Could Have Been Ugly!!!!

[Taz Devil]

Brought the 5er home today from the storage lot to prep it for a trip to the pan-handle this weekend. As I was crawling around under the unit to my surprise, the rear tire on the curb side had a large bubble in it. So now I have to find some new tires before we leave this weekend, because I really don't like the DW or myself want to have any serious problems with these tires.

 

[Nabo]

Taz Devil - what make of tires? I also have an 08 BC 3250 with Mission tires and planning a 16 day trip to SD & WY in a couple of weeks. The rig is going to the tire dealership for rotation / balancing but your tires are a little scary being about the same age as mine.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Ouch! Probably one heck of a pothole for that one. One of my Karrriers had almost the same bubble on the outside. I see you have the Loadstars as well. Do you have the Aluminum Wheel option? If so, you may be able to upgrade to a Load Range "G" tire. It should take a little more of a beating on the fine roads in this country.

 

[Taz Devil]

They are the mission tires and yes I have the Aluminum rims. Good tread on them still but now a little nervous. Will be calling around in the morning to see what I can find. Hopefully we won't have to postpone the trip.

 

[Taz Devil]

Nabo - Where in SD are you going? The DW and I spent a few years there. Now is the time to go. It's not to cold.

 

[vangoes]

Taz Devil
Has anyone ever gotten a logical explanation as to what causes these bubbles on the tires. Your tire obviously has plenty of tread which indicates that they do not have a lot of miles on them. I have the Loadstars also, and they currently have about 12,000 miles on them. They still have plenty of tread and only minor wear on the tread edges from the drag from turning. On the forum it seems that the bubbles are a consistent theme on the tires regardless of mileage so it would seem that there should be a logical cause such as curbing, potholes etc.

 

[jmgratz]

Not sure but I always thought it was a weak spot in the rubber i.e. a manufacturing defect.

 

[SmokeyBare]

One recommendation I was offered... Make sure when you place a block or board under the tires to level the RV... the blocks or board fit the tire fully.

The tire should be fully on top of the block or board and not.... Half off or on the edge... when that happens the tire and weight of the RV is being pressed sharply against the sharp edge of the blocking... that COULD damage those Steel Belts that run under the tread. If those Steel Belts are bent... or damaged... the tire can get air to escape in the damaged place... and it MIGHT be the start of a Bubble that could form under the outside skin of Rubber on the tire...

Just a few thoughts to consider.

 

[jpmorgan37]

Part of the problem is caused by backing at sharp angles, which causes the tires to stress with side motion. If you look at the wheels in this situation, one will have positive camber and the other on the same side will have negative camber. Enough of this action will sometimes cause the cords to rupture and this can lead to the bubble.

John

 

[Nabo]

Taz - we are planning to arrive southwest of Rapid City on Sunday the 10th (probably in Hill City) and then leaving for Yellowstone on Thursday. Figuring that RC area is a nice central area to get to the Badlands, Custer State park, Devil's Tower, and all the stuff in between. Is that a good plan from your past experiences?

 

[Taz Devil]

Sounds like a plan. Sorry didn't get back sooner. We took a trip to see the grandson and the camp ground we stay at had real bad wifi. Enjoy you trip and stay.

By the way here is what I found when we got back this afternoon and I was washing the BC. This could have really been bad. I had just replaced the two rear one before going on our trip.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

WOW! That's scary. That's another one that could have been very ugly. Glad nothing blew. What did you put on the rears?

 

[Taz Devil]

I had them replaced with "Power King" and he even put in the bolt in value stems. I guess I will be calling him again later this week.

 

[Brenrick]

Hello,

I have a quick question...I have been hearing about the 'China bomb' tires and wonder if the Mission tires on my 2009 3300RL Big Country fall into this catagory. Does anyone know if these tires are safe?

The blowouts look very scary!!!

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SouthernNights]

Not only do they fall in that category, they ARE the category.
I have a new 3250 that have them. They will be off soon.
Too many people here have had problems with them to even consider keeping them IMO.

 

[Brenrick]

Well ...that is good to know. We have our rig at the dealer and addressed this issue with them and they 'said' they would be contacting Heartland regarding this issue and get back to me. I also sent an email to the manufacture guy here on the forum and asked the very same question. We feel we need to know this and I will push the issue due to the fact this is a serious safety issue. Thank you for getting back to me. Maybe this is something that needs to be address with Heartland. The manufacturer should be liable to recall these tires if they are failing rather quickly out on the road and causing potential serious incidents. I work for the government and know people in the highway safety community and if this is not addressed, this could be taken up with the State Department of Consumer Affairs. If we could get enough folks coming forward, this could push for a mandated a safety recall, maybe!. We love the Heartland product and it is a beautiful rig, but this tire thing is what the rig is dependant on and should not be an additional cost that the consumer should bear right after purchasing and spending 40K.

 

[Jimmyt5]

Two Mission tries, two big bubbles that blew out, Replaced all 4 with Michelin's last month...