Any thing positive about Trail Express tires?

[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?

[B and B]

I have towed 2500 miles on them and they still hold nitrogen and have no visible tread separation of other failures. I have had very little 4 lane travel with extended distances. Most 2 lane roads limited to 55 mph. I check them for over heating and do not go over either load rating or speed rating.
I am looking at replacing them this spring, looking at higher load capacity. I did my truck to E range LT tires a month ago.

Brian

[jonrjen]

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?

Their cheap to replace with the same tire size and brand...does that help?

You will ready more than enough complaints on these to make you run out and replace them ASAP. But, then keep in mind that the people who are happy with them don't tend to complain.

The secret to any tire is to know their limitations as far as weight and speed limits (most trailer tires are limited to 62mph) keep them inflated to the proper PSI, and inspect them before every trip.

Downside is that even if you purchased your trailer new, you don't know how they were treated upon delivery to your selling dealer from the factory. IE: did the delivery driver keep the trailer under 62mph or speed and allow the tires to over heat. Were the tires under inflated and allowed to over heat or cause excess sidewall flex? The problem with tire inspections is that the damage begins under the exterior rubber compound where is can't be seen. And by the time you can see a bubble or tread separation it is too late to do much about it other than replace the tire and hope you are in an area with a few good tire stores with a selection to choose from.

[SaskCampers]

Originally Posted by jonrjen

Their cheap to replace with the same tire size and brand...does that help?

You will ready more than enough complaints on these to make you run out and replace them ASAP. But, then keep in mind that the people who are happy with them don't tend to complain.

The secret to any tire is to know their limitations as far as weight and speed limits (most trailer tires are limited to 62mph) keep them inflated to the proper PSI, and inspect them before every trip.

Downside is that even if you purchased your trailer new, you don't know how they were treated upon delivery to your selling dealer from the factory. IE: did the delivery driver keep the trailer under 62mph or speed and allow the tires to over heat. Were the tires under inflated and allowed to over heat or cause excess sidewall flex? The problem with tire inspections is that the damage begins under the exterior rubber compound where is can't be seen. And by the time you can see a bubble or tread separation it is too late to do much about it other than replace the tire and hope you are in an area with a few good tire stores with a selection to choose from.

Well said.

[EarlyRetirement]

Originally Posted by jonrjen

Downside is that even if you purchased your trailer new, you don't know how they were treated upon delivery to your selling dealer from the factory. IE: did the delivery driver keep the trailer under 62mph or speed and allow the tires to over heat. Were the tires under inflated and allowed to over heat or cause excess sidewall flex?

I found this comment interesting. When I first saw my trailer on the lot my first impression of the wheels and tires where negative, I couldn’t believe how beat up they where, they weren’t even the same brand What I later found out is that the shipping company that my dealer used puts “Delivery tires” on the TT then that get swapped for the new shiny wheels and tires upon delivery. I thought that was a good business practice.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by EarlyRetirement

I found this comment interesting. When I first saw my trailer on the lot my first impression of the wheels and tires where negative, I couldn’t believe how beat up they where, they weren’t even the same brand What I later found out is that the shipping company that my dealer used puts “Delivery tires” on the TT then that get swapped for the new shiny wheels and tires upon delivery. I thought that was a good business practice.

Sounds either a good dealer or delivery company they have. I believe my dealer makes the trek to Elkhardt to pick up his own units. They have 5 people with trucks that are campers there.

B

[ryand]

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?

The only positive I will say about trail express tires is that they make a fantastic base for a playground all ground up and such. They practically will grind themselves up so the work is minimal to keep little billy from getting a bruise. Although i never had a blowout, the tread loss from just one season was dramatic and they were already starting to crack within 1.5 years of new.

[jonrjen]

When our Wildcat arrived one tire held 38PSI and had experienced one blow out during delivery. The tire with low PSI was later found to have been plugged due to a hole and was not a good plug at that.

My local servicing dealer does drive from Texas to Elkhart to take deliver and haul them back themselves. He mentioned that staying within the tire limitations the only time he experiences problems is in the dead of the high temp summer heat that can cause a tire to over heat.

[Zolin]

My new 2014 Windjammer came with these 225 75R15 C range junk tires. The tires were only 3 mos old when the trailer was manufactured so at least the DOT codes were fresh when FR installed them. I put maybe 3 k highway miles on them last year (750 to tow home from purchase) and when I pulled my trailer out of storage this year I noticed small cracks starting to form near the rim on the 2 right tires. It was still 3 mos under warranty so I took to my dealer and they were referred to Lions Head who apparently handles the warranty for Forest River. Lions Head refused to replace them claiming they had either been improperly inflated or over stressed. I called Lions Head back and told them I had documentation showing 6 separate weighs of this trailer, inflation was always held at 50 psi and always stored in enclosed storage to avoid sun damage to the coach. I told her I would take my matter further if they still refused to replace them and that these tires were defective. I drive 58-62 mph for best fuel economy and safe control so the tires were never stressed this way or even driven in hot temps because we are spring/fall campers. She told me she would talk to her manager and then get back with me. Better news, I received calls from both Lion's Head and from FR Rockwood warranty and they said they would replace the 2 defective tires so they shipped the next day. Not received yet but at least FR stood behind their warranty. I had a few other unrelated minor issues which FR also took care of through the dealer. Other than that we love our Windjammer and FR has delivered on their warranty policy. Still don't like the junk tires and after learning all this through research I will eventually replace them with D or E range Tow Master radials from Costco. The C range tires are just insufficient unless you plan to park in a seasonal or permanent location and not do much driving like we do.

[Road-King]

Something positive... Hummm.. After I replaced them on my TT, I had them installed on my flat bed utility trailer and they are doing good around town hauling mulch etc...

[bob caldwell]

I was lucky with my Rockwood Ultra-light. I bought it very slightly used, and the original owner had already swapped out to load range E. We travel year 'round and tires look'in good. Carl's best.

[Mtelkman]

I put around 5000 miles on my Trail Express tires last year with no issues. I did use a TPMS system though and will be replacing the tires this year with M8008s in a higher load range. I just can't bring myself to risk the cost of damage any longer from a potential blowout that could be easily preventable. The C load range of the Trail Express tires just doesn't have enough of a safety margin for me to feel confident.


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[EdJunior]

I had about 3K on mine, then lost 3 on one trip home. Yeah, you read right. a 5 1/2 hour trip took over 14 hours with 3 blowouts. After I got the 5er repaired from the damage, I got 4 new Maxxis tires for it.

I feel lucky to have gotten 3 thousand miles, but I wouldn't wish the triple blowout nightmare on anyone.

[bob caldwell]

X2

[dcheatwood]

The pattern is, no problem holding air. No sign of wear or damage. Did great on first trip. Then boom! Boom! Boom!
4 blowouts on 2 5es @$5000 damage on trailers.

[Witch Doctor]

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?

I got 6000 miles before my blow out in the side wall. Kept them daily at 50 PSI. Never went over 65 miles per hour except to pass and then back to 65. Lions head wanted me to send the remaining tire to them for them to see. Not worth it to me just put new tires on and forget them. It was shredded what would they beable to tell but that is what they wanted. I was never overloaded and had like 350 lbs below the max.

[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.)

[trbomax]

One of our horse trailers had these on it when we bought it (new).We ran them a 1000 miles and replaced them with marathons.I gave the TE's to a friend of mine for his hay wagon.He really likes them! Blow outs on trailers hauling live animals are a serious thing.All 4 of our trailers have marathons and we have never had a problem with any of them.

[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.

[bob caldwell]

Discount Tire sell them.