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Old 08-07-2020, 05:10 PM   #1
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Blew a tire on my 18 FR Arctic Wolfe

It was hot. Saw temps of 112F. Tire blew at 110F. Rim was destroyed and I lost the plastic piece (arch cover?) above the wheel.

This has me worried and maybe unnecessarily so.

Doing a search, one post said that the tires are "China bombs". Well, that seemed to be somewhat accurate but are they?

The tires attached to this 5th don't have that many miles on them. Maybe 5K?

Should I replace all of them with perhaps Goodyear Endurance? Or, am I just being paranoid
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Old 08-07-2020, 05:15 PM   #2
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Hi,
It could have been a lot worse. You didn’t say what tires you have? Castle Rocks? Anyway most all factory supplied tires are China bombs these days.
I hear good things about the Good Year Endurance tires so for safety I would change all..
It’s a shame to have to do that to almost new tires but it’s a lot better than having something even worse happen. I’ve seen entire sides ripped off of trailers.
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Old 08-07-2020, 05:32 PM   #3
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5th wheel is in storage and I forgot to snap a picture of still viable tire. The tire and rim are in the garage but there's nothing left of the tire other than the size. I mean, it is shredded!

It sucks that I would need to (have to) change a set of tires on an RV with so little miles. But there's the safety aspect. If we were going through a turn at 60 what would have happened
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Old 08-07-2020, 05:49 PM   #4
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You didn't say what tires you have on the rig.
We never had any trouble with our China tires, but others have had problems.
Do whatever will give you peace of mind and remember lots of other factors go into tire failure. Speed is a big factor.
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Old 08-07-2020, 06:57 PM   #5
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Safety can't be underestimated.

Temps may have contributed to the failure. I'm just poking around to see if perhaps the stock tires are just fine and it was just a random failure of a single tire. If high temperatures create problems on these particular tires I wish to know but yeah, need to visit RV and get what brand came with the 5th wheel. Thought there was enough tire to note the brand but it's too shredded.
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Old 08-07-2020, 07:07 PM   #6
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If ambient temps of 100 -115 were a problem for any tire, we (you and I) would surely be hearing about it a lot where we are from!!!
We just had a quick trip to Scottsdale and back. Daily temp was 112 - 116. Of course I don't have your tires, and a different weight RV, but you get my point.
If you had a failure this soon, and they are the cheap OEM tires, I would just get a new set. Period.
I went through the exact same thing with 18 month old OEM tires, only I had three failures before I could get to a town large enough to buy a good set.
Buy Maxxis M8008 or Endurance. Carlisle is also good.
Good luck and happy RVing!
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Old 08-07-2020, 07:13 PM   #7
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I am always checking my tires for pressure and temperatures. I really need to get a TPMS system. In order to do that I have to change to metal
Valve stems. Anyway listen you’ve had one failure. Yes it sucks to change them. It’s expensive. I hate doing that. Still new tires and having to change them. I do not trust them. Low or high pressure can be a killer for tires, damage from running over or brushing against something, speed and age are all issues for tires. My next set will be LT tires. There’s a big argument about that but Airstream is putting LT tires on their new trailers. That tells me enough. Anyway a Goodyear Endurance tire rated the same or a step above would be very advisable. You won’t hate yourself for doing that but you will hate yourself for tearing up your trailer, being stranded or worse for having a bad accident.
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Old 08-08-2020, 06:30 AM   #8
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desalvo,
Went through the same thing last summer on a short 100 mile or so trip. Blew out one of our original tires but we were lucky that we were approaching a DOT weigh station. Got pulled into one of the inspection lanes where we got the tire changed and cut away some of the metal skirting that was damaged when the tire blew.
DW made a call to a goodyear store 25 miles ahead of us who happened to have four Endurance 225/75R15 ST 10 on hand. Replaced all four and continued on.
Found out later it was better to have the metal valve stems so when we arrived home we had the rubber stems replaced with the metal.
After reading about the tire issues on these threads I also got the screw on type TPMS.
Been to Key West Florida and back along with numerous trips here in Iowa since the swap and have to say we're much more relaxed.
Total cost for the four tires was $505.00, the metal stems were $28.00 and I believe our TPMS was around $160.00.
Sucks having to spend that money on an almost new fifth wheel but the piece of mind was well worth it.
Best of luck, hoping it all works out well for you.
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:02 PM   #9
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I learned first hand about China bomb tires with a utility trailer that I purchased brand new. One of the tires blew up just a few weeks after I bought the trailer. When I bought my two travel trailers the first thing I did with both of them was to replace the China bomb tires with Goodyear Endurance tires. Now a blowout is the least of my worries.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:22 PM   #10
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Desalvo55, if you do choose to replace all the tires, consider going to one rating higher. If you have "C" load rating, consider upgrading to the same size tire in a "D" load rating. That also adds some peace of mind when worrying about weight and temperature. (Be aware though that even though the weight ratings are higher for those heavier rated tires, your rated cargo carrying capacity for your trailer does not change.)

Of course you always have to air up the tires to spec before you start on a trip. Underinflated tires is one of the common issues causing blowouts. A poorly inflated tire generates more heat, and on a hot day that's amplified even more.

By the way, because your vehicle is new does not necessarily mean your tires are "new." Vehicles can sit for many months on dealer lots. Sitting on pavement is terrible for tire longevity, while towing is good for them. Then if your tires were put on the vehicle after being stored for a while, they they are even older. Check the manufacture date for your tires. In fact, even if you upgrade, insist on "fresh" tires from your dealer with current year dates. I have bought tires from a dealer which were on the "shelf" for a while and were a couple years old when I bought them. (My fault, I should have checked the dates.) Never assume you are getting freshly made tires.

But use this blowout as an opportunity to get better at understanding all the issues around trailer tire safety.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:41 PM   #11
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I had a problem with the 1 factory tire on my first long haul trip. About 2k miles on the tire. Pulled into a campground and noticed a bubble on the sidewall about the size of a golf ball. Fortunately it didn't blow and I was in a good place to change it. Was fine until this past spring when another of the originals blew on the freeway. This time $1800 damage to the trailer. I tried to replace with Goodyear Endurance, but couldn't get them due to the covid shutdown, so I bought Carlisle on y advice of the dealer I bought the trailer from, but I did increase the load range from the factory 'C' to 'D' on the advice of fellow posters on this forum. Also, important to make sure the tires are fully inflated and wise not to exceed their speed rating for extended periods. Good luck.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:42 PM   #12
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I monitor my TPMS closely on hot days for temp and pressure. I would replace them and get a monitoring system. Get metal valve stems also if you don't have them already.
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:29 PM   #13
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TPMS/Valve stems/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandog View Post
I am always checking my tires for pressure and temperatures. I really need to get a TPMS system. In order to do that I have to change to metal valve stems.
This make me wonder. Are all RV TPMS sensor external, hanging off the valve stem, or can you get OEM-style ones that fit inside the tire--either the ones on the back of the valve stem, or the ones that are belted inside the rim? These would be less vulnerable to damage or theft.
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:38 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry-NC View Post
This make me wonder. Are all RV TPMS sensor external, hanging off the valve stem, or can you get OEM-style ones that fit inside the tire--either the ones on the back of the valve stem, or the ones that are belted inside the rim? These would be less vulnerable to damage or theft.
A simple Google finds several. This is one. https://tusonrvbrakes.com/products/n...-system-tpms4w

Some internals are very expensive, some are not.
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:52 PM   #15
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There are so many reports and threads of the Castle Rocks experiencing failure, I would change them all. The danger factor, damage (possibly extensive) to the RV if they blow, possible disappointment in a ruined vacation, all indicate it is not worth the stress of owning China made tires. You can probably sell them for use on utility trailers, etc. to recoup some of your money.
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Old 08-08-2020, 03:32 PM   #16
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You did not post how old your trailer was. As others have posted tire age is a major consideration. Mileage is less of a factor than tire age. I had two blowouts (on the same trip) on my four year old Flagstaff, which damaged the metal skirting.

As others have suggested I would definitely consider replacing all of the tires for peace of mind.
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Old 08-08-2020, 04:17 PM   #17
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I run the Blu Technology TPMS which utilizes my iPhone for monitoring with a USB Doggle for audible warnings. I run Goodyear Endurance and had the Castle Rocks. I made the change in the hopes to avoid problems.

I really wonder if all the damage from tires we all hear about is due to a lack of knowing a tire has lost pressure or something is changing rapidly like the temperature.

I say this because my screw cap Trim came out of the Front cap due to the heat in the Nevada desert a month ago. When I reviewed my Trucks rear camera video, the cap had come out miles earlier and I failed to notice it for 5-10 minutes. Had this been a tire going down for 5-10 minutes, the tire would have shredded and done a significant amount of damage by the time I noticed the problem.

My tires are set for 65 psi every morning. Any lower and the sensors become an earful as soon as the vehicle is moved. The pressure ranges are set for 65-100 psi and a maximum temperature of 145 degrees.

The TPMS will tell me if the tires are outside of the aforementioned ranges, a RAPID DEFLATION, NO SIGNAL, or LOW BATTERY. When I add or release air in the morning, the sensors always give a RAPID DEFLATION alert when I remove the cap sensors which verifies the RAPID DEFLATION portion is functioning. For this reason I would recommend external sensors versus internal.

Also, if the batteries go bad on an internal sensor, you have to go to a tire dealership to remove the sensor to replace the battery. I replace my external batteries every year when I repack the axle bearing.

Attached is a picture of the TPMS tire temperature in the Nevada desert. The outside temperature was 108 degrees. A tire temperature of 120 degrees or 12 degree above the ambient did not appear to be outside of what we saw in the previous 1,100 miles.

As a note, your tire temperatures will change significantly when you are under heavy braking. I found this in the Rocky Mountains a month ago. Normally my tires ran 5-12 degrees higher than the air temperature depending on the time of day and if the tires where in the sun or shade. Under heavy braking (I forgot to engage the TOW/HAUL mode) the temperature rose 15-20 degrees higher than the air temperature. Also stopping aggravated the problem and caused even higher temperatures. This makes sense because when we where rolling, the air cooled the aluminum wheels which dissipated the brake heat and cooled the tires. (I have been told this is why Semi-Trucks have aluminum wheels versus steel wheels) It took about an hour of driving to get the temperatures back down to the normal condition.
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Old 08-08-2020, 04:43 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry-NC View Post
This make me wonder. Are all RV TPMS sensor external, hanging off the valve stem, or can you get OEM-style ones that fit inside the tire--either the ones on the back of the valve stem, or the ones that are belted inside the rim? These would be less vulnerable to damage or theft.


TST has internal sensors, FR is putting them in new trailers
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Old 08-08-2020, 04:53 PM   #19
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Get rid of em.....My 5th came with Castle Rock and sold them on craiglist....up graded to LT tires......Roads in Nevada have soft sandy shoulders.. you can limp down to a wide area to change your tire..Been traveling from Carson City to Tonopah to Yuma for years and usually see at least 5 on side of road with flats. Not a place I want to be with cars whizzing by at 70 mph and trying to change a flat...Stay Safe out there....
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Old 08-08-2020, 04:58 PM   #20
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All this concern about tire safety is well worth the effort.

I had several Carlisle tires blow out over several years on my 31 foot Sandpiper FKD TT. One of them became a flurry of whirling steel belts and took out 12 v. electric lines and plumbing to the rear bathroom which had been installed inside the wheel well. (Not a brilliant placement by the Forest River engineers).

Then a tire blew out on the other side and it took off part of my wastewater drain line. I subsequently had a nearby shop install a sheet metal shield between the wheels and the drain lines. Of course the plastic wheel well skirting got torn up as well.

I probably had $2,500 in damage to just this one RV from blowouts over the years. It pays in many ways to install good quality trailer tires and monitor them often. It may mean the difference between a great camping experience and waiting beside a damaged trailer far from your destination.
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