Any thing positive about Trail Express tires?

[trbomax]

Originally Posted by Windjammin

My biggest problem with the Trail Express tires is not that they are made in China but that no one of any consequence stands behind them. Lions Head, who are they? They are the importer that sells them to Forest River. Try to buy a Trail Express tire somewhere. I have not found any reputable dealer that sells them in my area or anywhere else. I swapped mine out for another Chinese manufactured brand, Goodyear. My Marathons have performed very well since I purchased them and the Goodyear dealer that sold them to me is only 5 miles from my house.

exactly!

[gashog]

I am going to replace my ST225/75-15 Trail Express "C" rated tires on my 2015 Windjammer. I've decided to go with M8008 MAXXIS "D" rated. Went over to Discount Tires (they just opened in town) ended up with a good price:

Set of 4 Maxxis $449.00
Mounted/balanced $40.00
Steel valve stems $16.00
Total $505.00 plus tax..
The original quote from them was a lot higher, but I found them online at M8008 RADIAL TRAILER - OnlineTires.com and after showing them the online price shipped to my door ($456.10) they ended up beating the online tire price. Now I just need to pull the trigger... sooner the better.

[Zolin]

gashog; you are smart to replace them. My Windjammer is a 2014 also (3025 W) and I have had issues with cracking and one leaking slowly. Well, FR sent me two new tires and they are a completely different brand than the Trail Express. Went I went over today to pick up my camper from storage the L rear tire was flat. We just went to FL two weeks ago and it went flat over two weeks after return. That makes two cracking tires on the right side and now two that won't hold air. I just dont believe the C range tires are sufficient, even though they are 300 lbs each under their capacity. They are rated at 2150. Think I will scrap the idea of putting the cheap new and free replacement tires FR sent me this week and just toss those to put new D or E range tires all around. Maxxis or tow master from Costco? Thanks for your post.

[meylersr]

Just replaced the other two Trail Express tires after my second blow out on I95 with Carlisle load range D trailer tires on my Windjammer 3008W. If I had know what I now know the dealer would have had to replace them to make the sale. I never had a trailer tire to blow out after may years of camping. Of course FR assumes I was doing something wrong!

[meylersr]

Have your dealer replace them with some good tires, there is many out there and the cost should be less than $600 for four. That is cheap compared to the cost of your unit. There is no fun to be had with blowouts.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Texbahrs

My new Windjammer 2618 came with Trail Express ST225/75/15 tires. I've read many comments on this forum about trailer tires and those that mention Trail Express tires are almost all negative. Does anyone "out there" have anything good to say about this brand? For example, have you had no problems with your tires and/or are you getting good milage out of them?

They make good bumpers for a boat dock.

[meylersr]

Then you should have a good supply. Take Care, Mike

[meylersr]

Originally Posted by ColoradoRick

I got them on my new Rockwood and plan on keeping a close eye (and TPMS) on them. ANY signs of trouble and they are gone.

I asked my dealer, who sells a lot of Forest Rivers with them on it, about them and he hasn't heard of any problems from customers. (But he does an outstanding walk-through with each sale and emphasizes proper care for everything, including tires.)

My dealer said the same thing when I reported my first blowout last year. The same service department completed service checks on my unit to include inspecting the tires before this trip. Just had my second blow out and 'my dealer' and I are going to have some words when I return from this trip. ##@@###

[Zolin]

I thought they were good for the first 2000 miles. Now they are good for nothing. I have had three failures with these tires, all within 1 year and 3000 miles. I have been reasonably under my load ratings (weighed 6 times in multiple configurations and kept the tires at 50 psi). Fortunately I have not had damage to the trailer since I caught them all just in time. I've researched this quite a bit and determined that the Maxxis and the Tow Master SS tires by Green Ball are top rated tires. The SS Tow Masters are designed for higher heat conditions so they are not as susceptible under certain temp conditions to coming apart. SS means Summer Solution. I think I am am going with the MAXXIS however. Never will put a Trail Express on again. Lions Head does not stand behind their warranty, generally speaking. And these C range Trail Express tires on WIndjammers are woefully inadequate. For reference I read today that the load range of a tire should be determined by taking 80% of its capacity and using that for reference for your maximum load value. That way you still have a 20% margin for stress conditions such as potholes, swerves, etc. Hope this helps....but I would replace those cheap crap Trail Express with another brand before you experience a catastrophic failure. You can pick up some D or E range tires for $505-$550 mounted, balanced, new metal stems. A TPMS would be a good idea too. I wouldn't even put a child in a Trail Express Tire Swing for fear of injury. Just sayin.

[grumpyer]

As long as we keep accepting,buying inferior products they will be more than happy to sell it to us!

[ryand]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

They make good bumpers for a boat dock.

Or a go kart track.


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[dcheatwood]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

They make good bumpers for a boat dock.

Good for burning stumps too.

[pgandw]

No issues so far. Tires are 1 year old Trail Express with about 1500 miles on them last year. Usually run at 65 MPH or less with perhaps 100 miles total between 65 and 75 MPH. Camper stored in our attached garage (stays above freezing, no UV) between trips.

But then we have an A-frame (single axle) which we typically weigh in at about 2600 lbs (3100 lb GVWR). For reasons not totally obvious to me, PUP and A-frame owners do not seem to suffer nearly as much from the "China bomb" syndrome.

Perhaps the single axle isn't nearly as hard on tires, or perhaps the smaller tire sizes have more reserve capacity built-in, or ....(fill in your own theory).

I do a visual inspection of the tires, and inflate to 50-53 PSI (depends on expected temps for trip) before each trip (2-4 days).

just my experiences
Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122
2008 Hyundai Entourage (minivan) w/ Equal-i-zer 600/6000 WDH

[Zolin]

Trail Explode tires!

[V-Lite Fun]

I had a Trail Express pop on my V-Lite. I want to upgrade from C load range to D. I was told the rims may not stand the higher pressure. The rims came with the tire and are rated for 2150 lbs. it says nothing about higher pressure. Anyone done this?

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by V-Lite Fun

I had a Trail Express pop on my V-Lite. I want to upgrade from C load range to D. I was told the rims may not stand the higher pressure. The rims came with the tire and are rated for 2150 lbs. it says nothing about higher pressure. Anyone done this?

Yes I have done that when I switched to a Marathron D rated CP is 65 lbs. that I run them at. Do you have the series 6 rims ? I'll attach the chart from Lionhead. The rims can hold alot more pressure then that. I have not had any problems in the last 2 years knock on wood.

[V-Lite Fun]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

Do you have the series 6 rims ? I'll attach the chart from Lionhead.

I do have the series 6 rims. Thank you for the chart. This was very helpful. I'm going with Ds. Thanks.