Wheel blowout worries

[B&T_NF-NY]

Hello, very happy owner of Springdale 2200 mb. Our good friend just got a new TT - Keystone Hideout, and is worried about wheel blowout. He said that other TTs he looked at had a wheel well protective shield. He is interested in adding something to his rv to shield against tire shrapnel. Any thoughts on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I have tire pressure / Temp monitors (tireminder) and informed him that keeping check on the status of the tires is the best option. Thanks for your time. B&T from Niagara Falls, NY

[busterbrown]

I think mitigation of a tire blowout is the better solution than a response to a blowout. The OEM rubber that came on his coach has a poor reputation. They're referred to as "China bombs" for a reason. There are much better brands in the marketplace that RV'ers choose over those that the manufacturer's mount on the axles. With that said, going up on the load rating of the his tire size is another way to provide a safe towing experience.

$500 dollars spent on new set of quality tires with a higher load rating is better insurance over fabricating a stiffer wheel well. YMMV.

[bobbecky]

If the tires are rated ST, slow down. They are normally rated to run less than 65 MPH, and even slower is better. The next thing is putting better tires on, and unless you have 16 inch wheels, your tire options are somewhat limited. Goodyear came out recently with a USA made trailer tire that is supposed to be much better than what was available, called the Endurance. Might be worth looking at. https://simpletire.com/goodyear-205-...5N%20724864519
With 16 inch wheels, there is also the Goodyear G614 and the Sailun S637, which are both 14 ply rated all steel trailer tires. There are other options for all sizes, it just takes research before you buy.

[sourdough]

With the Hideout I'm assuming he's running 15 inch tires. His worries about damage can be mitigated in a couple of ways; upgrade the load range, if he's running D he needs to run E. If he's running OEM tires (China bombs) remove them, they carry too much risk for failure.

After that, meticulous attention the tire inflation, condition etc. is key. Keep speeds in line with the limits. Buy a TPMS for the trailer. Trying to rebuild the wheel wells is sort of useless. Stop the problem before it happens.

[Tinner12002]

In answer to the OPs question, you could cut a pc of alum treadplate of 3/16" thickness and attach that against the floor above the tires. One or more may be required per side based on the bracing location from the frame to the outer wall. You could glue, screw and strap the alum up to help hold it in place.

[B&T_NF-NY]

Thanks to all for your help. I will pass on the information you have been so kind to share. Did a lot of research for my 2017 TT, gone over all the seals, caulked areas, prepped and painted the gas lines etc. but assumed that the tires supplied by the manufacturer would be suitable as long as I closely monitored the condition of them. I have the Sterling sport st's on mine too. I will definitely keep under the rated limits on the tires and for now keep on using them (only about 900 miles on them) as I understand, around 3 years are about what I should expect from them. Thanks once again for your help, will pass on any updates on the tires as they happen. . . . Bruce and Tina

[Frank G]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

If the tires are rated ST, slow down. They are normally rated to run less than 65 MPH, and even slower is better. The next thing is putting better tires on, and unless you have 16 inch wheels, your tire options are somewhat limited. Goodyear came out recently with a USA made trailer tire that is supposed to be much better than what was available, called the Endurance. Might be worth looking at. https://simpletire.com/goodyear-205-...5N%20724864519
With 16 inch wheels, there is also the Goodyear G614 and the Sailun S637, which are both 14 ply rated all steel trailer tires. There are other options for all sizes, it just takes research before you buy.

Times are changing, The Provider Tires that came on our Laredo are "M" Speed Rated @ 81MPH. I do not know of any ST tires on todays units that are rated below 65MPH I may be wrong.

[Ken / Claudia]

My opinion, you can spend a lot of time and money trying to make the wheel wells bullet proof. But, how is that really going to work out? Those tires blowing apart at high speed will cause damage. Insurance will take care of that. Get a TPMS and better tires, if so the likely it will happen is much lower.

[Alpine]

Originally Posted by B&T_NF-NY

Thanks to all for your help. I will pass on the information you have been so kind to share. Did a lot of research for my 2017 TT, gone over all the seals, caulked areas, prepped and painted the gas lines etc. but assumed that the tires supplied by the manufacturer would be suitable as long as I closely monitored the condition of them. I have the Sterling sport st's on mine too. I will definitely keep under the rated limits on the tires and for now keep on using them (only about 900 miles on them) as I understand, around 3 years are about what I should expect from them. Thanks once again for your help, will pass on any updates on the tires as they happen. . . . Bruce and Tina

That is almost word for word what I too said... and at about 3500 miles she blew rubber and wire all over the Interstate! We had just pulled out of a Rest Area for a nice break... walked around check the tires etc. etc. not 1-mile after getting up to my 65 mph, well pictures are worth a thousand words...

[CWtheMan]

OEM tire failures are not brand or design related.

Finger pointing at the results without troubleshooting the cause gives no real clue to the root problem.

We see a lot of pictures of blown tires. Most include a tire tread separation. Any trained tire expert can pinpoint the cause of a tread separation when they have what remains from the tread and carcass. Material failures will always prompt a recall action. How many have been initiated? Very few.

OEM tire fitments have a high percentage of failures for numerous reasons. Some just don’t have any, or enough load capacity reserves.

RV trailer owners are somewhat lackadaisical about tire maintenance. Until?

Ask yourself, how well balanced is my trailer? Is its weight evenly distributed across all axles? Where is it located? Evenly across the axles or heavy right or left or just heavy on a single axle end? Until you know the answer to those questions you’re always flirting with potential early tire failures, especial if you’re carrying nearly a full load.

When the inflation pressure in a tire is not sufficient to support the weight it’s carrying it’s going to degrade. Tire damage is cumulative and is most often not recognizable.

This is a common occurrence with RV trailer tire fitments. I’m just going to pick this one because it’s in the middle of the pack. Trailer has two 5000# GAWR axles, certified by the vehicle manufacturer. Each are fitted with two 2540# maximum load capacity tires with a recommended cold inflation pressure of 65 PSI. Perfectly legal according to FMVSS fitment standards for RV trailers. Keystone does not stand alone there, they all do it. It’s all about the cost. The next load range on that tire would provide 2830# of load capacity at 80 PSI and be above the 10% reserve load capacity recommended by RVIA. That fitment would probably be less than $7 per tire/wheel fitment.

NOTE: Don’t overlook the importance of valve stem replacement when replacing your tires. They are also a safety item that are often recalled for seal failures. Bolt ins are recommended for RV wheels.

[SummitPond]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

... Some just don’t have any, or enough load capacity reserves. ... The next load range on that tire would provide 2830# of load capacity at 80 PSI and be above the 10% reserve load capacity recommended by RVIA. That fitment would probably be less than $7 per tire/wheel fitment. ...

CW

So, should the standard be modified? If so, what can we, as end-users, do to convince RVIA this should be done?

Ken

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

OEM tire failures are not brand or design related.

Finger pointing at the results without troubleshooting the cause gives no real clue to the root problem.

We see a lot of pictures of blown tires. Most include a tire tread separation. Any trained tire expert can pinpoint the cause of a tread separation when they have what remains from the tread and carcass. Material failures will always prompt a recall action. How many have been initiated? Very few.

OEM tire fitments have a high percentage of failures for numerous reasons. Some just don’t have any, or enough load capacity reserves.

RV trailer owners are somewhat lackadaisical about tire maintenance. Until?

Ask yourself, how well balanced is my trailer? Is its weight evenly distributed across all axles? Where is it located? Evenly across the axles or heavy right or left or just heavy on a single axle end? Until you know the answer to those questions you’re always flirting with potential early tire failures, especial if you’re carrying nearly a full load.

When the inflation pressure in a tire is not sufficient to support the weight it’s carrying it’s going to degrade. Tire damage is cumulative and is most often not recognizable.

This is a common occurrence with RV trailer tire fitments. I’m just going to pick this one because it’s in the middle of the pack. Trailer has two 5000# GAWR axles, certified by the vehicle manufacturer. Each are fitted with two 2540# maximum load capacity tires with a recommended cold inflation pressure of 65 PSI. Perfectly legal according to FMVSS fitment standards for RV trailers. Keystone does not stand alone there, they all do it. It’s all about the cost. The next load range on that tire would provide 2830# of load capacity at 80 PSI and be above the 10% reserve load capacity recommended by RVIA. That fitment would probably be less than $7 per tire/wheel fitment.

NOTE: Don’t overlook the importance of valve stem replacement when replacing your tires. They are also a safety item that are often recalled for seal failures. Bolt ins are recommended for RV wheels.

CW I agree with most of what you say... Here are my "but's).
OEM tires failures are not brand specific?..but.. where's the data to support that? I confess that you are vastly more informed on this subject so I'd love to read the study on this as I haven't seen anyone posting issues with some of the other OEM brands.
Trained ...can tell what caused failure..but how many people just replace the tires?
Material Failure always spurn recall? ...but..I would hazard to guess the vast majority of these failed tires end up in a landfill. The manufacturer and NTSB don't see them. Material failure...but..what about manufacturing errors? I agree that the failures should brought to the governments attention, I question why insurance companies don't do this..but.. I suppose it's because most damages caused by tire failures end up with the tire being disposed. Tire failures on trailers rarely end up in fatalities unlike failures on motor vehicles (remember the early steel belt radials?)
Lackadasical maintenance...but.. Do these people change their ways when they replace tires? Do they weigh individual wheels to ensure equal loading?Some may, but, there's no way to quantify that with data. Troubleshooting
Finger pointing without troubleshooting... But.. When this happens with such high frequency I think most posters are just relaying their experiences. The tire issues have been discussed ad nauseum here and it seems to me replying without diagnosis equates to folks raising their hands saying yup, it happened to me to.
I completely agree that most of these tires are on the edge of capacity and when replaced are upgraded ..but.. my gut feeling is many who add that capacity will also add more weight because now they can..but.. again no imperial evidence just, observing human nature.
I apologize for taking up yet more storage space on the forums server on the tire subject but I'm seeking more hard evidence on this subject as it is a constantly discussed topic.

[Frank G]

The RV industry clams they are producing over 600,000 units annually. If you figure 4 tires per vehicle as average, that amounts to 2,400,000 tires. A lot of the tire failures we read about on this and other forums are REPEATE posts covering many years. A half dozen or so repeat posters can skew the true failure rate and fellow members judgement. Everything has risks and failure rates, uncovering these risks and failure rates is the real challenge. One needs to know the true numbers to make intelligent decisions.

It is my belief that the industry is improving the tire issue by providing better written documentation on tire care and also demanding a better tire. I may be wrong, time will tell. Like I have stated before the Provider Tires that came on my 2017 are "M" speed rated @ 81MPH. that is an improvement. Are there better tires to be had, absolutely. I would like to see Disc Brakes and upgraded tires as an option on all unites over 10,000 lb GVW.

[ChuckS]

If it were my RV and it had any E rated tire on it and my weight was 10K or higher I’d have the highest load rating tire I could fit on the rig... Trailer King anything is just junk, as is Towmax...

A 14 ply G rated tire on proper wheels rated to handle max cold inflation would be best and safest bet...

And times might be changing but I will never tow my Alpine over 65 mph regardless of what the new tire ratings say..

It just pushing the edge of being safe and why all the hurry to get there quicker anyways...

And no I don’t run GY, Saliun, or Maxis... I run a G rated 14 ply Chinese tire sold by Les Schwab at 110 psi cold and tow with a peace of mind.

[Frank G]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

If it were my RV and it had any E rated tire on it and my weight was 10K or higher I’d have the highest load rating tire I could fit on the rig... Trailer King anything is just junk, as is Towmax...

A 14 ply G rated tire on proper wheels rated to handle max cold inflation would be best and safest bet...

And times might be changing but I will never tow my Alpine over 65 mph regardless of what the new tire ratings say..

It just pushing the edge of being safe and why all the hurry to get there quicker anyways...

And no I don’t run GY, Saliun, or Maxis... I run a G rated 14 ply Chinese tire sold by Les Schwab at 110 psi cold and tow with a peace of mind.

I forgive you for accusing me of pulling my unit at 81MPh.

[mazboy]

Answer. 1. Upgrade tjres
2. Have good insurance

[bill-e]

Originally Posted by mazboy

Answer. 1. Upgrade tjres
2. Have good insurance

Speaking of insurance, I called GEICO about tire damage coverage. I was told that if the tire blows because you hit something then all related damage is covered under comprehensive. Anything else is considered poor user maintenance and not covered.

[JRTJH]

I'm all over the internet, usually on a daily basis, and I've NEVER seen any statistical data from the government, from independent research agencies or from tire companies that detail the "5W's" on ST tire failure (who, what, when, where, why). That data, if it is available, is not to be found by the consumer. So, what's a trailer owner to do?

My take on it is listen to the owners of trailers who have had failures. When the overwhelming majority of them list one or two brands, to me, that's a "hint" that I don't want to invest in those brands.... When owners give their experiences that are positive about specific brands, I typically "catalog that away in the gray matter" and use it when I'm next making choices about that product. So, when 20 or 30 people in the past year say they had blowouts with ST tires from XXX manufacturer, I'm not going to buy that guy's tires.... Same with almost anything else.

If you can find any "reliable statistical data" on ST tire failures, please share the location of that information. Until then, at least for me, I'll avoid the tire brands that have a "bad reputation" on this forum as confirmed on other RV related forums. YMMV

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by bill-e

Speaking of insurance, I called GEICO about tire damage coverage. I was told that if the tire blows because you hit something then all related damage is covered under comprehensive. Anything else is considered poor user maintenance and not covered.

When my tire blew Gieco didn't ask that question nor did the adjuster as far as I know. He just looked at the damage and wrote a $69xx check. I suppose, if they were LOOKING for a way to deny the claim, they could get into that but my adjuster didn't. They don't pay for the tire, just the damage less deductible.

[Kylemcmahon1]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

If it were my RV and it had any E rated tire on it and my weight was 10K or higher I’d have the highest load rating tire I could fit on the rig... Trailer King anything is just junk, as is Towmax...

A 14 ply G rated tire on proper wheels rated to handle max cold inflation would be best and safest bet...

And times might be changing but I will never tow my Alpine over 65 mph regardless of what the new tire ratings say..

It just pushing the edge of being safe and why all the hurry to get there quicker anyways...

And no I don’t run GY, Saliun, or Maxis... I run a G rated 14 ply Chinese tire sold by Les Schwab at 110 psi cold and tow with a peace of mind.

I agree with what you are saying about going to a g rated tire. I have a tt with a gvwr of 11000. It come with 15 inch wheels. My tire guy and I tried to fit 16 inch wheels with a proper size tire that is g rated. They would not fit. So please tell me where to find a g rated tire in size 225/75 r15. You will not find anything rated higher than a e rated in or around that size. There is not always an option to get a higher rated tire due to design of RV.