Another TowMax victim reporting in....

[JohnD]

So I am thinking about switching out my 205/15" Blowmaxes for the Firestone Transforce HT 235/15" on my Trail Runner this winter before our next camping season starts.

These new tires should raise the trailer an inch or two, if I suspect correctly.

Any ideas on that?

 

[Jim.Allison]

Tire rack shows diameter change at about 1.9 inches and some width added. This would raise your rig by 1 inch. How do you think the Towmax have been handling you load? And for how long? The Transforce is going to provide 100 + lbs increase in load. If thats good enough and you have room for it then I understand it wears like iron. Goodyear has two 15 inch rib tires, one of them has a load rating of 2400 lbs. Michelin has ribbed also, don't know if they have any 15 inch though. There are a lot of users of Michelin ribbed tires here so maybe they can say. I have Transforce AT on my TV and I can say that I have never had tires that wear as well as these are wearing. They are like iron. I saw an HT and AT side by side and there is little difference in the tread design. But if you buy ATs turn the letters in, you don't want people seeing AT on your trailer. LOL.

Keep us informed of your progress.

So I am thinking about switching out my 205/15" Blowmaxes for the Firestone Transforce HT 235/15" on my Trail Runner this winter before our next camping season starts.

These new tires should raise the trailer an inch or two, if I suspect correctly.

Any ideas on that?

 

[JohnD]

Tire rack shows diameter change at about 1.9 inches and some width added. This would raise your rig by 1 inch. How do you think the Towmax have been handling you load? And for how long? The Transforce is going to provide 100 + lbs increase in load. If thats good enough and you have room for it then I understand it wears like iron. Goodyear has two 15 inch rib tires, one of them has a load rating of 2400 lbs. Michelin has ribbed also, don't know if they have any 15 inch though. There are a lot of users of Michelin ribbed tires here so maybe they can say. I have Transforce AT on my TV and I can say that I have never had tires that wear as well as these are wearing. They are like iron. I saw an HT and AT side by side and there is little difference in the tread design. But if you buy ATs turn the letters in, you don't want people seeing AT on your trailer. LOL.

Keep us informed of your progress.

I have the Transforce HT's on my truck, which is why I've been considering them for the trailer.

They seem to be pretty awesome!

Do you think the AT's are better tires for the trailer?

My trailer weighs in around 8000 pounds.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Look at your Towmax load in lbs. It should say 1820 lbs at 50 or 2150 lbs at 65 on the sidewall, there are 2 15 inch Towmax in the 205/75R15, it is going to be one of those two max load tires. If your tires are 1820 lb then the firestone HT or AT @ 1900 lbs might be a good LT for your rig. If you have the 2150 lb tire, you might be better off with a ribbed tire. Many speak well of the ribbed tires from Michelin, but they do not have a 15 inch that I can find. But Goodyear does, they call it a G26 225/70R15C. It is not very expensive either. The C means it is a commercial tire for heavy vans or such load carrying vehicles. Here is a link.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=27R5G26&tab=Specs

It may be a better choice for you. I do not have experience with them so you gotta do some reading, it is a ribbed tire and judging from the post of others in the forum it is a "put them on and forget about them" experience. They are made in either France or Germany, I prefer USA made but hey you take what you can get. I'm not casting dispersions on the Firestones, they would certainly be a good choice in an LT if you are sure that 1900 + lb tire will do the job. Sooooo what part of that 8000 is on the tongue?

AT Vs. HT, I don't see that much difference in tread pattern, I would get the HT. They are probably quieter if that helps otherwise there is little difference. I think the AT has extra sipes.

I have the Transforce HT's on my truck, which is why I've been considering them for the trailer.

They seem to be pretty awesome!

Do you think the AT's are better tires for the trailer?

My trailer weighs in around 8000 pounds.

 

[SCPOBob]

Another update: 1) Replaced the Towmaxs with same size Carlisles (all five) on Friday...I had good luck with these on my travel trailer; 2) Repair estimate currently sitting at $3,400 (mostly cosmetic, but we are getting a new heater as the casing was involved); 3) Blown tires on the way to Canada to the Manufacturer for inspection.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Sorry!!!!! Want to see my form letter from Dynamic Tire?????

 

[simon]

I got the same letter , but do not let them fool you , they are the they problem I turned down there $750 offer and told them they are trying to buy people of with there release , waiting for a call back on the damage clam will let you guys know if I get an increase in the pay of , xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[FiremanBill]

Go here and tell everyone about these tires. I find it amazing that I am the only one to have complained publicly about them.

https://www.facebook.com/TowmaxTires?ref=br_tf

 

[JohnD]

Go here and tell everyone about these tires. I find it amazing that I am the only one to have complained publicly about them.

https://www.facebook.com/TowmaxTires?ref=br_tf

I also find it astounding that you posted that on July 16th . . . three months later they (TowMax) haven't responded to you . . . yet.

 

[FiremanBill]

I also find it astounding that you posted that on July 16th . . . three months later they (TowMax) haven't responded to you . . . yet.

They actually did John, If you click on view all comments you will see the replies. We settled on an amount that was not nearly enough to replace al the ties but at least it was something.

 

[VMooreSR]

WOW, that's some kind of damage, I definitely got lucky with my Blowout, just the skirt and a dent at the bottom of the quarter panel. I ordered my skirt from heartland but they wouldn't paint it,
how did everyone manage to get there's painted already? I'll just run it to the body shop, no biggy was just curious.

 

[Herm45]

Fortunately we put new tires on our 2013 BH3610 before we had a blowmax blowout. We replaced them with Maxxis M8008 ST. We had a very easy pull to Fla. from Tn, so I feel good about them. The dealer told us that one of the tires had already started to separate. We are very blessed to have not had a problem. The tires were mfg'd in August 2012. We had put less than 2000 miles on the tires. We certainly pray that no one has a serious accident or major problems due to the blowmax before you can replace.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Some get a warning and some don't.........

Fortunately we put new tires on our 2013 BH3610 before we had a blowmax blowout. We replaced them with Maxxis M8008 ST. We had a very easy pull to Fla. from Tn, so I feel good about them. The dealer told us that one of the tires had already started to separate. We are very blessed to have not had a problem. The tires were mfg'd in August 2012. We had put less than 2000 miles on the tires. We certainly pray that no one has a serious accident or major problems due to the blowmax before you can replace.

 

[FiremanBill]

Some get a warning and some don't.........

I had no warning... other than everyone telling me they were junk, should have listened

 

[HornedToad]

I had no warning... other than everyone telling me they were junk, should have listened

When my tailgate buddy upgraded his trailer I recommended he consider a Heartland... and he loves his new Sundance.
He didn't listen to my suggestion he replace the tires... and regretted it today.

 

[Westwind]

I drained the savings account last December right before we left for Florida and pulled the TowMax tires off the FW and switched to the Goodyear G614's, 5 of them. It was a relaxed trip to and from Florida - for the first time in 3 years I didn't have to worry about tires.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Holy Cow.............Thats awful

 

[simon]

Well just tried to put the truth on the Towmax page and it will not let you ???

 

[tireman9]

I have the Transforce HT's on my truck, which is why I've been considering them for the trailer.

They seem to be pretty awesome!

Do you think the AT's are better tires for the trailer?

My trailer weighs in around 8000 pounds.

Not sure why you would want "traction" tires on a trailer. For one thing, they will probably contribute to worse fuel economy.

 

[JohnD]

Not sure why you would want "traction" tires on a trailer. For one thing, they will probably contribute to worse fuel economy.

The Transforce AT's are the traction tire . . . not the Transforce HT's.

But no matter . . . they just seem to be bad@$$ tires . . . which is what we want on our trailers . . . right?

Right now, my new 2015 Chevy 2500HD and the Firestone Transforce HT's that are on it has 4,394 miles on them . . . and they all still look like brand new!



By the by, our old 1978 Coachman TT had off-road LT tires on it for the 12 years we owned it . . . and never once worried about the tires . . . EVER!



However, everyone around here swear off the BlowMaxes as having any more than 4-5,000 miles on them should be tossed into the county landfill.

My BlowMaxes have around 4,000 miles on them, yet still look like brand new as well.

Had them checked out at the tire shop this summer and they gave them a good bill of health!

They have one more trip to go before I replace them . . . the Quartzsite, Arizona HOC Rally in January!