Speed and blown tires

If i replace my cheap ST tires every two years

you get what you pay for.

fitting cheap tires and expecting premium performance is the mistake here.

It just seems so strange that there's a rash of blowouts from the old ST tires from China, and after those tires are replaced with good tires, the same people have no more blowouts. Same roads, same conditions, same trailer, same tow vehicle, same driver, but no more blowouts. Hmm, everything is the same except the tires, that may give you a clue about where the problem lies.

These are just my "anecdotal observations" of course. Sometimes real life contradicts theory.

I have the same experience, my tire problems vanished when I switched to truck LT tires. I personally believe ST tires are somehow linked to politicians just like ethanol in gas, and we know how beneficial that is.

I doubt anyone here has any studies to back up their opinions/experiences. Clearly, many have had Chinese tire blowouts, and even blowouts with those few American-made tires.

I believe some blowouts are caused by excessive speed, road hazards, improper maintenance, over age,overloading, etc., and perhaps the cheaper tires are simply not up to the task.

one other thought . it is not so much the speed as I tow at 66MPH normally. It is the other drivers and the stopping that you should concern yourself about. I never tow in or near a city in the left lane to many idiots not knowing how to merge and I do not travel close behind anyone when possible. Jus saying

My opinion, that I have posted here many times is that all RVs should have a TPMS. An RV generally travels long distances each day giving a picked up nail plenty of time to leak your tire down to the danger point. Most trips in your car are short ones that result in you coming out of the store to find a flat tire. I suspect many blowouts blamed on 'cheap tires' were caused by a slow leak that wasn't detected in time and the resultant disintegration of the tire erases all evidence of what really happened. For the sake of you and your family, get a TPMS.

I myself tow at a top speed of 60mph as a target. It can go slightly over or under but not much under 55mph other then large climbs. I also live in a state that has a trailer towing speed limit for non commercial towing. My current LT tires on the camper can handle a lot more speed then this, but I have no need to tow any faster and never have. If something goes wrong towing a camper, it can go wrong really fast and 60 is my limit.

I myself did stop using ST trailer tires a while ago as 3 of the same set had internal detachment. They where not made in China, they where made in Mexico as that is where Denman made them before they went out of businesses here in the USA.

On those 3 tires, it was not weight, speed or age that took the tires out. I went to great ends to understand the root cause of the issue before I switched tire makeups to make sure I was not doing something wrong. This post documents this along with the complaint filed with the NHTSA. ST Tire Failure Analysis (Long - Lots of Pics)

I did run Maxxis tires before the Denmans and while they did not have tire internal failures they did have cracks forming in the treads like clockwork at 4.5 to 5 years time frame. I do however run Maxxis trailer tires on my 10,000# flat bed trailer but it does not get the same long haul distance the camper gets.

And yes, I now have a TPM system on the camper. I did not before but do now. And always check tire pressure before each trip and look over the tire at every stop. I found all 3 of my failures before they let go just by looking. It is amazing what you can find just by looking.

There is a lot of understanding to be learned on trailer tires, first is are they sized correct with the extra capacity needed for a tandem axle setup. This starts at the RV manufacturer. Then does the owner weigh the camper and know their wheel weights and are they where they are supposed to be with the extra capacity needed for a tandem axle setup? Are the aired up every trip correctly? Do they get covered during storage? Do you stay under the speed rating all the time? Do you replace them at the interval that aligns with that tire manufacture? Once you get all that sorted out, then there are road hazards that come into play.

Trailer tires on a camper that is towed a lot takes work and understanding. And even then there can be a failure. Do your best to educate yourself and keep on top of it is your best defense.

Safe towing to all

Thanks

John

yillb wrote:

LarryJM wrote:

yillb wrote:
I think 90% of tire blowouts are caused by ignorant people not following the directions. Forget the fact it's made in china, tire pressure, and tire speed ratings are IMO the number one cause of pre-mature wear and blowouts, hands down.

I would disagree with your number one cause of pre-mature wear and blowouts. while those are definite contributors, IMO the number one cause is tire damage from road hazards (nr one being interstate potholes) and tire overloading with the main one being when you have a flat on one axle or low infation in one tire on a side and run the good tire on that side for even 5 miles or so at speed and seriously overload it. Curbbing and serious scuffing when backing up at significant angles running a close second. Damage to tires is cumulative and interstate potholes are a sure way to experience a tread separation at some point downstream.

Larry

I wouldn't, way to many people towing rigs that neither care to know how, or want to know how it's done properly. I've never in my entire life experienced a blowout, In my opinion, I can't argue with facts, what I do works, regardless of any information i'm given. If i replace my cheap ST tires every two years, drive like a normal human, i don't have blowouts. I'm lucky enough to not have just had a bad tire, as they exist, but Im confident most issues are user error, and are blamed on road conditions because the owner had no clue as to what he / she was doing. Then, others blame the road, again, when they are to blame, and now, china tires are the end of the world, because of a false narrative.

You got to be kidding me! Change tires every two years!! What a waste of money and resources. Unless you're putting 20,000-30,000 miles a year of course. Although that might help with blowouts since mine were just about 2 years old when they let go.

It just seems so strange that there's a rash of blowouts from the old ST tires from China, and after those tires are replaced with good tires, the same people have no more blowouts. Same roads, same conditions, same trailer, same tow vehicle, same driver, but no more blowouts. Hmm, everything is the same except the tires, that may give you a clue about where the problem lies.

These are just my "anecdotal observations" of course. Sometimes real life contradicts theory.

time2roll wrote:
I have seen ST spare tires blown out that never hit the ground.
All my tire sets have had slipped belts within 2 to 4 years.
I just installed Goodyear Endurance with N speed rating of 87 but I don't recommend any trailer at that speed.
And I will be cutting through NV, ID, MT, UT in a couple weeks at about 62 MPH if you would like to fall in behind me.
IMO it is the sitting still that causes as much issues as over speed.

Sitting Still.... According to a Continental Tire Representative that I was talking to, said the same!! He stated, that ideally, for tire longevity they need to be driven at least once per month. Something with the flexing of the tire causing the tire material to "self lubricate" (my term, as I can't recall his exact wording)!

XPS Ribbed. Q rating = 100MPH, so I feel confident towing at 75 - 80 on I-15 (Utah) when traffic is light and the speed limit is 80MPH. I usually keep it around 75 in 80MPH zone and obviously 65 when posted speed.

I, too, keep towing speeds to 60 max. Not because of tire issues, but because dragging a wall into the wind burns fuel at an exponentially increasing rate as speed goes up. 60 is where the rate of increase really starts up, but it is fast enough to run in top gear. When I was young and foolish, that didn't matter to me, but being old and retired, with no place to go and nothing to do when I get there has opened my eyes. Let 'end pass me, and waste as much gas money as they wish. I'll get there eventually and get to admire the scenery on the way.

I have seen ST spare tires blown out that never hit the ground.
All my tire sets have had slipped belts within 2 to 4 years.
I just installed Goodyear Endurance with N speed rating of 87 but I don't recommend any trailer at that speed.
And I will be cutting through NV, ID, MT, UT in a couple weeks at about 62 MPH if you would like to fall in behind me.
IMO it is the sitting still that causes as much issues as over speed.