Mission Tires?

[Brenrick]

Hello,

We just purchased the 2009 Big Country 3300RL in May 2009. We are hearing the nightmare stories about the mission tires that the BC came with.

Does anyone know if Heartland is addressing this and allowing consumers to upgrade to an obviousley safer tire or is this something I should address with Heartland themselves.

We have our rig in the shop now fixing some holding tank issues and I asked them to find out if these tires could be upgraded to a safer type. They said they would contact Heartland for any problems related to these tires. I want to be more proactive and that is why I am here asking this question.

I have been reading numerous on-line HORROR stories (RV.NET & RV Industry News) regarding these so called "China Bomb" tires and I now am quite concerned. Most folks are saying they have experienced tread separation within 3000-4000 miles of travel. Yikes!

We have owned mostly travel trailers over the last 15 years and decided to take it up a knotch with the 5th wheel, more room and all that. Really dont want to have to deal with the tire issue.

If anyone has information they would like to share, that would be great.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from folks, this is a great forum!

 

[itsbeertime]

My last rig came with Michelin LTX M/S tires as a factory upgrade. It was the best $200 I ever spent. They still looked brand new 5 years later when I traded it in. I was half tempted to take them off and put them on my new BC, but since 5 years is the average time frame you're supposed to keep RV tires I didn't. But I'm probably going to shell out the money to replace what the BC came with. Some people will tell you you shouldn't use LT tires on a trailer, but you know, you shouldn't use "china bombs" either. I would have been happy to give Heartland some extra money if they had offered a tire upgrade.

Take what you read on RV.net with a grain of salt. There are a LOT of so called "experts" on there who have no clue what they are talking about. It's possible to get some good information there too, but...

 

[Brenrick]

Thanks for the reply...much appreciated. I will most likely take this up with the Dealer and see what they are able or should I say willing to do in the name of Customer Service. I know this is a 'good luck' kind of scenario, but, anything is worth a try. If I don't ask, I will never know.

I will take your advice regarding the internet forums, you are correct, one personal experience does not represent the global view.

We will be looking at replacing them before next summer. I am hoping since they are brand new, they will take us out for at least 3-4 medium distance trips (300 miles round trip) this summer. Then we will look at trading them in and maybe getting some cash towards a more reliable tire.

 

[deee2]

we upgraded our tires about 3 months AFTER we picked up the new Bighorn.. looking back, we would have saved about $600 to have had them upgrade the tires before we took possession!! But we're happy because we feel ever so much safer!

 

[tmcran]

We just finished a 3700 mile trip on the Mission tires we got on our 2998RB in Feb 09. I checked the pressure every day and never lost any pressure and thank goodness we had no problems.

 

[westxsrt10]

Hello,

We just purchased the 2009 Big Country 3300RL in May 2009. We are hearing the nightmare stories about the mission tires that the BC came with.

Does anyone know if Heartland is addressing this and allowing consumers to upgrade to an obviousley safer tire or is this something I should address with Heartland themselves.

We have our rig in the shop now fixing some holding tank issues and I asked them to find out if these tires could be upgraded to a safer type. They said they would contact Heartland for any problems related to these tires. I want to be more proactive and that is why I am here asking this question.

I have been reading numerous on-line HORROR stories (RV.NET & RV Industry News) regarding these so called "China Bomb" tires and I now am quite concerned. Most folks are saying they have experienced tread separation within 3000-4000 miles of travel. Yikes!

We have owned mostly travel trailers over the last 15 years and decided to take it up a knotch with the 5th wheel, more room and all that. Really dont want to have to deal with the tire issue.

If anyone has information they would like to share, that would be great.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from folks, this is a great forum!

I'm still seeing many people that don't have a problem with the Mission's. So far so good with mine after 1500mi....I think the key is to maintain tire pressures daily and have the tires 'balanced' so they don't bounce around. Any tire will fail if it's neglected. We have a 3000mi trip comming up in a few weeks so i'll report any tire troubles.

 

[fhollan]

Maxxis

I finally decided to retire the Mission tires after three years. I didn't want to press press my luck. They were replaced with Maxxis tires a couple of weeks ago. I kept a close eye on Mission's due to all the horror stories that were on this forum and others. I never overloaded the coach, and the tires were not exposed to the weather elements since I keep the rig in a pole barn. Maybe that's why I didn't have any problems with them.

 

[Brenrick]

Hello,

This is good news...thank you all for replying. We keep our BC at an indoor storage facility so hopefully this will be a factor in keeping the tires in good shape. Our RV dealership friend also suggested to put on a latex glove and feel the tires for any unusual bumps or bulges, keep the tires properly inflated, and rotate often. We will rest this matter for now. Thanks again, you all are great support!

 

[Taz Devil]

I purchased an 08 BC 3250 TS that had missions on it and have since replaced them due to one on them developing a large bubble/knot on the slide wall and another lost a large chunk of tread out of the center of the tire. When I went and had them replaced, the tire installer stated that a couple of the other tires where starting to develop problems. Right now I have a claim in the works and waiting the hear back from TireCo to see if they are going to reimbursed for the new tires. I don't think I even had 5,000 miles on them.
Kevin

 

[Del600]

I have been following this "Mission Tire Scandal" myself... as I have them on my Sundance.
I have ~1200 miles on mine, and so far they have been fine. I will continue to over monitor.

I have towed boats my whole life, and have lost tires of all size, type and $$.

It truly comes down to proper maintenance, inflation, and rotation. (now you can still have mfg defects, but I have seen no recall as of yet).

 

[Taz Devil]

Here are a couple of pictures of the tires that went bad. Yes, I checked the tire pressures and they were always covered when in storage. I had all of them changed out. Yes even the spare that never hit the ground.

 

[westxsrt10]

Here are a couple of pictures of the tires that went bad. Yes, I checked the tire pressures and they were always covered when in storage. I had all of them changed out. Yes even the spare that never hit the ground.

Yes the photos show the failures....did you happen to record the manufacture numbers on the side of the tires? I've read that the earlier years 05+-07-1/2 had many failures but the new tires have shown to hold up far better. The only tires I've ever had a problem with was Michelin's (3 of 4 failed and were properly maintained).
http://www.ehow.com/how_4621263_read-tire-date-codes.html

Taz....did you have low tire pressure failure from bad valve stems as posted in 2008? Maybe it wasn't the tires?

"Just this past weekend I was checking the air pressure and noticed that I would hear a lot of air escape while checking the pressure. It was coming from around the valve stem. Thinking this is the only tire to do this... boy was I wrong. All the tires did the same thing. If you were to move the valve stem from one side to another air would escape past the valve stem. It is going into the shop this weekend and will point this issue out to them. That would be something you may want to check out also."

Kevin
__________________
Kevin & Celeste
The Girls - 2 Dogs (Ms Cocoa: Dachshund/Lab mix) (Ms Spice: Terrier/Shih-Tzu mix)
2008 Big Country 3250TS
Both Retired USAF

Heartland Owners Club Member #1080

 

[sgtbigb]

On my way to the ralley I had three failed mission tires. One blow out that cause $3000.00 damage and the other two was ready to blow but was causgt just as the thread was about separate from the tire. Please get rid of them!

 

[John Gaffney]

I just completed a 3600mi trip from Conn. to Florida for the winter, with my 09 BH 3370RL. The only issue was the off door side tires lost 5lb of air over the winter.
So watch the air, Don't hit any curbes or potholes, check temp every time you stop, don't travel over 65 (tires only rated for 65) And don't overload (my weight was 11230lbs) Go to a truck scale and weigh your rig.

 

[Taz Devil]

Yes the photos show the failures....did you happen to record the manufacture numbers on the side of the tires? I've read that the earlier years 05+-07-1/2 had many failures but the new tires have shown to hold up far better. The only tires I've ever had a problem with was Michelin's (3 of 4 failed and were properly maintained).
http://www.ehow.com/how_4621263_read-tire-date-codes.html

Taz....did you have low tire pressure failure from bad valve stems as posted in 2008? Maybe it wasn't the tires?

"Just this past weekend I was checking the air pressure and noticed that I would hear a lot of air escape while checking the pressure. It was coming from around the valve stem. Thinking this is the only tire to do this... boy was I wrong. All the tires did the same thing. If you were to move the valve stem from one side to another air would escape past the valve stem. It is going into the shop this weekend and will point this issue out to them. That would be something you may want to check out also."

Kevin
__________________
Kevin & Celeste
The Girls - 2 Dogs (Ms Cocoa: Dachshund/Lab mix) (Ms Spice: Terrier/Shih-Tzu mix)
2008 Big Country 3250TS
Both Retired USAF

Heartland Owners Club Member #1080

West,

No I had them replaced when it went in the shop after Thanksgiving of 08 when I discovered they would leak if you tried to put air in them. The really scary part is, I don't know when that piece of tread came off. There was no indication what so ever from the tire. There were a couple of long bridges that we had crossed coming home too. Our guardian angel was watching over us on that trip.

 

[Brenrick]

I sent an email to Bryan W. at Heartland and asked if they were considering a recall on these Mission Tires. Bryan's reply was that he would forward this question to the folks that could answer it. So, the next day I recieved an email from another department in Heartland and they explained that there has been no complaints about these tires and the have had a good track record 'so far'. Therefore, they are not even considering a recall on this brand of tires.

There was another member on the forum that explained that the majority of the problems were with the 15' tires...the rig we have has 16', maybe going with a larger tire the problem has corrected itself, I dont know. We will just keep and air compressor and tire gauge with us, and add this to our check list before we move her down the highway!

We are taking a week long trip down to Bodega Bay, CA in mid July so hope everything goes well, I am sure it will....This is the most room we have ever had, we say let the wind blow, the fog settle in and we will be watching it from the comfort of the BC, great rig!

 

[truknutt]

I feel the pain..I have 7 of the Missions on my Cyclone. Can't afford to swap them out at this time so I just have to be vigilant with my air pressures and inspections.

Max air pressures keep the tire friction lower which equates to less tire heat..the killer of trailer tires!

At the first sign of bubbles you have to swap 'cause the belts are probably separating. Crawl under the rig and check the backsides; most owners don't do this.

Watch your tire weights. Majority of Rvers overload their rigs/tires. My Missions are rated at 3250 each so I round down to 3000 per for safety. I'm pretty lucky to have a GVW of over 18,000 and 3 axles to spread it out. The tandem axle guys have to be extra vigilant.

Take care of the sidewalls; this is where the air seeps out over time. Cover them from direct sunlight and clean & treat them with UV protectant to keep the rubber from drying out and cracking.

When my rig is in winter storage, I check the pressures each month while I cycle the generator. Air pressure will decrease in the cold temps.

I have been told that the rubber valve stems are an area that may need attention down the road. At the first opportunity I will change them over to metal stems. Later an air pressure monitior will be added.

I feel confident that with my regimen that I can get some decent performance from these tires.

 

[SouthernNights]

There was another member on the forum that explained that the majority of the problems were with the 15' tires...the rig we have has 16', maybe going with a larger tire the problem has corrected itself,

I think Taz will disagree with that statement.

 

[itsbeertime]

I sent an email to Bryan W. at Heartland and asked if they were considering a recall on these Mission Tires. Bryan's reply was that he would forward this question to the folks that could answer it. So, the next day I recieved an email from another department in Heartland and they explained that there has been no complaints about these tires and the have had a good track record 'so far'. Therefore, they are not even considering a recall on this brand of tires.

Hahaha. I love how they are the only people in the universe who haven't heard of any problems or complaints about these tires. Truly amazing.

 

[santafedave]

Tires

I have an 08 cyclone and I have just put about 1500 miles on mine. This includes going to dumont out on the sand flats and driving up to stonyford on some seriously twisty roads. So far they still look like they are in shape. I check the pressure each time that I leave and will diffentely invest in tire covers for the sun damage. I have the 15 inch rims and I hope that I don't get a blow out like some of the posts above. D.