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RobSpook's avatar
RobSpook
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014

Strange tire problem - can't find info

Howdy y'all! We've been on the road since last February or so and have been pretty happy with the Towmax STR tires came on the camper. However, I recently noticed while installing my X-chocks that one of my tires has changed. Where the treads are usually flat across from the inside to the outside of the tire, one of the tires is now somewhat balloon shaped all the way around. This is NOT a tread ware problem, if you place a quarter in all the grooves, the tread ware is even... But the tire tread for this one tire appears round when viewed from the front or back. It has the effect of increasing the circumference about 1" around such that he X-chock is noticeably tighter on this side than the other.

I'm planning on taking it to a TowMax
Dealer today between Montgomery and Clarksville...

Which brings another question... Since the tires are a year old and have about 15,000 miles on them, should I replace only this one or both on the affected axle?

Thanks and safe travels!

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  • Dave_H_M's avatar
    Dave_H_M
    Explorer II
    Apr 12, 2014
    yep that is just plain ole tread separation just getting ready to blow.

    get the spare on it yesterday and expect the rest to follow suit, or at least watch them closely.
  • CapriRacer's avatar
    CapriRacer
    Explorer II
    Apr 12, 2014
    What you have is a separation.

    Do whatever you can to avoid riding on that tire. If you must use it, drive slowly - 35 mph. That way, if the tread comes off, the result will be more manageable and less likely to cause damage.

    Have someone look at the separation and see if they can identify a road hazard that might have caused this. If not, I'd recommend you replace ALL the tires.

    And since it only took a year (are you sure about that?), I'd recommend getting the trailer weighed - fully loaded and by individual wheel position, please. Then look at what you've got.

    If you can't weigh the trailer tire by tire, you'll have to account for the side to side and front to rear variation.

    My recommendation is that no tire should be operated higher than 85% of its rated capacity.

    Let's us know what happens.

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