Why tires fail.

[tireman9]

In my RV tire blog I extensively cover proper tire maintenance but many seem to prefer posting info on their tire failures on RV forums. However here is a summary.

Tires fail from two basic causes.

Low air pressure
and/or
Long term degradation of the rubber usually from excess heat.

Low pressure (active leak from puncture or loose valve stem or valve core are most common reasons) can lead to a Sidewall Flex failure or more commonly called a "Blowout". The sidewall cord can melt (polyester) or fatigue (steel). Many TT owners fail to realize that they will never "feel" the results of a tire loosing air till it is too late and they are surprised when the sidewall lets go. The rapid air loss "bang" even when the tire only has about 10 to 20 psi in it, is a big surprise IF they even hear it. [moderator edit] A TPMS can provide warning of air loss so is good insurance and can easily pay for itself.

The long term degradation of the rubber at the edges of the belts can lead to a belt and/or tread separation. Even if the tire keeps its air you can have this type of failure so a TPMS will not provide a warning. This degradation comes with age as rubber is always loosing flexibility. Just think of those rubber bands you found in the back of the desk drawer. Even in cool and dark they got brittle. HOWEVER running at or near or above the load capacity of a tire will result in increased heat generation. Increased heat actually can accelerate the aging process with a doubling of the rate each increase on 18F. Running a margin of at least 15% between capacity and measured load is a good first step. Running at higher speed will also generate excess heat.

Realizing that over half of the RVs on the road have one or more tire in overload is one main contributor to the high tire failure rate. Simply thinking that a tire will fail because the tire plant building is painted blue rather than green is not logical.

Buying the lowest cost "no-name" tires is IMO a major contributor to poor results. If the main objective is the lowest cost tire why would anyone be surprised with short tire life.
Just paying more however is no guarantee of better quality. I believe the best tool available is comparing Warranty and service support.

Can you get multi year warranty on the tires? Is it possible to get Road Hazard coverage? Is there a nationwide network of dealers who stock the brand you are considering?

 

[Gary521]

In your second to last paragraph, you said something about a "low cost -no name tire" as a contributor to poor performance ( or something like that ). For the longest time, we all have complained about a "low cost - no name tire" ( one that came from the Heartland plant ). I seem to recall that some people said that this is not possible to just have a crummy tire but it must be failing to abuse and overloading.

 

[kowAlski631]

In your second to last paragraph, you said something about a "low cost -no name tire" as a contributor to poor performance ( or something like that ). For the longest time, we all have complained about a "low cost - no name tire" ( one that came from the Heartland plant ). I seem to recall that some people said that this is not possible to just have a crummy tire but it must be failing to abuse and overloading.

We need a like or thumbs up button. Oh wait, we do! Didn't work.

 

[TravelTiger]

In your second to last paragraph, you said something about a "low cost -no name tire" as a contributor to poor performance ( or something like that ). For the longest time, we all have complained about a "low cost - no name tire" ( one that came from the Heartland plant ). I seem to recall that some people said that this is not possible to just have a crummy tire but it must be failing to abuse and overloading.

It's a contributor, but not the only reason a tire fails. If the tire is "marginal" to begin with and then folks hit curbs and potholes, run it faster than the speed rating, and unknowingly overload it, the tire will degrade that much sooner.

We tend to forget that even if we treated our tires right from the day we owned them, we don't really know their history before we owned it. (Transport from the factory, dealers taking them to shows, rigs sitting with low tires and flats in the lot, etc.)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dave10a]

This is not an easy subject for the layman which most of us are when it comes to tires. The OP article is a good one. The suspension on trailers are marginal at best and the tires the mfg selects are not better. My trailer was not set up for long distance high milage travel when I purchased it. However, it did have the optional tire upgrade to Goodyear which have served me well. The suspension is another story and I hope Heartland RV's will offer suspension upgrades for people that actually travel long distances. I see the new Landmarks are making progress, but I can't tow one with my SRW TV.