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jodeb720's avatar
jodeb720
Explorer
Jul 22, 2013

Defective Tires - Tomax

I thought I'd put this out there for all us towables. I'm one of those anal retentive guys who constantly inflates my tires close to the max at 7:00 am just to be sure my tires are cold.

So that I'm completely honest, the tires were manufactured in 2009, and I checked the manufacturing date - so they are just about 4 years old.

I've checked my axles to insure they are greased and my brakes are in working order.

On Friday, climbing mount shasta at about 3500 one of my tires blew out (and I mean Blew in half).

I pulled over, surveyed the cosmetic damage and then swapped the tire in the 100+ degree weather and headed into town for a replacement.

What I wanted was LT tires - after reading the threads here, but nobody (and I mean nobody) will put them on the trailer - unless I pull each tire and then bring in just the rim to the store to be swapped. They claim liability.

So.. after pulling into a well recommended store (les schwab is the local recommended retailer), I put on new Tomax's - but. when the guy was swapping the tires, he spun each of them (including my spare) and there were bulges and bumps all over each of my tires. That's just not right!

Needless to say, I swapped all 4 and kept the best of the originals (which will work in a pinch as a spare).

Before you take your next trip, jack up the trailer and check them for round - not just your bearings and brakes and tire pressure!

Josh
  • NHIrish's avatar
    NHIrish
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    My Goodyear G614 G rated tires are designated LT235/85R16 but are sold for "Even Wear In Demanding Trailer Applications". They are also rated for 75 mph.

    I think the real problem in most tire situations is age and/or LOAD. Tires on trailers come low bid and low spec...barely sufficient and then we overload them, or the weight transfer of traveling places a transient load that is above spec and the cheap, low spec tire just can't take it.

    I don't think we can point to any one thing or magic bullet or set of letters on a tire...
  • Huntindog's avatar
    Huntindog
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    FastEagle wrote:
    Huntindog wrote:
    Francesca Knowles wrote:
    Glad to hear you're so consistent about air- do you tow below 65mph too?

    FYI:
    No surprise that the tire shops wouldn't put LT's directly on the trailer. Smart/reputable shops refuse to do so because LT's are NOT designed for the use. Naturally, they don't want to be held responsible for such an application.

    Don't know why so many folks take the rims in and have it done anyway...
    Discount Tire has had no problem doing it for me.. In fact they are in full agreement with what I am doing, and think it is the smart thing to do..
    And money talks. My last set of Michelins cost me about 1300.00
    I WILL spend what it takes for reliable tires... Discount is smart to make the sale a pleasant experience.
    Many TT owners and manufacturers look to do it on the cheap, as it's just a TT.

    And we do it because it works.

    The guy putting used LT tires on his TT may have been me. ( I have posted this before) I had a 3 year old set of Michelin RIBs on my 2001 TT. When I purchased my 2010 TT (new) it had some off brand ST tires on it. I swapped them with my Michelins as soon as I got it home.
    Since I have owned MANY sets of ST tires, and NONE made it to the two year mark, I would rather have my 3 year old Michelin LTs than ANY new ST tire.
    I replaced those Michelins due to age around 5-6 years...The first time in over twenty years that I replaced ANY TT tires due to age.

    I just returned from another trip.
    No tire issues. I ran 75-77 MPH in 110+ tempertures.
    With the right equipment, it can be done safely, and reliably.


    One more thing... Name calling such as the "WINGNUT" comment, doesn't make your opinion more valid....Just the opposite.


    Haven't you actually put over-kill tires on 5200# axles?

    FastEagle


    When it comes to tires, there is no such thing as "overkill"

    And I used the same approach on the MANY sets of ST tires I used to have.... In fact I ended up with LRE STs on 3500# axles on my last TT ....They still didn't make it a year.. Have had too many ST tire failures to count over about 15 years. Since switching to the Michelins in about 2006..... Zero. I can now tow safely with the flow of traffic. A much more relaxing experience.

    One doesn't have to be a rolling roadblock on the road. All the banzai moves that others make trying to get around the snail put everyones life in danger... Do yourself and everyone else a favor favor and get equipment that is capable of running at highway speeds.

    How safe can a tire rated at 65 MPH possibly be when running at its max constantly? Read the govt. testing standards for BOTH LTs and STs, for a real eye opener... Gotta warn ya though. Those that actually take the time to do this.... Will almost always be in the market for LT tires... Of course there will always be those that just won't believe facts.
  • FastEagle's avatar
    FastEagle
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    fj12ryder wrote:
    I think the Michelin ribs are rated to 3042 lbs. which would be 6000 lbs capacity on a 5200 lb. axle. I don't know that I would call that "overkill". And he can always drop the air pressure a tad for smoother ride if he wants and still be at capacity, and he can drive over 65 mph if he wants.

    A G-rated tire at 3700 lbs. would definitely fit the definition. :)


    OK, maybe you can explain what his rant is all about.

    FE
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jul 23, 2013
    I think the Michelin ribs are rated to 3042 lbs. which would be 6000 lbs capacity on a 5200 lb. axle. I don't know that I would call that "overkill". And he can always drop the air pressure a tad for smoother ride if he wants and still be at capacity, and he can drive over 65 mph if he wants.

    A G-rated tire at 3700 lbs. would definitely fit the definition. :)
  • FastEagle's avatar
    FastEagle
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    Huntindog wrote:
    Francesca Knowles wrote:
    Glad to hear you're so consistent about air- do you tow below 65mph too?

    FYI:
    No surprise that the tire shops wouldn't put LT's directly on the trailer. Smart/reputable shops refuse to do so because LT's are NOT designed for the use. Naturally, they don't want to be held responsible for such an application.

    Don't know why so many folks take the rims in and have it done anyway...
    Discount Tire has had no problem doing it for me.. In fact they are in full agreement with what I am doing, and think it is the smart thing to do..
    And money talks. My last set of Michelins cost me about 1300.00
    I WILL spend what it takes for reliable tires... Discount is smart to make the sale a pleasant experience.
    Many TT owners and manufacturers look to do it on the cheap, as it's just a TT.

    And we do it because it works.

    The guy putting used LT tires on his TT may have been me. ( I have posted this before) I had a 3 year old set of Michelin RIBs on my 2001 TT. When I purchased my 2010 TT (new) it had some off brand ST tires on it. I swapped them with my Michelins as soon as I got it home.
    Since I have owned MANY sets of ST tires, and NONE made it to the two year mark, I would rather have my 3 year old Michelin LTs than ANY new ST tire.
    I replaced those Michelins due to age around 5-6 years...The first time in over twenty years that I replaced ANY TT tires due to age.

    I just returned from another trip.
    No tire issues. I ran 75-77 MPH in 110+ tempertures.
    With the right equipment, it can be done safely, and reliably.


    One more thing... Name calling such as the "WINGNUT" comment, doesn't make your opinion more valid....Just the opposite.


    Haven't you actually put over-kill tires on 5200# axles?

    FastEagle
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jul 23, 2013
    FastEagle wrote:
    fj12ryder wrote:
    I'm still waiting on an answer to why some high-end companies are putting LT tires on their 5th wheels.


    Maybe they don't know about the ST235/85R16E rated at 3640# at 80 psi or the ST235/85R16F rated at 3960# at 95 psi or the ST235/85R16G rated at 3750# at 110 psi.

    Those with 8000# axles will just have to have MDT 17.5" tires.

    FastEagle

    Or maybe they do know about the ST tires and have decided, like so many others, not to use them. :) Perhaps they feel that their customers deserve a high quality tire to go with their high quality unit.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jul 23, 2013
    According to Merriam-Webster: Primarily- "for the most part".

    So what's your point?
  • FastEagle's avatar
    FastEagle
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    fj12ryder wrote:
    I'm still waiting on an answer to why some high-end companies are putting LT tires on their 5th wheels.


    Maybe they don't know about the ST235/85R16E rated at 3640# at 80 psi or the ST235/85R16F rated at 3960# at 95 psi or the ST235/85R16G rated at 3750# at 110 psi.

    Those with 8000# axles will just have to have MDT 17.5" tires.

    FastEagle
  • FastEagle's avatar
    FastEagle
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    kedanie wrote:
    Francesca Knowles wrote:
    because LT's are NOT designed for the use.

    Really?!!!

    Where did you get that gem? How about a little backup on that statement.

    Sounds to me like someone has been drinking a little to much of someone's cool-aid.

    Keith


    This is the official definition for Light Truck tires (LT), “Light truck (LT) tire means a tire designated by its manufacturer as primarily intended for use on lightweight trucks or multipurpose passenger vehicles.” as described in - look here.


    FastEagle
  • wacdmc's avatar
    wacdmc
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    fj12ryder wrote:
    I'm still waiting on an answer to why some high-end companies are putting LT tires on their 5th wheels.


    Another example: my brother's Heartland came from factory with Sailun 637 LT's. He has 15K on them with no problems.

    This weekend I did a 550 mile car trip (camper still not repaired due to ST Blow-Max blowout). I saw one fiver on the side of I40 with the street side torn up from a blowout. I saw another enter the campground I was visiting with his curb side torn up from a blow out - both ST's.

    Statistically, 99.9% of the vehicles I passed on this road trip were passenger vehicles. Less than 1% were RV's. However, I didn't see any of the 99% suffering from blowouts. Point is, I find it almost amusing that the die-hard ST lovers simply can't admit the ST tires cannot safely handle these heavy campers.

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