Fact: I think we have over 5,000 RVs on the road.
Fact: That is NOTHING Compared to the Keystone; Fleetwood; Coachmen; Gulf Stream; etc. etc. of the world who have 100,000+ RVs on the road.
Fact: As Elkhart Country RV manufacturers, we all use the same tires on our coaches from the same suppliers. We use only tires that meet NHTSA ratings - which are the same for every tire, whether they are made in China, Europe, or Alabama. These guidelines have to do with thickness and rigidity of the rubber and tread, and if they meet the guidelines, they are rated.
Fact: At Heartland, have used five different tire brand names over the last three years, including GoodYear, and less than 2% of our customers have experienced a blow out of any kind.
FACT: The vast majority of the tire blow outs that we have experienced were NOT due to the tires themselves, but rather as a result of various other conditions such as outrigger locations; axles spining; springs malfunctioning; overweight units that people have loaded too much equipment into; and finally, the most common, running over road hazards.
There have been some instances of tread separation, which the tire company covers through their warranty department. Any one of these issues has resulted in a tire blowout on each of the brand names, GoodYear included.
Fact: The main reason that certain people have experienced more than one blow out, is becasue their particular issue can be tracked back to one of the conditions mentioned above - not because the NHTSA has certified, and Heartland has used, an inferior tire.
Now, I know these facts don't make everyone feel better. But it is reality and the reality is that there are hundreds of thousands of fifth wheels on the road (Heartland's just being a small portion of them) that are riding on Trail Boss or Trail America or Mission or Load Boss tires. And they are riding just fine. The conspiracy theory about us using inferior tires just doesn't hold water in the face of the facts.
There are people who have spent $1,000 on new tires and still had more than one blowout before they decided to check their weight balance, only to find that the coach was loaded heavily to one side which caused the shackles to become stressed, which caused that portion of the suspension to drop, which resulted in the tire rubbing metal. It happens.
IF a tire does truly malfunction (i.e. the tread separates), then Tredit or Americana will replace that tire and pay for any damages incurred. Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often.
ST