Here we go again -- lousy trailer tires!

[DickWells]

This gets talked about, here, quite regularly, but, here we go again, with a brand-new tale to tell.

Went to 16" Am. Eagle aluminum wheels on our 33 foot TT three years ago last May. Mounted 225-75, LR-E's, BFG Commercial TA's. Never looked back, until I discovered a bulge at the bead on one (RF) while going home from OR, last May. Since I carry two spares on two of the old steel 15" wheels, I didn't worry much about it. Made one attempt to cantact a dealer who does waranty on BFG's, back home, and then------- promptly forgot about the whole thing, until the second day while trailering back to Brownsville, last week!

Started seeing a slight loss of preasure in that tire on the Smart Tire monitor. Pumped it up at a rest area the first day out, then again, the second day, and then! ---- I notice the bulge again. Jerk!

Got to LA and had an appointment in down-town Houston, so dicided the the night before, that changing out to one of the spares might be a good idea, for two reasons. One, I didn't want to be changing tires on the street in Houston, if the bulged one blew, and two, I didn't want to risk any opportunity I might have for some waranty relief, since these BFG's show very little wear at all.

Luckily, we got throgh Houston, and almost to Victoria, before we put up for the night in a real flea-bag park. Started out, Friday mornin (last) in high heat, and, with 227 miles on a tire that looked un-worn (LR-E, 225/15, from Canadian tire, 07), ---- POW! Half the tread gone, and a good square foot of steel belt hanging out, to stab the first finger foolish enough to touch it. Mounted the second spare, a Carlisle LR-E that litterally looked like the tread had never been on the road. One-hundred-twenty-nine miles later, in 93 degree heat, ------ Pow! Again! Both tires had been bumped up to 80 psi, cold, when I put them on.

Now, we're commited to going back to the BFG, which was lying on the trailer floor. I pulled the valve, let all the air out, grabbed a new bottle of sensor safe Slime, and injected it all in there. Waited to pump it up after I had mounted it and tourqued the nuts, just to make sure that we were rolling as soon as the pressure was up to get the Slime distrubuted around the best way possible. And it worked, too. Towed on into B'ville without a problem, and the dang tire is still holding over 60 psi.

Yuh just don't run trailer tires on trailers, period. I'm going to order up another American Eagle wheel, or two, and at least one, maybe two, more BFG's.
Part of my embarrassment stems from the fact that I do have a brand new tire to match, back home, hanging on the garage wall, and hadn't thought about the issue of the bulge since early June.:o

Meanwhile, FWIW, I'm aware of 3 other guys with TT's, who have gone to 16 inch wheels, and LT tires since the start of Summer, based on my experiences with trailer tires, and on how pleased I've been for swapping over to LT's, after going through two complete sets of LR-E trailer tires in just over two years. Ain't never goin back thar! No sir!

[CoyleJR]

Dick, I agree with you about changing to LT tires. I changed to American made LT tires over Chinese tires and my trailer tire problems went away.

John

[DmaxMaverick]

I've done the same for many years. On my previous 5'er, I changed out the 15" ST's for 16" LT's, for the same reason. Problem solved. In 2005, when we traded up, the new Mountaineer came equipped with 16" USA made LT tires. I was pleasantly surprised. The tires are still on it, round, less than 50% tread wear, and a spare with no use. The sidewalls are just now beginning to show age. We'll probably be trading/selling it soon, and the original tires will likely still be on it. Also note, going to taller tires is easier on bearings. I've heard claims that it lessens brake performance, but haven't noticed it. With the wheels turning slower (at the same road speed as previous), things just don't heat up as quickly.

[cowboywildbill]

Hi Dick, I had the same issue again this year with our remaining Higway Troopers or should I say "Bloopers. POW! on side of busy highway 81 only 40 miles from home. I put on the spare turned around went home grabbed two more tires off of my equipment trailer and then on for weekend in Romney,W. Va. I had three spares with us this time. So sick of Chineese tires. We stopped at a large camper Dealer just 5 miles from the blowout where we were turning around. NO One carries 16" tires for these trailers. ?????? They sell the campers and flat beds that come with 16 " tires, but don't carry spare tires????
Go figure.

[DmaxMaverick]

Get your "trailer tires" at an automotive/truck tire shop. NOT the RV dealer. RV dealers sell what the trailers are equipped with, and that's where the problem is. Want a bomb-proof set of tires? Look at the 16", 14 ply (G rated) tires. You may have to order them, but once in service, you won't have to worry about tires again.

[cowboywildbill]

That's what I do now, I just pulled in there to get a spare to continue our weekend. Maybe they did us a favor by not having any.

[EdHale]

G rated is what is going on my 5'er this next spring. I'm only moving one more time on the ST tires I have on now and that move is today for 260 miles.

[hogbody]

I switched to the BFG Commercial 16" tires four years ago and haven't looked back. No flats or leaks since. The ST tires would usually let me down once a year.

[a5150nut]

Yep, them barely legal tires will get you every time. Kinda like that barely legal gal you took out way back in high school. . . .:eek::D:rolleyes:

[Roy W]

I also carry two spares. Replacement trailer tires were 15 inch E rated ST 225/75/15 made by Denman. 1200 miles from home at our destination campground I noticed a small tread seperation on one of the Denman tires, so put on a D rated Marathon spare (OEM with trailer). On the way back home I blew a E rated Denman tire that caused $3500 in damage (another story), so put my other D rated Marathon spare on. Now I'm 600 miles from home and no spares left. At 400 miles from home I notice another E rated Denman tire with a very bad tread seperation, so, not wanting any more trailer damage, my only choice was to put the first tire on that had the small tread seperation. I limped the last 400 miles at 45 mph and made it home.

I decided to go back with D range Goodyear Marathons, (still rated 1000 lbs over trailer scale weight) but per a Goodyear bulletin, inflated them to 10 pounds over the recommeded pressure (65 psi to 75 psi). 4000 miles later, everything is still okay. I'd go with 16 inch rims in a heartbeat but don't have the room.

[EdHale]

I may be all wrong here, but how about the multiple thousands of ST trailer tires that work every day and no one has a problem? I'm not saying there aren't some bad ones out there or some brands aren't up to par, but I have had great luck with GY Marathon ST tires on multiple trailers over the years. I just make sure they are replaced when they get close to 5 years old. I like many of us don't tow them enough to wear them out. I am convinced most of the problems we see are caused by us such as under inflation, over loaded or max load combined with the previous inflation problem as well as being driven over curbs and over speed especially in hot weather (remember the 65 mph speed rating).

I currently tow a 5'er with ST235/80-R16E tires. The tires are loaded to right at 3,000 lbs each so they are close to their max rating. This past Wednesday I aired them up and towed 260 miles to the north side of Atlanta for 4 days returning yesterday. When I left here Wednesday morning all 4 tires were at 80 psi immediately before hitting the road. During the drive the pressure increased to 90-93 psi per my TPMS. The trailer sat for 4 days and then yesterday morning before heading back to Alabama I checked the tire pressure and it was 72'ish in each tire. The morning was cool. I aired them back up to 80 and as on Wednesday after rolling for a bit they were back up to 90-93.

My point is that if I hadn't checked them again yesterday morning I would have left with tires 8 psi under inflated at the beginning of the trip. Maybe this wouldn't have caused a failure yesterday, but maybe cumulative trips starting out under inflated could add up.

I am going to replace these tires in the spring with "G" rated tires, but only because of their age. They will be close to 5 years old.

[DickWells]

Thanks for the commiseration, guys.
Just went out, this morning and had that BFG tire checked at the dealer, and it was pro-rated under waranty to the tune of $80 + something, after being on there since May of 09. I came away happy.
Gonna get me another American Eagle wheel to match, and another new tire to go with it, and, I might even order up another Smart Tire sensor to go in there, since this lone tire reads just fine on my monitor, even while it's lying in the bed of the truck, or on the floor of the trailer.
I have to admit that the ONLY trailer tires that I've seen, that hold up, are GY Marathons. Don't recall ever having stopped to help some poor RV'er change one of those, but I've seen everything else under the sun just grenade on trailers, with expensive results. My Smart Tire system has (thankfully) prevented most of the damage from happening with my eight or nine flats that I had between 07 and 09.
My 11,300 lb. gross TT came with load range D's on it! Keystone should be shot for sending those trailers out on the road with such shabby equipement. After two sets of LR-E's (trailer tires) in less than two years, I'll not ever take another chance on one.
The BFG Commercial TA that had the bulge, had the tech at the tire shop scratching his head. A one-inch long chunk of rubber, gone, right out of sight behind the rim, and no sign of anything ever being jammed in there. Not even a scratch. Near as he, or I can figure, there must have been a ham-fisted application of a tire tool, just before the bead slipped down over the rim. But, not a mark on the rim. Go figure. And, the tire casing was un-damaged where you'd expect to see side-wall damage from an impact. A little air was coming up under the outer rubber layer, and that's it. Anyway, I got no hassle from the tire store, and was well pleased to get nearly 50% relief on the swap.
Best of all, that tire, bulge and all, brought us clear across the country, and held up, where two LR-E trailer tires lasted less than 350 miles, total. And, with that application of Slime, it held air like a champ, too.:D

[Mark Rinker]

My boat trailer has three Dexter axles with 235/85/16 LoadRange E - Firestones and Generals bought in pairs as needed.

I am getting about 50K per pair, and never had one issue with blowouts. Boats average 12K and peak at 14K plus the 3.5K of trailer so trailer tires carry about 14K avg, 16K peak.

Summertime running is the norm. 80psi when they are installed and I never check pressure just look for consistent bulge when running loaded and investigate when one looks different. I have 60K miles on this season and don't recall ever airing up, or checking pressure. Just a non-issue.

They do get rotated axle to axle for more consistent wear, when the trailer is in the shop for bearing repacks and inspections. I have replaced numerous bearings, races, rocking beams, spring eye bushings, etc. etc. but its all done proactively, never by the side of the road. NEVER.

I am in the process of replacing all six rims as they rust and start to leak at the welds!

[twaddle]

Mark,
Are the tires you use truck spec or trailer spec?
I am presuming with the mileage you get with them they are truck spec.

Jim

[DickWells]

Yes, inflation pressure is key, for sure. Thanks to my SmarTire system, I can keep close track of that issue. Funny thing is, the trailer tires that I've had on there have been very consistant for holding pressure. But, that said, especially with trailer tires, my trailer is marginal for tire capacity, even with LR-E's (It came from the factory with D's!). I'd run G's if I could, but my new wheels are only rated for 3040 lbs, each, as it is, and the LT's that I have on there are something like 3300 lb tires. Hard to find wheels rated for G's that will fit a 6 lug wheel. Too late, I found out that Ultra (apparently) makes a 16X6" trailer wheel which will take up to 110 lbs of pressure.
Meanwhile, the wheels that I have look good, and won't rust or flake paint, and the BFG tires are doing very well, wearing very little in the 3-1/2 years I've had them on there.
Just picked up another pair of matching American Eagle,wheels, yesterday, and another new BFG to match, and when I get home, I'll have that other new tire to mount on my second spare wheel, and I expect to be able to make a nice, long run without tire issues. Nothing like the mileage that Mark puts on, but close to 20 Grand a year.
Don't remember if I mentioned it, but the ST's that gave me all the trouble, were a full set of Chinese GY's (Talon?), and another full set of Carlisle's, all LR-E's. I would expect that GY Marthons would have done a whole lot better.
Oh. Rotation. I do rotate my trailer tires, too. Cross-trailer, in an X pattern the first time, then Fr-Rr, and alternating every 8 K miles ~. Certainly didn't help me with ST's, but has worked well for the pickup, and now, with the trailer and the LT's on it.

[JohnC]

Last pair of Marathons I bought were from China...

[DickWells]

OUCH! I had no idea.

[DmaxMaverick]

Last pair of Marathons I bought were from China...

Same here (utility trailer). Same China junk. No better than Carlisle.

[Mark Rinker]

Mark,
Are the tires you use truck spec or trailer spec?
I am presuming with the mileage you get with them they are truck spec.

Jim


Truck spec

[arveetek]

Last pair of Marathons I bought were from China...

In fact, I don't believe a single trailer spec tire is made in America now.

I have a good customer who needed to replace the aging tires on his '93 Holiday Rambler 5th wheel. This trailer looks like new, and is kept inside at all times when not being used. The owner is fanatical about maintenance.

The trailer came equipped with Goodyear Marathons. The tires had been replaced one at a time for various reasons. Two of the tires were old, and had been mfg. in America. One was mfg. in Canada. The 4th was the newest and had been made in China.

I told him how hard it was to find American made tires. He made several phone calls and visited many tire shops. Most of them claimed to sell American made trailer tires. Once he got to the shop, he asked to see the tire. He then pointed out that they were stamped "Made in China." All of the tire dealers were shocked! They didn't even know what they were selling.

So yes, even the old standard Goodyear Marathon is Chinese made. I have been repairing lots of blowout damage on trailers the past couple of years as well. A lot of them came factory equipped with Goodyear Marathons.....

I even had a brand new trailer delivered to our dealership two weeks ago that didn't even make it here without the tire blowing out. We had to replace the lower metal j-wrap and plastic fender skirt. That's the second trailer this year that had a tire blowout while being delivered from Indiana to Missouri.

Casey

[DickWells]

Couple lousy tires with lousy construction for travel trailers, and you have a recipe for disaster. I quite probably will never trade trailers again, but still love to visit the shows, and check the new stuff over. First thing I do is walk around to the left-front and check out the data tag for axles and tires. Not a shock, any more, but disgusting, always. In almost all cases, the speck for both axles and tires on any given unit will be under optimum for the application. Never a margine for safety.

I read a road test for a toy hauler, a couple of years ago. I've forgotten the make and model, but it was rediculous how much rear overhang was on that thing, and it had a rated capacity of 3000 + pounds, back there, behind the center of the rear axle. The tester never did load it to capacity, but noted that all that overhang made for a lot of really noticeable sway in curves. From experience, I've noticed that trailer dealers are more than willing to let folks drive away with trailers which are an overload for their tow vehicle. I still get nervous when I see a large fiver behind a SRW pickup.

[arveetek]

I've been in the RV business for over 17 years now, and spent 12 years in service (8 of which I ran my own repair shop). I've been the Parts & Service Manager at my RV dealership for over a year now. I'm really beginning to lose faith in the RV industry. As prices continue to go up on these rigs, quality continues to plummet. I really hate to be the face of the warranty program for manufacturers in which I have no input in the quality control process.

Casey

[DickWells]

Casey: If only every service manager was aware of, or would admit to, the issues that you just mentioned, the industry wouldn't be in nearly such a mess. Most dealerships are more than willing to insult the inteligence of the customers, and pass on bad information and junk. I'll guarantee that Cowtown, a dealer in Cuba, MO. doesn't have a problem in this area. They sell Can Am (Bombardier) and several makes of RV and boating equipement. If every dealer in the country conducted themselves like CT, you wouldn't hear nearly as much complaining. Unfortunately, I, personally, have never met such a dealer, anywhere.

The manufacturers, on the other hand!!?? Like you said, the later stuff just seems to get worse and worse. I was hoping that you'd be able to tell us that the guy "on the front lines" would have some good input to the producers, like, they actually listen to your complaints. Sounds like that isn't the case?

[arveetek]

I was hoping that you'd be able to tell us that the guy "on the front lines" would have some good input to the producers, like, they actually listen to your complaints. Sounds like that isn't the case?

No, they don't seem to listen to us guys in the field too much. As long as people are buying, no need to change things much, eh?

Casey

[jhornsby3]

I have 14" tires on my 88 Holiday Rambler and finding tires has been quite a task. I finaly foud them at Costco and when I asked where they were made the guy behind the counter got pissy. I asked to see the tires and not only did they have two stacks(6 high to a stack so not to crush the sidewall) but they were made in Canada like he said they were. And they have a policy that they will not sell a tire over a year from the date code on the side. Plus he told me that Costco will warranty the tires for 40K miles or the date on the side what ever comes first.

All this for $425 for four. I need to replace them as the ones on it are dated 10 years old now.:eek:

[Yukon6.2]

Hi All
I just mounted a a tire for a guy traveling thru,
It was a Goodyear Marathon ST225/75-15 LRD
DOT numbers for date were 36 week of 2012
Made in China.
It replaced a Trak Master
DOT #'s 1202
Made in Canada,surprised me,with the name i would have bet on China.
So it looks like Goodyear is rolling the dice with China again.
Thomas

[mrwilecoyote]

That must be recent only about a year or so ago I was looking at the Marathon's because they were NOT made in China. That sucks.
I will say one thing that is important. In hot weather speed is a factor. I drove a Dump Trailer on Long Island for many years in the Sand and Gravel industry and R permitted trucks could run 120k. We never run recaps either. When it's over 80 you have to slow down a little. I don't care who makes the tire or what it's rated at. 65 is too fast if the heat is above 90. I usually run 55. I have seen guy s blow by me on a 90 degree day doing 75 with a camper behind them and I'm sorry but that is asking for a problem.