Tire Blow out / Wrong tires on new rig

4ever

Well-known member
Today on our way home from Elkhart we had a blow-out on our door side front tire (see pic). Our unit is a 2014 Landmark and we just purchased it back in June. We have less then 1,000 miles on the rig. When we got home I was looking over the blown tire and noticed that the tire is a
LT 285 / 86 R16 (see pic). In the my Landmark Owners Manual on page 37 they explain what tire numbers are about. It states "LT Indicates the tire is for light truck or trailers" and "ST An ST is an indication the tire is for trailer use only". In addition there is a large block area on the page with bold letters NOTICE and underneath it has this quote also in bold letters.
ALTHOUGH TIRES DESIGNATED "LT" ARE SOMETIMES USED ON TRAILERS, THEY ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE ON YOUR TRAILER AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS REPLACEMENTS FOR THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT "ST" DESIGNATED TIRES.

WOW! According to this I have all the wrong tires on our new rig. This has my wife and I pretty shook up. Had the blow-out today and fortunately no injuries and no damage to our rig. However, it surely could have had a different outcome. We have been driving around for the last two months we these tires. Curious as to what Heartland will stay about this.

Ted

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danemayer

Well-known member
Hi 4ever,

The tire is no doubt a Goodyear G614 which is an LT tire but Goodyear's data sheets show it's rated for trailer use as well, intended for regional trucking trailer applications. The G614 has steel belts from bead to bead, not just under the tread. This provides a much stronger sidewall than most ST tires.

Blowouts on G614s are unusual. The good news is that Goodyear will take care of you without any fuss.

Since most blowouts are caused by excess weight or underinflation, get your trailer weighed to make sure you're not overweight - individual wheel weights if possible since the weight is not evenly distributed. Also make sure you have the tires inflated to 110psi, checked when ambient temp is 70 (F).

The manual is generic and applies to most/all of the Heartland product line. The warning about LT/ST tires doesn't apply to your situation.
 

4ever

Well-known member
I am having a hard time with this. The Landmark manual specifically states that I am not to use LT tires. Why does the manual say that and then some where else or someone else says LT are OK. If LT are OK why does Heartland state in there manual I should only use ST. This is confusing. I am certainly going to get this checked out further. ***************. I am really very upset right now. We had a blow-out and I am riding on tires that Heartland says are not correct. What is wrong with this!

Ted
 
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boatto5er

Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
According to the Goodyear website, "This tire is suitable for 5th Wheel and Travel Trailers". I think you are way over analyzing this and causing yourself unnecessary anxiety. Just my humble opinion. And yes, I have the 614's on my Landmark with over 18,000 trouble free miles. As a matter of fact, they have very little tread wear or signs of other wear.


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scottyb

Well-known member
4ever, sorry about your troubles. If you read this site, you will notice that most have removed the ST's and gone with a high quality LT, such as your G614 and others. It seems like the manual is a bit outdated, since they are now installing the GY's at the factory.
 

4ever

Well-known member
I am not trying to over analyze. I am just trying to understand. If they are as good or better the ST then why are they not rated as ST tires. Also, if they are OK to use why does Heartland not change there literature. The industry I came from we had many standards we had to meet. You either met the standard or you did not. It was really simple. Again. I am just very upset right now. We purchased our new Landmark back in June and I am still trying to get some kinks worked out. This is our third Heartland 5th wheel in five years. We had a Bighorn and now this is our second Landmark. I have had more problems with this rig then the other two combined. In addition, I was at the factory this week and met with three different people in Customer Service and I still can't get some issues resolved. They have bee no help at all. This is not what I have experienced before with Heartland. Then to top it all off we have this tire issue on the way home. I am at my wits end.

Ted
 

danemayer

Well-known member
As Scottyb mentioned, a number of owners have concluded based on their personal research that they should switch from ST to LT tires. This is mostly with respect to trailers that use Load Range E tires. Tire engineers routinely warn against doing this, which no doubt is the reason Heartland warns against it. And as I mentioned before, your manual is not specific to the Landmark. It covers trailers big and small.

If you do a bit of research on your own, you'll find that the Goodyear G614 is regarded as the best choice in Load Range G tires for RVs. There are a few people using Sailun or other LR G tires, but that's because they are less expensive, not because they are better.
 

Westwind

Well-known member
Welcome to the World of RV Tires, now that you have your new FW, had a tire problem, and are a member of this forum you will be reading posts of "Tire Problems". My conclusion is it's a problem that isn't going to go away and there is no good solution. The one solution that is still out to the jury is to switch to 17 1/2 inch wheels and
tires.
 

boatto5er

Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
If you look on the Goodyear website you'll see that the G614 is listed as an RST tire. It is rated as an LT, but is made for 5th Wheel and Travel Trailer use. Very sorry for the troubles you are having, but as Dan pointed out, the literature is very generic and not always 100% up to date in the RV industry. You can run into the same generic literature with a $300,000 Class A. I ran into that last year when we were "just looking".


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4ever

Well-known member
danemayer,

I appreciate your input. The Heartland Manual I have is specific for Landmark. On the front cover it says "Landmark Owners manual". In fact I was told by Heartland customer Service back in June that this manual is specific to Landmark.

Now to me the topic is getting more confusing. You mention that tire engineers warn against changing from ST tires to to the LT G614. I am getting more confused by the minute. The manual syas to use ST tires. Earlier you or someone stated the the G614 are better then the ST even though they are LT. Now you say the engineers war you not to use the G. No offense here by I feel like I am in an Abbott and Costello movie. You now the "Who's on First routine. As I stated I am getting more confused by the minute. In addition, I am still so extremely frustrated with Heartland right now. My experience this week is not what Heartland has provided me over the past five years. I am very disappointed and that is just adding to my frustration. Over the past several years I thought Heartland Customer Service was the best. Now I am not so sure.

Sorry if I am going on to much. It just has been a long week and a long day. I will be purchasing additional 5th wheels in the future and right now it would not be a Heartland. And that has nothing to do with the tire blowout. As mentioned, this is my third Heartland in five years. Prior to to this I was a huge fan of Heartland. I think my buying habits show this. I always told everyone I talked with the Heartland was the best. That Heartland was second to none. I was a big cheerleader. But right now I am just extremely frustrated. Again it is not the tire issue. That was just the one thing that finished off my week,
 

Invizatu

Senior Road Warriors
4ever... Sorry to hear about your tire issue. Our BIGHORN comes standard with e rated other brand tires and we upgraded when we ordered our rig to the Goodyear g614. I will say though that when we picked it up, they were only inflated to 90 lbs psi. They are rated to run at 110 psi. I can only assume that you have checked them to make sure they have the proper pressure. Another note on trailer tires is they don't come balanced, so if you have not done so it would be a good idea. We also got a tire pressure management system to alert us if anything is happening out of the ordinary like temperature or pressure change. The tpms is also very handy for checking the tire pressure before heading out, just push a couple of buttons on the monitor and get a readout.
 

hcriddle

Well-known member
There are never any guarantees with tires. I switched to Goodyear G114's and 17.5 wheels two years ago. I would guess that these tires have less than 12,000 miles in two years and are always covered when in storage or on long stays. They are covered right now. While walking around the trailer the other day and inspecting I found a bubble on the sidewall of one of these tires. I took it to Discount Tire and based on the tread left I received a credit and a new tire for $113 dollars. Anything can happen when it comes to tires so I just try to stay diligent at inspecting and watching them carefully.

Kudos go to Discount because I didn't buy the tires from them and they are taking care of the new tire for me. Thanks also to Goodyear for crediting me for the old tire.
 

4ever

Well-known member
I check the tire pressure frequently and keep them at 110 PSI. When I picked up our unit I checked the tires and they were all around 80 PSI. Well under inflated. I do have the TST monitoring system however, it was not working well the last two weeks. I kept losing the signal on the two right side tires. In fact, about 1/2 hour before the blowout I mentioned to DW that I need to get the boost or what ever they call it to improve my signal strength. Unfortunately the tire that blew out was one on the right side that I lost the signal.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Now to me the topic is getting more confusing. You mention that tire engineers warn against changing from ST tires to to the LT G614. I am getting more confused by the minute. The manual syas to use ST tires. Earlier you or someone stated the the G614 are better then the ST even though they are LT.

Sorry to be confusing.

Tire engineers don't warn against changing from ST tires to LT G614. The warning is a general warning that LT tires are not always a good substitute for ST tires. The construction of ST tires deals with stresses specific to trailers. Most LT tires are not made to deal with trailer stresses. So in general, there may be problems switching from ST to LT. Another reason for caution is that if you have a Load Range E ST tire, and switch to a Load Range E LT tire, you may end up with LESS weight carrying capacity. That's because Load Range E tires have various weight ratings. The stricter certification requirements for LT tires may cause a manufacturer to reduce the weight rating so as to meet those requirements.

The Goodyear G614 is specifically designed for trailer use, and to deal with trailer stresses. It also meets the tougher certification requirements of LT tires. So when discussing the general warning against substituting to an LT tire, the G614 falls outside of this discussion.

Despite this tire failure, you have a great set of tires that are appropriate for your Landmark.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
When I picked up our unit I checked the tires and they were all around 80 PSI. Well under inflated.
If your trailer was towed any distance with tires at 80 psi, they may have suffered internal damage that could explain the failure.
Here's what Goodyear says:

"Tires that have lost more than 20% of their recommended inflation pressure should be considered flat.
• Flat tires should be professionally inspected and repaired or replaced by a Goodyear Retailer."
 

caissiel

Senior Member
You were unfortunate to have a blowout but great that you had an LT tire. ST tire would have really done a number on your trailer. Rest assured that G rated tires are the only tires you want on your unit.
The note you read makes it ok for Heartland to use junk E rated ST tires on your unit. After all they are now rated to be used on 7k axles.
The most air pressure for ST tire is 80psi and to me its to low. Tires will run to hot on a 7k axle.

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4ever

Well-known member
When I purchased my new rig I checked the tires and all four were at approximate 80 PSI give or take 2 PSI. I then inflated them to 110 PSI before I moved the trailer. (had this same issue with my previous Landmark three years ago). Anyway, before I moved the trailer they had 110 PSI. Obviously, they only had 80 PSI from the factory to the paint shop and back to the factory and then to the dealer. I purchased the rig form a dealer in Elkahrt so they really did not have a lot of miles on them at the 80 PSI. Obviously, when I say not a lot of mileage that is a relative term. Now that said what do I do about the other tires? Should they be inspected? Can you really tell any tire fatigue from running under pressure by looking at them? Also, I checked them at the dealer when I purchased the trailer and found them to be under inflated. I told the Service Manger about the situation however, he is no longer with the dealer. Now we have a whole new problem. What proof do I have that they were under inflated? None! Guess I should have had someone verify all this.
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
This is from the Goodyear web site.
Note that it says, Even Wear In Demanding Trailer Applications

g614rst.jpg


Peace
Dave
G614 RST
Even Wear In Demanding Trailer Applications.

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