Making sense of the tire talk

[dave10a]

So to sum up the discussion on this thread--- what have we learned? To inflate to proper pressure at 70deg F., Make certain the tire load weight is 10% below label on tire, and drive below 65mph and use quality tires Does the sum it all up? And use a quality temperature and pressure monitor.

 

[JohnDar]

I'd say you summed it up pretty well, Dave.

 

[MTPockets]

One has to wonder when there is a blown tire, regardless of what other OP's say; did the tire in fact have proper pressure? How often does the driver exceed the tire speed limit? How many curbs & pot holes has the tire seen? Are axles U-bolts checked for proper torque? Tire age? Trailer loading? ..... Great thread.

 

[scottyb]

To add to the summary, maybe the high quality tires like the G614 or the XPS Ribs are more forgiving than the inexpensive Towmax ST's. Maybe they tolerate imperfections like pot holes, curb bumps, and speed limits, and max weight better. The difference in their mass alone makes you think they are much heartier than the ST's, not to mention the full steel encasement of the XPS Ribs and a few others.

 

[SeattleLion]

My main takeaway besides proper speed and inflation is to recognize that a wide margin of load versus tire capacity is going to seriously reduce risk. If your trailer weighs over 10,000 lbs loaded consider moving to a load range F or G.

 

[Lynn1130]

"Tow Max tires for a year or so, and I keep them at 80PSI, I can expect a relatively small chance of a failure."

Good luck with that. I hope it works for you. It did not for many of us. Even with proper inflation, at under 65 mph, with a new trailer that had less than 3K on it and on a 70 degree day with smooth interstate. The fact that so many of this particular brand blow on so many trailers and 5th wheels tells us something.

 

[DocFather]

"Tow Max tires for a year or so, and I keep them at 80PSI, I can expect a relatively small chance of a failure."

Good luck with that. I hope it works for you. It did not for many of us. Even with proper inflation, at under 65 mph, with a new trailer that had less than 3K on it and on a 70 degree day with smooth interstate. The fact that so many of this particular brand blow on so many trailers and 5th wheels tells us something.

Yes it sure does! We can post all day every day, check psi, u-bolt torque, check AARP expiration dates, caulk the roof cracks and make sure we turn off the hot water heater switch when it is empty, but the bottom line is, the Tomax tires suck and we have all be taken for a sad "ride." Speaking of Sturgis, when following a buddy with Towmax tires, on way to Sturgis a few years back, I watch 3 different tires fall apart and totally mess up both sides of his toy hauler. Not a pretty site.

 

[alanfred]

Here's food for thought: the person towing the trailer to the dealer has no vested interest in tire life, other than to get it to the dealership in one piece. Bouncing over curbs, towing too fast, not checking tire pressure. I'm pretty sure this is what happened in my case. All 4 Powerking Towmax tires have failed. No damage as I monitor with a TPMS. After approx 5K miles each tire would keep climbing in temp and pressure. I am obsessive about tire pressure. I inflate to 80psi cold before each tow. The Towmax tires when new would operate between 88-90 psi. Temperature would never exceed 95 deg F. After they reached approx 5K miles the psi would climb to 97psi and 106 deg F at 60 MPH within 20 miles The temp and pressure would drop when driving slower. To test my theory, I installed the spare, the temp and pressure stayed with the 88-90psi, and under 95 deg F. Since I have replaced with Goodyear G614, 3,750 lb load @ 110psi. This is what is stamped on the inside of the rims. Also use metal valve stems.

Some more food for thought: Friends of ours bought the same trailer we did, only difference, they picked theirs up local. They have not had a tire failure yet. I would like to see stats on local pickup verses dealer delivered. I bet local pickup units experience less tire failure.

In summary: If you treat Towmax tires with the utmost of care, and they were not abused during delivery you might be OK, key word here is might. It was a no brainier to spend $1300 on the Goodyear G614's, considering fiberglass trailer repairs can run many thousand dollars. Not to mention the safety and aggravation factor of breaking down on the road.

 

[TomSt]

Very interesting data! Would like to see more of a discussion on tire temperature changes added in. My towmaxes would run 120+ at times even with proper inflation and weights taken, monitored about every two hours. That being said all four were within 10 degrees of each other.

 

[SeattleLion]

Very interesting data! Would like to see more of a discussion on tire temperature changes added in. My towmaxes would run 120+ at times even with proper inflation and weights taken, monitored about every two hours. That being said all four were within 10 degrees of each other.

TST has a video on installing their TPMS that discusses temps. They cite a Michelin study that they use for setting the default danger temp for tires. On the track, tires need to be hot. The rubber works best when the tires are hot. The compound needs to be a certain temperature to have the correct flexibility and traction. Having said that, based on non-towing experience stressing tires, I know that cold inflation means that the tires are not hot to the touch. The standards are based on 70 deg F, but in practices it means the tires aren't hot. From what I have read, if the tires are hot, they MUST have more than the rated pressure. They don't publish what the target pressure should be at various tire (not ambient) temps, that's why we should always inflate when cold. It is very unlikely that a tire will explode if inflated to the rated pressure on a cold day. It is very likely a tire will fail if you have it at the rated pressure and the tire is hot.

 

[dave10a]

My experience with temperature on my tires, Goodyear G614, is they run 50-60deg F above ambient when they stabilize after 30-45min run time at my cruise speed of 62mph. There is 5-10 deg increase when the sun is shining directly on them and a similar decrease during a rain storm. I keep close track of temperature to make sure no brake is dragging or a bearing is getting hot. I have the Valor monitor that has in-tire sensor which provide very accurate pressure and temperature monitoring. I would not trust stem sensors for temperature.

 

[HornedToad]

Reading the dire posts about the XXX XXX tires caused me considerable anxiety...

After purchasing an SOB TH and migrating to another forum, I found it amusing that the "dire post" about the factory tires were almost the same as here with just a different name of tire. I had nor have any anxiety about my factory tires as I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments of the OP.

 

[MrRvGypsy]

The inexpensive standard issues tires RV towable manufacturers install are spec'ed out and installed to be delivery tires only. Why would a manufacturer bother installing anything more than the lowest cost bidder product that meets the minimum required specs when the vast majority of buyers of most towable RV's simply tow it from the dealer to a seasonal site and there it sits.
I was on a dealer lot last summer and happened to notice that the tires on a new dedicated park model trailer were the exact same tire as what they were putting on their entry and mid level fifthwheels.
If you are an RVer that tows their trailer 4 or 5 times a summer to the local lake then you may get a few seasons out of them before the delivery tire violently deflates damaging your trailer. If you are an RVer that tows their unit for thousand of miles on a single trip over the period of a few days several times or more a year then the manufacturers delivery tire should not be the bag of rubber and polyester cords holding the vital air pressure that separates your many tens of thousands of dollars worth of RV off the pavement.
But it is the individuals money and peace of mind and they will make up their own mind.

 

[JohnD]

The inexpensive standard issues tires RV towable manufacturers install are spec'ed out and installed to be delivery tires only. Why would a manufacturer bother installing anything more than the lowest cost bidder product that meets the minimum required specs when the vast majority of buyers of most towable RV's simply tow it from the dealer to a seasonal site and there it sits.

I don't think so . . .

Are new car and truck tires meant for delivery only and are to be replaced if we decide to drive them more than just to church and the grocery store once a week for more than a month after purchase?

I don't think so . . .

 

[JohnD]

Making sense of the tire talk...how about some real numbers?

Very interesting data! Would like to see more of a discussion on tire temperature changes added in. My towmaxes would run 120+ at times even with proper inflation and weights taken, monitored about every two hours. That being said all four were within 10 degrees of each other.

It would also be interesting to know who had air and who had nitrogen in their BlowMaxes when they blew!

After all . . . who carries a nitrogen tank around with them for all of these pressure adjustments that we are supposed to make every time we stop at a red light.

One other number I would like to see is the ratio of BlowMax blowouts between 5th-wheelers and standard travel trailers.

From what I have read, it seems that almost all of them are on 5th-wheel trailers!

Oh . . . how about what sizes of BlowMaxes are prone to blowouts?

 

[MrRvGypsy]

I don't think so . . .

Are new car and truck tires meant for delivery only and are to be replaced if we decide to drive them more than just to church and the grocery store once a week for more than a month after purchase?

I don't think so . . .

Apples to Limes. There is no comparing a casual use designed RV with a constant use designed automobile governmental safety regulations not withstanding. They both are edible and they both have wheels, tires and suspensions, there ends the end of commonality

 

[dave10a]

This tread has now become a shaggy dog story. It started out great and now has become an obfuscated mess why is that?

 

[TedS]

Lots of pet theories and anectdotal evidence to argue against facts or lack of facts.

 

[alanfred]

Lots of pet theories and anectdotal evidence to argue against facts or lack of facts.

Here is a fact: "I am glad I got the China junk off our 15,500lb BC." Goodyear G614 3,750lbs @ 110psi

 

[SeattleLion]

As the OP I have to say that there is a lot of emotion regarding tires. I've learned that. What else I learned is that chances are good that those of us with heavy (over 10k lbs) towables are pushing the load capacity of load range E tires. What we haven't learned is whether the tires our trailers are sold with actually pose a risk of blowout that is greater than any other tire of the same load rating. What it means to me is that since I just got the Bighorn, I can probably tow without worry at least this season. I will put purchase of higher load rated tires on my wish list for next season.