New tires and an OEM surprise.

[German Shepherd Guy]

So today I put on my new Goodyear Endurance tires.

Background, in November I bought a new 26RBPR. Brought it home the 65 miles and parked it in the pole barn until today.

After reading what Sourdough (Danny) and John had to say about tires I decided to replace the "new" OEM tires that came with the unit. Rainier 205/75R14. I went with 215/75R14 from Goodyear as they increased the load rating of the tires as well as going from a C to a D.
The OEM tires had less than 500 miles on them. (The dealer had pulled the unit to Grand Junction for an RV show). My unit came off of the assembly line in early 2018. Surprise the tires had a manufacturer date of 2nd week in 2016. Seriously. Now I have learned from this site that tires just sitting degrade by a fairly good percentage each year, the load bearing qualities degrade. The OEM tires when NEW would support the trailer and no room for error. They were two years old when they went on my trailer from the factory, meaning they were somewhere shy of 14% of being able to support the load of my trailer. No wonder I have read of people having major blowouts with new OEM tires. I love our new 26RBPR. I have done a lot of upgrades while it sat thanks in large part to the great information on this list, but really Keystone, have some pride. I am going to write the company just to bend their ear, not that I expect anything, but when the folks here on this list who know advise tire upgrades, they are not fooling.


Oak

[bobbecky]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

So today I put on my new Goodyear Endurance tires.

Background, in November I bought a new 26RBPR. Brought it home the 65 miles and parked it in the pole barn until today.

After reading what Sourdough (Danny) and John had to say about tires I decided to replace the "new" OEM tires that came with the unit. Rainier 205/75R14. I went with 215/75R14 from Goodyear as they increased the load rating of the tires as well as going from a C to a D.
The OEM tires had less than 500 miles on them. (The dealer had pulled the unit to Grand Junction for an RV show). My unit came off of the assembly line in early 2018. Surprise the tires had a manufacturer date of 2nd week in 2016. Seriously. Now I have learned from this site that tires just sitting degrade by a fairly good percentage each year, the load bearing qualities degrade. The OEM tires when NEW would support the trailer and no room for error. They were two years old when they went on my trailer from the factory, meaning they were somewhere shy of 14% of being able to support the load of my trailer. No wonder I have read of people having major blowouts with new OEM tires. I love our new 26RBPR. I have done a lot of upgrades while it sat thanks in large part to the great information on this list, but really Keystone, have some pride. I am going to write the company just to bend their ear, not that I expect anything, but when the folks here on this list who know advise tire upgrades, they are not fooling.


Oak

Don't forget that the rig was towed from the factory to your dealer, and there is no telling how far or fast the rig was towed on those OEM tires.

[Gegrad]

Good, glad you were able to get them replaced! Now you can sell the old ones to someone who just needs a set of tires for a lawnmower trailer or something more light duty. Always someone looking for a set of tires like that around this time of year. Should be able to get at least $100- 150 for the set of 4 (or 5).

[Retired Copper]

Yep one of the most over looked things when purchasing a towable RV. Mine were rated a couple of hundred pounds over GVW and they where almost a year old when the trailer was built. Not much cushion.

[Just chillin]

Great minds think alike. Like you I bought a 26RBPR in November and swapped out the ranier’s for the larger endurance. I did the swap myself and it was amazing how much thicker and stiffer the sidewall was on the Goodyear. My trailer was made on 8-2-18 and the tires were made in May of 18. I replaced the steel spare tire wheel with a matching aluminum one. Like to have never found one. We have made one trip and the tires seem awesome.

[Ken / Claudia]

Back in 2003, I purchased a new TT that was a left over 2002. It was to be parked on beach property and a guest place. I got a great deal, the dealer was half way from home to beach. Upon inspection PDI and purchase, I noted 2 tires where really low. I mentioned that and have them inflated and the other things needed done before I picked it up 2 weeks later. The trailer was cleaned up, everything fixed, trailer was moved across the several acre lot and the tires were still low. 1 was flat the other just enough air to show 10 lbs as I recall.
I checked them with my gauge. Lot guy filled them up.
I actually drove to a tire dealer 5 miles away and paid them to inspect the tires before pulling it 80 miles on highways. They said they were OK.
How many times can a dealer drag or pull a RV across their lot with flat tires before they are damaged and the buyer may never know. Or what about the psi as the delivery guy pulls it across how many miles.

[FlyingAroundRV]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

I am going to write the company just to bend their ear, not that I expect anything ...


Oak

From what I understand, the trailer chassis are made by either BAL or Lippert. They would be the ones who would have put 2 year old tires on your trailer, not Keystone.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by FlyingAroundRV

From what I understand, the trailer chassis are made by either BAL or Lippert. They would be the ones who would have put 2 year old tires on your trailer, not Keystone.

Keystone signed the certification label. It says;

"This vehicle conforms to all applicable U.S. Federal motor vehicle safety, bumper, and theft prevention standards in effect on the date of manufacture."

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by FlyingAroundRV

From what I understand, the trailer chassis are made by either BAL or Lippert. They would be the ones who would have put 2 year old tires on your trailer, not Keystone.

Nope. As you can see from these photos, the chassis comes in "stacked 5 high" with no axles/wheels/tires. The chassis is pushed into the plant inverted where the axles, tires and wheels are installed at the first line position and the trailer is then turned "upright, with wheels down" on rollers to move to station #2.

[larryflew]

Lionshead sells most of the tires and wheels to the mfg. So even if it is a Lippert axle etc it still isn't their tire and wheel. They only sell to rv mfg. One of their distribution centers is in town and covers about 6 square blocks.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by larryflew

Lionshead sells most of the tires and wheels to the mfg. So even if it is a Lippert axle etc it still isn't their tire and wheel. They only sell to rv mfg. One of their distribution centers is in town and covers about 6 square blocks.

Doesn't absolve Keystone. By Law it is the responsibility of the manufacturer (Keystone) to select appropriate parts - Tires & wheels - And to identify the inflation needed in those tires that allows 110% of GAWR if they affix the RVIA certification sticker.
I would really challenge Keystone on Bait and switch if they simply removed the RVIA sticker as it would be reasonable to claim you considered that sticker as proof the RV met some minimum safety & quality standards.
How can they justify AFTER THE FACT that the RV did not provide the safety features as advertised? You can go and look at the EVIS requirements and decide if they have some meaning or not.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Doesn't absolve Keystone. By Law it is the responsibility of the manufacturer (Keystone) to select appropriate parts - Tires & wheels - And to identify the inflation needed in those tires that allows 110% of GAWR if they affix the RVIA certification sticker.
I would really challenge Keystone on Bait and switch if they simply removed the RVIA sticker as it would be reasonable to claim you considered that sticker as proof the RV met some minimum safety & quality standards.
How can they justify AFTER THE FACT that the RV did not provide the safety features as advertised? You can go and look at the EVIS requirements and decide if they have some meaning or not.

I am curious..and probably not an expert. Is there a "law" requiring tires to have 110% capacity over gawr on an rv or is that just an rvia stipulation - and if they affix the sticker did they legally commit an offense...or just a violation of the rvia standards? By the wording of the post I am assuming that it is a violation of "law", I assume federal, to affix an rvia sticker but not then meet, in some form, those standards? I would be interested to see, read, those particular federal guidelines. Not implying that they aren't there, just didn't know that rvia standards were federal law. Not arguing or anything else; just interested in the background for all of our edification. Thanks.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

I decided to replace the "new" OEM tires that came with the unit. Rainier 205/75R14. I went with 215/75R14 from Goodyear as they increased the load rating of the tires as well as going from a C to a D.

Oak

IMO, that action would/could void any tire, wheel or chassis factory warranty claims should those tires fail or cause a problem in those areas, if it stopped just there. Other areas could be related.

I know, that's pretty petty but it's factual. Without someone's approval for that action you failed to protect yourself. The Keystone owner's manual clearly states an owner must seek approval before changing designated tire sizes.

Wheel tire assemblies seldom cause problems that would trigger an in depth investigation. BUT, they do happen. (Those new tires do not conform to the same load inflation chart as the OEM tires).

[German Shepherd Guy]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

IMO, that action would/could void any tire, wheel or chassis factory warranty claims should those tires fail or cause a problem in those areas, if it stopped just there. Other areas could be related.

I know, that's pretty petty but it's factual. Without someone's approval for that action you failed to protect yourself. The Keystone owner's manual clearly states an owner must seek approval before changing designated tire sizes.

Wheel tire assemblies seldom cause problems that would trigger an in depth investigation. BUT, they do happen. (Those new tires do not conform to the same load inflation chart as the OEM tires).

Undoubtedly true but I think I will take my chances. I live so rural that a blowout and the resulting trailer damage, though maybe covered by warranty with the OEM tires would still be catastrophic.



Warranties. by and large, apply to folks who live near cities and can afford the time to deal with the manufacturer. Thanks CW, I do appreciate the thought and information though.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

IMO, that action would/could void any tire, wheel or chassis factory warranty claims should those tires fail or cause a problem in those areas, if it stopped just there. Other areas could be related.

I know, that's pretty petty but it's factual. Without someone's approval for that action you failed to protect yourself. The Keystone owner's manual clearly states an owner must seek approval before changing designated tire sizes.

Wheel tire assemblies seldom cause problems that would trigger an in depth investigation. BUT, they do happen. (Those new tires do not conform to the same load inflation chart as the OEM tires).

Any idea what the length of the warranty is on the OE tires? I wonder how many people have ever received any meaningful compensation from the RV company or tire importer when they have a failure.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Any idea what the length of the warranty is on the OE tires? I wonder how many people have ever received any meaningful compensation from the RV company or tire importer when they have a failure.

When replacing something that is not supported by a manufacturer's approval removes any possibility of responsibility on their part.

[HIDE-EE]

Is it possible to get a load rate higher than E on a 15 inch rim? Or with a current rim/tire combo with E tires would the rim not be rated for G tires ( if available) I was reading about the Goodyear endurance after seeing this post and others, marking me think about my tires. Currently have st225/75R15E on 5er with 11400 gvrw oem tire can’t remember the brand at the moment. The Goodyear puts me close to the gvrw, I know the trailer doesn’t hold all the weight but like many of you I would rather have more tire than I need. Any thoughts and opinions will be appreciated

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by HIDE-EE

Is it possible to get a load rate higher than E on a 15 inch rim?

The only one I know of is the all steel constructed ST225/75R15 LRF Tow-Master ASC from Greenball. They provide 3195# of load capacity @ 95 PSI and have a 81 MPH speed rating.

https://www.greenball.com/brands/gre...tow-master-asc

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

The only one I know of is the all steel constructed ST225/75R15 LRF Tow-Master ASC from Greenball. They provide 3195# of load capacity @ 95 PSI and have a 81 MPH speed rating.

https://www.greenball.com/brands/gre...tow-master-asc

Good info CW.


We also need to remind folks to check the inflation & load rating of the OE wheels before they upgrade their tires. Doesn't do much good to go to LR-E or LR-F on tires if you don't run the LR-E or LR-F inflation and I doubt that there are OE rims rated for 95 psi.

[Stumpy75]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Good info CW.


We also need to remind folks to check the inflation & load rating of the OE wheels before they upgrade their tires. Doesn't do much good to go to LR-E or LR-F on tires if you don't run the LR-E or LR-F inflation and I doubt that there are OE rims rated for 95 psi.

I had to pull a wheel to find the rating code for the rim. It was on the back of the rim, and could not be seen without taking off the tire. Mine, on my Outback 21TSR, were rated to 80psi, so I ended up with Endurance LR-D tires. Still an upgrade from the originals(where I found a bulge in the sidewall of one tire after 2 years).