Darn China Bomb Castle Rock Tires

[terrystech]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Wondering if you have pictures showing the "Bulges"? Also pictures of the failed tire? Along with FR you can file a complaint with NHTSA as with enough complaints with the data they need (full DOT serial and VIN of the RV)

I have lots of pictures and receipts from the tire shops. I’m going to call and speak with someone first and give them a chance to do the right thing. If that goes nowhere I fully intend to take further steps. Thanks for the response.

[Brewhedd]

Chinese tires are a lot like the RV industry. They lack full Process Control or in some cases they decide to alter the process to increase production. That's why one tire will last and another fail almost immediately. Chinese tires are a roll of the dice. This happens a lot with Chinese products, not just tires.

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by terrystech

I read down the thread about "making our own luck" which honestly ticked me off. That person has to be a paid troll on here to post some nonsense like that.

We have a brand new 2021 5th wheel which came with these garbage tires on it. Just last week one of them exploded on us and tore up the side of our unit. To boot it blew out in an area with no shoulder and no mobile service with any carrier. So as cars are brushing by me at ridiculous high speeds here I am trying to change the tire. One lady literally rubbed my rear end as she blew by me. Then when I went to put on the replacement tire I found another one of these GEMs on the opposite side of the trailer with two bulges on the side wall.

That's OUTRAGEOUS and completely UNSAFE for everyone on the road!

These people should be ashamed of themselves for putting this crap out there on the highway. I was fortunate that I was not going fast, less than 40 mph when this thing exploded. I was also fortunate to have found the other one before it also exploded. These tires are defective Chinese Garbage and Forest River needs to stop putting them on units immediately.

I will be in contact with Forest River and with the tire manufacturer and I will be firm. I will be cordial but in no uncertain terms troll you will not downplay the seriousness of this situation. This is such a huge safety issue it must be addressed.

We had that experience almost exactly. I concur fully. If it hadn't been for the TPMS on our rig we would have suffered structural damage as well.

My hat my hat is off to the few manufacturers now putting their rigs on the road with Goodyear endurance or other high quality tires from the get-go.

[Daxinarian]

Something people fail to consider when blaming the Cheapo OEM tires is their prevalence in the field. If 90% of trailers have Castle Rock tires, then assuming everything is equal, 90% of the failed tires will be Castle Rock tires. It certainly makes it sound bad when 90% of the stories you hear are 1 brand, but unless you account for the population of tires you will have a hard time assessing the relative quality.

Say there are 1,000,000 Castle Rocks on the road and they have 1,000 failures and there are 10,000 brand X tires on the road with 20 failures.
Which do you hear about more often? You hear about the Castle Rocks because you’re more likely to encounter them, but the Brand X tires are actually twice as likely to fail.
I am not saying that the Castle Rocks (or other Chinese tires) are great, just that people need to consider that they are probably the most common trailer tire on the road, and as such, they will also be the most common failure story. Nobody shares their “I drove 1,000 miles and nothing happened“ stories. You only hear about the failures.
*note: the numbers here are completely made up for illustrative purposes*

[SmittyCorp]

I just replaced my CR tires with the GY Endurance. I had no problems with the CR for about 3 years and 9k miles. I replaced them as insurance for a much longer upcoming trip.

I noticed a few things during the swap.

One, the GY are way heavier. The CR must be pretty thin, not confidence inspiring.

Two, the GY have a normal looking tread crown. The CR had a negative crown, where their OD at the center was smaller than the OD at the edges. This is not due to under inflation, all 5 tires were like this. The 4 in use had worn dorm those proud edges some, but it was still noticable. And weird.

And third, I planned to keep the unused CR spare, but when I dismounted it from the bumper to use it to help with the tire swap, I noticed a couple of radial bulges that the other CR nor the GY have. Again, not confidence inspiring. I replace it with a GY as well. If I DO get a flat somewhere, I certainly don't want to trust a questionable tire from a questionable brand as my savior.

A bonus 4th.... the higher speed rating makes me feel more comfortable, even though I tow at less than 70.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Tom48

We had that experience almost exactly. I concur fully. If it hadn't been for the TPMS on our rig we would have suffered structural damage as well.

My hat my hat is off to the few manufacturers now putting their rigs on the road with Goodyear endurance or other high quality tires from the get-go.

And that would be Forest River as many FR brands now come from the factory with Goodyear Endurance tires.

[Stank Bait]

Originally Posted by HemiHemi19

I was also lucky to find a local shop with a set of 4 GY Endurance Tires in stock which I had put on.

Hope you were able to find a fifth tire for the spare.

[HemiHemi19]

I actually did not replace the spare yet I still have the stock spare still on the bumper. It will be replaced hopefully before our next trip.

[rsdata]

I will give credit where credit is due.
I am a fan of GY Endurance and put 4 on my camper 4+ years ago.

I just replaced a utility trailer tire.. I ran over several nails... an ST 205/75-14 LRD and I needed it quick and cheap.

I went to Walmart and they had a Carlisle "Reliance" ST tire in stock. He took it off the rack and started to the shop. I said "wait a minute" I wanted to inspect that tire before committing.

I will say that tire was heavy and STIFF... I could not push on it to collapse it.

When replacing my Castle Rocks 4-5 years ago after about 6 K miles, I looked at the carcass of the tire and thought about how flimsy they were. I pushed it down to the floor with ease and they were very light compared to the Endurance tire.

[phillyg]

Originally Posted by Daxinarian

Something people fail to consider when blaming the Cheapo OEM tires is their prevalence in the field......

I agree with you. And, part of the problem is RV mfgrs. install the least tire they can get away with. If they put a crappy E-rated tire on a heavy FW, and the tire is just barely rated for the weight, it's doomed for failure IMHO. Gotta wonder if the delivery drivers get to their destination without a failure.

[Bev4banff53]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

After reading all the posts about how bad these tires are I had my heart set on replacing them with some Goodyear Endurance's. Figured I'd do this as soon as the first issue showed up with the OE Castle Rocks.

Drove the trailer home in July 2017 but didn't really get to use it for 9 months as I took time out for a Heart Attack and Bypass Surgery. Starting in April 2018 I basically hit the road for varying length trips. Shortest 200 miles, longest 4,000 miles (X2).

Here I sit with around 15,000 miles on those darn Castle Rock tires and the darn things aren't even showing signs of wear. I installed a TST 507 TPMS system and they don't even loose air pressure.

Looks like I'm stuck with them for at least another 15,000 miles or more unless they suddenly start to wear more.

Maybe I need to overload the trailer or run the tires under-inflated so I can have them fail and I can get my new Goodyears

Well, since I first took ownership of my very first TT, I read everything I could on this forum about those darn Castle Rock tires. My husband convinced me (as well as a couple of others on this forum) to keep them. So I did. I put over 13,000 miles on them, but I babied them by keeping them at max PSI and keeping my speed at 55-60mph and I think that it also helped that my trailer, a Flaggstaff E-Pro 12RK didn't weigh very much.

But alas, I did get rid of those tires this past May by trading in my e-Pro for a little big bigger TT - an Outdoor Extreme Little Guy Mini Max. I have joined a couple FB groups that pertain to LGMM and the one thing that they never seem to mention is trouble with the tires. Interesting!

[Coolharts]

I have 5 trailers. I have Goodyear Endurance on the camper, Maxxis 8008 on the car hauler, ZeeMax on the boat trailer and off brands on my flat car trailer and utility trailer.

I buy tires based on use, the camper is the heaviest and goes the distance. The car hauler may get used for long trips but is not as heavy but still gets Load Range E tires. The other trailers are not used as much but get tires replaced regularly. I have a couple of spares that need replacement on them now.

[pgandw]

I'm one of those Castle Rock users. 3 years/12K+ miles so far. Yes, they started out with the concave tread, which has flattened out with time and use. Unused spare still has the concave tread. Had them balanced shortly after I got the trailer, rotated when I repacked the bearings.

Pressure checked before every trip, tires are set 66-68PSI before each trip based on anticipated altitude and temp changes. Interstate driving is 73-75mph, with occasional spurts as high as 80 when passing.

Tires have quite a load good margin on my A-frame. Single axle helps, as does storage in the garage. I have curbed them a couple of times, usually at drive-thrus for fast food. I do look them over before each trip, looking for bulges or other problems. No TPMS, no real estate up front in the minivan.

So far, so good. I have a good set of OEM Castle Rocks, others apparently don't. When I replace at 5 year point (or sooner if needed), will likely use Carlisles. Castle Rocks are actually hard to find outside of RV dealers and on-line.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[terrystech]

Yes I have pictures of all of the sidewall bulges. After this review I found a bulge on the sidewall of two more of the tires.

Why are you asking please?

[Don_Dixon]

I have a Puma 32FBIS that I bought new in 2019 and came with these castle rock tires, I’ve put maybe 2000 miles on them in the past 2 years. My camper is stored under a covered enclosure when we aren’t using it. Yesterday, 16 July, we were going to a local camping favorite and experienced a blowout on the passenger side, rear axle. The tread completely came off and wrapped around the axle. Replaced the blown tire with the spare, resumed our trip. Less than 10 miles traveled and the passenger side front axle tire blew, exactly like the first. I didn’t hit anything in the road and both events happened while going approximately 60 mph. I always maintain the correct tire pressure and inspect tires prior to hooking up. I haven’t seen any indications of a defective tire, i.e. separating tread, dry rot, bubbles etc. There is absolutely no way tires do this under normal operating conditions and properly maintained. Has anyone had any luck with the tire manufacture of Forrest River doing anything about this?

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by Don_Dixon

I have a Puma 32FBIS that I bought new in 2019 and came with these castle rock tires, I’ve put maybe 2000 miles on them in the past 2 years. My camper is stored under a covered enclosure when we aren’t using it. Yesterday, 16 July, we were going to a local camping favorite and experienced a blowout on the passenger side, rear axle. The tread completely came off and wrapped around the axle. Replaced the blown tire with the spare, resumed our trip. Less than 10 miles traveled and the passenger side front axle tire blew, exactly like the first. I didn’t hit anything in the road and both events happened while going approximately 60 mph. I always maintain the correct tire pressure and inspect tires prior to hooking up. I haven’t seen any indications of a defective tire, i.e. separating tread, dry rot, bubbles etc. There is absolutely no way tires do this under normal operating conditions and properly maintained. Has anyone had any luck with the tire manufacture of Forrest River doing anything about this?

The solution to this is to replace those China bomb tires with Goodyear Endurance tires. That's what I did as soon as I bought my two trailers. I have had zero tire issues by doing that. Don't expect any help from FR , the dealer you bought at or the the tire manufacturer on this.

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by terrystech

I read down the thread about "making our own luck" which honestly ticked me off. That person has to be a paid troll on here to post some nonsense like that.

We have a brand new 2021 5th wheel which came with these garbage tires on it. Just last week one of them exploded on us and tore up the side of our unit. To boot it blew out in an area with no shoulder and no mobile service with any carrier. So as cars are brushing by me at ridiculous high speeds here I am trying to change the tire. One lady literally rubbed my rear end as she blew by me. Then when I went to put on the replacement tire I found another one of these GEMs on the opposite side of the trailer with two bulges on the side wall.

That's OUTRAGEOUS and completely UNSAFE for everyone on the road!

These people should be ashamed of themselves for putting this crap out there on the highway. I was fortunate that I was not going fast, less than 40 mph when this thing exploded. I was also fortunate to have found the other one before it also exploded. These tires are defective Chinese Garbage and Forest River needs to stop putting them on units immediately.

I will be in contact with Forest River and with the tire manufacturer and I will be firm. I will be cordial but in no uncertain terms troll you will not downplay the seriousness of this situation. This is such a huge safety issue it must be addressed.

Well I'm here to second your observation. I though surely with pressure management and TLC that the "China Bomb" storyline was exaggeration.

In fact I got between 10 and 12 thousand miles and they still looked like new. Then one blew and two days later at the tire shop the Tire guy asked me what I wanted him to do about the two other ones with blisters the size of half a golf ball. Both on the inside wall where I would never have noticed them.

I believe ours were load range D Gladiator labeled China Bonb junk tires. The kicker is, we hada toy hauler with a gvwr of 9990 lbs and we never carried toys and were always heavy on the tongue and light on the axles. Usually 1500 to 2000 lbs. Under gross when I scaled her so I talked myself out of hurrying to buy the new LR E. Goodyear. Thankfully my complacency didn't cost us dearly. The TST, TPMS system saved us.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Don_Dixon

I have a Puma 32FBIS that I bought new in 2019 and came with these castle rock tires, I’ve put maybe 2000 miles on them in the past 2 years. My camper is stored under a covered enclosure when we aren’t using it. Yesterday, 16 July, we were going to a local camping favorite and experienced a blowout on the passenger side, rear axle. The tread completely came off and wrapped around the axle. Replaced the blown tire with the spare, resumed our trip. Less than 10 miles traveled and the passenger side front axle tire blew, exactly like the first. I didn’t hit anything in the road and both events happened while going approximately 60 mph. I always maintain the correct tire pressure and inspect tires prior to hooking up. I haven’t seen any indications of a defective tire, i.e. separating tread, dry rot, bubbles etc. There is absolutely no way tires do this under normal operating conditions and properly maintained. Has anyone had any luck with the tire manufacture of Forrest River doing anything about this?

The pictures help. While I can't be 100% certain (closer well lit and sharp focus would be better) I think we have two different type failures which mean two different root causes. In the picture with two tires, the bottom tire appears to be a run low flex failure. The saw tooth appearance of the sidewall is a possible hint. If you still have the tires a close examination of the outer edges of the sidewall might show that some of the body cords are hard to the touch.
The top tire appears to be a belt separation. Again more, closer pictures would be a help.


Blue/green valve caps on rubber snap-in stems are not the best selection to improve system durability.
Bolt in metal stems with functioning and properly programed TPMS are what is needed.

[knight1fox3]

Just curious if anyone has any feedback on the performance of a Towmax STRII type tire (8-ply). I'm looking to replace the original Castle Rock tires on my RV and was hoping to go with Goodyear Endurance but those are not currently available in my area. The RV service center I typically use also noted they could get a Carlisle tire but that it was only 6-ply. Not quite sure what the implications are of that and would appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by Tireman9

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[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by knight1fox3

Just curious if anyone has any feedback on the performance of a Towmax STRII type tire (8-ply). I'm looking to replace the original Castle Rock tires on my RV and was hoping to go with Goodyear Endurance but those are not currently available in my area. The RV service center I typically use also noted they could get a Carlisle tire but that it was only 6-ply. Not quite sure what the implications are of that and would appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance.

Actual tire type & size and actual scale reading for the loading would help.


Since there are no "8-ply" or "6-ply" tires I can't help without appropriate numbers.