New member of the triple-blowout club

[EdJunior]

Yeah. The cheapo Chinese tires finally got me. A simple 5 hour drive between San Antonio and Houston turned into a 14 hour disaster. Blew the first tire at about 11, maybe an hour outside of San Antonio. Got it changed and blew number 2 just 25 miles later. Then hit bumper to bumper traffic off and on all the way into Houston. I got 40 miles from home and blew tire number 3. I spend nearly 3 hours just trying to find someone that could come with a tire and change it. It was a nightmare for sure. I will have 4 new either Maxxis or Goodyear Marathon tires on the trailer before I get all the damage fixed. Luckily, nothing structurally was damaged. Just some skirt fender damage (pretty bad on one side), and lost some insulation on the other side. I'll get a couple of pics before it goes in for repair.

[DonG]

What brand were they? Duros?
I would buy the Maxxis over the Goodyears, as they have absolutley NO recalls, and fewer complaints. Besides, the Goodyears are most likely made in China.
And if you had load range C tires, spend the extra couple bucks and get D-rated tires. Worth every penny.

[OldCoot]

I would go with the Goodyear Marathons and a TST tire monitor system. Reason being that there are 3 likely reasons tires blow.
1. Tire pressure too low
2. Curbing tires
3. Tires overloaded

Most all tires are built overseas including Maxxis which are built in Thailand.
Goodyear has the big advantage in my opinion as there are dealers in practically every town in the US and I personally have never seen a Maxxis dealer in my 71+ yrs of traveling all over the US.

[DonG]

"Goodyear has the big advantage in my opinion as there are dealers in practically every town in the US"

I will admit that would come in handy when those Goodyear China bombs EXPLODE!

[EdJunior]

The "brand", if you can call it, was TrailExpress Power Touring. They are ST 235 80R16 E-rated tires. All had the recommended 80psi (checked before I left the house, and before I left the campground...and after the first blowout). The trailer was not overloaded. The GVWR is 11,600, and I was at most 10,500 (last weigh in with approximately the same load). I'm not sure what you mean dunnnc about "curbing", unless you mean running against curbs. If that's the case, that does not apply either. I have no curbs in my city, and rarely camp where curbs are around. This campsite I was at did, but no curbing occured there.

Goodyear or Maxxis, almost as good a discussion as diesel v. gas, or Ford v. Chevy v. Dodge. And then the possibility of LT tires. Hmmmmm...

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by DonG

What brand were they? Duros?
I would buy the Maxxis over the Goodyears, as they have absolutley NO recalls, and fewer complaints.

Fewer complaints because they are unknown and unused by probably 90% of rvers. If the truth could be found, I would venture a guess that all tire mfgs have about the same failure rate. You hear about more here because everyone on here has had a problem no doubt. As for Goodyears having more problems is probably a misnomer as there are literally millions more GY on the road than Maxxis or any other brand and will be heard about more.

A tire monitor system would have alerted the OP to the impending problems. Road hazards are also quite common as a cause of blowouts.

[Len & Cheri]

I went with Goodyear after 3 of my Carlisles blew out on a trip back from Myrtle Beach. Put them on in 2005 and had to replace them last year only because they dry rotted and started losing air. Like dunnnc said, you can find a Goodyear dealer almost anywhere. Maxxis probably makes really good tires, it's just finding a dealer when you need one. Maxxis used to make great dirt bike tires, not sure if they still do.

[Len & Cheri]

You can go here and find out if you have a Maxxis dealer near you.

M8008 ST Radial

[MtnGuy]

Ed, I think you were questioning those tires when you 1st got your camper, if I remember correctly. Big time bummer on the blow-outs.

[DonG]

Originally Posted by LFugate

You can go here and find out if you have a Maxxis dealer near you.

M8008 ST Radial

Hmmm, seems like there are lots of Maxxis dealers.
Apparently no need to buy Goodyear China bombs then.

[MilCop4523]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

I would go with the Goodyear Marathons and a TST tire monitor system. Reason being that there are 3 likely reasons tires blow.
1. Tire pressure too low
2. Curbing tires
3. Tires overloaded

Most all tires are built overseas including Maxxis which are built in Thailand.
Goodyear has the big advantage in my opinion as there are dealers in practically every town in the US and I personally have never seen a Maxxis dealer in my 71+ yrs of traveling all over the US.

I installed KUMHO 857's 235/70R/15's 2 weeks ago and ordered the TST 507 sensor system Monday. Big difference already Until the end of May they are offering their 2 yr warranty free with any system. 50$ value added to an already realisticly priced unit.

[B47]

Originally Posted by EdJunior

The "brand", if you can call it, was TrailExpress Power Touring. They are ST 235 80R16 E-rated tires. All had the recommended 80psi (checked before I left the house, and before I left the campground...and after the first blowout). The trailer was not overloaded. The GVWR is 11,600, and I was at most 10,500 (last weigh in with approximately the same load). I'm not sure what you mean dunnnc about "curbing", unless you mean running against curbs. If that's the case, that does
not apply either. I have no curbs in my city, and rarely camp where curbs are around. This campsite I was at did, but no curbing occured there.

Goodyear or Maxxis, almost as good a discussion as diesel v. gas, or Ford v. Chevy v. Dodge. And then the possibility of LT tires. Hmmmmm...

Ed - do you know how many miles your tires had when they blew?

The reason I am asking is because my 2012 29rk came with these same brand tires (not sure about the Power Touring, but the Trail Express and size is the same) and I have 5946 miles on them.

Just curious.

Thanks

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by DonG

Hmmm, seems like there are lots of Maxxis dealers.
Apparently no need to buy Goodyear China bombs then.

Will stay with the GY Marathons and the TST tire monitor system. They all have to pass the DOT regulations and IMHO, Maxxis are no better than Marathons. Goodyear has been around long before Maxxis and I will stick with the experiences I've had. Never in 36+ yrs of towing on Marathons have I ever had a problem, race car trailers, utility trailers, tongue trailers of any sort.

[DonG]

We had Marathons on our last camper, and they lasted for a long, long time. But they were made in the good 'ol USofA. Now that they are made in China, I prefer to avoid them, and would advise anyone else to look for options.
I haven't had such good luck with the Goodyears on my trucks, as they seem to wear out far too quickly. I suppose I should check to se where they are made! Looks like I will be switching brands there as well.

I do not believe in supporting China, nor the companies that have moved our jobs over there. Simply a personal choice.

[amxpress]

Being that you have 16" tires, why not check out an LT tire? Michelin Ribs or BFGoodrich both offer LT tires that will work on your trailer. ST tires have a 65mph speed rating where as an LT tire doesn't.
Regardless of what tire you get, be sure to have them balanced.
Something to consider.
Good luck.

[EdJunior]

Just for the record, Maxxis are made here:

Manufacturer Name MAXXIS INTERNATIONAL (THAILAND) CO., LTD.
DOT 20
Address TASIT SUB-DISTRICT, PLUAK DIST, RAYONG
THAILAND

You are correct Chap, I was questioning them. And the subject came up a couple of times since then as well. I guess I just played the odds one time too many. Anyway, I've heard a lot good about Maxxis, mixed reviews on the Goodyears, and just about all other tires. I'm waiting for the insurance adjuster to look at the trailer damage before I think about the tires. Well, I'll be thinking about them, but won't get serious until I get ready to take the trailer in to get fixed.

Here's some pictures of the damage. I think I got lucky as there is no structural damage that I can see. Just lost some insulation on one side, along with the fender skirt damage. And fender skirt damage on the other side as well.

[MtnGuy]

Ouch !!!

[MilCop4523]

Your incident and pictures got me to thinking last night... I've seen and heard something like this before..

"I've got a blow-out in damper three!" Steve
"Get your pitch to zero." SR-71 pilot
"Pitch is out! I can't hold altitude!" Steve
"Correction, Alpha Hold is off. . . Threat selector is emergency!" B-52 Pilot
"Flight Con! I can't hold it! She's breaking up, she's break—" Steve

We are glad its only sheet metal and a few shattered nerves.
Hey you could always use the same tape NASCAR does to patch the cars after a crash.
They drive at almost 200 miles an hour and the stuff holds.
Then you could get a sticker made with
"The Lady in Black - turn 4"