China Bombs Got Me
I have read many posts about the poor quality of tires RV manufacturers are putting on new RV's. Well these tires (the infamous Tow Max Power King) blew on my 5er causing damage. I always check for p...
Forum Discussion
As I said earlier, I see this as a multilevel problem - and there is plenty of dirt to throw around.
One of the largest problems seems to be the trailer manufacturers. Unlike car and truck manufacturers, who closely scrutinize their suppliers, the trailer industry is fragmented and in the area of tires and wheels, apparently buys based on price. Trailer manufacturers don't have the warranty systems in place to capture problems in this area - and the tire manufacturers are insulated by the fragmented nature of the industry and the fact that an importer stands between them and the consumer.
But this is also a consumer problem. I have noticed a decided trend in the US towards buying on price, while neglecting the long term affects. I call it the "WalMart Mentality". And WalMart has put many small retailers out of business simply because WalMart undercuts the price. Don't get me wrong, some of those businesses deserved to go under, but just as many were good and honest at what they did.
I find it very interesting that out of the top 10 tire manufacturers, only 2 offer ST tires. Goodyear already has a bad reputation - although they might redeem themselves with their latest version - and Maxxis is new to the market. I also find it interesting that Maxxis is now the brand of choice for ST tires even though they haven't been in the market for very long. Prediction: Maxxis will gradually be viewed as just one more the ST brands that don't live up to expectations. (They are currently in the "I can't believe you had a failure with the Maxxis - You must have done something wrong" stage.
Here we disagree. In the case of Foreign Tire Sales, I knew the engineer involved and he's the one who discovered that missing "critical component". What was interesting about this was the tires passed all the DOT tests. There was no fraud as far as government compliance testing was concerned. Where the "fraud" existed was the specification FTS had for the tire included that missing component. That's one of the reasons I shy away from arguing that changing the DOT testing of ST tires is the answer. I think that just perpetuates the problem.
Oh, and cap plies?
One of the largest problems seems to be the trailer manufacturers. Unlike car and truck manufacturers, who closely scrutinize their suppliers, the trailer industry is fragmented and in the area of tires and wheels, apparently buys based on price. Trailer manufacturers don't have the warranty systems in place to capture problems in this area - and the tire manufacturers are insulated by the fragmented nature of the industry and the fact that an importer stands between them and the consumer.
But this is also a consumer problem. I have noticed a decided trend in the US towards buying on price, while neglecting the long term affects. I call it the "WalMart Mentality". And WalMart has put many small retailers out of business simply because WalMart undercuts the price. Don't get me wrong, some of those businesses deserved to go under, but just as many were good and honest at what they did.
I find it very interesting that out of the top 10 tire manufacturers, only 2 offer ST tires. Goodyear already has a bad reputation - although they might redeem themselves with their latest version - and Maxxis is new to the market. I also find it interesting that Maxxis is now the brand of choice for ST tires even though they haven't been in the market for very long. Prediction: Maxxis will gradually be viewed as just one more the ST brands that don't live up to expectations. (They are currently in the "I can't believe you had a failure with the Maxxis - You must have done something wrong" stage.
JJBIRISH wrote:
......Here we agree again and an example of exactly that was, what you don’t know can kill you when it comes to your tires… as the American importers of Westlake LT tires Foreign Tire Sales found out a few years ago, when mfg. Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company of China decided to intentionally leave out critical parts of the tire and cheat on testing to fraudulently DOT certify Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS tires......
Here we disagree. In the case of Foreign Tire Sales, I knew the engineer involved and he's the one who discovered that missing "critical component". What was interesting about this was the tires passed all the DOT tests. There was no fraud as far as government compliance testing was concerned. Where the "fraud" existed was the specification FTS had for the tire included that missing component. That's one of the reasons I shy away from arguing that changing the DOT testing of ST tires is the answer. I think that just perpetuates the problem.
Oh, and cap plies?
