Cracked tires

Terryallan wrote:

LOFAT36 wrote:
Our trailer has been sitting for 2 years. I was checking the psi and only down about 5 pounds. Both tires on the passenger side have cracks in the sidewall and these have had tire covers on the whole time. Do I buy 2 new ones or do I have to replace all 4. ? Thanks, Marty

were I you. I would get 5. replace the spare as well

Thank you.

We had a blow out in our motorhome years ago. Like, a grenade went off explosion. Nevertheless, sitting on the side of the highway, with a blown tire and RV damage, makes whatever the new tires cost seem really cheap. It doesn't hurt my feelings at all to buy a tire when I even think I ought to. The thing is, I knew the tires on that motorhome were probably in need of replacement. Lesson learned but good.

IF tires are over 6 years then it is a good time to change them all, no matter the wear. If less than 6 then you may be alright. Cracks on the outside are different than issues with the tire's interior, but cracks can indicate over-all tire condition, inside and out. Nobody can say for sure about your tires. Old tires will blow out. New tires should not blow up.
Worst case is the tire blows out and the flaps of steel and rubber do damage to your fender or the side, or under your trailer. Best case is the tire does not blow out, but just goes flat.
I had a blow out on a used trailer I was just trying to get home so i could put on new tires. I towed it for miles before I even knew the tire had gone since it was a dual axle trailer. The tire flap did damage under the fender well. These tires were very very old though.
People replace tires after 6 years because the risk of tire damage to the camper is not worth the cost of fixing the camper, not because of cracks.

LOFAT36 wrote:
Just one more question guys. The tires I’m going to replace are Carlisle Radial TRail HD. We used to tow this each winter from BC to Yuma Arizona. Now we have a place down there and won’t be towing it. Our trailer will now have limited miles and use. What tire would you recommend ? Marty

Honestly MAXXIS as of now has the best long run reputation. GoodYear Endurance run a close second, and may proves to be as good or better in years to come.
And one of the best things about those 2 tires, is that they are rated for more than 65 MPH. As a general rule just about all ST tires are rated to 65 MPH. And while I am not saying you should run faster. But, IF you were to happen to let it run down a hill and go over the 65 MPH ratings. It wouldn't hurt them.

Safety first.

Change all. If you have a blowout it can cause significant damage.

jim.mcgallan wrote:
I would buy 4 new ones if I was you. The other two are just as old and will deteriorate like those other two very soon very likely. I just had a blowout travelling at 100km/h with my Goodyear marathons that were in excellent condition with only about 8000 miles on them. They were 8 years old however but the trailer was sitting in a seasonal lot for those 8 years. Took it out this year for a trip and bam! Blowout. From now on on my tires get changed out at 5 to 6 years wether they need or not. Tire age makes a difference in safety even if there are no visible danger signs like cracks etc.

For what it’s worth, the only 2 tires I had fail dramatically were on an older horse trailer that was just sitting at the time (and sits for months/years). On one the tread blew wide open so you could shove a grapefruit in if you wanted. The other has a huge flap of tread sticking up but was still holding air.

Both are Goodyear Marathons.

There is still one more Marathon on the trailer. I don’t know it’s age but it has no cracks. It will get replaced.

I replaced the tires on my flatbed car hauler a few years ago when a couple tires showed some light cracking and I had to take a rare long distance trip. They were 13 years old.

The Carlisle Radial Trail HD has a good rep and one of the top three ST tire mfg I would recommend.
Others I would recommend mostly on reviews....actual use from rv and non rv trailer users.....other trailering websites are the Provider from Taskmaster and the Goodyear Endurance.

Just one more question guys. The tires I’m going to replace are Carlisle Radial TRail HD. We used to tow this each winter from BC to Yuma Arizona. Now we have a place down there and won’t be towing it. Our trailer will now have limited miles and use. What tire would you recommend ? Marty

LOFAT36 wrote:
Our trailer has been sitting for 2 years. I was checking the psi and only down about 5 pounds. Both tires on the passenger side have cracks in the sidewall and these have had tire covers on the whole time. Do I buy 2 new ones or do I have to replace all 4. ? Thanks, Marty

were I you. I would get 5. replace the spare as well