Calling all axle guru's...calling all axle guru's...

[Bones]

I agree. I think you were very lucky those tires didn't blow out. I have 5 blowmax sitting in my back yard now. I bought the Sailun tires to replace them. There was a big difference in weight between them. Glad you like the Pin box.

 

[Sniper]

Glad you got those tires changed before a blowout. It looked like they were very close to blowing.

What new tires did you end up getting?

GoodYear Marathons, because that's what they had available. (I could not see any real difference between them and the Tow Max. In fact they even seemed to weigh about the same ) Old boy said: "Yea, I've seen em' all mister, and I think all these Chinese made 80# tires come from the same factory in China. They pour the rubber in a big tank in the middle of the factory and it is sent out to 4 different lines, 1 with a Tow Max mold, 1 with a Carlile Mold, 1 with a Hercules mold, and 1 with a GoodYear mold, and there is probably 4 or 5 more." LOL Once the fronts were off the rim you could literally move the tread around. Anyway, we will be upgrading wheels and tire when we get home. Thanks again for all the input, and words of encouragement everybody. It helped more than you all will ever know.

Safe travels

 

[JohnD]

GoodYear Marathons, because that's what they had available. (I could not see any real difference between them and the Tow Max. In fact they even seemed to weigh about the same ) Old boy said: "Yea, I've seen em' all mister, and I think all these Chinese made 80# tires come from the same factory in China. They poor the rubber in a big tank in the middle of the factory and it is sent out to 4 different lines, 1 with a Tow Max mold, 1 with a Carlile Mold, 1 with a Hecules mold, and 1 with a GoodYear mold, and there is probably 4 or 5 more." LOL Once the fronts were off the rim you could literally move the tread around. Anyway, we will be upgrading wheels and tire when we get home. Thanks again for all the input, and words of encouragement everybody. It helped more than you all will ever know.

The tire man was wrong about all of them coming out of the same factory . . .

While there are a lot of junk tires coming out of China, there are some good ones, too.

However . . . you are right about the Goodyear Marathons . . . I believe they are the exact same tire as the BlowMaxes.

 

[Roller4tan]

 

[Sniper]

The tire man was wrong about all of them coming out of the same factory . . .

While there are a lot of junk tires coming out of China, there are some good ones, too.

However . . . you are right about the Goodyear Marathons . . . I believe they are the exact same tire as the BlowMaxes.

Don't shoot the messenger please. I believe he was making a funny to ease my stress level, cause I could feel the blood vessels throbbing in my temples. LOL He probably changes more tires in a month than I have my whole life, and truly has "seen em' all.

Safe travels.

 

[ray587]

My Towmaxes were doing the same thing. Replaced them with Goodyear G614's.

 

[danemayer]

The DOT code stamped into each tire sidewall can be used to identify the manufacturing company and manufacturing plant location. If you look up two different brand tires that look the same, there's a really high likelihood you'll find they were manufactured by different companies in different locations.

The last time someone was claiming Brand X was identical to Brand Y, the codes were checked and it was a simple matter to see that although both were manufactured in the same Province in China, the companies were different and the plants were hundreds of miles apart - which of course means that different molds, equipment and people were used.

Here's a link to look up the codes.

 

[macjj]

Great thread. I too fell through the Towmax sink hole. I too felt 2yr old tires looked good enough to take a 1000 mile trip. However I did not have a Commander at my ear, so I was one of the unlucky ones that had two blowouts in 40 miles, before the message sunk in. Not to mention about $2500 in damages, and a hole day in 115 degree heat. Good part is we met some new friends. If you are looking for a refund on those slightly used tires, you will be disappointed. NHTSB may be a better route for satisfaction, however in the past they took little interest in the RV industry.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Sniper]

The DOT code stamped into each tire sidewall can be used to identify the manufacturing company and manufacturing plant location. If you look up two different brand tires that look the same, there's a really high likelihood you'll find they were manufactured by different companies in different locations.

The last time someone was claiming Brand X was identical to Brand Y, the codes were checked and it was a simple matter to see that although both were manufactured in the same Province in China, the companies were different and the plants were hundreds of miles apart - which of course means that different molds, equipment and people were used.

Here's a link to look up the codes.

The tire repair man was attempting to ease my suffering with a bit of humor. To put his comment in context, we were discussing E rated 80# PSI Chinese made tires on a rig so large. He never insinuated that all 80# Chinese made tires were awful, but that there is very little difference in any of them. He stated that rigs this large should have at least and "F" rated tire, and probably a "G" rated tire for anything heavier than ours (in his opinion), even though the E rated may say it will handle the weight, it is right on the ragged edge, then you throw in the condition of most interstates these days, and it's a blowout waiting to happen. I asked him specifically about the TOW MAX, and all the problems I here about them. He said: Well son if %75 percent of RV trailers are coming off the line have TOW MAX tires installed, what tire do you think your gonna here about having problems most of the time?

He determined that the failure was due to impact, probably on a bridge, or over pass (like the one I hit South of Louisville, that shot the truck and all half way in to the other lane. Glad I didn't have false teeth. )

Once it finally clicked in my simple mind that my axles were good, the tire debate paled in significance, and we will be correcting that issue to our satisfaction. Thanks again for everyone's input, advice, direction, and words of encouragement. It was indeed MUCH appreciated.

On edit: He also stated that several ST tire manufactures (including the makers of TOW MAX) are starting to add an additional nylon ply to the tread area, and that SHOULD help the exterior stay attached to the carcass. (it appears consumer complaints may indeed get their attention after all) Time will tell.

Safe travels everyone.