Forest River owners beware

[Springerdad]

Dustman hit the nail right on the head: don't run your tires at their max load. They overheat from sidewall flex, and that's when they come apart. I had 225-15 D's on my TT and tire pressures would go up 30% from 65 psi if I went over 60 mph. Went to 16 Es and can run 65 mph with only a 6 lb increase in pressure.

[Springerdad]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

I have popcorn in the microwave,,,,,

Are you going to share, or do I have to make my own?

[charlie43]

Originally Posted by RECONUSMC

Actually had them Road force balanced and the shop is fully aware of how to balance RV tires & Rims. Just wish Forrest River would not scrimp on the most important factor getting us down the road. Putting True wheels and top notch Tires would be worth it to the customers. Just wondering how many new owners to the RV life just head out without really checking into their rigs and set up. Up and Down 95 here in Forida and the turnpike I see this happening quite often where RV's are having tire & axle issues. Again mine came fresh from factory with no tire balance and It was so out that you could see it on the road force machine hopping.....

I had a flat 650 miles into my first trip....taking it home from the dealer......1130pm So. Atlanta 8 lanes of traffic.

[rlh1957]

We obviously know that the RV industry wants to sell you All the Flash, Without the Cash. What tires is everyone having good experience and longevity out of? I just bought a 2018 FR Rockwood Roo 24WS so I hope to make it to the end of the season before replacing. I see the posts everywhere else talking about new RV China tires blowing up. Too bad RV tires don't have the same DOT restrictions and regulations as auto tires or this would stop.

[KyDan]

I have had zero problems with the wheels and tires on all 4 of my current and previous trailers.

I did buy trailers that had a significant "extra load capacity".
IE: GVWR was significantly more than actual loaded ready to camp at the truck scales weights.

Tires had a significant safety factor.

No issues over many many miles.

And they were the factory stock wheels and tires that came on each one.

Don't let the naysayers scare you. It's not all junk out there.

[mbbutler]

Originally Posted by AURORASTEVE

If your tire shop used a spin balance machine without the proper hub adapter to center the wheel based on the lugs and not the center hole that could be the issue. A typical spin balance machine will center the wheel by tightening the wheel down on the hub. Trailer wheels have a larger hub center hole than a typical truck tire wheel so if they don't use the adapter they add tons of weights to "balance" the tire. I would bet if they put them on an old bubble balance machine they would find the tires with all the weights way out of balance.

X2 - had this experience myself on a cargo trailer.

[Letsdothis]

Thanks so much. When i get the unit the first thing i'll do is have the axle alignment and tire balance checked out. Thanks so much!

[Murbella7]

Originally Posted by RECONUSMC

Got the new tires installed on old rims and as you can see from PIcs, they took a lot of weights to try and correct the problems. I'm currently looking for rims and as far as the factory warranty goes, It is not worth the time and problems dealing with them to get another set of crappy wheels. Just my opinion

This is probably opening a can of angry worms but... Buy steel LT rims. Don't go for alloys. They may look nice but can't handle the loads and roads over long periods, meaning you will need to change them again after just a few years. Or you might have enough cash to go for the very expensive ones (and still have to buy new again).

[GmanHawaii]

Bought new 17.5 rims and GY G114s had them delivered to RV dealer, left crappy stock rims and tires with them.

The last thing I want to worry about is 4 out of 5 of my points of contact with road and TV.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Springerdad

Are you going to share, or do I have to make my own?

Come on over~~ lots of popcorn, soda, and beer. 1st I heard of anyone removing 'China bombs' and replacing them with Tow Max...

[rockfordroo]

Not to defend FR, but assuming you bought your unit in Florida, it's VERY possible that the wheel damage was caused during the transportation from Elkhart to FL.

Two weeks ago I went to Iowa and back (150 miles each way) and was passed by half a dozen 5ver's being transported west. I was doing 73 mph. All that transporter guy doing 75+mph has to do is hit a couple of good post-winter pot holes to bend a rim.

[B and B]

This like many threads is nothing new. I also replaced my tires on my Rockwood. I found bad tires, called Forest River and got $300 as a credit toward my new tires.

There are tire made in the USA that are junk as well. My Good Old GY tires made in China where also bad and replaced due to belt separation.

I have a SOB now and Sailun tires that are holding up 16,000 lbs just fine.

[hankpac]

I don't think this is exclusive to FR. These expensive rigs are all made with the absolute cheapest materials they can find. A lot of corner-cutting in this industry.

[B and B]

You are correct it is not. Poeple demand less expensive trailers and corners need to be cut. Like buying no name beer as opposed to the good stuff. You get what you pay for.

[db7512]

Originally Posted by RECONUSMC

Actually had them Road force balanced and the shop is fully aware of how to balance RV tires & Rims. Just wish Forrest River would not scrimp on the most important factor getting us down the road. Putting True wheels and top notch Tires would be worth it to the customers. Just wondering how many new owners to the RV life just head out without really checking into their rigs and set up. Up and Down 95 here in Forida and the turnpike I see this happening quite often where RV's are having tire & axle issues. Again mine came fresh from factory with no tire balance and It was so out that you could see it on the road force machine hopping.....

I had a 2016 Georgetown that had 4 bad rims which managed to damage two tires beyond use. This was not found by a regular Goodyear fleet tire shop (did not know what was wrong). The problems were found at a heavy duty Ford dealer using Force Balancing. Ford stepped up replaced four rims and two tires. The only true way for me is Force Balance Machine because the balance is correct and it checks for run out, my rims were like eggs.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

Come on over~~ lots of popcorn, soda, and beer. 1st I heard of anyone removing 'China bombs' and replacing them with Tow Max...

This seems to be directed at me so... TowMax are made in China as well. You seem to cherry-pick what parts of the conversation you want to hear by ignoring the fact that I went from LRC 14's to LRE 15's. China bombs are china bombs because they are designed as cheaply as possible to carry the load they are rated at. There seems to be no additional safety net built in like with passenger vehicle tires. And RV manufacturers seem to insist on putting the lowest possible load rating tire on a rig they can and meet GVWR. Not to mention the fact that on many rigs, when fully loaded, you'd have to have near perfect weight distribution between all four tires to not have one actually overloaded.

[Comanchecreek]

So is it time for the Light Truck rating versus the tow rated tires argument? Best trailer tire I've ever had is the Michelin XPS truck tires. No weather cracking, rated to be recapped 3 times, (never would). Steel sidewall as well as tread. Bastards weigh so much I have to get help to get them on the lugs.
I have to agree that the wheels probably got bent in transit. People need to be aware of what they are buying with their rigs. I saw a number of big 5th wheels with 4800 pound axles and 5 lug 15" load range D's. Couldn't believe what I was seeing. One of the places manufacturers save big money is putting the absolute minimum axle under a trailer. Can cause a multitude of issues. Smaller brakes, weaker springs, lighter wheels, lighter load rated tires. Better make somemore popcorn.

[card16]

I HAD a similar experience with low mileage GY Marathons, changed to GY Endurances,no further problems. No wheel issues when balanced after new tires.

[rsdata]

rlh1957...

keep your pressure topped off, get a TPMS system ( I use TST 507 RV) and try to stay at 65 or less, and watch out for curb strikes when turning into gas stations and such. Most probably your new tires will give you this season and maybe a few more.

Keep reading tire posts until you feel that your comfort level has been exceeded with your old tires, then use your new-found knowledge of appropriate replacement tires to make a decision.

I would though take off your tires, one side at a time and take them to a tire shop and get them balanced at the very least, that is before you get a TPMS system and install it.

[larryo]

Tires and rims (unless an aluminum rim) are supplied by the frame manufacturer which is Lippert. Forrest River, Jayco, Keystone etc, they're all the same.