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Old 06-29-2015, 11:21 AM   #1
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Blowout concerns! How scared should I be?

I have towed many a trailer over the last 15 years. Many have been boats, GN or BPs. I've rented TTs for several years also. Over the period of 15 years, I've never had 1 single blowout of a trailer tire (perhaps remarkably).

My question is, we have a 2016 Forest River Vibe 30' coming in next week. It comes with Constancy LY188 tires on alum. wheels. I've actually seen these tires before on a few rental TTs we've used. I called and spoke with the Forest River tech who claims they are actually pretty good belted tires.
I've also read on several threads that people haven't had an issue with their Constancy tires (ranging from 1-3years of use).

How many of you have had blowout of TT tires in general? How bad was the damage? How many miles did you have on them?

ALSO,

In extremely HOT climates (100+ degree days) did you run high, low, or recommended tire pressure?

I've heard people letting a little air out on very hot days to counter the effect of pressure build-up in their TT tires.

How concerned should I be that I will have a blowout in the first 5000 miles of pulling it, so long as I keep the tires maintained (covered and pressured properly)?
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Old 06-29-2015, 11:31 AM   #2
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Personally, I keep tires inflated to recommended max pressure stated on sidewall, keep it under 65mph, and try my best to not hit curbs and other obstacles. My first travel trailer had non radial tires and two were replaced under warranty the second season. My old fiver, I ended up replacing the radials after one season due to a slipped belt on one. Keep an eye on them and run them till they show any sign of failure or defect.
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Old 06-29-2015, 11:34 AM   #3
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I am now well over the 5k mark with OEM tires, Just had them balanced and checked by Discount Tires.

If I was worried about anything including tires I'd never leave the driveway.

Stuff happens in life when it does handle it and then move on.

Air the tires to the recommended PSI on the sidewall the tires should handle the PSI increase caused by heat, an underinflated tire will heat up faster.
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Old 06-29-2015, 11:38 AM   #4
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I don't know how concerned you should be but I was concerned enough to replace them with 1000 miles on them. Cost $1,000 for the 6 GY Marathons at Discount Tire.
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Old 06-29-2015, 11:42 AM   #5
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I'm just stressed out with the possibility that a tire will blow and damage the structure of my TT..... probably overblowing the likelihood. I know it is a pretty common occurrence for road worriers, but not something I have had to deal with. We will probably only use ours about 1000 miles a year. so not heavy use
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Old 06-29-2015, 11:47 AM   #6
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I personally think that you can get thousands of miles out of them provided they are short trips of less than 3-4 hrs on the road. I think the blowouts on oem tires are on the extended road times of 6+ constant driving. I just use Goodyear Marathons LRD with TST TPMS monitors and don't worry about them.
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Old 06-29-2015, 12:24 PM   #7
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I had 2 in the last two trips.. but the GoodYear Marathon tires have ALL (5) been replaced.

1st blow out in April 2015 was on a friday 4:30 PM traffic on HWY I4 just west of Orlando doing about 65 MPH, I was in the middle lane and it was not bad getting over and off the shoulder. Most drivers will get out of your way.

2nd blow out was on HWY 1 about 96 miles out of Key West.. doing 45 MPH @ 1PM on a Sunday in the slow lane and it was easy to get of the road and take care of business... as long as you have double axles or more you should be able to get off the road. Now for damage that depends how the tire blows as to damage to your rig.
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Old 06-29-2015, 12:31 PM   #8
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We usually take long TT trips throughout the US and have had an average of two tires ruined per trip. Luckily the only damage was to the plastic skirt covering the outside of the wheel well. Unfortunately you don't know when a tire starts loosing pressure and when it happens it totally deflates and shreds the tire and anything in it's path. We normally don't even know that we had a failure until someone drives along side and points to the rear.

This year I bought a tire monitoring system that measures heat and pressure in the tire. I was able to have a tire repaired rather than ruined last week. I would strongly recommend purchasing a system that monitors your tires.
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Old 06-29-2015, 12:34 PM   #9
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Definitely do not under inflate the tires - they will most certainly blow on a hot day. Use the sidewall pressure (when the tire is cold) and keep it there. If it blows, it blows. If it causes damage, it causes damage. Your only other choice is to park it in the driveway and admire it.
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Old 06-29-2015, 12:55 PM   #10
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Quote:
If it blows, it blows. If it causes damage, it causes damage. Your only other choice is to park it in the driveway and admire it.
That's the way I look at it too.We bought it to pull and go places.If some thing breaks,I'll try and fix it,if it doesn't we go on.
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Old 06-29-2015, 01:14 PM   #11
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Blowouts

Like you I have towed trailers for many miles and over many years. I have only had one blowout and that was about six years ago. It took off my steps, my awning support, the lower panel on my trailer skin and bent some of the frame structure. I consistently checked my air pressure. The tires were from the factory and had less than 2000 miles on them. At that time I did not have a TPM. I do now. The repair cost was over $2200.
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Old 06-29-2015, 01:16 PM   #12
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OK...here's a question for class A's loaded to a little less than rated capacity.
My tires say 105 psi max on the sidewall...but the sticker inside the cap says inflate all to 82lbs which is what I have done for the last year. Drives well at that inflation and inspection reveals no undo wear patterns at 5k miles.
I guess I'm concerned from this thread that closer to max inflation is where I need to be. But why would they have me 20lbs. less on the cab sticker for the tires that are on the rig?? Or is the discussion above strictly related to trailer tires?

EDIT...BTW...they are Goodyear 245/70R 19.5" tires.
178" wheelbase/29ft coach/18k GVWR Same size as all non XL G'Town tires but I'm thinking our lower weight chassis (requires less inflation than a 351 or such)?
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Old 06-29-2015, 01:23 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camaraderie View Post
OK...here's a question for class A's loaded to a little less than rated capacity.
My tires say 105 psi max on the sidewall...but the sticker inside the cap says inflate all to 82lbs which is what I have done for the last year. Drives well at that inflation and inspection reveals no undo wear patterns at 5k miles.
I guess I'm concerned from this thread that closer to max inflation is where I need to be. But why would they have me 20lbs. less on the cab sticker for the tires that are on the rig?? Or is the discussion above strictly related to trailer tires?

EDIT...BTW...they are Goodyear 245/70R 19.5" tires.
Who knows more about the tires, the people who built your unit, or the people who built the tire?
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Old 06-29-2015, 01:32 PM   #14
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tire blowout

A friend and I were traveling to the Florida Keys in April on the way down its only 300 miles he had a blowout on rear drivers side tire. All it did was dent up the J-channel behind the tire. On his next trip couple months later he had another blowout that did substantial damage $6000 worth, needles to say he now has all new tires. But some of the other responders are correct tires should be somewhere between what is stated on the tire (cold pressure) and what the trailer manufacturer states. DO NOT UNDERINFLATE THEM you will certainly regret that.
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Old 06-29-2015, 01:58 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ford Idaho View Post
Who knows more about the tires, the people who built your unit, or the people who built the tire?
I hear ya Ford...but here is what Goodyear SAYS on their site:
Maintain Inflation Pressure At The Recommended Level
This level is recommended by the vehicle manufacturer and is shown on the vehicle placard or in your vehicle's owner's manual.
Maintaining proper inflation pressure is the single most important thing you can do to promote tire durability and prolong tread life.
Underinflation is the leading cause of tire failure and may result in severe cracking, component separation, or "blowout." It reduces tire load capacity, allows excessive sidewall flexing, and increases rolling resistance, resulting in heat and mechanical damage. Over inflation increases stiffness, which may deteriorate ride, and generate unwanted vibration. Over inflation also increases the chances of impact damage.
*************
So it seems to me that 82 lbs is correct and if I need to go higher for handling, or loads or cold temps...I should not exceed the 105 on the side of the tires.
It's just that a 23lb spread seems like a LOT to me.
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Old 06-29-2015, 01:59 PM   #16
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A number of years ago I had a single axle travel trailer. It still scares me today to think what might have happened had one of the tires blown! I have had two blow outs on a fifth wheel and never knew they blew. It was only when a passing motorist signaled me that I found out. I have had one blow out on a toyhauler it was the same thing, couldn't tell it. When one blows the whole load is now on the other tire and it is just a matter of time before something bad happens. This is why today I have a TPMS. While it may not stop a tire from blowing, I will know it and can put the spare on before something catestrophic happens.
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Old 06-29-2015, 02:04 PM   #17
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I've only towed pop-ups (single axle) for the last 25 yrs, with many trips across the country. The only blow out was while I was going tooo fast in i-90 in SD. Heard it go, but was not sure it was me until I stopped to check.

The only time I really worry about it is when I'm reading through this forum.
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Old 06-29-2015, 02:10 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camaraderie View Post
I hear ya Ford...but here is what Goodyear SAYS on their site:
Maintain Inflation Pressure At The Recommended Level
This level is recommended by the vehicle manufacturer and is shown on the vehicle placard or in your vehicle's owner's manual.
Maintaining proper inflation pressure is the single most important thing you can do to promote tire durability and prolong tread life.
Underinflation is the leading cause of tire failure and may result in severe cracking, component separation, or "blowout." It reduces tire load capacity, allows excessive sidewall flexing, and increases rolling resistance, resulting in heat and mechanical damage. Over inflation increases stiffness, which may deteriorate ride, and generate unwanted vibration. Over inflation also increases the chances of impact damage.
*************
So it seems to me that 82 lbs is correct and if I need to go higher for handling, or loads or cold temps...I should not exceed the 105 on the side of the tires.
It's just that a 23lb spread seems like a LOT to me.
I can understand that however IF you inflate to the sidewall spec's you are NOT over inflated.

By all means run the PSI where you feel good at.
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Old 06-29-2015, 02:27 PM   #19
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I have a vibe with the same tires, but mine came inflated with nitrogen instead of regular air. Don't know if this will help, but it seems safer.
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Old 06-29-2015, 04:40 PM   #20
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If your rig has had the wrong size tires put on it, there will be a variance in what your sticker says and what your tire says. This would make a good reason for staying with the correct size tires on your RV. Go by tire sidewall. Check your sticker to see if your tires size match it. I believe Radial Tires will tear up your underside more than a bias ply due to how the Radial is constructed. I wonder if a study has been done on this. Anyway, irregardless of milage on tires, they should be replaced every 3 to 5 years due to breakdown of rubber.
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