This leads me to my next question for Roger and Barry. We know how important proper balance is for tire wear, but how much heat would one expect to generate in the tires due to an imbalance like I observed the other day. I guess what this is leading to in laymen terms is: since trailer tires generally age out before they wear out -- how important is it for reliability to have them balanced. Note: for the most part, OE trailer tires are not balanced.
Second question is with regards to the ceramic balancing beads. I know some tire manufacturers will not honor their warrantee if they are used. Why? Do these beads damage the liner?
What you see is most of the time out of balance that is making them bounce.I think balancing is very important to not only the tires but to the whole RV as far as wear.Think about what it is doing to your bushings in the spring hangers and anything that is screwed together.
About like driving on a wash board road for hours on end.As for knowing it from the drivers seat I would say no you don`t.I know of people that have pulled for miles with a flat tire or something else with out knowing it.The next time you are driving on the interstate notice the rim marks in the lanes and how far some of them go.I do know the tire I just had to have a big swelled place in the tread I did not feel and the temperature was not off enough to notice it as I have TPS with temperature.I only noticed it when I got to the camp ground and got out so I do not know how long it had been starting to come apart.I can tell you low air Pressure will heat one up in a minute at high way speed.I did in the past have a tire going down and there was smoke coming off of it before I could get over and it was a long ways from being totally flat and made it another few miles at a much slower speed for a place to change it.
As for out of round it is easy enough to check just barely jack your tire off the ground and turn it if you have to jack it higher to make it turn all the way around that is how much it is out of round.
As for the beads voiding tire warranty I don`t know.
About all you can do is buy tires that seem to give good service and keep a look out in your mirrors and check them every time you get out when on the road.A good investment is a infer red temperature meter that you can just point at the tires and hubs to check them for heat for not only tires but wheel bearings also.
