What is being done about Towmax Tires

[Jim.Allison]

They do not raise your rate on a comprehensive claim and I had no deductible possibly because it was the collision portion of my insurance for an accident that was not my fault.

But the question beckons; why do you pay for insurance if you dont use it? That does not sound like a financially sound decision to forgo the legitimate damage to your rig because you have to pay for part of the damage ($500) and the insurance company pays for the rest. Paying for insurance and not collecting when you have been damaged makes for some expensive insurance. Don't buy insurance if you don't intend to use it. That is what it is there for. If they do raise your rate, then its time to go shopping for insurance.

In my state they only raise rates for LIABILITY claims, not comprehensive claims. Get to know your insurance company and your contract. You will be much better off. Since only liability is regulated, I would be willing to bet that your comprehensive coverage is the same as mine.

But if you want to take a run at TowMax and Heartland go ahead. Advice is worth what you pay for it!!!! In this case nothing!!!!! I personally would file the claim an appeal any declination.

I personally would not leave $2000 on the table because I feared a rate increase or did not want to pay for $500 portion. That just does not make financial sense to me.

Why should i use my insurance to cover there problem , if i make a clame it will cost me $500 deductable and three years of incresed payments , sorry but Some needs to pick up the tab and its not me , Please tell me why money came over our safety , I am a Forman at a large shop and we repair trucks and equipment SAFETY is always #1

 

[simon]

They do not raise your rate on a comprehensive claim and I had no deductible possibly because it was the collision portion of my insurance for an accident that was not my fault.

But the question beckons; why do you pay for insurance if you dont use it? That does not sound like a financially sound decision to forgo the legitimate damage to your rig because you have to pay for part of the damage ($500) and the insurance company pays for the rest. Paying for insurance and not collecting when you have been damaged makes for some expensive insurance. Don't buy insurance if you don't intend to use it. That is what it is there for. If they do raise your rate, then its time to go shopping for insurance.

In my state they only raise rates for LIABILITY claims, not comprehensive claims. Get to know your insurance company and your contract. You will be much better off. Since only liability is regulated, I would be willing to bet that your comprehensive coverage is the same as mine.

But if you want to take a run at TowMax and Heartland go ahead. Advice is worth what you pay for it!!!! In this case nothing!!!!! I personally would file the claim an appeal any declination.

I personally would not leave $2000 on the table because I feared a rate increase or did not want to pay for $500 portion. That just does not make financial sense to me.

Thanks for the info, but i live in Californa and it sucks if i make a clame my insurance will go up for three years , I just woun't Towmax and Hartland to steep up and take care of there customers ,why will some having to get killed or hurt alway be the sart of something being done .remember the Ford explora tire seperation , will this go down the ame road ????? sorry just map have to vent

 

[Jim.Allison]

I seriously would talk to my insurance agent for advice. This is not a liability claim, this is a comprehensive claim. They raise rates on liability claims. If you dont want to talk to your insurance company talk to your agent who sold you the policy.

 

[Jim.Allison]

I just read up on California and rate increases because of comprehensive claims (blowouts) and the article said that rate increases because of comprehensive claims are rare. To get a rate increase for a comprehensive claim is 3 claims in 3 years. The article recommended that you should talk to your agent if you had concerns about a rate increase concerning a comprehensive claim.

This is a common misconception about insurance. There is a difference between liability claims and comprehensive claims. In this instance it is a comprehensive claim where you are not at fault.

 

[TravelTiger]

I don't want to aggravate the situation, but if all the trailer tire failures, I have not once heard of any injuries to people or property other then the trailer itself. Many manufacturers besides HL are using these tires, so I don't think you can fault HL for the tire problems. They have switched to a different tire manufacturer, so they have realized TowMax are not up to par. Part of the responsibility of the rig owner is to drive within the tire capability, which is 65mph max. Also making sure you are not overloading each tire in position, and keeping them inflated.

I know most buyers never consider tires will be an issue-- but if all HL rigs cost $1k more to have wheels and tires that were "higher rated", would buyers be ok with that?


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[JanAndBill]

Many manufacturers besides HL are using these tires, so I don't think you can fault HL for the tire problems.

It appears to be pretty much the standard in the industry. After running the ST's almost 9000 miles without incident, my nerves wouldn't take it any longer and I changed out to G614's. Based on quantity discounts, I'm guessing that a manufacturer's cost difference would be close to $200 difference per tire, times 4, plus markup (manufacturer & dealer) I'd think the $1000 upgrade would be a little on the low side. When we bought our BH we were not aware that we could have paid an upgrade charge and had the Goodyear 614's put on. My personal opinion is that the DEALERS need to be a more proactive in making customers aware that this upgrade is available. If an INFORMED customer chooses to go the cheaper route then they only have themselves to blame when they have a problem.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Where is the "Like" Button?

Many manufacturers besides HL are using these tires, so I don't think you can fault HL for the tire problems.

It appears to be pretty much the standard in the industry. After running the ST's almost 9000 miles without incident, my nerves wouldn't take it any longer and I changed out to G614's. Based on quantity discounts, I'm guessing that a manufacturer's cost difference would be close to $200 difference per tire, times 4, plus markup (manufacturer & dealer) I'd think the $1000 upgrade would be a little on the low side. When we bought our BH we were not aware that we could have paid an upgrade charge and had the Goodyear 614's put on. My personal opinion is that the DEALERS need to be a more proactive in making customers aware that this upgrade is available. If an INFORMED customer chooses to go the cheaper route then they only have themselves to blame when they have a problem.

 

[simon]

Heartland has switched to Saliun tires for BH, BC, and now Landmark will have Goodyear G114s standard. That says HL recognizes the problem and has made a change. If you buy a rig and it has TowMax, there is far too much negative publicity about these tires to assume they are ok. Change them yourself, and be glad you did it.


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Its OK to say change them myself , that is what i had to do , after only 8000 miles on them , we all see that there is a problem that could be dangerous , why are we posting all this info about the dam tires if there is no problem , HL steep UP TOWMAX steep UP i shuold not find out about this after the blowouts happended , there are to many , at least let us know of a problem , Do we not do the wright thing anymore , sticking our heads in the sand will not get this PROBLEM taken care of , Thank god i did not have a low presure and have to air up one of the bad tires as it would have zippered and could have killed me I am a mechanic and this can and does happen , I hope not but it will if some does not do something SAFETY IS # 1

 

[DRGalligher]

We purchased our BH 3055RL new in 2010 with the original TowMax tires. Knowing that we had till 2015, based on the DOT, to replace, we were going to replace them this Fall. We visually check our tires and pressure before each trip and have a TPMS system. On July 2 of this year, on our way out of town for a camping trip, one of the tires blew and did $3k worth of damage. It's still in the shop waiting on parts from Heartland. When the tire blew, we had the spare put on and went straight to a local tire shop to replace them. They said all were bad and replaced them with TowMax tires. When I questioned the brand, they said they are good tires. We took our fifth wheel next to the dealership for repair and they too said TowMax are good tires. These are E rated ST tires. We actually did well on our first set, but are you saying that we should change the new ones out too? This dealership has always been good on recommendations and tire quality and if I talk to them I bet we can get at least a credit. The rig has been sitting on these new tires since July 2.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Just say no to ST tires. About every 2 to 3 days another member post his BlowMax tire story. There are just to many to deny.

Goodyear G614 3750 at 110 psi, G114 4800 lbs @ X psi. Curl a 16 in ST, then go curl a G614 or G114. I intend to sell my remaining ST tires to my landscaper. They are more appropriate for his utility trailer.

You have to do what you have to do. I lost my first one at 1800 miles on a new unloaded rig on a shakedown cruise. I personally will never tow on TowMax, and I will never tow a 15500 lb trailer on anything less than a set of Goodyear G614 or equivalent. I personally addressed this issue by increasing the rim size to 17.5 in, by doing this there are many more selections of capable tires, I chose the Goodyear G114's, The 114's were my choice and I realize that they are expensive, but there are many more very capable tires in the 17.5 in rim size. There are many who will put up a vehement argument with my assertion that there is no 16 inch ST tire capable of performing adequately in our applications. What can be said is that there are some ST tires that are much better than other ST tires. That is as far as I'm willing to support any ST tire. There will NEVER be another ST on my rig. My damage was $2K on a brand new 2014. As far as Heartland is concerned, the have a factory, and all their engineers can do is reference provided them by suppliers. They cannot be blamed until after they become aware of the problem. My Big Country is a perfect rig, but the tires damaged it.

We purchased our BH 3055RL new in 2010 with the original TowMax tires. Knowing that we had till 2015, based on the DOT, to replace, we were going to replace them this Fall. We visually check our tires and pressure before each trip and have a TPMS system. On July 2 of this year, on our way out of town for a camping trip, one of the tires blew and did $3k worth of damage. It's still in the shop waiting on parts from Heartland. When the tire blew, we had the spare put on and went straight to a local tire shop to replace them. They said all were bad and replaced them with TowMax tires. When I questioned the brand, they said they are good tires. We took our fifth wheel next to the dealership for repair and they too said TowMax are good tires. These are E rated ST tires. We actually did well on our first set, but are you saying that we should change the new ones out too? This dealership has always been good on recommendations and tire quality and if I talk to them I bet we can get at least a credit. The rig has been sitting on these new tires since July 2.

 

[caissiel]

No ST tires for me on any trailers.

 

[1231ChaseB]

The problem with these tires is right here with people excusing HL because other manufacturers are using the same tires ! These tires aren't the problem it's HL's fault for putting them on in the first place ! Don't think for a minute that HL don't know these tires are NO good ! But as long as people excuse them for it they will keep right on using them ! It's pitiful that after spending this much money the first thing we do is replace the tires !
chaseb

 

[DRGalligher]

Just say no to ST tires. About every 2 to 3 days another member post his BlowMax tire story. There are just to many to deny.

Goodyear G614 3750 at 110 psi, G114 4800 lbs @ X psi. Curl a 16 in ST, then go curl a G614 or G114. I intend to sell my remaining ST tires to my landscaper. They are more appropriate for his utility trailer.

You have to do what you have to do. I lost my first one at 1800 miles on a new unloaded rig on a shakedown cruise. I personally will never tow on TowMax, and I will never tow a 15500 lb trailer on anything less than a set of Goodyear G614 or equivalent. I personally addressed this issue by increasing the rim size to 17.5 in, by doing this there are many more selections of capable tires, I chose the Goodyear G114's, The 114's were my choice and I realize that they are expensive, but there are many more very capable tires in the 17.5 in rim size. There are many who will put up a vehement argument with my assertion that there is no 16 inch ST tire capable of performing adequately in our applications. What can be said is that there are some ST tires that are much better than other ST tires. That is as far as I'm willing to support any ST tire. There will NEVER be another ST on my rig. My damage was $2K on a brand new 2014. As far as Heartland is concerned, the have a factory, and all their engineers can do is reference provided them by suppliers. They cannot be blamed until after they become aware of the problem. My Big Country is a perfect rig, but the tires damaged it.

Thanks for the feedback, but what accounts for our last set, the OEM set lasting 4 years?

 

[Jim.Allison]

Well it was a set manufactured at least four years ago, right.? And what are your driving habits? How many miles? What kind of trips do you make and what kind of rig do you have? Also what size TowMax do you have (there are 2 sizes of 16 inch Towmax)?


Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me!!!!!!

Thanks for the fedback, but what accounts for our last set, the OEM set lasting 4 years?

 

[DRGalligher]

Well it was a set manufactured at least four years ago, right.? And what are your driving habits? How many miles? What kind of trips do you make and what kind of rig do you have? Also what size TowMax do you have (there are 2 sizes of 16 inch Towmax)?


Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me!!!!!!

Yes, according to the DOT, they were manufactured May of 2010 (we bought our fifth wheel, new in August of 2010). So according to the "rules", we were scheduled to have them replaced May of 2015, if every 5 years is the norm. I have to say that we've never had a blowout on the five years we've had travel trailers or this fifth wheel, but this is the only one we've owned this long. Our last was closest to that at 3 years and we had to replace the tires on that one (bought it also brand new, but the tires were showing signs of crazing) just before we traded it in on this fifth wheel. Those tires were Maxxis. I know the original were Towmax, 16 inch ST but that's all I know since we don't have them. The new ones put on are ST235/80R-16/10 and the tire shop put metal stems on. I don't think we had those on the OEM's, in fact I know we didn't and we had the TST TPMS system monitors mounted. We mainly take local mountain camping trips, about 200 miles round trip and our longest trip is once a year over to Yellowstone or near Dubois, Wy from our home near Boise, Idaho. So that's about 900 miles round trip. Our local trips are about 3 - 4 times a year, with the rig sitting in our driveway, on gravel, and we cover the tires with white vinyl tire covers between trips. We've weighed our fifth wheel and, fully loaded with supplies and a full tank of water, we are close to 1,200k under in weight. We have a 2011 3055RL Bighorn, actual length of 35'5". Another point - we never drive over 60, never. We mainly keep the speed down to save on diesel. We check the tire before each trip and as noted, have the TST TPMS system.

 

[Jim.Allison]

I really got into discovering why my tire failed prematurely. I have studied this topic very thoroughly while reading all the stories on this forum concerning not only TowMax but ST tires in general. I have concluded that there are varying degrees of quality. Some ST tires can take more punishment than others but still be inadequate. It is my opinion that TowMAx fail prematurely and there are many TowMax in service. So TowMax emerges as the bad guy more than others. But when the math is considered, your 15,500 lb rig less the pin weight, come dangerously close to maxing out your OEM tires. You must build in a service factor where you currently have non. To know this subject is to read read read and read some more.

Some people will tell you that changing out your tires from the stories and no written data is acting on anecdotal evidence. While I agree that it is anecdotal evidence, so is the process denying there is a problem without data. In the end we have to wonder what is the source of the problem. Where there is smoke there is fire. Put your ST tires up for sale and address this issue on you rig before you spend a valuable weekend staring at the ripped out sied of your trailer wishing you had studied the available tires for your rig.

BTW; For your Big Horn, I would go with G614, it is a 3750 psi tire at 110 psi inflation. It will fit your current rims, you will have to double check that your rimms are rated at 3750 @110. The rating is casted into the back of your rims. You might have to take one wheel off to view it. The G614 is rated at 75 mph and recommended by goodyear for fifth wheel application.

I personally went with 17.5 inch HiSpec Rims and G114 tires. This is serious overkill for most applications. It too is a 75 MPH rated tire.

Others have chosen other tires that have solved the problem for them. I'm sure that you will get a bunch of them chiming in on the topic. Some have chosen LT tires that have a published load ratings less than the ST they replaced. It sounds like something is wrong there but there is an actual explanation for the improved service. This is not something I would do, but it works for some of the guys.

Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot run LT tires on a trailer. It is not true!!!!!! Period!!!!!! What is true is that you cannot run ST tires on anything but a trailer. To prove this to you, the G614 Goodyear is a LT tire, but it is a trailer tire. Before there were ST tires people ran LT tires on trailers all the time, what has changed? So the LT, ST, tire debate rages on. Personally, I don't really care except I really feel that I have an obligation to inform people about ST tires and the B$ surrounding them.

Hide and watch, there will be another ST victim in the HOF within short order.

 

[DRGalligher]

Thanks for the information Jim. These are brand new ST tires put on 7/2/14 and sitting at the dealership to replace the sidewall damage front the OEM blowout. I bet I could exchange them, with some price adjustment for the ones you recommend. I'm printing out this information so I can do some price shopping too. Thanks again.

 

[bigdob24]

Do any tire dealers offer a trade in on fairly new tires?
Mine has TowMax tires that have less than 3k .
I plan on talking with my insurance agent and see if they cover any damage that may occur after a blow out.
will be pricing some new tires too.
Lets hope for a recall soon.

 

[Jim.Allison]

I was just looking at my RV policy, it is so cheap and I don't have any deductible on comprehensive. My BlowMax damage was $2K and they paid all of it.

They will never tell you that they pay damage caused by a blow out because there are so many variables. It has to do with damage covered by comprehensive. So they pay for damage caused by a blowout as long as you did not cause the damage, and you acted in a manner that limited the damage.

A tire blew out, and before you could get pulled over the rubber slapped your fender a little, but you did everything you could to get pulled over as quickly as you could, you made an effort to limit the damage and the damage that did occur could not be avoided. They will pay for that damage.

But lets say that you did not pull over and you decided to limp on down the expressway to your brother in laws tire shop 5 miles up the road and along the way the tire beat the he# out of your fender and the wire from the blown tire scored your rim, and the pavement made the rim unusable. Under this condition they would not pay for your damage related to your blown tire.

Under no scenario would they pay for the tire. Only the damage caused by it. This was explained to me by my agent. And when it happened to me, they did pay. Hope this gives insite.

I would make sure I had a whole set to sell and I would sell them on craigslist, that is what I'm going to do. And I bet that there is a landscaper around town that wants those tires, but right now Im waiting for a replacement from TowMax so that I will have five complete tires with rims.

Do any tire dealers offer a trade in on fairly new tires?
Mine has TowMax tires that have less than 3k .
I plan on talking with my insurance agent and see if they cover any damage that may occur after a blow out.
will be pricing some new tires too.
Lets hope for a recall soon.

 

[JanAndBill]

Just after I had mine swapped out, I was driving down the street with the ST's in the back of the truck. Two mexicans pulling a landscaping trailer pulled up beside me. Just happened to notice the tires on the trailer were bad and that they were the same size. When we got to the next stop light I rolled my window down and managed to communicate enough with them, that I sold all 4 tires for $100.