Tires on a 2014 330 MKS Crusader

[C. Brown]

I know this has never been discussed on the forum, LOL, but I am frustrated with tire issues on our fifth wheel. We bought the unit brand new in August 2013 with Towmax tires on it. In October 2015 we had a tire completely come apart on a trip. It did $3200 worth of damage to the camper. I replaced all tires with Goodyear Marathons. In October 2017 on a trip I found a huge bubble on the side wall of one of the Marathons. I replaced it with a Goodyear Endurance tire. This past weekend one of the Marathons blew. Fortunately no damage done.

I keep the tires covered when the unit is sitting on storage lot. I have the unit up on boards when stored so the tires are not sitting on the ground while stored. I am OCD about checking tire pressures before the camper ever moves. I have a TST monitoring system to monitor tire pressures and temperatures. All the tires are wearing even so there is not an issue of the axles being out of line, etc. We watch our weight so I am sure the unit is not overloaded.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I can do to get better wear and endurance with these tires?

[clr]

It sounds to me like you are doing all that you can currently with your tires.

In my opinion is that the Mfr puts the cheapest tire that will only barely meet the weight limits of the unit. My case is a 2015 Sanibel 5th wheel that came with Goodyear Marathon tires. The OEM axle was a Dexter 7K pound axle, the Marathons were rated for a maximum load of 3420 at 80 PSI. So each tire was short of the required load of 3500 pounds to reach the axle limits. So Prime time reduced the GVWR of the unit by 320 pounds so that the tires would meet the limits. The second trip I blew two Marathon tires on the way home, so I began looking into what I could do.

To make a long story short you need to obtain a safety margin of at least 10% on your tires and 15 - 20% is even better. In my case I went from load range E to H but only run the tires at 110 PSI to reach my required safety margin. OK I may have gone a little to far here but I have not had any problems with the new tires in the two plus years on the road. So look at your GVWR of your unit and start your math from there.

[C. Brown]

Originally Posted by clr

It sounds to me like you are doing all that you can currently with your tires.

In my opinion is that the Mfr puts the cheapest tire that will only barely meet the weight limits of the unit. My case is a 2015 Sanibel 5th wheel that came with Goodyear Marathon tires. The OEM axle was a Dexter 7K pound axle, the Marathons were rated for a maximum load of 3420 at 80 PSI. So each tire was short of the required load of 3500 pounds to reach the axle limits. So Prime time reduced the GVWR of the unit by 320 pounds so that the tires would meet the limits. The second trip I blew two Marathon tires on the way home, so I began looking into what I could do.

To make a long story short you need to obtain a safety margin of at least 10% on your tires and 15 - 20% is even better. In my case I went from load range E to H but only run the tires at 110 PSI to reach my required safety margin. OK I may have gone a little to far here but I have not had any problems with the new tires in the two plus years on the road. So look at your GVWR of your unit and start your math from there.

Did you move up to Goodyear G614's?

[fmc]

Goodyear G 614. Problem solved!

[clr]

I went with Sailun tires that I bought from Tredit tire and Wheel the Prime Time supplier of wheels and tires. I also had to change the wheels with the new tires. The OEM wheels were Tredit T3 wheels as I recall and they were only rated for a max PSI of 80 and 3508 pounds of load. I bought 5 wheels and tires from Tredit for $1562 I went with the Sailun tires because they were highly rated and much cheaper than the Goodyear G614. The G614,s were about 425 dollars per tire. Remember also that I went thru the Goodyear Marathon problem with my unit and they did not make good on any of the tires that failed so I was not big on Goodyear.

[C. Brown]

Originally Posted by fmc

Goodyear G 614. Problem solved!

I can't move up in tire size because of clearance, or lack thereof, between the two tires and rim size. I looked at that possibility back in 2015 with the first major blow out with the Towmax.

[clr]

I went with the 215/75R17.5 tire and wheel, the circumference of the tire was slightly less than the OEM 16 inch tires. So there was no clearance issues. You need to look at all the specifications very closely but I am very happy with my end product. Like I stated no tire problems in over 2 and 1/2 years now.

[kpkenn4242]

I have had a lot of problems with tires on 3 different Forest River products I have had - starting with 2 different Rockwood Roos and with my current Flagstaff Classic. Good Year paid for damages to my first blow out that did considerable damage. The last time I was in the middle of farmland outside of South Hill, Virginia and blew 2 tires an hour apart. I ended up having a farm tire store out in the middle of the country giving me all new tires. He put on the same size tire, but his tires were the ones he uses for horse trailers and he guaranteed me I wouldn't have trouble. (All 4 new tires out the door for just under $350. No kidding!!) He said the tires I had were barely rated for the trailer's weight and that I needed a tire rated for a heavier load. The ones he gave me are several load ratings higher which is what I really needed. I'll check the brand and rating later and post it for you.

I just bought a previously owned (but almost never used) 2016 Crusader 5th wheel and I'm going to take it to him for all new tires as soon as I pick it up. I think I'm also going to add a tire pressure monitoring system to the trailer tires on the new-to-me trailer.

[Walholler]

The number one problem the retired Chief has is the Towmax and Goodyear Marathons are both Chinese made tires. I would not run either of those brands around the block on anything other than a manure spreader. Go find yourself a good brand of tire such as the Maxxis or Sailun in your size. Our 5th wheel came with the Towmax which I replaced with the Maxxis 8008 after 250 miles. The Maxxis tires now have around 7000 miles on them without any problem.

[C. Brown]

Originally Posted by kpkenn4242

I have had a lot of problems with tires on 3 different Forest River products I have had - starting with 2 different Rockwood Roos and with my current Flagstaff Classic. Good Year paid for damages to my first blow out that did considerable damage. The last time I was in the middle of farmland outside of South Hill, Virginia and blew 2 tires an hour apart. I ended up having a farm tire store out in the middle of the country giving me all new tires. He put on the same size tire, but his tires were the ones he uses for horse trailers and he guaranteed me I wouldn't have trouble. (All 4 new tires out the door for just under $350. No kidding!!) He said the tires I had were barely rated for the trailer's weight and that I needed a tire rated for a heavier load. The ones he gave me are several load ratings higher which is what I really needed. I'll check the brand and rating later and post it for you.

I just bought a previously owned (but almost never used) 2016 Crusader 5th wheel and I'm going to take it to him for all new tires as soon as I pick it up. I think I'm also going to add a tire pressure monitoring system to the trailer tires on the new-to-me trailer.

As to the tire pressure monitoring system, go with TST 507 Flow through system. I really believe this system "saved my bacon" Saturday when the tire popped. As soon as the air started down I got an audible alert and was able to pull over immediately and get out of traffic in I-85 south of Auburn, Alabama.

[Tiggerdad]

Originally Posted by CMSgt (Ret) Charlie Brown

I know this has never been discussed on the forum, LOL, but I am frustrated with tire issues on our fifth wheel. We bought the unit brand new in August 2013 with Towmax tires on it. In October 2015 we had a tire completely come apart on a trip. It did $3200 worth of damage to the camper. I replaced all tires with Goodyear Marathons. In October 2017 on a trip I found a huge bubble on the side wall of one of the Marathons. I replaced it with a Goodyear Endurance tire. This past weekend one of the Marathons blew. Fortunately no damage done.

I keep the tires covered when the unit is sitting on storage lot. I have the unit up on boards when stored so the tires are not sitting on the ground while stored. I am OCD about checking tire pressures before the camper ever moves. I have a TST monitoring system to monitor tire pressures and temperatures. All the tires are wearing even so there is not an issue of the axles being out of line, etc. We watch our weight so I am sure the unit is not overloaded.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I can do to get better wear and endurance with these tires?

I have the Crusader 2013 330MKS. It came with st 235/80r16 LRE. When I bought it I had the dealer pull my Firestone 245/75-16 LRE LT tires from my old unit and put them on the Crusader. I have 5200# axles and although the Firestone's have less carrying capacity they exceed the weight ratings the axles require. If I had it to do over again I would have purchased a tire that was not as wide. At 5200 # axles even a 225/75R16 LT LRE tire should work for you. I am a forum member on RV.Net and there are posts showing up about the new Goodyear Endurance saying they are now made in the USA because of quality issues from China. Reviews have been positive but these are relativity new tires. Many on RV.Net say they are using Sailuns, and although I lost 2 of the BFG Radial T/A's due to tread blowout many are also using that tire. I didn't buy BFG replacements because BFG would not warrant them on a trailer. Many people are going to domestic LT tires and I understand that some manufacturers are install LT tires. Good luck. Keep us posted. The RV.Net forum can be read but one must join-free- to respond or post.

[johnruff]

x2 on GY 614s

[clr]

I think that one should use an ST type tire on a trailer, but I understand that many put on LT type tires on their trailer and swear by them. ST type tires have NO built in safety margin since they do not carry passengers, LT tires have to have a safety margin since they are designed to carry passengers. I needed a tire that would carry at least 3500 pounds plus my required safety margin of 10%. There is no LT type tire in the 235/75/16 size that can carry that load. So I went with the ST load range H type tire in order to get to the load number I needed. I know that this was overkill but I can now get a new tire at Pilot or Loves and such that sell truck tires if needed, since this is the same type of tire that low-boy trailers use. I have had to run around on the road and try and find a dealer that had a Load range E tire in stock, NOT EASY.
Just look and know the weight limit for the tire that you purchase and know that it meets your requirements. Most tires for the same load range do not have the same weight carrying capacity, one would think they would but they do not.

[C. Brown]

Originally Posted by Tiggerdad

I have the Crusader 2013 330MKS. It came with st 235/80r16 LRE. When I bought it I had the dealer pull my Firestone 245/75-16 LRE LT tires from my old unit and put them on the Crusader. I have 5200# axles and although the Firestone's have less carrying capacity they exceed the weight ratings the axles require. If I had it to do over again I would have purchased a tire that was not as wide. At 5200 # axles even a 225/75R16 LT LRE tire should work for you. I am a forum member on RV.Net and there are posts showing up about the new Goodyear Endurance saying they are now made in the USA because of quality issues from China. Reviews have been positive but these are relativity new tires. Many on RV.Net say they are using Sailuns, and although I lost 2 of the BFG Radial T/A's due to tread blowout many are also using that tire. I didn't buy BFG replacements because BFG would not warrant them on a trailer. Many people are going to domestic LT tires and I understand that some manufacturers are install LT tires. Good luck. Keep us posted. The RV.Net forum can be read but one must join-free- to respond or post.

Thanks for your info. I have the exact same axles as you, 5200#. I think the Endurance tire is replacing the Marathon. I was thinking LT tires are designed for light trucks. Therefore, they have a softer side wall and not really capable of towing 5th wheel weight. It is my understanding this is why you should use ST (special trailer) tires, stronger side wall.

[Tiggerdad]

Originally Posted by CMSgt (Ret) Charlie Brown

Thanks for your info. I have the exact same axles as you, 5200#. I think the Endurance tire is replacing the Marathon. I was thinking LT tires are designed for light trucks. Therefore, they have a softer side wall and not really capable of towing 5th wheel weight. It is my understanding this is why you should use ST (special trailer) tires, stronger side wall.

You have a valid point about the ST tires BUT many people have gone away from them in favor of LT tires because of the same issues you have. The LT tires are perfectly suitable for RV application as long as they meet the weight they are carrying. The LT tire has less carrying capacity than ST so if anyone installs them they must be sure they, in your case, exceed the 5200# per axle.
I have often wondered why Prime Time used such a large ST tire on our Crusaders and have come to the conclusion that they did so to create carrying capacity to help solve the blow out issues which in your case did not work.

If you have the same 235/80R16 ST LRE tires as I originally had then you have 13,680 # carrying capacity. I believe my trailer loaded weighs around 8900 loaded so you can see the originals had much more than required.

[rayham7777777]

Are you traveling within the maximum speed rating of your tires? If not then that may be your issue.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by CMSgt (Ret) Charlie Brown

I know this has never been discussed on the forum, LOL, but I am frustrated with tire issues on our fifth wheel. We bought the unit brand new in August 2013 with Towmax tires on it. In October 2015 we had a tire completely come apart on a trip. It did $3200 worth of damage to the camper. I replaced all tires with Goodyear Marathons. In October 2017 on a trip I found a huge bubble on the side wall of one of the Marathons. I replaced it with a Goodyear Endurance tire. This past weekend one of the Marathons blew. Fortunately no damage done.

I keep the tires covered when the unit is sitting on storage lot. I have the unit up on boards when stored so the tires are not sitting on the ground while stored. I am OCD about checking tire pressures before the camper ever moves. I have a TST monitoring system to monitor tire pressures and temperatures. All the tires are wearing even so there is not an issue of the axles being out of line, etc. We watch our weight so I am sure the unit is not overloaded.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I can do to get better wear and endurance with these tires?

This is a hard post to answer because you're tires are in what a lot of us call an "over-kill" in load capacity for 5200#axles.


So, I'm just going to fall back on industry statements relevant for 2013. ST tires are age-out tires. 3-5 years is their ball-park best life expectancy, all depending on usage and maintenance habits. Then there is the 65 MPH speed restriction. That's all those original tires were rated for. Fatigue becomes a major factor when operated above the speed restriction.

It's very hard to compare today's (2018) ST tires with those just a few years older. All most all now have speed ratings 75 MPH or higher. Almost all 16" ST tires now have wedges, nylon overlays or both.


The ST235/80R16 LRE can be now be purchased with higher load capacities making it much easier to find tires with the ODs for close axle spacings.