Michelin LT failure

Is a TOWMAX trailer tire another "China Bomb" brand of tire?

John in Fl

Me Again wrote:
I found that back in the mid 2000's the rule was changed on MHT tires, requiring DOT tires........

I think you need to investigate this further. Get back to us if you find anything.

Get back to us if you don't find anything.

SeniorGNC wrote:
Tireman9,



At this time I am investigating TPMS brands and models.

Kevin

I think your on the right track. Knowing when a tire is developing a problem such as losing pressure or heating up will go a long way toward keeping out of trouble no matter what type of tire you have.

Me Again wrote:
..."Deestone Tires offer some of the most affordable specialty tires on the market, all with a standard of quality that is comparable to many more-costly brands. If you’re looking for a replacement tire for your golf cart or lawnmower that won’t break the bank, Deestone is right for you."

I seem to recall them making music way back. Had no idea they were into tires now?

Me Again wrote:
I found that back in the mid 2000's the rule was changed on MHT tires, requiring DOT tires.

Tireman9 never did state what the tire was on? Given the condition the tire in his picture is in, I think it would be difficult to determine why it lost air. That is was in a external or internal situation that caused the loss of air pressure.

Simple fact in the particular forum is that we read about way to many Special(service) Trailer tire failure that have similar results. In my book it is a result of a product type that is just not robust enough for large trailers.

We have many testimonies that after repeated failures with cheap ST tires, people have switched to higher quality LT tires and their tire issues went away. That is real world results. People have stated the ST tires are very similar to LT tires in construction, however in actual use they do not appear to be of the same quality. Their inflated load ratings do not appear realistic. If their load ratings were 15 percent less instead of 15 more it might be a different story.

Chris

You again!.:B

You must never question the *experts*.

Testimonials don't count.

Testimonial posters are biased (no tire pun).

They *ALL* ran their ST tires with:

Low pressure, too fast, ran over road debris, didn't check air pressure frequently (or frequently enough) - and/or believed an "expert" who has had 22+ STs (by his count) on his trailer!

Which deserves a "post" in the Guinness Book of World Records!..:W


~

Well I guess some missed the point of my various posts here and on my blog about looking at physical evidence and based on experience, providing "expert opinion" on the most probable cause for a tire to be in such and such a condition.

I do not know what trailer this tire was on. I noted the tire on the side of the road and thought it might provide another example for tire examination for my blog.

I found no obvious signs of puncture in this tire but cannot rule this out. What I am certain of is that the tire was operated significantly under-inflated for the load it was carrying and operated at "highway" speeds i.e. 45+

I also note the similarity with the condition of the ST tire I wrote about from the Airstream TT.

I will review my files and see if I can find a picture of a tire with obvious puncture and run low flex conditions.

If some want to chose to think that body cord reaches 400+°F when properly inflated and loaded per tables, so be it. I just find that in my 40 years as a tire design & quality engineer it would be essentially impossible for such conditions to exist.

I found that back in the mid 2000's the rule was changed on MHT tires, requiring DOT tires.

Tireman9 never did state what the tire was on? Given the condition the tire in his picture is in, I think it would be difficult to determine why it lost air. That is was in a external or internal situation that caused the loss of air pressure.

Simple fact in the particular forum is that we read about way to many Special(service) Trailer tire failure that have similar results. In my book it is a result of a product type that is just not robust enough for large trailers.

We have many testimonies that after repeated failures with cheap ST tires, people have switched to higher quality LT tires and their tire issues went away. That is real world results. People have stated the ST tires are very similar to LT tires in construction, however in actual use they do not appear to be of the same quality. Their inflated load ratings do not appear realistic. If their load ratings were 15 percent less instead of 15 more it might be a different story.

Chris

I truncated most of this post to both save space and make it clear exactly what I am responding to.

Me Again wrote:
.....I believe that there is a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards ruling that these can not be used in other highway service! MHT tires are not DOT certified tires, right?.....

First, the Department of Transportation doesn't certify anything. They are the regulation body, and while they do spot checks, the system is one of self certification. In other words, the tire manufacturer is stating that the tire with the letters "DOT" meet the regulations. The tire manufacturer doesn't actually have to test any of these tires, but if challenged, they have to be able to justify their actions.

Additionally, EVERY tire that hits the street in the US has to have the letters "DOT" on the sidewall - and that includes 14.5" tires.

(OK, there are some special use exceptions, but those are really exceptions, like moving mining equipment, and not broad based exceptions, like delivering trailers.)

Me Again wrote:

Tireman9 wrote:

I will be doing an autopsy on it and the results will be my blog post for this week. Take a look this weekend and see if you follow the logic trail and if you agree with my findings.

So this is what the 8 - 14.5 tire looked like before it failed. What was it on? I believe that is the size used on Mobile Homes for delivery and set up. They are not intended to be long life cycle tires. Yet people buy the axles, rims and tires, and put them to other uses. If you look behind the cab of the trucks that deliver Mobile Homes they have a whole rack of spare tires. One also can see them on the side of the road a lot with failed tires. The wheels these tires go on have special hubs patterns to help prevent their re-entry into other services after the delivery of the mobile home! I believe that there is a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards ruling that these can not be used in other highway service! MHT tires are not DOT certified tires, right? Mobile Homes are not license vehicles and do not have two have DOT certified tires for delivery??

Not sure how this one relates to 5th wheel trailers? Tireman9 reply....The tire size may not fit your 5th-wheel but the inspection process applies to tires in general.



http://www.kenjones.com/Scripts/itemdetail.aspx?t=90505&IK=DS6310 Anyone else never heard of Deestone tires before.

"Deestone Tires offer some of the most affordable specialty tires on the market, all with a standard of quality that is comparable to many more-costly brands. If you’re looking for a replacement tire for your golf cart or lawnmower that won’t break the bank, Deestone is right for you."
http://www.tiresusa.com/deestone-tires

Kenda, Duro, Deestone and others, all seem to be of the same ink! Started with bicycle tires and then spread their wings.

Do you sometimes include a finding that "the tire was just not up to the service it was subjected to!"??

Chris

Chris. I interpret that all tires intended for highway use carry the DOT symbol, which the subject tire did. There are regulations
49 CFR 571.120 - "Tire selection and rims and motor home/recreation vehicle trailer load carrying capacity information for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds)"
"(c) The symbol DOT, constituting a certification by the manufacturer of the rim that the rim complies with all applicable motor vehicle safety standards."

and
49 CFR 571.119 - Standard No. 119; New pneumatic tires for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and motorcycles.
a) The symbol DOT, which shall constitute a certification that the tire conforms to applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards. This symbol may be marked on only one sidewall.

So one of the above covers this type tire.


Yes I have found tires "not up to the service they were subjected to" but those usually were highway tires used in off road gravel service where there was a lot of tread cutting to and through the steel belts. This tire was rated for 2835# at 100psi but in my experience melted body cord is consistent with low inflation, high load & highway speed. All three conditions are needed to get the conditions observed in the tire.
Did you read my posts of February 19, 2013, or July 22, 2012 which was of a TT and has very similar conditions in the tire. The fact that the Airstream is not a 5th wheel does not invalidate the findings.

Me Again wrote:


"Deestone Tires offer some of the most affordable specialty tires on the market, all with a standard of quality that is comparable to many more-costly brands. If you’re looking for a replacement tire for your golf cart or lawnmower that won’t break the bank, Deestone is right for you."

Chris

Let your fingers do the walking:

Destone Ref...

Plant code KA.

FE