Tow Max Blowout and Cyclone Damage

[jnbhobe]

I lost the tread just like that and it was a good year g 614 with 114 pounds of air

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[tireman9]

Dave, You are correct it looks like what you have is a "detachment" not a "blowout". Many times "blowouts" are actually run low flex failures as I explained HERE, these are usually due to air loss while running at highway speed.
A "detachment" is more likely caused by long term overheating of the internal components of the tire structure. This overheating breaks down the rubber strength and ultimately components come apart. The strength of the rubber components is controlled by the initial design and the manufacturing process. The ability to resist heat degradation is a function of the original design goals but the amount of heat input is a function of load, inflation, speed and tire temperature during storage. These are of course are controlled by the owner.

I'm courious what are the individual tire loads when you are fully loaded? What is your cold set inflation? Tire size, load range & brand? Do you cover your tires if parked in the sun for more than a couple of days at a time?

 

[tireman9]

Im very sorry that many of you have had costly experiences with these tires, but I thank you all for reporting them. Someone posted on another thread a link to a NTSB site that shows very few reports about them. However, one only needs to read a few topics like this one to realize there is an epidemic problem. Sure, some people might get buy without incident, but there seems to be a disproportionate number of catastrophic blowouts, and we are only hearing about it from the perspective of one manufaturer's product. After reading all of these, and after my service technician that did our walkthrough suggested replacing them ASAP, we decided to replace them before we take it on the road. Does this guarantee we will not have a costly blow-out? No, but statistically speaking, I will gladly take my chances with my new Michelin XPS's.

Its not NTSB that you want to file a complaint with. Consumer tires are not their responsibility. You want to go to NHTSA web site.
You can read more on my blog RVTireSafety

 

[Sandpirate69]

Just replace your tires with quality brand tires. Been there done that & have scars to prove it. After my experience all of my friends have dumped the less quality tires for Goodyear, Maxxis, michellin Ribs. Im not advocating a specific manufactur but common sence on quality. My 2 cents.

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[SeattleLion]

I don't know how your friend reaches that conclusion. The tires are rated for a max weight at a specified inflation.
The trailer Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the max trailer weight, not the empty weight, and tires are matched to GVWR.

As an example, our Landmark has a GVWR of 16,200. The empty weight is quite a bit less. Each of the 4 tires has a weight rating of 3750 when inflated properly. 4 x 3750 = 15,000. Now that is less than the GVWR, but that's because there's at least 2600 pounds of the 16,200 that sits on the hitch. So as long as I don't exceed GVWR, the max weight on the tires is 16,200 - 2,600 = 13,600, which is less than the tire capacity of 15,000.

Having weighed the trailer at the 2011 Heartland Rally, I know that my loaded trailer actually weighs 15,000 and 3,500 of that is on the hitch. So the tires are really carrying 11,500 vs a capacity of 15,000.

I also know the weight is not distributed evenly on each tire, but since the weight was measured at each wheel, I also know that there's a 300 pound margin on the rear ODS tire, which is the one carrying the most weight.

My point is that if you want to find out what's really going on, check the specs on your tires, inflate them properly, and get your rig weighed with and without tow vehicle, getting individual wheel weight.

Did your coach come with LR E Tow Max? I thought that Landmarks came with LR G G614's. The thing is that just because the trailer puts less than the limit on the tires, doesn't mean that your trailer is safely within limits. If the tires have a combined capacity of 15,000 lbs and you have 11,500 on them (static load), you are at 77% of capacity. I think that is a very safe margin. But most of the LR E Tow Max we have, give us a capacity of 13,000 lbs. The GVWR of my trailer is 15,200 and the pin weight is 2,600. That puts me at 95% of the tires capacity. That isn't really safe.

Personally, I think the Tow Max tires are as good as anything else out there, but my 5'er is too heavy for the LR E tires that Heartland put on.

 

[Sandpirate69]

They make a great swing, ask my girls. LOL
17.5" rims wrapped with Goodtear G114.

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[Jim.Allison]

Hello all, well I will cut to the chase, I had a blowout on my 2014 HL BC3650RL. My rig came with Tomax ST235 80R 16 rated at 3520 LBS with 80LBS of inflation, the temperature at the time of the incident was mildly warm the location was about 65 miles W. of San Antonio Texas and a little more than 1 hour into my trip. As any owner would do, the tires were inspected the morning of the trip and the cold inflation pressure was exactly 80 LBS and the tires were all normal in appearance. Nothing was noted and the tires looked as they should at 1700 miles, NEW. The tire failure caused damage to my rig.

Study is most efficient when you are a victim as you can apply the information you are learning to your immediate problem. The first thing I noticed is that the Towmax that Heartland chose to put on my rig is the ST235 80 R which is rated at 3520 lbs at 80 PSI inflated. A ST 235 85R 16 was available and would have provided 3640 LBS, a full 120 LBS more load at 80 PSI. I'm certian the price difference between the two tires is negligible Heartland could have very easily installed the 85R on the rig.

What I find most disturbing though is that I found that my rims/wheels are rated at 3750 and will accommodate pressures up to 110 PSI. This would give me a theoretical 15000 LBS capacity which is what my rig is rated for. Additionally I see that the Goodyear G614 was offered as an option. I dont remember that option being offered to me, and I don't know if I would have chosen that option if offered, But I do know that I would not expect that a manufacturer would down rate a tire and make the proper tire optional, I would think that the only difference would be / should be the name. More accurately stated, I might forgo the Goodyears at a higher price assuming that the tires being provided were the same rating.

I cannot understand why Heartland would provide a Power king Towmax 235 80R 16 at 3520 rather than the 235 85R 16 at 3640, and rims that are properly sized at 3750. But ultimately, why would they not provide a tire as capable as the rim at 3750 and offer the name Goodyear as the option. It seems that the load rating should not optional under any circumstances. What say the Forum?

 

[scottyb]

Personally, I think the Tow Max tires are as good as anything else out there, but my 5'er is too heavy for the LR E tires that Heartland put on.

Pesonally, I think they are junk and I'm not even in Jim Allison's shoes, or any of the many other people who have suffered their failures. I'm happy, because I got them off my rig, a concrete sub contractor has them on his equipment trailer hauling form lumber, and I got some concrete labor out of the deal. After 14K mi on my Michellins, I can say that the peace of mind has been "priceless".

 

[Heathcote4]

Heartland options are irrelevant unless you order a unit. The Goodyears are an option for Road Warrior as well but no mention was made to me. They want to up sell you extended warranty plans but I don't think they want to make changes to a unit in inventory. Just get it moved and move on.


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[scottyb]

Heathcote, short of wrapping the cost in with financing, there is really no advantage to ordering a trailer with upgraded tires. From what I have seen, there is very little if any cost advantage in ordering them from the factory. Then you factor in the delivery service towing your rig down the road with your new expensive tires on it. You can have them installed locally by Discount Tire or the equivalent and purchase road hazard and free lifetime balancing for about the same price, and they will have zero miles on them. i made Discount give me the production dates on all of mine before I agreed to have them mounted, to assure they were fresh.

 

[Jim.Allison]

i did order mine, and do not remember being offered the option, and I dont even know if I would have bought the option. I just think that the tires provided should be rated properly and I dont think that a 3520 LB tire is adequate. BUT, your comments reminds me of my basic philosophy, and that is "do not finance items that wear out" such as tires. On a 10 year note you will still be paying on tires you have already replaced. So from that perspective I feel better having been alerted to the problem with only minor damage. I can now properly address the problem. QUESTION.......Considering the mixed responses how do the Big Country BC3650 (or similar) owners feel about the G614 and is there a good argument for changing the rims and getting into the commercial trailer tire range?

 

[Sandpirate69]

Gentlemen, we can argue about whats best and whats not. But one has to remember, a bargain isn't always a bargain. I agree with jim allison on not purchasing upgraded equipment at an inflated price. I too purchased that road hazard for the tires and let me say something about that. I may get flogged here for saying this, but it was a waste of $$$ for me. I didnt say the right words and they refused to pay/replace my tires. Lesson learned: read what they do not cover, then say the magic words that will get them fixed/replaced. My blow out & other tire failures were do to procrastination, as well as a torn rig and an injured ego. I knew I had sub-standard tires and figured I'd get just 1 more trip & short at that. Well it didn't work out too well for us. Just be smart & learn from us who have been bitten & some worse than others by tnis tire.

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[scottyb]

Discount tire will treat you right. I have never been questioned and i go through 1 - 2 ruined tires / year (3 in 14 mo on my new truck), since I drive off rosad virtually every day. As a company, we purchase it on everything and feel that the payoff far outweighs the cost.

 

[SeattleLion]

Discount tire will treat you right. I have never been questioned and i go through 1 - 2 ruined tires / year (3 in 14 mo on my new truck), since I drive off rosad virtually every day. As a company, we purchase it on everything and feel that the payoff far outweighs the cost.

Discount tires look great as a company. I can't find the Goodyears on their website. I would like to get a price locally.

 

[Shortest Straw]

Does anyone really think that the tires they put on RV's today are enough to support the size of the coach's? If you do just "trust" the manufacturer then you are as much to blame for your problems as you think they are. My wife's SUV has larger tires on it to support less weight than any trailer tire I have seen. On each of our three camper trailers the first thing we did was take them down and have Goodyears put on. Every 4-5 years on our trailers we have them replaced. We have Goodyear Marathons on our 14 foot flatbed trailer, our 30 ft three horse slant stock trailer, and we had them on our last fifth wheel. Never had a blow out yet. I am not saying it wont ever happen but in the last 10 years we are blow out free. Taller tires also mean fewer revolutions and lower hub heat. How many people do you see towing their camper and the nose is in the air or its nose down? How much harder do you think it is on the tires? I don't think it holds true as much for smaller tt's as it does the oh my god huge fivers, but if you are running around the country without the very best tire for your rig, who's fault is it? My dad always told me growing up to never skimp on brakes or tires, sound advice.

 

[scottyb]

Discount tires look great as a company. I can't find the Goodyears on their website. I would like to get a price locally.

Goodyear G614 They will price match too. If you find a better deal, print it out and take it to them. I did this on my XPS Ribs and they honored it. It has to be apples to apples, mounted and balanced.

 

[Grey Ghost]

I've dealt with Discount Tire for the last 15 years and have NO complaints. They have always treated me right. I run with Michelin tires on my 5ver and have not had any problems since I changed out the Tow Max tires. I've ran with Michelins on my last three RVs and have had real good luck with them.