Should I really be worried?

I have Towmax tires in our new Sundance. We have been in 5 outings this year totaling about 3000 miles and have not had a problem. I check tire pressures and feel the tires for overheating when I stop for fuel.

I have read all the threads regarding Towmax tires and I am getting concerned. There must be thousands of rigs out there that haven't had any problems. Sure, some have failed, but is that a small percentage? Am I riding on a time bomb?

Bruce & Lu

Those that have had problems will say "yes" you should be worried. Those that haven't will say "no". Only you can make that decision. You need to check more than the tire pressure and feel for heat. You should also be looking for bulges in the sidewalls (both sides of tire) and cords showing as well as tires looking out of round. These are just some of the things you might see before they fail. I think the people with lighter weight trailers may have better luck, but that's just a guess. There are thousands of them out there still in use. I didn't have trouble with mine and didn't want to. I chose to get rid of them right away. I still check my tires and look them over on a regular basis. I didn't feel good disposing of new tires but think it was money well spent. What would it be worth to you?..Don

Don is right the choice is yours to make. I'm one that had problems with both Tow Max and Carlisle tires in the past. I've put new Michelins on mine and I feel much safer now. I can also drive 65 mph instead of 55 mph and still will not have problems, I hope. I don't drive any faster than that and I still ck my tire pressure before and during each and every trip. I ck tires for heat and bulges at every stop. When not using your unit make sure your tires are covered from the sun, use white tire covers not black and I pull mine up on four plastic cutting boards to get the tires off the dirt. I try to do the right things and hope for the best. I don't over load my unit and I never carry much water, just enough for the wife to use the rest room when necessary. My 5ver only weights in at 9240 dry so it is not real heavy either. However, I still blew one tire which caused over $1400 in damage. The other three were showing wire coming through the tire and they didn't have that many miles on them.I made my decision now you must make yours. I just got done dealing with Dynamic Tire Corp out of Canada regarding those Tow Max tires, something I do NOT wish on anyone. Make sure to ck your tires routinely, do NOT drive over 55mph, never overload your unit and pray you made the right decision.

Bruce & Lu

ok I am not trying to be a smart a.. But the fact that you posted and asked indicates you have some level concern or doubt about the tires. I did the same as you. I wondered , I asked , I tried to reason in the end the constant worry was just not worth the risk. Kind of like Rusian Roulette the 5 empty slots in the chamber just can't seem to override the one loaded one even though there is an 84% chance the gun wont go bang. I didn't go out and spend a couple grand to up grade. I did some research and selected a reasonable option. So in my opinion change them out and worry less. Btw my coach seems to pull/ride better with the new tires. Wish you the best interested to know what you decide.

I have an opinion too, and not intended for any particular replies. Owners that had tire problems would never consider that the tire in question may have incurred a road hazard sometime prior to the blowout or deflation. Small nail? Smacked a curb? A deep pothole? Glass? Etc.... Or, was the tire under inflated or driven past the tire speed limit? No-one ever has an overloaded trailer? Do you "know" your actual loaded weights? Guessing doesn't count. I have no way to prove it, but my guess is that most tire issues are caused by one or more of above. But, that's just me.

Keith, just curious. What tires did you go with?

We can say we did all the right things...some may have, and some may not. The issue I have is that too many people have had issues with TowMax in particular. Maybe because they are on ALL HL rigs, except maybe Landmark, out of the factory?

My take is that maybe they are cheap tires for the RV manufacturers to buy... but in REAL WORLD USE, they don't hold up well to encountering road hazards, curbs, unusual temperatures, over-speeding, over-loading, etc. etc. resulting in rapid, premature failure. We expected them to perform like other tires, and have been very disappointed.

This is why many of us have considered "upgrading" to a tire that may be MORE than we need. JUST IN CASE we encounter road hazards, curbs, unusual temperatures, over-speeding, over-loading, etc. etc.

I'm NOT saying upgrade and you won't have problems, or upgrade and you can abuse the tires... but if you change tires and then drive/tow as you should according to the limits, I believe a better tire will equal a better towing experience, long term.

I think someone said on another thread, "If I knew I was going to have to baby these tires, I would have upgraded from the beginning."

Expect to baby the TowMax, until you can replace them.

And didn't HL start putting E-rated tires on rigs that used to come with G's?

Sorry should have stated. I went with Maxxis. Discount tire direct has good price and free shipping. For the most part everything I read was positive about them. They are tires though and certainly not bullet proof. I still check diligently just seem a little more at ease when towing.

iawoody2 said:

Keith, just curious. What tires did you go with?

Click to expand...

Thanks, that is what I am also. Mine are on order. I guess I lucked out, my local tire dealer ordered them, all5, and gave me $300 for my Towmax on trade.

Kbvols said:

Sorry should have stated. I went with Maxxis. Discount tire direct has good price and free shipping. For the most part everything I read was positive about them. They are tires though and certainly not bullet proof. I still check diligently just seem a little more at ease when towing.

Click to expand...

Its like buying insurance, you hope that you won't have any problems and never have to make a clam. Purchased my Cyclone in May of 2012. I have a TPMS system on my tires, covered them in white covers when parked or stored, checked the pressure and temp, drove the speed limit, etc. I am singe and don't have much packed in my rig, except my Harley. I was hoping to get one summer season out of my tires, keep the TowMax on my rig while in storage for the winter and purchase new and better tires in the spring for my second season of travel. Well in only 3/4 months and 4,000 miles I had two blowouts. Had the tires inspected and was told two more were ready to blow and the remaining two were borderline. I immediately bought 6 new XPS Ribs and was glad/happy that neither blowout did any damage to my new rig. You can take a chance and roll the dice or you can buy insurance by buying new tires.

Ours lasted for 3 years & around 20,000 miles. I kept wanting to replace them, but for assorted reasons never did. Finally did in July & it was just in time, at least one of the tires was starting to have issues. I guess we were lucky compared to others. It's kind of a crap shoot as to how long they'll last. I am anal about the tire pressures & bought an infrared thermometer, & checked the temps at every stop. I also bought a TPMS not too long after we got the rig.

Not mentioned above is the damage that is done to the remaining tire on the side that blows. My blowouts have come in pairs...well the first one did. After the third one I traded in the rig but the first thing I did on the new rig was upgrade to G614's with a TPMS.

i do believe I contributed to my blow outs by not paying attention to my tires and driving too fast. But I also like the comment above about the "insurance" aspect.