Multiple blowouts in short time

[shinkebein]

Hoping to get some feedback from others who've dealt with the multiple blowout issues. We've had many tire issues in the 3 1/2 years of owning our 5th wheel. We bought the 2013 trailer in Florida in February 2017. Pulling home to Houston, TX, we had 3 blowouts in one day under tow (original tires so I can understand this). The first blowout got both driver side tires at the same time. Replaced roadside with Goodyear Marathons 235/80 R16 E. A few hours after getting back on the road, passenger rear tire blew 30 minutes from our destination for the night. Replaced with spare, got to where we needed to go. Next day, I replaced both passenger side tires with the same Marathons. Those tires lasted a little over two years until memorial day weekend 2019. Driving from Houston to west of Fort Worth (Lake Mineral Wells), I had driver side rear tire blow, changed it and back on the road, hour later passenger front tire blew. Got four new tires at the only place I could find, MasterTrack UN 203 235/80 R16 F rated this time. These lasted until July of this year when driving from Houston to Tyler, Tx when I had a rear driver side blow out again. Put on the spare and as soon as we pulled into the park, the driver side front had a rubber valve stem blow out. Replaced all tires yet again with 235/80 R16 but a G rated tire this time at the suggestion of the tire shop. I don't remember the brand.

Recently I went to my local RV shop, they said we need to replace all of our hubs and bearings and that should solve our problem. We have TPMS and never experienced any issues with tire pressure or temperature so I'm hesitant to spend a few hundred dollars if not necessarily going to resolve our issue. Hoping to get some feedback from others that may have had similar issues. I'm sure we'll hear that we need to go buy Goodyear Endurance or another brand, but we just spent roughly $1000 on these replacing them and getting a second spare. Having this many issues in this short of a time, I'm thinking there is something more at play. The trailer probably only has roughly 5000 miles on it since manufacture as the original owners never towed it more than 5 miles a year (snowbirds from Canada storing it near their campground in Florida).

Thanks in advance!

Steve

[shinkebein]

Thanks Schlep1967 for your input also. Yeah the G rated tires have a max inflation of 110 psi. The tire shop said to run them at 90 and they'd be fine with the weight of the trailer. I did not realize the max pressure was on the inside rim, I'll check that this weekend. I am aware not to put them too high or you could collapse the rim. Problem is, every time I get a blow out, I'm at the mercy of the nearest shop around. We do have new metal valve stems on these tires and I'll be making sure we go that route from now on (they also look better).

I completely agree (now that I know better) the first set should be been replaced when we bought the trailer. This is our first purchase on our own after camping for years growing up. Learned a ton and still love it, just tired of the blowout anxiety for long trips!

[shinkebein]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions thus far. So yes this set we've just installed I told the guys to balance. I've always been told at the tire shops to not worry about balancing but this time I told them to do it anyhow. I've weighed the trailer when I first registered it in Texas but that was only front and rear, not side to side. I'll check the equalizer links and alignment. We've checked the heat on the tires as it rolls through them on a constant basis and even on a hot Texas day when one blew last, the tire temp was in the low 110's while underway. It would only get higher than that when we'd stop for a break, then they'd get to about 120. The air temp was registering about 103 at the time. I like the spotter/go pro idea.

Thanks!

[schlep1967]

So you started with E rated tires and went up to F and now G's. Before you run those at max pressure look on the inside of one of the the rims for a max inflation pressure.
That would not be your answer for your previous blowouts.
Back to your first set of blowouts. Old tires that sat in one spot for years. Probably should have been replaced before the tow home.
Second set, Marathon tires. I just replaced 4 of them myself that were 4.5 years old. One blew out and two others developed bubbles in the tread.
Third set, off brand tires. Could be the same tread separation issues the Marathons have.
Valve stem, they should be new every time you replace a tire.

My suggestion would be to have some one knowledgeable look at the trailer suspension and alignment.

[BurbMan]

Not rims, hubs and bearings. That may help if there is excessive runout, but not sure if that's where I'd start. First off, do you have the tires balanced? That helps a lot because they run down the road smoother. Not having the tires balanced can also accelerate wear on the bearings.

I would weigh the trailer as accurately as you can, get weights on both sides. Also check your equalizer links, if they are rusty or seized they won't allow both tires on one side to share the weight and one may be overloaded.

Next would be an alignment. You can take it to a shop or check it yourself with a tape measure if you are so inclined, there's a How2 write up on the forum from JBarca. Mis-aligned axles that cause the tires to scrub will heat them up and invite a blowout.

Also check the temp alarm settings on the TPMS, tires that are subjected to any/all of these conditions usually blow from overheating, and the TPMS should be alerting you of a hot tire.

You can also have a spotter run next to you on the highway and look for excessive wobbling, bouncing, etc., or mount a GoPro and grab some video of what's happening when you're underway.

[MarkTwain]

I have had good luck with Goodyear LT "G" rated tires. Its a long shot but you might to have your 5th wheel check to make sure the alignment is correct.

[shinkebein]

Our trailer weighs roughly 12,000 fully loaded and we drive 65 - 70 tops. They didn't mention replacing rims, only bearings and hubs.

[MNRon]

How heavy is your rig? How fast do you drive? Why do they want you to replace rims?

We’ve had great luck with Sailun G’s for the last 5yrs on a 15k lb 5er, and now a 16k one. Have pulled 25-30k miles on them last trailer, and ~5-10k on this one so far. Cost me <$800 to purchase and mount 5 of them last winter.