Trailer Tires?
Hi All, I just recently acquired an old 1970 (unsure of exact year due to weathering of VIN plate) Fleetwood Wilderness. It's approximately 16' and single axle. I'd like to get some new tires for i...
Forum Discussion
Oh, good grief...not the dreaded tire thread again. This is one thread that brings out what you could call the "strongest opinions" and should run at least 6 or 7 pages based on history.
Trailer tires need to be replaced at about the 4 - 5 year mark regardless of how great they may look. For whatever reason, they don't hold up like the ones on your car, so just plan to replace about that time....obviously sooner if any sign of problems. FWIW, and these are very rarely mentioned, our HTT came with Greenball Transmasters and they served us very well for about 4 years. Replacement time and we did a thorough search and read a zillion posts. Bought Transmasters again. We had a longer trip coming at about the next 4 year mark on the second set and felt more comfortable knowing we'd be on new tires. They were getting tough to find and DH called the company and they told him that Sam's Club carries them now, so same tires again. So in the 7 years we had our HTT we had 3 sets of the same tire with not a single problem. Right after we bought the last set and with only a few hundred miles on them, we moved to our TT. Have no idea what is on it, but they've done a fine job so far - almost 2 years - and we've just found a new family for Rocky, so he'll be moving very soon.
Personal opinion is to be vigilant about checking your tire pressure before every trip and if a longer trip, check daily. While you're at it, check the torque also. Use the pressure rating noted on the tire itself regardless of what others may say. Keep your speed reasonable - most of us feel 55 - 65 max is best - and visually check them regularly. Any signs of cracking or odd wear pattern, find out what the problem is. There are some brands folks wouldn't drive to the end of their driveway on, while others would go cross-country with no problem. Some will swear that ONLY tires made in this country are safe, when truthfully, most tires are made overseas and some brands that were considered USA made a year or two ago are now overseas. Others will swear only Brand X or Y is safe and you're trying to kill your family if you buy others. I once used the word "budget" in a question re tires and had a couple of very nasty replies. Truth is that some of us have a budget for things and $400 vs $800 is sometimes not possible. You need to do your homework, research this thoroughly and buy the best your "B" will allow. Good luck and happy camping. BTW, very cool little camper!
Trailer tires need to be replaced at about the 4 - 5 year mark regardless of how great they may look. For whatever reason, they don't hold up like the ones on your car, so just plan to replace about that time....obviously sooner if any sign of problems. FWIW, and these are very rarely mentioned, our HTT came with Greenball Transmasters and they served us very well for about 4 years. Replacement time and we did a thorough search and read a zillion posts. Bought Transmasters again. We had a longer trip coming at about the next 4 year mark on the second set and felt more comfortable knowing we'd be on new tires. They were getting tough to find and DH called the company and they told him that Sam's Club carries them now, so same tires again. So in the 7 years we had our HTT we had 3 sets of the same tire with not a single problem. Right after we bought the last set and with only a few hundred miles on them, we moved to our TT. Have no idea what is on it, but they've done a fine job so far - almost 2 years - and we've just found a new family for Rocky, so he'll be moving very soon.
Personal opinion is to be vigilant about checking your tire pressure before every trip and if a longer trip, check daily. While you're at it, check the torque also. Use the pressure rating noted on the tire itself regardless of what others may say. Keep your speed reasonable - most of us feel 55 - 65 max is best - and visually check them regularly. Any signs of cracking or odd wear pattern, find out what the problem is. There are some brands folks wouldn't drive to the end of their driveway on, while others would go cross-country with no problem. Some will swear that ONLY tires made in this country are safe, when truthfully, most tires are made overseas and some brands that were considered USA made a year or two ago are now overseas. Others will swear only Brand X or Y is safe and you're trying to kill your family if you buy others. I once used the word "budget" in a question re tires and had a couple of very nasty replies. Truth is that some of us have a budget for things and $400 vs $800 is sometimes not possible. You need to do your homework, research this thoroughly and buy the best your "B" will allow. Good luck and happy camping. BTW, very cool little camper!
