Goodyear China Bombs

Here is the part I have trouble understanding. When RV owners switch from ST Tires to LT tires do they also suddenly no longer underinflate or overload them? If most ST tire failures are due to under inflation and overloading why do those same RV owners have so much better luck with LT tires? Are these same RV owners inoculated with something when LT tires are installed? The ST defenders argument's don't hold water IMHO.

Yeah, we see this all across the entire trailering world where some type of trailer is used for recreational or commercial purposes.

Most folks believe what they want either through their experience(s) or tire mfg marketing hype.

Little Hand wrote:
rockhillmanor, I can assure you the proper inflation was maintained, I have all four tires, three that are still looking perfect and the one that is shreds.

Your experience with the Marathon is old old news. Your type experince with them was the norm even when all ST tires were made in the USA. And yes tire talk went the same back then.
One of the last 16" ST tire threads on another website went about the same with the usual "its the tire owners fault" nonsense even though the tire threw its tread completely off and the 16" ST E still had 80 psi.
Some folks will believe what they want regardless of the actual evidence.

RV Tire Problems

A lot of personal opinions and not facts are being posted on the forum about trailer tires. The majority of it is personal opinions that unfortunately a lot of people without the facts pay attention to, and, end up spending a lot of hard earned money on new tires because of the personal opinions that were posted on the forum by wannabe tire experts. Most people don’t have a clue as to what caused their tire failure all they really know is the tire failed.
Unfortunately newbie’s with little to no RV experience and others with little knowledge of tires are misled by these wannabes and end up with a lot of unfounded tire failure misconceptions causing them to worry and spend their hard earned money replacing perfectly good tires.

A lot of people have a bias against foreign made products. That’s too bad because more and more manufacturers are having their products made by foreign companies. I would prefer that all American sold products be made in this country but that is not the world we live in.

Before foreign companies started making the tires all the complaints about trailer tires were the same as they are now. American and foreign made tires all perform the same. If you don’t think foreign made tires meet DOT standards then do something about it like report it. If you want a tire that will solve your tire problems then think about getting larger stronger tires. Light truck tires appear to last longer than ST tires based on comments I have seen on the forum, not facts.

Things to avoid that can damage tires:

1. Extended storage. Side walls tend to break down.
2. Improper inflation. Keep the tires inflated to the proper level when in storage or in use, 24/7/365. Under/over inflation when in use causes the heat to build up higher than what the tire is rated for which damages the tire.
3. High speed. Limit your speed to the max the tire is rated for, most are 65mph. Traveling over the max causes heat buildup above what the tires are rated for which damages the tire.
4. Hitting potholes in our wonderful highways and roads, running off the edge of the road, hitting curbs, rubbing tires against the curb. All of these things damage the tires. Belts break down and tires throw the tread.
5. Extended driving on hot highways in hot weather can damage tires from overheating.
6. Overloaded trailers, this will cause your tires to overheat, get rid of the extra weight.
7. Environment – keep tires covered to protect against the weather and sunlight.
8. Age, check with the tire manufacturer to educate yourself about when tires should be replaced.
9. Dry rot, check with the tire manufacturer to educate yourself about dry rot.
10. Mechanical problems like brakes sticking, or bad wheel bearings can cause the wheel to overheat which will cause the tire to overheat which damages the tire.
11. Defects in materials and workmanship. Highly doubtful this causes all tire failures.

Tire Pressure

Check your tire pressure when the RV has not been driven for 3 - 4 hours. That is when the tire is "cold". Forget ambient temp, 80psi at 10 degrees F is the same as 80psi at 100 degrees F. If you over inflate or under inflate the tires this can cause the tires to run hotter than normal which can damage the tires and cause tire failure. Stick with the PSI on the side of the tires. No need to turn this into rocket science. Check with the tire manufacturers if you need an education on tire inflation. Tire pressure does rise as the tire temp rises after driving down the road just like it is supposed to which is why you are supposed to check the pressure when the tire is “cold”.

Tire Temp

An Infra Red Thermometer can be a useful tool if you know how to use it. It will tell you the temp of the tire. You need to know the max temp for the tire if you are going to monitor it. If the temp of the tire is higher than the max temp the tire is rated for then you may have a problem (trailer is overloaded, improper inflation, or a mechanical problem). If you are checking to see if the tire is over the max rated temp and you don’t know what the max rated temp is, then you are wasting money for the thermometer and wasting time using it.

Replacing Failed Tires

The tire dealer will prorate your failed tire and sell you a new one. Do not let the tire dealer keep the failed tire when you have it replaced. Contact the tire manufacturer about the failure. The manufacturer will arrange for a local tire dealer to ship the failed tire to them and reimburse you for the price you paid for the new tire plus pay for any damages to the RV caused by the tire failure if you provide estimates of repair. This has been my experience with Goodyear and Carlisle.

This can be a very helpful forum if you forget the personal opinions and prejudices, get the facts, and communicate the facts to help others learn. Post useful information like what caused a tire failure.

Atom Ant wrote:
Oh how can that be?? JJ from Trailer Magazine says Goodyear and Michelin have trailer tires manufactured in China that are of a much higher quality than cheap Chinese tires because of the specs!! (I sure wish that guy would leave his keyboard every once in a while and get a clue)

If the tires are shipped to the US they have to meet US DOT specs. My experience over the last 20 years is to have US made trailer tires blow just as often as Chinese made trailer tires. I guess the Chinese manufacturers are building US standards into their tires. You will notice that no one ever explains what caused the tire failure, they just complain about a blowout.

The real issue IMO is getting a tire with enough capacity to handle the weight period. If your trailer has the clearance for LT tires fine, if it doesn't then getting a ST tire that can handle the load and is constructed decently (think Maxxis) is the trick. If you run your tires with no reserve capacity it doesn't take much to send them over the point of no return. All due respect to those speculating about what caused a blowout, you really don't know short of the training required to make those judgments and having the tire in front of you to examine. I trust the OP gets compensated for the damage and I am pleased no one was injured.

RVUSA wrote:

MrVan wrote:
Here is the part I have trouble understanding. When RV owners switch from ST Tires to LT tires do they also suddenly no longer underinflate or overload them? If most ST tire failures are due to under inflation and overloading why do those same RV owners have so much better luck with LT tires? Are these same RV owners inoculated with something when LT tires are installed? The ST defenders argument's don't hold water IMHO.

That is the one test that LT tires have done and ST tires dont on their way to getting the DOT stamp. Underinflation at speed.

The construction of the two are different. The ST sidewalls are built stiffer and because of that they heat up faster and farther than LT's when underinflated. They pretty much have to be run at max psi because of their makeup. The LT's are fairly forgiving in that regard as they have to meet the testing for that.

One other point (just for reference) is to go from ST to LT you generally have to go up in size on the LT to regain the carrying capacity that the ST had. Thats because of the sidewall construction isnt as stiff on the LT. So once you get the right LT size you are good to go with a cooler running tire.

Guess you have never handled a Michelin XPS Rib or Bridgestone Duravis R250. These two tires are the best LT tires for trailer use available period. They are built similar the the Goodyear G14. All three DO NOT have soft fixable sidewalls.

Flex in a sidewall is what builds heat, not the other way around. Goodyear even markets their Marathon ST tire as an economical tire, where as there is no doubt that their G614 is their high quality trailer tire.

Out on the highway at freeway speeds in hot weather separates the good from the bad pretty fast. We read about the bad in threads like this all the time. And guess what, the Marathon has had the much ballyhooed Nylon overlay for years, that some think is going to solve the mystery of ST tire failures!

Both my Ribs and now my R250s run cooler than the Michelin LTX M&S on my tow vehicle, in the 115-119 degree range when the TV tires are at 125 degrees, this in the SW 90+ temps fall and spring. People report ST tires run in the 135-150 range under these conditions.

It is hard to understand how anyone would want a tire that the manufacturer says has a 3-5 year life, is good for only 8000-12000 miles and should have at least 20 percent margin in loading.

Then we could talk about the stability of towing a trailer with a steel ply carcass tire verses baseball shaped ST tires.

Chris

Round Topper wrote:
My Marathons didn't last even two years. I lost two the same morning to blowouts and one later in the day to overheating. TPMS saved the day twice.
RTer

I dont understand. How did the tpms save the day when you had blowouts. I would think saving the day would mean the tpms prevented the blowout by alerting you before it happened?

MrVan wrote:
Here is the part I have trouble understanding. When RV owners switch from ST Tires to LT tires do they also suddenly no longer underinflate or overload them? If most ST tire failures are due to under inflation and overloading why do those same RV owners have so much better luck with LT tires? Are these same RV owners inoculated with something when LT tires are installed? The ST defenders argument's don't hold water IMHO.

That is the one test that LT tires have done and ST tires dont on their way to getting the DOT stamp. Underinflation at speed.

The construction of the two are different. The ST sidewalls are built stiffer and because of that they heat up faster and farther than LT's when underinflated. They pretty much have to be run at max psi because of their makeup. The LT's are fairly forgiving in that regard as they have to meet the testing for that.

One other point (just for reference) is to go from ST to LT you generally have to go up in size on the LT to regain the carrying capacity that the ST had. Thats because of the sidewall construction isnt as stiff on the LT. So once you get the right LT size you are good to go with a cooler running tire.

My Marathons didn't last even two years. I lost two the same morning to blowouts and one later in the day to overheating. TPMS saved the day twice.
RTer

Me Again wrote:

The OP trailer was screaming for LRG tires from the get go!! But here again a Keystone Montana, by the most popular manufacturer, has failed to even provide rims that allow for that upgrade after leaving the dealers lot.

When will this end?

Chris

Just so you know, Montana has provided 110 PSI capable (3740 Lb. rated) rims for several years now.

MrVan wrote:
Here is the part I have trouble understanding. When RV owners switch from ST Tires to LT tires do they also suddenly no longer underinflate or overload them? If most ST tire failures are due to under inflation and overloading why do those same RV owners have so much better luck with LT tires? Are these same RV owners inoculated with something when LT tires are installed? The ST defenders argument's don't hold water IMHO.

Bingo.