Tires Tires Tires

buckster · 07-19-2013, 11:31 PM

Well you guys have scared the crap out of me now. I am somewhat new to the forum but have read so many bad comments on tires that I am scared to hook the TT up to the truck.

I have a new 2014 Rockwood 8329SS that we have only used one time so far. It came with those Trail Express China Bombs on it. I have read so many bad things that I feel for sure the best thing to do is to replace them. Having worked for Goodyear for 35 years I guess I will have to go with the Goodyear Marathons. The TT has 225/75/15 load range C on it now. Should I look at going with a Load range D when I replace these Maypops that I have now. We are not scheduled to go out again until late September but I think I would feel better it I have new tires before then.

I have seen people who have change tires that when new better grade tires are installed the new tire are the same size as what was on the TT but the new tires are taller. Is that common with the cheap tires.

wyo700 · 07-19-2013, 11:56 PM

I went up to D from C. I would recommend your not hurting anything by doing it.

Joe_GA · 07-20-2013, 05:04 AM

I don't know about those particular tires, but maintaining the proper pressure is key to preventing blow outs. I have a TST TPMS monitoring all 10 of my tires for that reason.

OldCoot · 07-20-2013, 05:34 AM

My 12 Flagstaff 8528RKWS came with Trail Express LR C's and part of the deal was I would keep my GY Marathon 225-75-15 LR D's which were balanced. They made the swap. Some people have had good luck with the Trail Express, but I have never in 37-38 yrs of running GY Marathons on 9 trailers and numerous racecar trailers even had a flat.

Wildwood1 · 07-20-2013, 06:07 AM

Some people worry too much. Is there not a spare tire onboard? Changing brand new tires for brand new tires dont make sense to me! If you have money to throw away, you can throw it my way. Seems like your trailer is getting very little use anyways so personally i would not change any tires (especially new). Remember the old adage "if it aint broke, dont fix it".

albuilder · 07-20-2013, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildwood1

some people worry too much. Is there not a spare tire onboard? Changing brand new tires for brand new tires dont make sense to me! If you have money to throw away, you can throw it my way. Seems like your trailer is getting very little use anyways so personally i would not change any tires (especially new). Remember the old adage "if it aint broke, dont fix it".

x 2

OldCoot · 07-20-2013, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildwood1

Some people worry too much. Is there not a spare tire onboard? Changing brand new tires for brand new tires dont make sense to me! If you have money to throw away, you can throw it my way. Seems like your trailer is getting very little use anyways so personally i would not change any tires (especially new). Remember the old adage "if it aint broke, dont fix it".

Don't think anyone enjoys buying tires, but with the history of OEM tires being the cheapest they can buy and loaded so close to their load limit, it is just having a little peace of mind. In my case, I already had the GY's that I had to buy after a few months due to a blowout on OEM tires and $1800 damage to a less than 1 yr old trailer.

JFM-jr · 07-20-2013, 06:18 AM

The problem is not limited to the inconvenience of only changing the tire but what can happen the the trailer when the tire comes apart it can wreck the hell out of unit.

JFM-jr · 07-20-2013, 06:20 AM

Looks like old coot beat me to it and confirms my response while I was typing it lol

**Herk7769** · 07-20-2013, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckster

The TT has 225/75/15 load range C on it now. Should I look at going with a Load range D

This is the route that I took - Goodyear Marathons upgraded to D.

As long as you keep the same tire number 225/75/15 you will have no issues with clearance. I run my D rated tires at 58 PSI cold (vs 65 PSI) based on actual load on the tires (plus 10 PSI for firmness).

I was able to find ST225/75/15 Marathons made at the Gadsden Alabama plant in 2010 but I don't know if they still make them there. I would have no problem buying Marathons made anywhere since the Goodyear inspectors ensure the quality in addition to the DoT.

rattleNsmoke · 07-20-2013, 06:25 AM

buckster, like you, I had real concerns with my Trail Distress 'Blow Max' tires on my year old fiver. I sucked it up and replaced them with Cooper SRM LT's after the first very nervous trip out and gave them to someone that needed new tires badly with the provision that I took no responsibility if anything was to happen with them. He took his trailer out and had 2 blowouts in three trips. The last one caused $1,500 worth of damage. He's now running Coopers as well. I'm glad I listened to my gut feeling.

OldCoot · 07-20-2013, 06:25 AM

Kinda like the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". Experience with OEM tires is a good teacher and does cost dearly.

bear11 · 07-20-2013, 06:36 AM

My rockwood sig. ultra light, came with the trail king C rated.
We were planning a cross country trip.Up graded to Carlisle E.
It's all about peace of mine.
No matter what tire you choose,you should look at them every time you stop and check the pressure every day before you start out,when they are cool. Good luck on your decision.

bakken · 07-20-2013, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildwood1

Some people worry too much. Is there not a spare tire onboard? Changing brand new tires for brand new tires dont make sense to me! If you have money to throw away, you can throw it my way. Seems like your trailer is getting very little use anyways so personally i would not change any tires (especially new). Remember the old adage "if it aint broke, dont fix it".

I don't think anyone is worrying too much, we simply learn from the problems others have experienced, and use common sense to come to the conclusion that there is a reasonably high chance that the cheap tires that come on our new campers will fail long before they wear out. And a tire failure will undoubtedly create damage that will cost far in excess of the price of a set of new name-brand tires.

And for myself, the factory tires were C-rated, and did not have the 20% load safety factor that is recommended, which would cause them to fail even sooner. So, for me, I was getting the peace of mind of running a premium tire, plus the load safety factor that the camper should have come with from the factory.

It was a no-brainer for me. I do hope you never have the misfortune to experience a high-speed blowout.

Tjburke7 · 07-20-2013, 02:46 PM

We have 8311s 2013, and have been out 4 times, drove from Biloxi, ms to Pigeon forge tn and back on our 4 th trip, no issues yet. Just check Tire pressure reg. and the tire for wear.

OldCoot · 07-20-2013, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tjburke7

We have 8311s 2013, and have been out 4 times, drove from Biloxi, ms to Pigeon forge tn and back on our 4 th trip, no issues yet. Just check Tire pressure reg. and the tire for wear.

If you're on OEM tires, it like borrowed time. Just speaking from experience.

**KyDan** · 07-20-2013, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldCoot

If you're on OEM tires, it like borrowed time. Just speaking from experience.

Please!! That's YOUR experience with tires that had a marginal weight
rating compared to your trailer axle weight.

My experience is that my OEM tires now are nearly 5 years old with
well over 10,000 miles and I've had no problems.
Previous trailer was 4 years old when we traded with similar miles and
still had OEM tires on it when we traded it.

Not everyone needs to upgrade their original tires.

OldCoot · 07-20-2013, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyDan

Please!! That's YOUR experience with tires that had a marginal weight
rating compared to your trailer axle weight.

My experience is that my OEM tires now are nearly 5 years old with
well over 10,000 miles and I've had no problems.
Previous trailer was 4 years old when we traded with similar miles and
still had OEM tires on it when we traded it.

Not everyone needs to upgrade their original tires.

I agree, but they are what FR furnished. My first experience with FR.

Wildwood1 · 07-20-2013, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFM-jr

The problem is not limited to the inconvenience of only changing the tire but what can happen the the trailer when the tire comes apart it can wreck the hell out of unit.

This is why we pay for insurance!

OldCoot · 07-20-2013, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildwood1

This is why we pay for insurance!

So true, but I prefer paying insurance, not using it and dealing with the hassle of getting estimates, having a damaged trailer, waiting to get it repaired AND still having to buy new tires.

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