Tires Tires Tires

Hatchet58 · 09-09-2012, 09:01 PM

Okey gents, been a heck of a year for me maintenance wise on the 5er.. First it was electrical 9 fixed, (and yes it was a bad GFI) then had Brake problems going to Colorado, thought we got it fixed and more problems on the way home, ( $800 later all new brakes and wheel Barings pack please new grease seals ) Now its time for New tires.... Leaning towards Goodyear Marathons 235-80-16. anyone have theses or other Idea ???
p.s. Thanks for all the help so far.....

Old car · 09-09-2012, 09:37 PM

All I can say is for people to please replace their factory tires. We just completed a 2400 mile trip and had to replace three of the Trail Express Load C factory tires. They are ST225-75-15. Total mileage on the tires is 7500-8000 miles. Had to replace one last Tuesday and two of them today on I-80 in nowhere, NE. I check my tires religiously for air pressure, drive no more than 63 miles per hour, keep them covered when sitting in the sun. Nothing I could do about three tires literally shredding apart.

I love my Forest River product but lesson learned when I buy my next trailer--keep your cheap Chinese tires and the deal will hinge on better quality tires being mounted up before I drive off the lot.

EdJunior · 09-10-2012, 08:12 AM

What Randy said (or Patty). My Trail Express tires had less than 3,000 miles on 'em before 3 of them shredded. I now have Maxxis E rated 16" and am happy so far, but I don't have many miles on them yet.

LadyWindrider · 09-10-2012, 08:23 AM

If your search for tires, you will find plenty of reading material, a lot of opinions, and some rather heated arguments at times. As for me, I replaced mine, but went up a load range, so far, so good, after 4000 miles.

TURBS · 09-10-2012, 09:13 AM

I never see anyone complain or praise about DURO tires ?
I know the sabre's have them.

Any idea's ?

Rugged Brown · 09-10-2012, 09:19 AM

I have DURO's on my Flagstaff. Nothing negative to report. My problem is I can't check the torque of the lug nut because I don't have a socket that can fit in that small space between the nut and the rim.

LadyWindrider · 09-10-2012, 09:21 AM

Not having a socket doesn't have anything to do with the tires, that is the configuration of the rim.

TURBS · 09-10-2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

I have DURO's on my Flagstaff. Nothing negative to report. My problem is I can't check the torque of the lug nut because I don't have a socket that can fit in that small space between the nut and the rim.

They make a thinwall lug socket.
Unfortunately the only suppliers are mac snap-on or matco. (That I've seen)

Rugged Brown · 09-10-2012, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

They make a thinwall lug socket.
Unfortunately the only suppliers are mac snap-on or matco. (That I've seen)

What size is the lugnut?

david-o · 09-10-2012, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old car

All I can say is for people to please replace their factory tires.

Hi Randy,

What tires did you buy to replace the O/E (original equipment) Trail Express tires - what brand, model, size, load range, etc? Assuming you increased the load range, did you mount them on the O/E aluminum wheels or did you also replace the wheels for the higher load range?

As FYI - I toured the Rockwood/Flagstaff factory during the recent FROG Rally and asked the warranty manager for tire advice for our model trailer. He said most of his customers don't tow very far or very often so that's why they install basic tires at the factory. However, he didn't hesitate to say that anyone who will be towing more than a typical owner should definitely upgrade tires by one load range level. He didn't have a brand preference - said any decent brand will be fine - as long as the load range is one step up.

Based in his advice, it looks like I'll be replacing my V-Lite tires before the 2013 camping season begins. I'm just wondering if I will also be shopping for new wheels.

TURBS · 09-10-2012, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

What size is the lugnut?

You know I'm not sure.......
I just grabbed one out the socket rail (thin wall snap-on ) and it fit . I surely can look tonight if needed.

pdchristensen · 09-10-2012, 12:21 PM

Be aware of the manufacturer installed tire rating. I have quickly determined that Forest River seems notorious for equipping the units with the bare minimum requirements, so be sure to confirm the rating of the tires on your units. My recent purchase of the VCROSS 6504 is a prime example. The dry weight of the trailer is 3400 lbs. The rating on the Triangle ST 14 inch tires is 1700 lbs each which provides the bare minimum weight rating for a single axle trailer. I am going to be quick to upgrade my tires.

Old car · 09-10-2012, 05:27 PM

My lug nuts are 13/16" and I bought a thin wall socket from one of the big box hardware stores. Can't remember if it was Lowe's, Home Depot, or Sutherlands.

Old car · 09-10-2012, 05:40 PM

David, I had to replace on the road as the three tires occurred at different times so I basically had to take what was in stock at each location. Two of the tires are Load D (one step up) and one is a Hercules and the other a Goodyear Marathon. The third tire is a Load E and it is a Carlisle. All of these are Chinese as well but as I said, I had to take what is available. All are mounted on the OE rims.

I stopped after work at my local tire dealer whom I have always used and trust. He said I could run mixed Load rated tires but not his first choice. He recommends the E just for piece of mind but says the D's should do the job. I am running the trailer into him on Saturday and getting two more D tires and will put all the D's to the ground. I will move the E to the spare (that's another story) and all the Load C's tires will be out of my life.

As for the spare--if you have never removed yours from the factory mount--make sure you can get it off. I went to pull my spare (has never been removed since buying the trailer in May 2011) and couldn't because the lug nuts were cross threaded. It took the roadside service guy cranking up his impact wrench and he broke the mounting bolts. An easy fix but a pain in the a** when you are stuck on the shoulder of I-80 in the middle of Nebraska.

RattVader · 09-10-2012, 05:43 PM

My question is if you move to one load range higher,which logically I assume means you can increase the psi on the new tire,do you not also have to change the steel wheel itself to match that rating?

TURBS · 09-10-2012, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RattVader

My question is if you move to one load range higher,which logically I assume means you can increase the psi on the new tire,do you not also have to change the steel wheel itself to match that rating?

Depends on the rating on the wheel.

Old car · 09-10-2012, 05:47 PM

Sorry for the consecutive posts but a P.S. My tire dealer quoted a $10 difference between load rated tires. So for $100 (probably less because Forest River can buy bulk) you can go from a Load C to a Load E on a five tire trailer set up. Small investment and not a deal breaker when buying a trailer just for piece of mind. I'll have that $100 difference spent in parts to repair the damage for shredding tires. Let alone a possible accident or death.

EdJunior · 09-10-2012, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old car

David, I had to replace on the road as the three tires occurred at different times so I basically had to take what was in stock at each location.

Exactly the same here. Blew the first, the second went 25 miles down the road, the third just 35 miles from home. A 5 hour trip took 14 hours. What a horrible day.

chiro · 09-10-2012, 06:58 PM

How old were your tires???

EdJunior · 09-10-2012, 07:04 PM

Less than 3 years old. The had a born on date (DOT code) of 3409 (34th week of 2009). And I also checked mine before I left, and before I left the campground. And after each blowout.

You may also like: