tires tires tires

Papa GLS · 06-05-2015, 06:45 PM

Read most of the posts on tires for TT's. It really boggles the mind to try & come up with a sure fired answer to this seemingly age old problem.
My question is, has anyone had a tire failure with the favorites to replace the "China Bombs"? Tires such as GY Marathons, Maxxis, Carlisle, & all the other popular replacements to these unreliable OEM tires. Would really like any info concerning the "better" tires, please.
I am on my 4th TT & have never had a failure on the OEM tires (knock on wood). Am I just that lucky? Never see a report on failures other than "China Bombs"; do any of the supposedly better tires ever fail?
Thanks for any info; It will be greatly appreciated. I know there is a wealth of experience here to draw from.

Papa GLS · 06-06-2015, 08:28 AM

I guess EVERYBODY is weary of tire opinions, questions & responses. Either that or there has not been 1 single failure of a replacement for "China Bombs".
I do appreciate all of the Info.
Thanks

B and B · 06-06-2015, 09:02 AM

Lets start a trend here. Just about all ST tires are made in China. Instead lets talk about tire quality, manufacturing tolerances and rubber compounding instead. I had trail express OEM that had a failure discovered when they were removed. I ran them for the year. I replaced with Goodyear Marathons, up a load range to D and run at 60 psi, plenty of weight capacity for my ultra light Fiver.. One thing I am very careful of is weight carrying capacity, I just purchased a new TV and reweighed everything prior to first trip. I also check my pressure and use Nitrogen (that is a debate in itself) and i do not tow above 62 mph (100 kph), occasionally to pass i would go above but settle back down after. Being cautious with all parameters.

I belive in your case you might be running at inflated pressure, not over weight rating, don't hit road hazards, don't over the rated speed for the tire don't run old tires with dry rot. All of these factors do make make it less likely to fail. There are many more people like yourself that have no issues than the few on this forum that do.

If you are serious RV traveller, long trips lots of miles, upgrade would be a definite advantage. Preparing for the wear and tear of miles. No different if someone uses synthetic oil and K & N air filters for heavy towing.

I know people here have had failures with GY Marathon, Westlake, Carlisle etc. What we don't know is the other factors like speed, inflation, loading, towing high, road hazard etc.

For a weekend warrior travelling to the local park for a week or two a year and not over packing OEM might provide suitable service for several years, dry rot will get them first in most cases.

Ddubya · 06-06-2015, 09:40 AM

I totally agree. Most tire failures occur due to neglect. Balance the tires. Replace the stock valve stems with good quality metal ones. Make sure the pressure is correct.
Get a good quality infrared temp gauge and check tire and bearing temps at each fuel stop.
Tires are easy to forget about because we seldom have failures on our auto's.
If your trailer sets for weeks or months and then is taken on a trip with no preparation you are asking for trouble.

Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

Papa GLS · 06-06-2015, 10:35 AM

Thanks for the responses B and B & Ddubya. I personally believe any tire can fail if not taken care of. I know some are probably worse than others, but even "quality" tires can fail for a multitude of reasons. I know many of you have greater experience than I do. While I was born at night, it was not last night. I do have a bit of experience with these matters. I do truly appreciate all of everyones experience & knowledge on FRF, & draw on that experience to help me.
Much Thanks

donniedu · 06-06-2015, 10:48 AM

It seems to me the big problem with ST tires is on larger heavier trailers. When they are paired with relatively light (under about 9000 pounds) trailers ST tires, even the worst off name tires seem to work well. Put them on heavier trailers and sooner or later, guaranteed you will have a failure. Whether that failure causes damage ot a c@#$ shoot. For those with 16 inch wheels, IMHO it is a no brainer, LT tires are the only way to go. For those with really heavy trailers that have 8000 pound axles the smart move is upgrade to 17.5 inch tires and wheels. Those offer tire load ratings over 4000 pounds each.

Docgeo · 06-06-2015, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa GLS

I guess EVERYBODY is weary of tire opinions, questions & responses. Either that or there has not been 1 single failure of a replacement for "China Bombs".
I do appreciate all of the Info.
Thanks

Goodyear Tires! Are the best replacement.
And if you do have a failure save the tire so they can determine defect and Replace or warranty!!!

Prism 24G · 06-06-2015, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa GLS

Read most of the posts on tires for TT's. It really boggles the mind to try & come up with a sure fired answer to this seemingly age old problem.
My question is, has anyone had a tire failure with the favorites to replace the "China Bombs"? Tires such as GY Marathons, Maxxis, Carlisle, & all the other popular replacements to these unreliable OEM tires. Would really like any info concerning the "better" tires, please.
I am on my 4th TT & have never had a failure on the OEM tires (knock on wood). Am I just that lucky? Never see a report on failures other than "China Bombs"; do any of the supposedly better tires ever fail?
Thanks for any info; It will be greatly appreciated. I know there is a wealth of experience here to draw from.

About tires,
only one is a TOP tires MICHELIN, all
others are second ....!!!!!

B and B · 06-06-2015, 12:47 PM

Growing up in a Tire Town (Kitchener Ontario) and have father, myself for a time and all family working at Uniroyal or Goodrich they were Number 1 but bought my Michelin they are my number 1 now.

Harkerr · 06-06-2015, 01:11 PM

Marathons are made in China. I use Michilin LT tires. No problem. Had a Cooper ST throw a tread. Lots of damage

Harkerr · 06-06-2015, 01:14 PM

I replace tires at 7 years regardless of tread. Solves a lot of problems. Also if you lose tire pressure look to replace tire

banda · 06-06-2015, 03:41 PM

Depends on what you consider failure. I have Goodyear Marathons and they have not exploded, but I just noticed that they look like they are about to. I did an inspection of them recently and noticed that compared to a new tire, the center of the tread is much higher than the edges, and the entire diameter is quite a bit larger than my unused spare. Also there are very large cracks between the treads, looks like they could blow at any minute just sitting there! These tires are only 3 years old and only have about 6000 miles on them! Take a look at the photo in this post, mine are similar. I am going to replace them with Maxxis tires. http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...his-82684.html

Edmund · 06-06-2015, 03:42 PM

Got rid of the "bombs" and had to get what I could at the time. Ended up with Carlisle and have towed them for @ 15-18,000 miles with no problems. Saying that, all hell may break loose tomorrow!

Claude002 · 06-06-2015, 05:12 PM

Edmund---witch Carlisle LRD OR LRE -- wheel 15 or 16 i'm interested because I'm ordering from Karl Tire shop in Hawkesbury Ont. MONDAY.

Papa GLS · 06-06-2015, 05:43 PM

Much thanks everyone. I like Michelins on my truck & Suburban, but do they make a trailer tire? Also my local tire dealer does not recommend or even carry GY marathons. Just so much to consider when buying new tires. I know a lot of this is personal preference, but experience does speak volumes. Again thanks to all who responded. At least it gives me some idea as what to do. Also, man at Tire Kingdom told me that BF Goodrich Radial TA's are made by Michelin. Thats what I have on my 2500 Chevy Duramax & love them.

Edmund · 06-06-2015, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claude002

Edmund---witch Carlisle LRD OR LRE -- wheel 15 or 16 i'm interested because I'm ordering from Karl Tire shop in Hawkesbury Ont. MONDAY.

ST225/75R15 LRD, Radial Trail RH, Duratrail. This rig (Windjammer 2809W) came w/LRC. I had it weighed at FR Rally in 2013 (prior to getting the Carlisle) and I was at least 2-300 lbs under weight but still got LRD. Good luck.

satdog01 · 06-06-2015, 08:25 PM

X2 on proper tire maintenance, my Flafstaff came with DUO radials. After 3.5 years I have run just over 18k miles! Check pressure before every trip, am finding the Nitrogen tires seem to vary a good bit on cool mornings. One thing I do that I did not see mentioned, since the tires are radials, I rotate the front axle tire to the rear axle same side every 5k miles just like my Chevy HD TV. have been watching the China bomb posts closely, will be grading to a "D" series. Am planing a long trip to the west coast hopefully soon.

OldCoot · 06-06-2015, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banda

...the center of the tread is much higher than the edges,...

Just referring to the tread statement, if the tread is higher in the center than the outer edges, they have been run underinflated.

banda · 06-06-2015, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Just referring to the tread statement, if the tread is higher in the center than the outer edges, they have been run underinflated.

I know this is usually the case, but I always checked them before and during trips, and made sure they were inflated to the max as stated on the tire sidewall. Also, the trailer was not overweight, and the tires did not run hot. (I checked this often also.) Not sure what is going on with them. I've never seen tires grow in diameter like that. The old tires are several inches taller than the new tires of the same stated size.

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