Here is my tire failure on a 8 month old,1871 miles on tire.The tire center that Forest River had us go to,saw the tire and said that the tread cap seperated from the sidewall.This was not due to inflation,or running over anything.So we have 4 Castle Rocks on our trailer now,and will be beefing up the wheel well area before we depart on our next 2000 mile part of our trip.
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2017 Ford F-250,2016 Forest River WW Hertiage Glen 337BAR.
Here is my tire failure on a 8 month old,1871 miles on tire.The tire center that Forest River had us go to,saw the tire and said that the tread cap seperated from the sidewall.This was not due to inflation,or running over anything.So we have 4 Castle Rocks on our trailer now,and will be beefing up the wheel well area before we depart on our next 2000 mile part of our trip.
Yes that is a tread separation. On a new tire with that few miles I would consider that a tire factory related condition. IMO the tire should have been "adjusted" i.e. replaced and the damage paid for by tire dealer or RV dealer as the tire selection is the responsibility of the RV company.
Did you capture the tire DOT serial? That number along with your RV VIN is what is needed to file a complaint with NHTSA so they can add to their database. With sufficient numbers on file they can start an investigation which based on their findings is what can start a tire recall. If you post the DOT serial here we can ID the tire plant that actually made the tire.
Every RV owner needs to have the full DOT serial of each tire recorded and written down, Sometimes a tire failure can destroy the serial. Without a full serial NHTSA can not use the data to start an investigation.
Do you run the tire sidewall inflation as cold inflation at start of every travel day?
Have you confirmed you are not exceeding the GAWR rating for your RV with actual scale measurement with the RV fully loaded (food, water etc) as when ready to travel?
Here is process of how to inspect your tires. I suggest once a year or once every 1,000 miles.
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.Write a blog on RV tire application RV Tire Safety. 48 years experience as tire design & forensic engineer. My RV Freelander 23QB on Chevy 4500 chassis. Giving seminars on RV Tire applications (not selling)@ FMCA Conventions. Mar 20-22 Tucson AZ
Yes that is a tread separation. On a new tire with that few miles I would consider that a tire factory related condition. IMO the tire should have been "adjusted" i.e. replaced and the damage paid for by tire dealer or RV dealer as the tire selection is the responsibility of the RV company.
Let's clear this up a little. Are you saying a tire being operated in a "run flat" condition for 1800 miles could not be damaged to the point where it would suffer such a tread separation?
Let's clear this up a little. Are you saying a tire being operated in a "run flat" condition for 1800 miles could not be damaged to the point where it would suffer such a tread separation?
Never said anything about being "run flat".
Sidewall flex failures as seen in this picture
are the normal condition you end with after running significant under-inflation ( -80% to -100%) of the air pressure needed to carry the load, while driving at highway speeds .
Tread separations which is what we see in the subject tire have a variety of causes. Some can be traced to design and compound specification, some traced to factory process and some to long term underinflation (-5 to -205% or greater ) and/or significant overload.
As you know the load capacity is controlled by the inflation so sometimes you can have 100% of the sidewall inflation but 130% load. Other times you might have only 70% of the tire max load number but are running -50% of inflation.
Technically "run flat" means 20% or greater inflation loss from normal for that vehicle.
It is possible that the tire might have been run -15% for 1800 miles at relatively high speeds and stored in full sunlight so the excess heat broke down some of the rubber bonds but i would need microscope and chemical analysis to confirm that.
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.Write a blog on RV tire application RV Tire Safety. 48 years experience as tire design & forensic engineer. My RV Freelander 23QB on Chevy 4500 chassis. Giving seminars on RV Tire applications (not selling)@ FMCA Conventions. Mar 20-22 Tucson AZ
IMO that is another Tread or Belt separation. The condition of the tire may make reading the DOT serial impossible. So that would make it impossible to file a meaningful complaint with NHTSA. This is perfect example of why everyone should have a written record of the full tire S.N for each tire on their vehicles.
By Fed regulation the RV company is suppose to have the tire S/N on file for 5 years so in theory you might be able to get the tire S/N from FR. But I would not hold your breath.
Tread & Belt separations can many times be discovered BEFORE the tire comes apart by doing tire inspection as I outlined in my blog post on the topic.
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.Write a blog on RV tire application RV Tire Safety. 48 years experience as tire design & forensic engineer. My RV Freelander 23QB on Chevy 4500 chassis. Giving seminars on RV Tire applications (not selling)@ FMCA Conventions. Mar 20-22 Tucson AZ
Do not mean to hijack but seems a good place to ask. I cant find it. I have a 2014 3170DSF Sunseeker. A weight distribution chart. I have a yellow sticker in the drivers side door frame. Not much data. Is there a different chart? I have searched the cabinets. If anyone has one, please post. If i am crazy, feel free to post that to.
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2014 Sunseeker 3170 DSF
Dorothy, Garrette and Miss Bella.
Retired and having fun.
Do not mean to hijack but seems a good place to ask. I cant find it. I have a 2014 3170DSF Sunseeker. A weight distribution chart. I have a yellow sticker in the drivers side door frame. Not much data. Is there a different chart? I have searched the cabinets. If anyone has one, please post. If i am crazy, feel free to post that to.
I assume your Class-c is built on a Ford E350. Is it a 2013 chassis? The placard is probably the same for all 2013 Ford E350. and maybe 2014 & 2015 too. I would check other similar vehicles at your RV dealer.
By law your RV is to have a placard on driver side door jam. If it is missing your RV dealer should provide a replacement.
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.Write a blog on RV tire application RV Tire Safety. 48 years experience as tire design & forensic engineer. My RV Freelander 23QB on Chevy 4500 chassis. Giving seminars on RV Tire applications (not selling)@ FMCA Conventions. Mar 20-22 Tucson AZ
Quick question, from the dealer / Manufacturer the tires are filled with nitrogen, what are you supposed to do when the tire is 5 lb. low, use air from a local gas station. Did a search and so far haven't found an answer.
Thanks in advance.
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Retired Navy
Indiana
Hemisphere Lite 327RE
Silverado 2500HD 4x4 6.0 gas
[QUOTE=Sailor Bill;1308989]Quick question, from the dealer / Manufacturer the tires are filled with nitrogen, what are you supposed to do when the tire is 5 lb. low, use air from a local gas station. Did a search and so far haven't found an answer.
Thanks in advance.[/QUOT
If your talking about your RV trailer manufacturer and relying on service stations for inflation pressures you're way behind the "8" ball.
Air is 78/79% nitrogen. One is nearly as good as the other for trailer tire servicing.
It is very easy to walk around your unit with your cell phone and record pictures of the data on all your tires. It only takes a few minutes and you will have a record of each tire.
A reminder, once again, a TPMS is worth it's weight in gold. I just don't understand why everyone doesn't have one. REAL TIME INFO on whats going on.
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Army Pathfinder Vietnam, 3 tours
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I have been concerned about tires also so run under 65 mph, check tire pressure constantly, and weigh my trailer when heading out on a trip. I also bought a Ryobi temperature gun so I could check tire temperatures. After taking the temperatures the first time, I had to laugh at myself because I had no idea what was acceptable. At about 7000 pounds on a 100 degree day, I was at 116 degrees for all four tires. With two quads and no water I weighed 7300 with a weight bias more towards the rear, my front axle tires were 116 and my rear axle tires were 121. Is this an acceptable temperature or will I soon be sharing my blowout story? By the way, I have marathon D range tires at 65 psi.
Tire especially trailer tires also fail from curbing / running over, or brushing against curbs. That damages the side wall. But mostly trailer tires fail because of age.
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Terry and Shay
Lazy Campers
FootHills NC
I have been concerned about tires also so run under 65 mph, check tire pressure constantly, and weigh my trailer when heading out on a trip. I also bought a Ryobi temperature gun so I could check tire temperatures. After taking the temperatures the first time, I had to laugh at myself because I had no idea what was acceptable. At about 7000 pounds on a 100 degree day, I was at 116 degrees for all four tires. With two quads and no water I weighed 7300 with a weight bias more towards the rear, my front axle tires were 116 and my rear axle tires were 121. Is this an acceptable temperature or will I soon be sharing my blowout story? By the way, I have marathon D range tires at 65 psi.
Crookedread
2016 Duramax
2011 Stealth 2312
I get similar results. With the Harley loaded my tongue weight reduces about 100 pounds. Rear tires are usually 5-7 degrees hotter than front. With Harley not on board the front tires run about 5 degrees warmer.
What kind of temperatures do you see and what does the Harley weigh?
Crookedread
2016 Duramax
2011 Stealth 2312
Highest I've seen is 135. That was after two hours nonstop on an Interstate at 60-65 mph and air temperature in the 98 degree area. The non-sun side of the TT WAS 10 degrees cooler.
The Harley (Road Glide Ultra) comes in at about 940 pounds with full fuel. The front wheel is chocked between the trailer axles. I'm still looking for the right size water tank to install under the aft frame so when the bike is not loaded I can put 400 pounds of ballast weight back there. The TT seems to handle just a little better when loaded with the Harley. CAT scale weight is 7,800 pounds (out of a max of 9,800 pounds).
Thanks, that really helps. I'm going to try and move quads closer to the front as I am always looking to keep things balanced. I can go sideways a little but will have to see what it does to my side to side balance.
Still trying to get my wife on board with a Harley so we could use it for touring on our trips. The outlook looks a little bleak right this minute but you never know!!
My fuel tank is in the back of the trailer so I fill it sometimes and it does ride smoother when I don't have the quads. I think it is 34 gallons. The water tank is 100 gallons and it makes a significant difference when towing in a lot of cross wind.
I hope more RV'ers will supply us with their tire temperatures.
I have been concerned about tires also so run under 65 mph, check tire pressure constantly, and weigh my trailer when heading out on a trip. I also bought a Ryobi temperature gun so I could check tire temperatures. After taking the temperatures the first time, I had to laugh at myself because I had no idea what was acceptable. At about 7000 pounds on a 100 degree day, I was at 116 degrees for all four tires. With two quads and no water I weighed 7300 with a weight bias more towards the rear, my front axle tires were 116 and my rear axle tires were 121. Is this an acceptable temperature or will I soon be sharing my blowout story? By the way, I have marathon D range tires at 65 psi.
Crookedread
2016 Duramax
2011 Stealth 2312
Did you also shoot your TV tires? Shooting the tire is a help, but remember that is the outside rubber temp not the internal temp. Blow out occurs in the the temp area of 150 degrees or so measured inside the tire. If it was a 100 degree day and you were only getting 116 /121 I would say you running pretty cool. I used to use the temp gun always if I was within 5 to 10 degrees of my TV temp I thought I was really alright. The gun is good to shoot your hubs it can tell you if a brake drum is dragging, which cause extra heat to build in the tire. I know that my TST temp is set at 150 degrees that is what they recommend. I normally see anywhere from 96 to the highest I think was 107. So I would say that you are fine to me. I'm going to have to try and shoot my tire and compare it to the internal temp reading. I would bet that the sidewall shot with the gun will be higher. If I remember right TST says that blow out are most common with an internal temp of 150 to 175 degrees. I don't know if that helps you, but for a 100 degree day that pretty cool to me, but I'm no tire expert at all.... Also shoot the asphalt being that also will contribute to the tire temp. I didn't read do you also have TPMS on your TT if not it is really the best investment that you can make...I also asked what was acceptable and no one could give me an answer... after I blew a hole in the side wall of the org. tires after 6000 miles I switched to Marathon "D" range from the trail express "C", ran those for 3 years trouble free then a belt separated, so again I bought new tires this time Maxxis 8008 "D" so far so good. Really I'm getting tired of buying tires in four years two sets, but it still cheaper then the damage that happens from a tire failure.
I recently tested tire temps covered vs uncovered while in storage and measured 122 uncovered in direct sunlight (infrared surface temp reading). The internal temp of the same tire was 86 according to the TPMS. This was without the trailer having been moved/towed at all, after about 3-4 hours of direct sunlight, and the ambient temp was 66.
I'd say your temps are perfectly fine.
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'04 GMC Sierra 2500HD, CCSB, D/A, MaxBrake, B&W Companion, Retrax Pro, AR Power Steps
2021 Solitude 310GK w/FBP
1969 Camaro RS/SS Convertible
Dad's old 1968 Empi Imp (recently recovered from under 21 years worth of boxes/dust)