trips. I always tow with my water tank filled as I boondock whenever possible (Larger, less expensive, campsites)

I plan on replacing them when the tread depth drops below 50% where most tire failures occur, even on premium tires. In the meanwhile I'm going to enjoy and get my money's worth out of them.

I'd suggest a TPMS system (I chose the TST 507) so you get early warning when you pick up a nail or piece of highway debris. This early warning helps you stop before the tire comes apart causing damage. ANY tire can have this happen and a TPMS is invaluable even for the "premium" tires.

I hope I have such good luck with my Castle Rocks! The problem with relying on a TPMS is that it won't warn you about a tread separation unless you start to lose air pressure shortly before the tread let's go. A TPMS is great for warning about a slow leak or higher temps.

[itat]

Originally Posted by kantonburg

I just did mine yesterday. My sticker on the front says 100 ft./lbs.

My sticker says the same thing but I set them at 110 ft.-lbs.

[frank4711]

[QUOTE=itat;2101499]Up until September 2017, RV manufacturers installed tires that were insufficient for the loads they would be experiencing. After September 2017, the RVIA upgraded their tire recommendations. I suspect that has a lot to do with the "China Bomb" complaints. A lesser quality tire and insufficient load rating is a recipe for failures. Most people, when they upgrade to a tire with a better reputation, increase by one or two load ratings, so its difficult to know if the "cure" was the tire brand or the higher load rating.

Anyway, I recommend that you weigh your trailer at a CAT Scale when you're loaded and ready to go camping. Once you know what the axles weigh and thus the approximate weights on each tire, you can determine if your tires have sufficient load rating. The RVIA recommends the tires provide a safety factor of 110%, meaning the two tires on the axle can carry 1.1 times the axle's weight rating.

If your RV is newer, the tires should have a sufficient load rating. If they don't have sufficient load rating, I'd replace them with a higher load rated tire of your brand choice. If they have sufficient load rating for the weight, you'll have to decide if you should replace them strictly based on the tire's reputation.
My 2019 Rockwood came with E rated Castle Rocks with plenty of load capacity... will replace when needed

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by itat

I hope I have such good luck with my Castle Rocks! The problem with relying on a TPMS is that it won't warn you about a tread separation unless you start to lose air pressure shortly before the tread let's go. A TPMS is great for warning about a slow leak or higher temps.

No it won't but tread separations don't JUST HAPPEN, they've been developing for some time and only fail when they get too large to remain on the tire body.

A proper tire check isn't just checking air pressure (or kicking), but involves "feeling the tire" as well. Run your hand around the face of the tire, paying close attention to the areas next to the shoulder. Any developing separation will reveal itself long before it actually allows the tread to fly off.

Ideally one would be able to have the tire off the ground for this check but doing this every morning before hitting the road will allow one to check the total tire every other day or so.

People notice developing tread separations on the Tow Vehicle or their passenger cars because they start to feel a "thump, thump, thump" and do something about it. On a trailer they can't feel this in their backsides so the "hand check" is necessary. This check often reveals other impending problems like the screw you picked up earlier in the day and hasn't worked it's way through the tread yet. Yes you will get your hands dirty. Just wash them before starting out for the day.

A TPMS may not be 100% effective in preventing all catastrophic tire failures but it's a quantum leap upward from NO early warning. Easily worth it's expense and much more. I'd invest in a TPMS before any comfort/luxury accessories like shower heads, satellite TV, etc.

[pgandw]

My 2019 A-frame came standard with 14" LR D Castle Rocks, with a decent capacity above the axle max weight. Driven about 1200 miles (6 weekend trips) so far, always set to 66-68PSI before each trip.

I pulled them yesterday to have the tires balanced. I'm pulling the hubs to check the factory grease job on the bearings. Both tires in really, really nice shape as far as wear goes. Very slight concave across the tread between the shoulders when off the trailer, but uniform all the way around both tires. Very little weight needed to balance. Date code is 0718, so Feb 2018. Speed rating L = 75mph. I like to max out towing at about 72MPH with my minivan. Unless something happens I plan to run these through Spring 2023 (5 years).

FWIW, the first hub (will do the 2nd tomorrow) had a nice factory bearing pack with a purple grease. The hub did not have grease except at the bearings - nobody, including me, had used the EZ-lube zerk. The factory had done the job right. I was sorry I had pulled the hub, and had to replace the rear seal, but thankfully I didn't have to clean out a hub full of grease. Note that axle, hub, brakes are all Dexter parts. I did clean the bearings, cleaned and checked the races, cleaned the hub, and hand-packed with fresh grease.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame

[itat]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

No it won't but tread separations don't JUST HAPPEN, they've been developing for some time and only fail when they get too large to remain on the tire body.

A proper tire check isn't just checking air pressure (or kicking), but involves "feeling the tire" as well. Run your hand around the face of the tire, paying close attention to the areas next to the shoulder. Any developing separation will reveal itself long before it actually allows the tread to fly off.

Ideally one would be able to have the tire off the ground for this check but doing this every morning before hitting the road will allow one to check the total tire every other day or so.

People notice developing tread separations on the Tow Vehicle or their passenger cars because they start to feel a "thump, thump, thump" and do something about it. On a trailer they can't feel this in their backsides so the "hand check" is necessary. This check often reveals other impending problems like the screw you picked up earlier in the day and hasn't worked it's way through the tread yet. Yes you will get your hands dirty. Just wash them before starting out for the day.

A TPMS may not be 100% effective in preventing all catastrophic tire failures but it's a quantum leap upward from NO early warning. Easily worth it's expense and much more. I'd invest in a TPMS before any comfort/luxury accessories like shower heads, satellite TV, etc.

Thanks for the tip on inspecting my tires.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by itat

I hope I have such good luck with my Castle Rocks! The problem with relying on a TPMS is that it won't warn you about a tread separation unless you start to lose air pressure shortly before the tread let's go. A TPMS is great for warning about a slow leak or higher temps.

I just saw a YouTube video yesterday where a wheel totally separated from the trailer and the owner never even noticed. One of his kids pointed it out when they stopped for gas. They didn't have TPMS for their trailer.