Tire question on TT

[mopwr4me2003]

Ok I know somewhere this may have been asked but I am not finding it. So sorry if this repeats other threads. We just bought our 183 about a month ago. Tires are all made in March of last year. They are castle rock ST 205/75/14. These are rated for 75 M.P.H. They are proudly made in China! Has anyone had good-bad luck with this brand? I know people say this is one of the first things they do. My question is do you think I should be ok for the rest of this season? I have maybe 2-3 trips left this year possible 1000-1200 miles at best. I know there is no way to exactly tell if a blow out will occur but I'm just trying to get a feel of about how many miles most people get before they change or have a blow out. My wife doesn't understand why I am worried about this cause to her they are new tires and we should have no problems but that's a whole story for another time lol. I'm probably being more paranoid than I need to but I know what a blown tire can do to things not to mention ruin a entire trip. Thanks for any input you provide.

Tim

[raspivey]

There are two camps....the "China Bomb" camp and the "take care of the tires" camp. I'm on the side of keeping it below the speed it's rated at, watching the pressure constantly, and keeping it level enough that one axle isn't overloaded.

I've had those tires on three campers now and I've never had a blowout. There are others that say they've had five or six blowouts. I kind of look at that like divorces, one...things happen, three or more....it's probably you.

I wouldn't worry about them. When they wear out (or it's time to replace them in a few years due to age) I'd upgrade, but I wouldn't just run out and replace tires just because they're made in China.

[gectisme]

If you are going to stick to the Castle Rocks... First thing I see in your pic is no TPMS. I would get one ASAP. If you see a drop in pressure on one tire stop and go check it because there is most likely something wrong. I would go as far to say if you see the drop, stop and put the spare on. Before my blow out I saw a 3-4 psi drop but I think I saw it too late because as I was mentioning it to my DW, we heard the bang. Just a few days ago on the new set of tires, I saw a similar thing just before we got to the campground. That tire was a blowout waiting to happen. I have moved on to GY Endurance tires, (made in the USA, so hopefully better QA), and hope the testing phase works in my favor. Good luck.

[howie70]

Originally Posted by raspivey

There are two camps....the "China Bomb" camp and the "take care of the tires" camp. I'm on the side of keeping it below the speed it's rated at, watching the pressure constantly, and keeping it level enough that one axle isn't overloaded.

I've had those tires on three campers now and I've never had a blowout. There are others that say they've had five or six blowouts. I kind of look at that like divorces, one...things happen, three or more....it's probably you.

I wouldn't worry about them. When they wear out (or it's time to replace them in a few years due to age) I'd upgrade, but I wouldn't just run out and replace tires just because they're made in China.

LOL....that is a great comparison! I've had one divorce and zero blowouts. (knock on wood)
Just out of curiosity, what brand did you go with when/if you replaced yours?

[Restcure]

Originally Posted by mopwr4me2003

These are rated for 75 M.P.H...

Most trailer tires are rated for 65 mph and I didn't see the sidewall speed rating on the tires you posted. Are you sure of the rating?

Originally Posted by howie70

...Just out of curiosity, what brand did you go with when/if you replaced yours?

When our stock China tires aged out of the safety zone this spring, we decided to replace them with Goodyear Endurance tires, upgrading from Load Range C to D for a little breathing room.

[raspivey]

Originally Posted by gectisme

If you are going to stick to the Castle Rocks... First thing I see in your pic is no TPMS. I would get one ASAP.

I second that....eventually, I'm going to get one. It's good insurance.

Originally Posted by howie70

Just out of curiosity, what brand did you go with when/if you replaced yours?

I haven't kept a camper long enough to change tires yet, lol. My last one had three years on it before I traded it in. If I'd have kept it, I probably would have changed them within six months or so. They still looked fine but they were getting up there in age for a camper.

[raspivey]

Originally Posted by Restcure

Most trailer tires are rated for 65 mph and I didn't see the sidewall speed rating on the tires you posted. Are you sure of the rating?

FR started using load range D (I think...) last year or so. I don't think that was what changed the speed rating though, I believe I heard that ST tires were having to be certified to 75 instead of 65.

[gectisme]

Originally Posted by raspivey

I haven't kept a camper long enough to change tires yet, lol. My last one had three years on it before I traded it in. If I'd have kept it, I probably would have changed them within six months or so. They still looked fine but they were getting up there in age for a camper.

Out of curiosity, whats the average miles you put on the trailer in a year? I put ~5k miles on the CastleRock's before the blowout. I had about 14k miles on the TrailerKing II's before one bulged out. This is all in the past year.

[gectisme]

Originally Posted by Restcure

Most trailer tires are rated for 65 mph and I didn't see the sidewall speed rating on the tires you posted. Are you sure of the rating?

The CastleRocks we had, had "75 MPH" stamped on the side. I will say I did hit 75 mph a couple of times passing big rigs. On the Trailer King II's they had a letter rating and I think it was too 75mph. On those I never went above 65 mph and usually cruised at 60mph.

[raspivey]

Originally Posted by gectisme

Out of curiosity, whats the average miles you put on the trailer in a year? I put ~5k miles on the CastleRock's before the blowout. I had about 14k miles on the TrailerKing II's before one bulged out. This is all in the past year.

It depends on if I actually get away from work, lol. I'm guessing about 9K over three years on the last set.

[mopwr4me2003]

Originally Posted by Restcure

Most trailer tires are rated for 65 mph and I didn't see the sidewall speed rating on the tires you posted. Are you sure of the rating?



When our stock China tires aged out of the safety zone this spring, we decided to replace them with Goodyear Endurance tires, upgrading from Load Range C to D for a little breathing room.

Here is the side wall pic with speed rating. I thought I had this one in. I only drive about 60-65 at the most which kills my family cause I drive so slow but better safe than sorry.

[rsdata]

I posted this about 5 days ago...
from this thread
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...es-135763.html

I did this math with my 183 when I got it 3 years ago... I will CHANGE the load# numbers to reflect the 183 load ratings since we both have the same unit
...

for those thinking of replacing tires... I did this math to determine how much faith I had in my OEM tires...

figure the load rating of your tires... i.e.
205/75/14 ST tire, load range C, (LRC) about 1760# per tire
tire specs can be found on tirerack dot com...

4 tires = 7,040 # total load rating at full inflation...

RV weighs loaded for camping 4,800# = 7,040 - 4,800# = 2,240# safety margin about 46%

205/75/14 ST load range D (LRD) tires ... about 2,040# per tire X 4 = 8,160# less 4,800# RV weight = 3,360# safety margin about 70% ... more safety margin than the LRC tires for the same size tire

CONCLUSION...

I gambled for 3 years and about 15,000 miles and got away with it with no tire mishaps... BUT only because my trailer is so light in weight compared to the tires that are under it.

Personally, I rode my OEM Westlake tires for about 44 months from TT MFG date and put about 15K miles on them. I did buy a TST tire pressure monitor system for the last 24 months. I just last week upgraded to LRD Goodyear Endurance tires I bought online at Goodyear dot com... I have not put any miles on them yet, but they sure look better then the OEM tires. Time will tell if I get my money's worth, but I FEEL like I have done everything I can to mitigate time and $$$ IF I should get a blowout on the road.

I hope this helps your decision...

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by raspivey

FR started using load range D (I think...) last year or so. I don't think that was what changed the speed rating though, I believe I heard that ST tires were having to be certified to 75 instead of 65.

Actually the USA government was responsible for speed rating identifications on imported tires (mainly from China). They did it with a threat to increase tariffs for those that did not comply. Because there is not a speed letter for 65 MPH almost all ST tires now have speed letters or sidewall notations that seem to start at 75 MPH and go up. Manufacturers not threatened with the tariffs also started using speed letters on their tires (Goodyear Endurance is one of them). Some, such as Maxxis, still do not have any speed restriction identification on their ST tire's sidewalls. Their reps will give a procedure to use more inflation pressure to gain 10 MPH above TRA standards of 65 MPH. I have yet to see them produce an official bulletin that would make that an acceptable procedure such as Goodyear did with their Marathon tires.

[rsdata]

speed rating N =
N 87 mph 140km/h

from Goodyear corporate website...

“Goodyear is proud and excited to introduce the Endurance, the only radial special trailer tire built in the United States,” said Ryan Patterson, president of Goodyear’s North American consumer tire business.

A tire capable of transporting the heaviest and most crucial cargo, The Goodyear Endurance features Goodyear Durawall Technology, which helps resist sidewall cuts and punctures.

Available in Load Ranges D and E to accommodate larger trailer load capacities, the entire Endurance trailer line carries the N speed rating allowing consumers to travel at highway speeds. The Endurance also contains a wide range of features, including:

An optimized tread depth and decoupling groove, which help it remain cool while towing heavy loads;
Rugged fabric-steel construction, which offers improved durability and carrying capacity while remaining compatible with tire pressure monitoring systems and typical tire inflation stations;
A specialized inner liner, which minimizes air loss in trailer applications; and
A scuff guard, which helps protect sidewalls.
“Goodyear is proud and excited to introduce the Endurance, the only radial special trailer tire built in the United States,” said Ryan Patterson, president of Goodyear’s North American consumer tire business. A tire capable of transporting the heaviest and most crucial cargo, The Goodyear Endurance features Goodyear Durawall Technology, which helps resist sidewall cuts and punctures. Available in Load Ranges D and E to accommodate larger trailer load capacities, the entire Endurance trailer line carries the N speed rating allowing consumers to travel at highway speeds. The Endurance also contains a wide range of features, including: An optimized tread depth and decoupling groove, which help it remain cool while towing heavy loads; Rugged fabric-steel construction, which offers improved durability and carrying capacity while remaining compatible with tire pressure monitoring systems and typical tire inflation stations; A specialized inner liner, which minimizes air loss in trailer applications; and A scuff guard, which helps protect sidewalls.

[kcmusa]

I have about 20K on mine. installed a TPMS and always inflate to max pressure.
I will change them out soon and go to a load range D.
No problems, I am in the camp of keep an eye on them and get a TPMS.

[mopwr4me2003]

What TPMS do you guys recommend or use?

[JPalmieri]

Like rsdata I have the same trailer and tires and I made the same decision (that guy must be a genius). Since my weight is so far below capacity I am sticking with the Castle Rocks for a few years. I try to cap speed at 65 and I check air pressure before we leave and every single time we stop - every single time no exceptions.

Up until last week i was too cheap/dumb to buy a TPMS. On our way home from KY I checked the pressure at a gas stop and one of the tires had gone from 50psi -> 26psi in 2 hours. I picked up a chunk of metal. Fortunately I checked the pressure and we got home on the spare. This could have been a disaster. Suddenly the price of a TPMS seems to be a fair value. And this lesson applies to any tire - road debris doesnt care where your tire was made.

[checkmate99]

Tire speed ratings are not required for trailer tires, per the DOT UTQG passenger car tire grading requirements. The actual tire tests are performed by the manufacturer, not the govt., or some other independent tire testing agency. So, we are relying on the mfg to give us the straight story. One can only accept the ratings as stated or not... it's up to each individual to decide.

[cdog7201]

I see a lot of tt being pulled down the highway at 70 and 75 mph.do these people know that in some states 60 mph is the legal speed for travel trailers and toads that are being pulled. ? I can see why there is so many tires being blown out at those speeds just a minor loss of air can be a disaster on the road for those people and other innocent people that get caught up in an accident, until we can get better speed rated tires don't put yours and other peoples lives in jeopardy that's just stupid. If your in that big a hurry leave at an earlier time. sorry to hijack this thread .

[kcmusa]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have this one, put the other 2 sensors on my truck as it does not have TPMS from factory