Blow outs and tires

[Dirtclods]

How many of you have had a blow out?

I now carry two spares for my trailer. I've tried different tires and always have what the PSI is on the tire. Never had one go on any dirt roads always on the pavement.

[dsrace]

CapriRacer wrote:

dsrace wrote:
......

the info is not easy to find but if one simply asks themselves..... why do tire manufacturers advertise more fuel efficient tread and/or tire compound in trailer trailer tires? what are there explanations? .

"Our most fuel-efficient trailer tires
Reduced rolling resistance and increased fuel economy.
Discover our tires designed for fuel savings, durability, and exceptional traction for driver confidence."

borrowed that directly from michelan's trailer tire web site.

most of the info you will find are from fleet companies. 3% reduction is a lot with an over the road truck. in a pick up, 3% isnt much of anything. wind is a bigger factor but every little bit still helps so why not?

There are 3 things that affect tire rolling resistance: The amount of deflection (meaning mostly inflation pressure), the amount of material (mostly tread rubber), and the material properties of the material (again, mostly the properties of the tread rubber)

You're quoting Michelin's truck tires. They don't make RV trailer tires, so be careful there.

So applying those three things, my best guess is that they don't have as much rubber in their trailer tires, and the tread compound is especially formulated for low rolling resistance.

Could that be applied to other tires? Of course, but there is a tradeoff.

There is a technological triangle for tread rubber compounds involving treadwear, traction (especially wet traction), and rolling resistance. Change one and you affect one of both of the others.

Yes, there can be differences in tread rubber compounds that improve RR without affecting that 3 way relationship, but those are small compared to the big triangle.

i did not know that Michelin didnt sell st tires for campers, thanks for the letting me know. that was just the first link that popped to up to illustrate there are some differences and why i referenced those were fleet.

my only point was that i felt the difference in rolling resistance between 28" tall tires to 33" tall. i read the article stating basically what you stated and i am sure it is true. still, a larger od tire made a difference in my case. they were both 10 ply and on the same trailer. now they do offer 12 ply st tires and maybe they higher psi in those would make some difference?, i truly have no idea.

[dedmiston]

CapriRacer wrote:
There are 3 things that affect tire rolling resistance: ...

It's nice to see you around. Seems like it's been a while. I hope all is well with you.

[CapriRacer]

dsrace wrote:
......

the info is not easy to find but if one simply asks themselves..... why do tire manufacturers advertise more fuel efficient tread and/or tire compound in trailer trailer tires? what are there explanations? .

"Our most fuel-efficient trailer tires
Reduced rolling resistance and increased fuel economy.
Discover our tires designed for fuel savings, durability, and exceptional traction for driver confidence."

borrowed that directly from michelan's trailer tire web site.

most of the info you will find are from fleet companies. 3% reduction is a lot with an over the road truck. in a pick up, 3% isnt much of anything. wind is a bigger factor but every little bit still helps so why not?

There are 3 things that affect tire rolling resistance: The amount of deflection (meaning mostly inflation pressure), the amount of material (mostly tread rubber), and the material properties of the material (again, mostly the properties of the tread rubber)

You're quoting Michelin's truck tires. They don't make RV trailer tires, so be careful there.

So applying those three things, my best guess is that they don't have as much rubber in their trailer tires, and the tread compound is especially formulated for low rolling resistance.

Could that be applied to other tires? Of course, but there is a tradeoff.

There is a technological triangle for tread rubber compounds involving treadwear, traction (especially wet traction), and rolling resistance. Change one and you affect one of both of the others.

Yes, there can be differences in tread rubber compounds that improve RR without affecting that 3 way relationship, but those are small compared to the big triangle.

[dsrace]

Grit dog wrote:
What is the significance of having the truck and trailer tires turning the same rpm’s?

There is a minimal difference but as i was ordering them, thats what I wanted. It has been my experience that 33" tall 235-80x16's have less rolling resistance then 28" 225-75x15 wheels. of course, air pressure and tread play a roll in that as well. Basically, If the tires are spinning faster then tow vehicle, then it adds to the drag/rolling resistance. How much so? Couldn't tell you as I have no data to back it up.


the info is not easy to find but if one simply asks themselves..... why do tire manufacturers advertise more fuel efficient tread and/or tire compound in trailer trailer tires? what are there explanations?

"Our most fuel-efficient trailer tires
Reduced rolling resistance and increased fuel economy.
Discover our tires designed for fuel savings, durability, and exceptional traction for driver confidence."

borrowed that directly from michelan's trailer tire web site.

most of the info you will find are from fleet companies. 3% reduction is a lot with an over the road truck. in a pick up, 3% isnt much of anything. wind is a bigger factor but every little bit still helps so why not?

[joebedford]

None.

Now if you're asking about all trailer tires turning the same RPMs, that's different.

[Grit_dog]

What is the significance of having the truck and trailer tires turning the same rpm’s?

[dsrace]

i have had 2 blow outs on one toyhauler and then years later caught one tire before it blew. at every fill up i walk around and put my hands on the hub area and a visual inspec all of the tires.

i have a friend that had a 2 year run of blowing atleast one LT tire per trip. i considered that his fault, long story. because of that i carry 2 spares with my tandem axle toyhaulers. 3 toyhaulers back, after the two tires blew out 4 hrs apart. blew 1 hr into the trip and the 2nd 4 hrs down the road. 2nd one blew on I70 ( kansas ) west bound, in road construction where they had narrowed it down to 1 lane and still lots of traffic at midnight! the 2nd one did some damage and was very sketchy changing out on the shoulder in that traffic. luckily i had 2 spares for the trip.

after doing a lot of reading and calling 2 tire manufacturers, i realized that for myself, going a min of 20% over the required axle rating with a speed rating of L or M was the best option. that toyhauler came with 5200 lbs axles, D range (8ply) tires with a speed rating of J on 15" rims. swapped out to E's ( 10 ply) and a speed rating of L. as far as brand goes, when your 7 -16 hrs from home, you get what they stock! after spec'ing my st tries that way, i didn't have another issue for almost 11 years. the last one was on a 900 mile trip, apprx 300 mile of road construction combined, across 3 states, and 75 mph as often as possible on 5 year old tires. belt broke and tread started to roll over to the side wall. luckily i caught that while filling up.

i have owned 6 toyhaulers in the last 21 years. all but 2 manufacturers spec'd out tires that barely met the axle ratings. they do sell 12 ply ( load range F) st tires ( speed rating L & M ) for 15" rims. less common in this area but they are online and i carry 2 spares anyway. that brand was chinese and one i had never heard of. after six 14 hrs ( round trip) runs, at 75 mph as often as possible, in 1.5 years, they showed no noteable signs of wear. set them 10 psi under max cold rating for hot days and truly have no idea if that makes a difference or not.

current toyhauler, i spec'd with 14 ply sailun 235-85x16's speed range L and received 235-80x16 tires without notification. the smaller tire was not a huge deal, i was just trying to match the dia of my truck tires to keep them all spinning at the same rpm. toyhauler weighs 7200 lbs empty and i add 3500 lbs to it for a dune trip. 14 ply tires may sound like over kill but with 7k lb axles, they are just over the axle rating at 3638 lbs each.

[joebedford]

Lots of problems for the first 2-3 years of RVing with ST tires. Then I switched to LT and Sailuns and have had no problems for 16 years.

My TH is a tri-axle.

On edit:

My first TH was a tandem axle with china bombs on it. Two blew the same day after 2000 miles (500 into the return trip). Eventually, I switched to Goodyear G614 and never had another problem.

I insisted on a tri-axle for my current TH (new in 2011). It had china bombs on it but I got 15000 miles out of it before they were worn out. Replaced them with Sailun S637. No problem.

Oh yeah, I NEVER drive over 65 even though these tires are rated for much higher.

[nwcutie]

Had two blowouts - one was an old tire. Lesson: check the dates on the tire! One was when there was a ton of construction on I-90 and the Les Schwab in Ritzville was like "yeah, business is GOOD right now" Grr.

Plus big ole bubbles magically appeared one year when we were parked at Dunefest. Did an inspection before heading for home and went "what are these golf balls doing on our tires?" Yikes! Luckily, saw those before driving off....

Always have LT tires on the rigs. They help.

[schlep1967]

valhalla360 wrote:
the china tire myth is just that a myth.

It's more of a misunderstanding than a myth. Most of the trailer tires on RV's are made in China. Consequently, most of the blowouts are China "bombs". Simple statistics.

I had one blowout. It was a 4 year old goodyear. Replaced it with the only tire MR. Tire had that weekend. Took the trailer in for inspection the next week. All 3 of the other goodyears had bubbles on them. So much for trusting the name. I've been running Carlisle's for the last two years with no problems. And yes, when I put the Goodyears on I went up to a heavier tire.

[valhalla360]

Over the last 12 yrs averaging about 6 months traveling, had one blow out but can't really blame the tire. One of the leaf springs broke. The end swung out and cut into the side of the tire.

My Dad towed for decades and was thrifty but no blowouts.

Check your weights occasionally to make sure you aren't overloaded, check pressure before heading out and the china tire myth is just that a myth.

[MrHavasu]

China bombs are a fact, not a myth. We have never had so many problems until
these Chinese tires entered the market although some of the
newer ones are much better. The LT tire is good advice and
weighing the rv is very important to get the correct load range
and psi.

[twodownzero]

I have had one blowout with the Goodyear american made ST tires. Probably going back to LT tires next time.

[lincster]

LT tires will for sure help.
ST tires are not made to same DOT standards as LT tires.
Toy haulers are heavy, can't compare travel trailers to toy haulers.
Ozone cracking/dry rot is a legit reason to have an issue.
People let their trailers sit for months at a time.
Tires need to roll to move the oils around in the rubber.
During summer here, if we aren't camping, I make sure I hook up and tow 50 miles 1 time a month.
At the same time, run the genny for 30 mins to keep the carb from gumming up.