TIRE TIME!

[M_GO_BLUE1]

Time to replace the 4 tires on out fiver as they ar 6 years old...

We have the Goodyear Marathon G614 tires LT235/85R16 "G" and have had no problems with them...

The place I go for tires is mainly a commercial truck tire place and I told them what I tow and I wanted to replace with the same tires that I have now...

He stated he doesnt like Goodyear Marathon tires because they tend to separate (accoding to him)...

He stated he would recommend GLADIATOR (Chinese made according to him) and he has put them on commercial car haulers all the time with no problems...

Any comments on the GLADIATOR tire or another comparable tire in the load range "G" to replace mine with?

Thanks in advance for your time and suggestions...

[MrVan]

CKNSLS wrote:

Wiley75 wrote:
@CKNSLS....

Yep, a bud of mine is fleet manager for 38 tractor trailer rigs running over very rough roads. He loves Double Coin tires. 75% the price, amazing long tread life, and heavy duty casings that hold up for retread. Too bad they are made in China. Because, as we have learned on this RV.NET forum, ANYTHING made in China is junk. Right? 😉

LOL! 🙂 🙂 🙂

I suppose there might be those who have made that blanket statement but what I have repeatedly said. ST tires made in China used on the heavier 5th wheel 13,000 lb, as an example, are not reliable.

[Mile_High]

CKNSLS wrote:

MichaelOH59 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

MichaelOH59 wrote:

Bamaman1 wrote:
Scarcely a day goes by that I don't see postings online in RV forums about Chinese tires disintegrating and causing serious damages--$2-3K common.

Life is not worth the risk. My brand new Grand Design Reflection 5th wheel came in last week with Chinese Will Pop tires.

I already have a set of Bridgestone R250's ribbed 16"ers. At $195 each at Costco, they're half the price of G614 Goodyears. The rubber is 1" thick, and they're some really heavy duty tires. I've heard nothing but great things about them and the Michelin XPS Rib tires for RV use.

The only ST tire I would use is the Maxxis M8008. The Chinese tires, including the Goodyear Marathon, need to go to the dump.

I am critical of Chinese trash, yet the exception to the rule may be the Sailun s637. A g rated tire that has been getting some good reviews. About the same price as the Brigestones. I don't know much about the bridgestones, I suppose I should look into them.

Sailun tire manufacturer has met stringent ISO and TS certifications in Quality and Manufacturing Processes, same as my company HAS to meet if one wants to stay in business and have a reputation of manufacturing a high quality product....To achieve TS16969 accreditation, one has to really prove out their Quality processes with training records, proof of Quality processes in place being used in the manufacturing process which is also audited. I will look at the Sailun Tire when it comes time to replace my G614 tires. I KNOW what the manufacturer had to go through and prove out to attain these certifications...and it's an ongoing process, you try to get re-certification each year and that means one has to maintain all the above mentioned...Not an easy task, I've been involved with these Manufacturing certifications since 93' and know if one merits these certifications, they manufacture a high quality product...

I am certainly not as familiar with the ISO Certification process as you are. But it is no secret that the Chinese game the system; everything from lying about the age of kids in the little league World Series to gaming the immigration system. It is a different set of priorities and once people understand that it becomes easier to understand the substandard pharmaceutical and pet food scandals of a few years ago. I do not doubt your comments about ISO but I do doubt the Chinese willingness to play by the rules- based on experience. Also based on experience it appears that the Sailun S637 may be a heck of a value.

OK-the Chinese are liars but they make one good tire. OK? Better tell all those long haul truckers hauling 40,000 pounds how their Chinese Double Coin tires are junk.

Ya -and it's getting harder and harder to avoid their junk they leave scattered all over the highway! Trucking industry is one of the leading examples of getting by as cheap as you can and accept the few risks they take. The only problem is their risks usually cause huge traffic delays and injury.

[CKNSLS]

Wiley75 wrote:
@CKNSLS....

Yep, a bud of mine is fleet manager for 38 tractor trailer rigs running over very rough roads. He loves Double Coin tires. 75% the price, amazing long tread life, and heavy duty casings that hold up for retread. Too bad they are made in China. Because, as we have learned on this RV.NET forum, ANYTHING made in China is junk. Right? 😉

LOL! 🙂 🙂 🙂

[Wiley75]

@CKNSLS....

Yep, a bud of mine is fleet manager for 38 tractor trailer rigs running over very rough roads. He loves Double Coin tires. 75% the price, amazing long tread life, and heavy duty casings that hold up for retread. Too bad they are made in China. Because, as we have learned on this RV.NET forum, ANYTHING made in China is junk. Right? 😉

[CKNSLS]

MichaelOH59 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

MichaelOH59 wrote:

Bamaman1 wrote:
Scarcely a day goes by that I don't see postings online in RV forums about Chinese tires disintegrating and causing serious damages--$2-3K common.

Life is not worth the risk. My brand new Grand Design Reflection 5th wheel came in last week with Chinese Will Pop tires.

I already have a set of Bridgestone R250's ribbed 16"ers. At $195 each at Costco, they're half the price of G614 Goodyears. The rubber is 1" thick, and they're some really heavy duty tires. I've heard nothing but great things about them and the Michelin XPS Rib tires for RV use.

The only ST tire I would use is the Maxxis M8008. The Chinese tires, including the Goodyear Marathon, need to go to the dump.

I am critical of Chinese trash, yet the exception to the rule may be the Sailun s637. A g rated tire that has been getting some good reviews. About the same price as the Brigestones. I don't know much about the bridgestones, I suppose I should look into them.

Sailun tire manufacturer has met stringent ISO and TS certifications in Quality and Manufacturing Processes, same as my company HAS to meet if one wants to stay in business and have a reputation of manufacturing a high quality product....To achieve TS16969 accreditation, one has to really prove out their Quality processes with training records, proof of Quality processes in place being used in the manufacturing process which is also audited. I will look at the Sailun Tire when it comes time to replace my G614 tires. I KNOW what the manufacturer had to go through and prove out to attain these certifications...and it's an ongoing process, you try to get re-certification each year and that means one has to maintain all the above mentioned...Not an easy task, I've been involved with these Manufacturing certifications since 93' and know if one merits these certifications, they manufacture a high quality product...

I am certainly not as familiar with the ISO Certification process as you are. But it is no secret that the Chinese game the system; everything from lying about the age of kids in the little league World Series to gaming the immigration system. It is a different set of priorities and once people understand that it becomes easier to understand the substandard pharmaceutical and pet food scandals of a few years ago. I do not doubt your comments about ISO but I do doubt the Chinese willingness to play by the rules- based on experience. Also based on experience it appears that the Sailun S637 may be a heck of a value.

OK-the Chinese are liars but they make one good tire. OK? Better tell all those long haul truckers hauling 40,000 pounds how their Chinese Double Coin tires are junk.

[ReneeG]

laknox wrote:

Mile High wrote:

ReneeG wrote:

"If it's on the highway in the United States, there are a set of tests the manufacturer has to pass . . . as noted in this video

That is the most boring video I have ever watched and I feel dumber now for having watched it. It says nothing.

Not even interested in watching it, as it's probably gov't-made. Only about 1 step up from Chinese-made, IMO. 🙂

Lyle

There goes ignorance again in assuming - you know what assume means right?

[laknox]

Me Again wrote:
The problems with ST tires started before they were made in china! ST tires are a contradiction in engineering. Take a light weight thinly constructed tire and give it a higher rating than industry standards for automotive/light truck tires and expect it to do well on a heavy RV trailer with a high static weight defyies the laws of physics.

True commercial grade tires like the Michelin XPS Rib and Bridgestone Duravis R250 weight 10 or more lbs more than most poly carcass tires in the same size. I recently installed commercial grade poly carcass LT265/75R16E Bridgestone Duravis R500HD on my truck. They weigh 55 lbs each and have two ply poly side wall, two steel belts and a Nylon cap. The M&S2 in this size weighs 47 lbs. I will be posting about this R500 tire over time.


If someone built a trailer tire to those kind of standards we would not see all the failures. They would however cost a lot more.

So we can blame the chinese but the real problem lies with an industry that pushs these problematic tires off onto the consumer. The inflated ratings give them more capacity at bargain basement prices. For years they also supplied wheels that did not allow an upgrade to LRG tires. Once it is out the door it is no longer their problem. It is sad that the RV trailer industry does this!

Chris

Chris, I don't think that they =would= cost a lot more. If the tire companies that are selling the LTs that we're using on these middle-weight RVs would simply take say, an R250 or XPS, and rebrand it as an ST with a =reasonable= upstep in capacity, we'd all be satisfied, I think. The big thing is that LTs are passenger-rated and have a much higher "safety margin" than do trailer tires, where no passengers are involved (in most cases), so they simply don't need that "safety margin". You'd have economies of scale in that you'd be making virtually the same carcass, just with a different sidewall pattern in the mold and you wouldn't run into the dealers that "won't install an LT tire" on a trailer. Maybe it's just too damn logical... :h

Lyle

[laknox]

Mile High wrote:

ReneeG wrote:

"If it's on the highway in the United States, there are a set of tests the manufacturer has to pass . . . as noted in this video

That is the most boring video I have ever watched and I feel dumber now for having watched it. It says nothing.

Not even interested in watching it, as it's probably gov't-made. Only about 1 step up from Chinese-made, IMO. 🙂

Lyle

[ReneeG]

Oh brother. Talk about taking a turn for the worst on this post. Personal opinions do not have anything to do with the original intent of this posting.

[MichaelOH59]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Bottom line do you "TRUST" anything the Chinese say or do???????????????

I sure as he!! don't.

Not all cultures value honesty in the same way. In some cultures if someone lies to you and cheats you in a business deal then he just outsmarted you. There is no moral component; you got outfoxed and that is your bad. In my limited experience I believe this to be true of the middle eastern cultures both Arab and Israeli and the Chinese as well. Just my observations. What this mean is that I use extreme caution when dealing with these folks. As do they when dealing with each other.

[Cummins12V98]

Bottom line do you "TRUST" anything the Chinese say or do???????????????

I sure as he!! don't.

[Me_Again]

The problems with ST tires started before they were made in china! ST tires are a contradiction in engineering. Take a light weight thinly constructed tire and give it a higher rating than industry standards for automotive/light truck tires and expect it to do well on a heavy RV trailer with a high static weight defyies the laws of physics.

True commercial grade tires like the Michelin XPS Rib and Bridgestone Duravis R250 weight 10 or more lbs more than most poly carcass tires in the same size. I recently installed commercial grade poly carcass LT265/75R16E Bridgestone Duravis R500HD on my truck. They weigh 55 lbs each and have two ply poly side wall, two steel belts and a Nylon cap. The M&S2 in this size weighs 47 lbs. I will be posting about this R500 tire over time.


If someone built a trailer tire to those kind of standards we would not see all the failures. They would however cost a lot more.

So we can blame the chinese but the real problem lies with an industry that pushs these problematic tires off onto the consumer. The inflated ratings give them more capacity at bargain basement prices. For years they also supplied wheels that did not allow an upgrade to LRG tires. Once it is out the door it is no longer their problem. It is sad that the RV trailer industry does this!

Chris

[NC_Hauler]

ReneeG wrote:

Mile High wrote:

ReneeG wrote:

texasclarks wrote:

handsome51 wrote:
don't put any tire on your truck or trailer that is made in china.

That is a pretty bold statement. Especially when most new vehicles and trailers come with factory tires...often made in China.

You are absolutely correct. Most American companies have been manufacturing their tires in China or wherever in order to make money. All tires that are sold here, have to go through stringent testing.

That is actually incorrect - both wheels are tires are built to a specification based on testing, but there is no destructive testing performed on the product to verify how well it conformed to that spec. I just went through this with the NTSB on a wheel grievance.

It's not hard to make sure you are driving on US tires, just read the label in the sidewall and if it says China, replace them.

"If it's on the highway in the United States, there are a set of tests the manufacturer has to pass . . . as noted in this video

As stated in my above post....wrong answer....All one has to do is google the manufacturer of the China made tires, (though you might have to hurry, sometimes they change the name of their tires due to a recall, you know , " the name has been changed to protect the guilty":))...

If you were to pick up a Michelin XPS RIB (E) rated and compare it to most China made "E" rated tires, you would first wonder why the RIB is so much heavier, then next, you may notice how much thicker the sidewall is.....but I digress...all in all, China has been shipping us low to no quality "stuff" for years and our country is, I guess, afraid to call them on it.

Most china made tires are junk, The old saying, "Quality goes in before the name goes on", is more like Quality rarely, if ever goes in, no matter the name of the China made tire"..

ON lawnmowers, very light weight TT's and 5er's, they may work "sorta ok", but on heavy to heavier 5er's, no way do I run them on mine....

exception being, at this time, the Sailun tire as long as they keep getting good reports and the maintain their ISO TS16969 certification..

[NC_Hauler]

ReneeG wrote:

texasclarks wrote:

handsome51 wrote:
don't put any tire on your truck or trailer that is made in china.

That is a pretty bold statement. Especially when most new vehicles and trailers come with factory tires...often made in China.

You are absolutely correct. Most American companies have been manufacturing their tires in China or wherever in order to make money. All tires that are sold here, have to go through stringent testing.

No, they don't have to pass any real "stringent testing"...All one has to do is google Carlisle along with a lot of the China made tires and one will see that it's quite obvious, "Quality" is an after thought with most of them...Tires manufactured in the US, as well as some others abroad DO have to pass some stringent test and those companies that have met TS16969 ISO standards have a much better grasp of manufacturing and Quality processes of tires as opposed to those who don't.

The reason there are so many new TT's and 5er's with China manufactured tires on them is because the manufacturer of the 5er is cutting corners in the cost of production every way they can, and passing the end product on to us, ie, the MANY chinese manufactured tires you see on the TT's and 5er's. Manufacturers probably buy's them by the hundreds and pay's very little for these tires made in China that don't follow Quality processes so THEY can cut corners....Anyone that knows world wide manufacturing processes is aware of this.

Sailun tires, made in China have Quality processes set in their manufacturing process and can back it with TS16969 ISO standards...A company that has Quality in place and proves it out with records of all their "stringent testing"...they have records to prove it, as well as personnel training records along with manufacturing processes put in place to make a quality product...I know, because MY company, to stay competitive in a world wide market HAS to maintain the same standards and accreditations to stay in busy...ie, earn a reputation from manufacturing a quality product....