Sailun tires excessive wear on inside and outside of all 4 tires!

[broit]

Is anyone else having this issue with their Sailun tires on their Heartland 5th wheel? We noticed at 12 months and maybe 12,000 miles (mostly highway driving straight not a lot of turning) that the inside and outside edges of all 4 of our tires were literally melting away. Our 2017 Big Country 3650RL was bought in August of 16 and was made the end of March 16. I ran it through a scale to make sure we were not overloading the two rear axels and we were at 13,400 lbs on 2 - 7k axels so we are not over loading our rear axels. The trailer sits within a 1/4" of perfectly level so that is not the issue. We have a GMC 3500 DRW so that is not the issue! Sorry all of you SRW pullers I could not resist that slight jab! We love our DRW and I have owned several of each and definitely prefer DRW for pulling such a big and heavy load! I also measured the tread of our never used spare and each tire and there is only about 1mm less tread in the center of the 4 tires compared to spare so the center is wearing great! As you can see from the pictures it looks like the reinforcing of the tread just stops and the sides because they have different reinforcement are just melting away on the highway!

I contacted Heartland and they said to let LCI know because we have a frame issue (frame on ODS is not straight and is higher over the axels then in front and behind the axels, they frame on the DS is perfectly straight) so they were hoping that LCI would cover it because of the frame. I contacted the tire manufacturer and they sent me to a local tire shop to inspect them and the local tire shop said that the Sailun tires are local only tires and should have never been installed on the 5th wheel as they are not designed for normal highway use. The tire manufacturer is trying to say that the wear is normal and is caused from turning but we do not turn that much! We have kept the tire pressure at 110 PSI when cold the entire time so it is not under inflation! I am curious if anyone else is having the same issue so that when I take this back up with Heartland and the manufacturer I have more ammo for getting this resolved. Thanks!

I can't figure out how to attach pictures to this post so if anyone can help me with that I would appreciate it, this is my first post. Here is the link to the pictures. https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0nJ0DiRHJsOnT3

 

[danemayer]

Hi Broit,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

I've moved your thread to the tires area.

frame on ODS is not straight and is higher over the axels then in front and behind the axels, they frame on the DS is perfectly straight)

This sounds more like a difference in the suspension from side-to-side rather than a frame that's not straight. Who determined that the frame is bent?

the local tire shop said that the Sailun tires are local only tires and should have never been installed on the 5th wheel as they are not designed for normal highway use.

If you have Sailun S637 tires, the local tire shop people don't know what they're talking about.

I'm sorry to say, but it sounds like maybe you're getting a lot of bad information.

 

[broit]

Danemayer

Thanks for moving this to the correct thread.

We noticed that the kitchen slide had taller gaps under the slide on the two sides than the middle. We then used a string across the side and then the floor. The slide floor was straight and the floor was humped up over the axel about 3/8" so we checked the DS and the floor was straight as an arrow. We then check the frame directly with the string and the frame on the DS is straight and about 3/8" off over the axels on the ODS.

Yes have have the S637's that it came with. Does our wear look normal? I have seen on facebook forums that others are also experiencing the same issue but not everyone???

Also do you know how I can get the pictures attached to the post?

Thanks

 

[danemayer]

Hard to tell on the tire pic. But if it's the same inside and outside edges, on all 4 tires, it's hard to understand how something uneven on one side accounts for all 4 tires.

Could be an inflation problem. Here's a reference on tire wear patterns.

I expect others will chime in with opinions.

Forum software will allow posting of pictures after 3 or 4 posts. It's a spam prevention feature.

 

[broit]

Hard to tell on the tire pic. But if it's the same inside and outside edges, on all 4 tires, it's hard to understand how something uneven on one side accounts for all 4 tires.

Could be an inflation problem. Here's a reference on tire wear patterns. (you would think it was under inflation from the chart but they have never been more than 2 lbs under 110 when cold!)

I expect others will chime in with opinions.

Forum software will allow posting of pictures after 3 or 4 posts. It's a spam prevention feature.

(I did figure out how to add them to my profile, I also provided a link to a site where the pictures are posted publicly) How do your tires look? Are they doing this same thing on all 4 tires?

 

[danemayer]

(I did figure out how to add them to my profile, I also provided a link to a site where the pictures are posted publicly) How do your tires look? Are they doing this same thing on all 4 tires?

I originally had Goodyear G614 tires. They all wore down on the outside shoulder, which is very common on that tire. It looks like something's wrong until you see that most everyone else has the same wear pattern.

I've got Goodyear G114 tires now, and MorRyde Independent Suspension. Got about 25,000 miles and they look pretty much like new.

Sailun tires have done so well on the heavy RVs that when our RAM 3500 dually needed tires, I put on Sailun truck tires.

By the way, Sailun markets the S637 as a Regional All Position tire in their Commercial Truck Tire lineup. The tire guy who said they're not supposed to be used in this application needs to study up a little. Here's a link.

 

[broit]

I originally had Goodyear G614 tires. They all wore down on the outside shoulder, which is very common on that tire. It looks like something's wrong until you see that most everyone else has the same wear pattern.

I've got Goodyear G114 tires now, and MorRyde Independent Suspension. Got about 25,000 miles and they look pretty much like new.

Sailun tires have done so well on the heavy RVs that when our RAM 3500 dually needed tires, I put on Sailun truck tires.

By the way, Sailun markets the S637 as a Regional All Position tire in their Commercial Truck Tire lineup. The tire guy who said they're not supposed to be used in this application needs to study up a little. Here's a link.

We have the Sailun 235/80R16 G tires (110 PSI) and those are not even on the chart for the link you provided because even though they are S637's they are different and are a much cheaper tire. They sell for only $150 retail where the good Goodyear's that should be used on the RV are $325 per tire. If the Sailun's are so good why are both the inside and outside of my tires melting off when they are kept at the correct pressure? I checked the tread on the center of the spare which has never been used and the tread is 11/32nds and the tread on the center of my 4 tires with 12-15k on them is pretty much the same. the center of the tire is wearing great but the outsides are melting off and the is no way I have done that much turning! Using Sailun tires on a vehicle is completely different because of so many different factors so you can not compare how the same brand tire wears on the one vs the other. I would never use a Goodyear tire on my truck again because they last 1/2 as long as my Michelin's do but I would also never put a Michelin on my 5er because Michelin does not make a good tire for the trailer. But yet Michelin makes the best semi and class A pusher tires so different manufacturers have different tires that they are the best at and yet for some applications they are not the best like our trailers. Goodyear on the other hand, as you have found, makes one of the best trailer tires but they cost more which is why Heartland is not using them! The guy at the tire show was the owner and has been in tires for over 20 years and from what I have seen his analysis has been pretty spot on. He also does mostly commercial truck tires but also everything else so he seems to know his tires. He recommended your Goodyears as the best tire for my 5er. Have you ever personally had this exact same Sailun tire on your 5er?

 

[danemayer]

Sorry, I linked you to the 17.5" page. Here's the 16" page. About 2 years ago Sailun did some minor renaming, adding the 'T',

Yes they cost 1/2 as much as a Goodyear G614. No I have never had Sailun tires on the trailer. Yes hundreds, perhaps thousands of Heartland RV owners have Sailuns with good experience.

But if you're convinced they're junk, get them off your trailer and put on Goodyear G614s or whatever your local tire guy recommends. Peace of mind is good.

 

[RickL]

First thing to remember is that when you deal with radial tires they cannot be “read” like a bias tire. In yesteryear when you had excessive outside wear you could almost immediately know the tire was under inflated OR OVERLOADED. But radial tires react differently that is why most manufacturers call it irregular wear issues as you can get many different wear patterns with the same condition. Tire compounding and construction play a lot into the equation.

Now for your issue, you are running Saliun G637’s which according to my research show they are a ST235/85R16 LR G. So at max inflation of 110 psi they will handle 4400 lbs. Next you said your axle weight is right at 6,700 per axle (your 13,400 divided by two). That being the case then you are way over inflated to handle the 6,700 or 3,350 lbs per tire.

I would highly recommend finding out what the weight is per wheel position for your own comfort. But if it was me I would back down my pressure to 80 psi which would provide a carrying capacity of 3,640 per tire. You would have plenty of capacity (keep in mind the assumption is you weighed the rig as you normally travel) with some built in reserve.

 

[GregP]

We replaced our original TowMax tires on our Bighorn with Sailun 637's last year. We have about 9000 miles on them since installation and no unusual wear showing. The type of wear OP describes sounds like under inflation to me, but I am not a tire expert. When I purchased the Sailuns, I had a local tire dealer order them in for me since he did not carry them. When he was installing them, he commented on how much more substantial they were than the OEM tires (Towmax). He liked them so much, he installed a full set of Sailun's on his OWN fiver. Good enough endorsement for me.

 

[Shortest Straw]

Tire wear of the type you are describing is under inflation. From Firestone: In contrast to center wear, edge wear may occur when tires are under-inflated. If you’re driving on tires that are under-inflated, the edge of the tires will make the most contact with the road, causing the edges to wear down more quickly. Again, it’s important to check your owner’s manual to get the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle, then get in the habit of checking your tire pressure regularly! Wear on two shoulders can also indicate hard cornering or improper rotation.

You may want to ditch the gauge you have been using and get a different one.

 

[RickL]

Short Straw brings up a valid point, one that I usually state - take your gauge into a “reputable” tire shop and have them check it for you against thier master gauge. If the shop doesn’t have a master gauge my suggestion is to run.

The other way to check your gauge is comparing it to at least 2-3 other gauges. If all read within 1lb then you can assume it’s probably close but it’s still no substitute for comparing to a master gauge.

 

[WillyBill]

@DanEMayer...

Which model Sailun did you go with for your Dually? I'll be replacing my Tow Vehicle tires soon and have been thinking Sailun since I have had good luck with them on my Triple Axle Cyclone. Are they running out OK? How is the bad weather performance?

Thanks,

WB

 

[broit]

Sorry, I linked you to the 17.5" page. Here's the 16" page. About 2 years ago Sailun did some minor renaming, adding the 'T',

Yes they cost 1/2 as much as a Goodyear G614. No I have never had Sailun tires on the trailer. Yes hundreds, perhaps thousands of Heartland RV owners have Sailuns with good experience.

But if you're convinced they're junk, get them off your trailer and put on Goodyear G614s or whatever your local tire guy recommends. Peace of mind is good.

Mine are not the T's they are the regular ones. My spare was manufactured the end of 15 and the other 4 which I am having the issue with were manufactured the 4th week of 16 and the trailer made the 25th of March 16. There are actually many others having the exact same issue with this tire in the past 2 years which is why I am posting here to find out just how many others have the same issue. I posted on FP on the Heartland RV Forum on a guy that posted a picture of the bolt holding his spring on that had broke and noticed that in the picture his tires looked the same as mine so I posted to see if anyone else has the same tire with the same outside wear. Many have responded with the same issue so I am trying to find out just how many are having an issue so we can get Heartland and or the Manufacturer to address it. The manufacturer says they do not have any recalls but from what I have seen there is a defect that needs to be address now and not 20 years from now like the current Goodyear RV tire issue. Again the center of the tread looks great and is wearing like I would expect it to but the outsides are literally melting off! I have a few months before I take my next trip so I am trying to have the manufacturer replace them before then. The manufacturer makes it much easier to replace them with new tires than reimburse you. If you still have more than 50% of your tread and less than 5 years and there is a manufacturing defect they replace them with new tires and pay up to $20 per tire for mounting. If they reimburse you it is prorated based on how much tread is gone and at a much lower price than the $150 they say the tire is worth. I also do not currently have it in my current budget to just go buy new tires at my expense. This is one of the reasons I bought a new rig under warranty and added the 5 year extended warranty so that I would not have any un-budgeted repairs for the foreseeable future and just a fixed monthly rig payment.

Picture from post on FB that has the same wear as mine.


My tires at 12 months and 12-15K on them. (sorry the picture was turned vertical on my computer but this post turned them sideways)






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Tire wear of the type you are describing is under inflation. From Firestone: In contrast to center wear, edge wear may occur when tires are under-inflated. If you’re driving on tires that are under-inflated, the edge of the tires will make the most contact with the road, causing the edges to wear down more quickly. Again, it’s important to check your owner’s manual to get the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle, then get in the habit of checking your tire pressure regularly! Wear on two shoulders can also indicate hard cornering or improper rotation.

You may want to ditch the gauge you have been using and get a different one.

My tires are NOT under inflated! I check my gauge which is a HD gauge for semi tires with the snap on one at my Chevy dealership and mine was within 2 PSI of theirs. My tires have never been more than 2 PSI under according to mine when cold so at the most 4 PSI. Again wearing on inside and outside shoulders of all 4 tires so rotation is not making a difference. Any other ideas? Just checking to see if others with the same tires with same dates are having the same issues. Or if anyone with other dates is having the same issue. Fact finding mission here I have already done all of my troubleshooting!

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Short Straw brings up a valid point, one that I usually state - take your gauge into a “reputable” tire shop and have them check it for you against thier master gauge. If the shop doesn’t have a master gauge my suggestion is to run.

The other way to check your gauge is comparing it to at least 2-3 other gauges. If all read within 1lb then you can assume it’s probably close but it’s still no substitute for comparing to a master gauge.

Compared to a Snap on at my Chevy dealer is mine was within 2 PSI so not enough to cause my tires to have ever been under inflated!

 

[Mrsfish]

I know very little about most things and nothing about tires- but I did want to share that our neighbors at the Pueblo rally had to replace their 1 year old Saliuns on Monday ( yesterday) due to excessive wear on the inside and out. Coincidence? Trend?

 

[broit]

First thing to remember is that when you deal with radial tires they cannot be “read” like a bias tire. In yesteryear when you had excessive outside wear you could almost immediately know the tire was under inflated OR OVERLOADED. But radial tires react differently that is why most manufacturers call it irregular wear issues as you can get many different wear patterns with the same condition. Tire compounding and construction play a lot into the equation.

Now for your issue, you are running Saliun G637’s which according to my research show they are a ST235/85R16 LR G. So at max inflation of 110 psi they will handle 4400 lbs. Next you said your axle weight is right at 6,700 per axle (your 13,400 divided by two). That being the case then you are way over inflated to handle the 6,700 or 3,350 lbs per tire.

I would highly recommend finding out what the weight is per wheel position for your own comfort. But if it was me I would back down my pressure to 80 psi which would provide a carrying capacity of 3,640 per tire. You would have plenty of capacity (keep in mind the assumption is you weighed the rig as you normally travel) with some built in reserve.

Every tire dealer I have talked to has said to run the tires at max 110 PSI cold (unless it is extremely hot like it can be in FL in the summer then only run 10 PSI less). They told me it does not hurt the tire to run max pressure and be loaded less than the tire is rated for. It does hurt the other way to have less pressure than it is rated for and have more weight than the weight it is rated for at a lower PSI. I Run my DRW (all 6 tires) at 80 PSI cold which is the max on my load E's and they wear just fine even when I am usually empty so I am almost always under loaded for my pressure and weight rating. I do not do that much turning for the tires to be normal and wear like they are. Others with other tires or even older Sailun's are not having issues like mine even when turning normally. My pictures again were at 12 months and only 12k miles or so. The 75% of the tread is wearing like normal only the outside 5/8" of an inch has excessive wear.

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I know very little about most things and nothing about tires- but I did want to share that our neighbors at the Pueblo rally had to replace their 1 year old Saliuns on Monday ( yesterday) due to excessive wear on the inside and out. Coincidence? Trend?

Thanks! Can you get pictures and date codes on the old ones? Thanks in Advance!

 

[LBR]

Mine are not the T's they are the regular ones. My spare was manufactured the end of 15 and the other 4 which I am having the issue with were manufactured the 4th week of 16 and the trailer made the 25th of March 16. There are actually many others having the exact same issue with this tire in the past 2 years which is why I am posting here to find out just how many others have the same issue. I posted on FP on the Heartland RV Forum on a guy that posted a picture of the bolt holding his spring on that had broke and noticed that in the picture his tires looked the same as mine so I posted to see if anyone else has the same tire with the same outside wear. Many have responded with the same issue so I am trying to find out just how many are having an issue so we can get Heartland and or the Manufacturer to address it. The manufacturer says they do not have any recalls but from what I have seen there is a defect that needs to be address now and not 20 years from now like the current Goodyear RV tire issue. Again the center of the tread looks great and is wearing like I would expect it to but the outsides are literally melting off! I have a few months before I take my next trip so I am trying to have the manufacturer replace them before then. The manufacturer makes it much easier to replace them with new tires than reimburse you. If you still have more than 50% of your tread and less than 5 years and there is a manufacturing defect they replace them with new tires and pay up to $20 per tire for mounting. If they reimburse you it is prorated based on how much tread is gone and at a much lower price than the $150 they say the tire is worth. I also do not currently have it in my current budget to just go buy new tires at my expense. This is one of the reasons I bought a new rig under warranty and added the 5 year extended warranty so that I would not have any un-budgeted repairs for the foreseeable future and just a fixed monthly rig payment.

Picture from post on FB that has the same wear as mine.
View attachment 58117

My tires at 12 months and 12-15K on them. (sorry the picture was turned vertical on my computer but this post turned them sideways)
View attachment 58118
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View attachment 58120
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My tires are NOT under inflated! I check my gauge which is a HD gauge for semi tires with the snap on one at my Chevy dealership and mine was within 2 PSI of theirs. My tires have never been more than 2 PSI under according to mine when cold so at the most 4 PSI. Again wearing on inside and outside shoulders of all 4 tires so rotation is not making a difference. Any other ideas? Just checking to see if others with the same tires with same dates are having the same issues. Or if anyone with other dates is having the same issue. Fact finding mission here I have already done all of my troubleshooting!

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Compared to a Snap on at my Chevy dealer is mine was within 2 PSI so not enough to cause my tires to have ever been under inflated!

Your first picture (Facebook) was of a wet bolt issue that happened to Tony. Travel Tiger will hopefully read this and hence can report with their opinions on whether their tire edges are melting away, or if they feel it is within proper wear pattern. You definitely have a bit of scuffing on the edges.

I'll go outside and check our 6 Sailuns for that wear pattern as well...my curiosity is triggered also.

 

[danemayer]

I am trying to find out just how many are having an issue so we can get Heartland and or the Manufacturer to address it. The manufacturer says they do not have any recalls but from what I have seen there is a defect that needs to be address now and not 20 years from now like the current Goodyear RV tire issue. Again the center of the tread looks great and is wearing like I would expect it to but the outsides are literally melting off!

Heartland does not warrant tires and will not do more than point you to the tire people.

If you think the wear on your tires and similar wear on others would justify a recall from Sailun, you should consider filing a complaint with NHTSA. Before you do, you can search their tire complaints database to see how many complaints have previously been filed and for what. You can also compare that to the complaints on other tires such as the Goodyear G614. At the moment, I think there is 1 complaint about Sailun tires of any size or sub-brand. 0 recalls. There seem to be 0 complaints against the GY G614 (614RST) although I know they used to show some.

 

[CDN]

Hello,

I noticed Florida. The edges of the Tire look like compounding issue and the tires are melting away due to road friction. Too soft a compound for higher them operation. Do you have a TPMS and what temps do you run in the tires while towing?

Brian

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Danemayer

Thanks for moving this to the correct thread.

We noticed that the kitchen slide had taller gaps under the slide on the two sides than the middle. We then used a string across the side and then the floor. The slide floor was straight and the floor was humped up over the axel about 3/8" so we checked the DS and the floor was straight as an arrow. We then check the frame directly with the string and the frame on the DS is straight and about 3/8" off over the axels on the ODS.

Yes have have the S637's that it came with. Does our wear look normal? I have seen on facebook forums that others are also experiencing the same issue but not everyone???

Also do you know how I can get the pictures attached to the post?

Thanks

Hello,

The kitchen slide is a above floor slide that can account for gaps.

 

[broit]

Hello,

I noticed Florida. The edges of the Tire look like compounding issue and the tires are melting away due to road friction. Too soft a compound for higher them operation. Do you have a TPMS and what temps do you run in the tires while towing?

Brian


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Brian

The picture of the tires "melting" on the inside and outside edge if on the 27th of October in South Carolina at 8:30 am so it was not that hot. There goes that theory! We do not have a TPMS but I have checked them during the heat of the day in the heat of summer (we usually drive through the night so we do not do a lot of day heat driving) and I have never seen them over 115 PSI. My gauge was checked with a Snap On digital one and mine was within 2 PSI. We also mostly run up north and night so our tires have never seen that high of road temps during the heat of the day very often. If that was the case the center of the tread would also be wearing faster and it is wearing like steel!