2018 M26 - Should I be worried about the tires?

I've been reading all over the place trying to find enough info to make up my mind regarding the stock tires on the M26 we just bought a month ago. All of the threads I've read seem to point to issues with older versions of Westlake tires so I'm trying to get opinions on the Super ST, E rated, 10 ply tires that are on my new TT. 1 tires is 1 year old and the other 3 are 6 months old. I'm taking a 200+ mile trip in a couple of weeks and then a cross-country trip (TX to Oregon) at the end of July. The 2nd trip is the one I'm most concerned with. For those of you with these Mallards that have the Westlake Super STs, what has been your experience? I'd rather not go buy another set of tires if I don't have to, but my family's safety comes first. Real world experiences will be greatly appreciated! When it comes to Towmax's and other brands it's pretty clear that they should not be left on, but with these my google-fu has been weak.

Thanks!
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi cmartinez95,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I don't remember anything being posted about the tires on your unit, but I'll let the tire experts join in.

Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.

Enjoy the forum and your new unit.

Jim M
 
I have the Westlake tires and they have been great tires so far.

I JUST ran across a thread on a Forest River forum where others had similar things to say. I think what I may do is just pick on an extra spare so I can have two spares with me for the long trip.

How long have you had yours (about how many miles have you put on them)?
 

klp605

Well-known member
We picked up our 2018 M32 Memorial Day weekend and have put close to 3k miles on it. The majority of these miles were in high heat (90+). I had to buy a new tire pressure gauge as the truck gauges didn't read high enough to check the trailer tire pressures.

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Apropdoc

Utah Chapter Leaders-retired
I JUST ran across a thread on a Forest River forum where others had similar things to say. I think what I may do is just pick on an extra spare so I can have two spares with me for the long trip.

How long have you had yours (about how many miles have you put on them)?

My tires came with the trailer, so far there are around 500 miles on them...have traveled on nice pavement, bad pavement, really bad pavement, and gravel. They hold up really well. The real test will be this years trip down to Phoenix and the high temps on the roads through the AZ deserts.
 

avvidclif

Well-known member
We picked up our 2018 M32 Memorial Day weekend and have put close to 3k miles on it. The majority of these miles were in high heat (90+). I had to buy a new tire pressure gauge as the truck gauges didn't read high enough to check the trailer tire pressures.

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What kind of truck gauge did you have? Most go to 120 lb.
 

Chopperno1

Active Member
Knock on wood mine have been without issue. I have about 3500 miles from various trips on the tires. They hold air, are round, and no irregular wear.
 

klp605

Well-known member
What kind of truck gauge did you have? Most go to 120 lb.
Our gauge's were all 50-60 pounds. Even our neighbor (who has a TT) didn't have a gauge that read high enough. He said he never checks his. Not me, I check tires and fluids on vehicles periodically and always before long travel. My husband thinks I'm over the top with it.

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Thought I'd update this post now that my cross country trip has been completed.

I towed our M26 from Houston to Moab for a couple of days and then on to Salem, OR. The trailer was on the road for over 4K miles and it was very hot along the way. For the trip to OR I had my TPMS sensors on. The tires were at max cold PSI when I left the house (80psi). During some of the hotter spots pressure got up into the 90's and temps were in triple digits for a long time (the temps were in the triple digits in some of the areas we drove through and I know the road was hot!). On the way back I had to take the sensors off due to not having metal valve stems on my wheels. I saw scuff marks on the edges of the wheels right where the valve stems are, so they were definitely bending while in motion - I'm glad I didn't end up with 4 broken valve stems during the first half of the trip. I wasn't happy to not have my info from the sensors on the way home, but they were pretty steady on the way there so I figured I'd have more of the same heading back to TX.

We kept it around 70mph most of the way with the occasional 75mph. The tires look great with no funky wear visible. They sat for a week while in OR and the pressure in all of them only dropped about 3psi. I didn't have my compressor with me so I had to depart with them slightly under 80psi, but as we got going they all went over 80 so I wasn't too worried about it. My plan is to keep them on for the rest of this season, since we'll only be visiting places within TX for the rest of the year, but they will be replaced before we head out to Glacier NP next summer. I give 2 thumbs up to these 15" Westlake Super ST's :).
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
Those tires are probably rated to 65 mph max.

Best to keep to 65 mph at all times!

If your tires are PowerMax/TowMax/Power King . . . get rid of them ASAP!

Look at Maxxis or Carlisle tires to replace, and Goodyear has a new 'Endurance' trailer tire!

Goodyear Marathon tires are junk . . . don't let a tire store talk you into the Marathon's.
 
Those tires are probably rated to 65 mph max.

Best to keep to 65 mph at all times!

If your tires are PowerMax/TowMax/Power King . . . get rid of them ASAP!

Look at Maxxis or Carlisle tires to replace, and Goodyear has a new 'Endurance' trailer tire!

Goodyear Marathon tires are junk . . . don't let a tire store talk you into the Marathon's.

These are westlake super st's, load range E, with 75 mph max speed rating, which is why I kept it around 70 most of the way. Towmax's would have been tossed before the trip. Too many horror stories with them. I'll be looking at a set of Carlisle's when I replace them.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
These are westlake super st's, load range E, with 75 mph max speed rating, which is why I kept it around 70 most of the way. Towmax's would have been tossed before the trip. Too many horror stories with them. I'll be looking at a set of Carlisle's when I replace them.

When looking at specs, you should completely disregard any specs except those on the manufacturer's website. Many retailers publish specs which are thought to be accurate. Maybe. Maybe not.
 
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