Nasty tire blow-out

[Irv gates]

Bubbles on the inside of most of the tires I have had on my 5th wheels were the biggest problem I have had. We seem to always catch the problem before the blew.
About one year to two years is about all I could get on new trailer tires from the Get go. I have moved on to A good quality truck tire that has steel belting in the side walls and meets the load ratings I need. No more blow outs and if they do, I wont worry about my wheel wells getting torn up. Iam also using a tire alarm system which is great for montoring tire Temps and Press, etc.

[Jim Aitken]

I had a similar blowout that destroyed the 12 ft. aluminum panel. My dealer ordered a replacement from Keystone and the total cost for the panel, crating and shipping came to around $300. Then I installed it myself.

[ptpick]

I had to replace a section of skirting on my 5th wheel. Had to buy 12' length. Bought from Camping World. Cost about $100. More in shipping cost than the piece. Same color and all as the OEM. Saved the remaining since will probably have to replace another piece at sometime in my travels. Was told by my dealer to use the OE tires for 1 season and then get rid of them for US made tires. Good Year tires were my choice.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

The loss of the 2nd tire was very predictable and is a reminder to all that have a catastrophic failure. The 2nd tire was carrying nearly 100% of the load on that side of the trailer. Probably around 200% of its load carrying ability. Internal damage to that tire was fatal and, under the circumstances, that's a normal result.

Just a note: At the age of 5 years ALL automotive and trailer tires need to be inspected by your favorite tire shop. Most won't charge anything for that service if it's just an external check.

Curious about what you believe a tire shop employee could see externally on a tire that a plain ol' guy like myself could not see. I can see cracking in the side walls, dry rot or uneven treadwear.



Just to toss in an anecdote, when I bought my old 2002 trailer, it had one year old Carlisle load range E (ST225/75R-15). The spare on the back was a brand new Trailer King also same size and load rating. It obviously had never been mounted and I didn't pay attention to the date code. Since the tire had never been mounted, I just didn't pay attention; no signs of dry rot or anything else... looked perfect (to my untrained eye). A few weeks later, the tire developed a little bulge in the center of the tread. A couple days later, I thought we had been invaded by gators as there were hunks of tread all over the rear of my home parking slip. I was dumbfounded to find the tire had just blown up. I found the area with the bulge and the 10 plies of Chinese goodness had separated allowing the inner softer rubber part go push through. To think I could have put that thing on the trailer makes my blood run cold.

[tom0329]

low air pressure is to blame for that tire. You are lucky the other tire didn't go with it and roll you over.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Curious about what you believe a tire shop employee could see externally on a tire that a plain ol' guy like myself could not see. I can see cracking in the side walls, dry rot or uneven treadwear.

Experience is the key. If you have it, use it. For all others, finding experienced feedback is recommended.

Is that better?

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

Experience is the key. If you have it, use it. For all others, finding experienced feedback is recommended.

Is that better?

The benefits are obvious for someone that see's tire issues 10 times a day vs the average person who maybe see's a bad tire 10 times over a lifetime. The point is the folks trying to help typically do not know your abilities or expertise unless you share that information.

[Laredo Tugger]

Quote from Irv gates:
" I have moved on to A good quality truck tire that has steel belting in the side walls and meets the load ratings I need. No more blow outs and if they do, I wont worry about my wheel wells getting torn up."

OK,somebody throw me a bone here. Who makes this tire for trailers? I would be willing to spend more to save the wheel wells and avoid a roll over.
Thanks
RMc

[Harleydodge]

Originally Posted by Laredo Tugger

Quote from Irv gates:
" I have moved on to A good quality truck tire that has steel belting in the side walls and meets the load ratings I need. No more blow outs and if they do, I wont worry about my wheel wells getting torn up."

OK,somebody throw me a bone here. Who makes this tire for trailers? I would be willing to spend more to save the wheel wells and avoid a roll over.
Thanks
RMc

While I believe the person in that quote was referring to LT (light Truck) tires, I found the following article very informative. Everything the author says has been said at one time or another on this forum in the many various tire threads that exist, but this article puts it all together and explains things well:
https://www.moderntiredealer.com/art...rying-capacity

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by ptpick

I had to replace a section of skirting on my 5th wheel. Had to buy 12' length. Bought from Camping World. Cost about $100. More in shipping cost than the piece. Same color and all as the OEM. Saved the remaining since will probably have to replace another piece at sometime in my travels. Was told by my dealer to use the OE tires for 1 season and then get rid of them for US made tires. Good Year tires were my choice.

Had a Laredo dealer tell me the same thing, "use the OE tires for a year" then go buy good tires. As we will be headed off to Arizona from Washington in a couple weeks, I did not even wait. Installed the LRE Endurance ST's right out of the gate and sold the Goodride LRD's for 200 bucks on CL in a day.

There are only two ST tires I would consider at this point. The Goodyear Endurance and the Providers.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-W.../TR225LRE.html

The Goodyear's are available at tire dealers across the country. Discount Tire had them in stock. A mail order tire would create a larger service problem if it came to that. I am sure that some tire dealers stock the Providers, however the Goodyear Endurance should be much easier to find. Chris

[leathermanls]

Originally Posted by Mandersoon

Hi all,

I was traveling from the Pacific Northwest out to the Midwest with my Mountaineer last week. On day one, I had a pretty bad blow-out that took a lot of the siding and insulation around the wheel-well with it. On day two, the second tire on that side blew as well, though fortunately, did not disintegrate like the first.

My primary question to the group is - any suggestions for where to procure a matching piece of sheet metal to repair the side skirting? I found one resource online that sells a match in 12 foot lengths, but at $290 a pop, that seems a bit unreasonable to me.


Also, as for the failure of the tires, I've come to the conclusion that the tires failed as a result of UV damage. This trailer sat for a couple years with the previous owner with direct southern exposure and no tire covers. I learned a lesson that UV damage is real, and can damage the rubber very rapidly!

We had the exact same thing happen to us. Yes, we had to pay over $200 for the sheet metal. We bought these tires, Taskmaster Provider ST235/85R16 Load Range G - 5 tires cost $900.

They call those tires China bombs because there is no nylon mesh holding the tread to the sidewall. The tread separates and acts like a whip and destroys everything. Also note ST tires are normally not supposed to go over 55 MPH. The Provider tires we bought are rated for 70 MPH. Many people switch to light truck tires but since we have bought the Provider tires we have had no incidents. They blew out 3 times prior to buying the Provider tires. Our blowout also damaged the LP gas line so be sure to check for additional damage.

[Mandersoon]

Originally Posted by tom0329

low air pressure is to blame for that tire. You are lucky the other tire didn't go with it and roll you over.

If you're referring to my blow-out, I had just checked the tires that morning, and each tire was 80psi, or just shy (78 or greater)

[ron130fe]

Can someone please recommend a GOOD TMPS system. I’ve heard both good and bad systems out there but not any experienced use.

[Bolo4u]

Originally Posted by ron130fe

Can someone please recommend a GOOD TMPS system. I’ve heard both good and bad systems out there but not any experienced use.

I use the Tire Minder (Minder research) smart tpms system. It uses an app on your phone to connect to the system. The kit comes with a booster, Bluetooth repeater(?) and 4 sensors for each tire. You can add more if you want. I found mine used (open box) on eBay last year for about $200

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by ron130fe

Can someone please recommend a GOOD TMPS system. I’ve heard both good and bad systems out there but not any experienced use.

TST 507, I have 10 sensors (truck & 5er) that have worked flawlessly for over 5 years, user replaceable batteries & no booster needed. Whatever brand you choose be sure each wheel has steel valve stems, with rubber you'll be testing the new system very often til all the stems are replaced, the weight of the sensors will break the rubber stems.

[sourdough]

I use the TST 507 as well. Works great and haven't had any issues.

[busterbrown]

I use an EEz RV Tire system. Already saved us a blown tire (and possible coach damage) as we picked up a screw on the highway earlier in the season. The TPMS low pressure alarm sounded at 60 psi. By the time the rig was stopped, the TPMS was showing 40 PSI on the effected tire.. Off went the flat and on went the spare. Got to our camping destination and had a reputable tire service center fix the flat. Cost me $20 total and about 30 minutes of my time. $300 wisely vested.

[Bolo4u]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

TST 507, I have 10 sensors (truck & 5er) that have worked flawlessly for over 5 years, user replaceable batteries & no booster needed. Whatever brand you choose be sure each wheel has steel valve stems, with rubber you'll be testing the new system very often til all the stems are replaced, the weight of the sensors will break the rubber stems.

The booster for the tire Minder is an option. On longer trailers it just helps get the signal to the cab more efficiently

[AJFoyt]

I have been an RV’er pulling horses in a 4 stall Platnium 12 Ft short wall gooseneck RV for many years. We got some great advice early on after having a sidewall failure. Buy Michelin XPS radials. They have the best sidewall construction and have proven to be well worth the extra cost. Living in Texas heat and exposed to the sun all the time. Heavy loads like horses put a lot of weight on dual axle trailers. Anytime you hit a curb when turning the sidewalls are compromised. These tires are the only ones built to handle these issues.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by AJFoyt

I have been an RV’er pulling horses in a 4 stall Platnium 12 Ft short wall gooseneck RV for many years. We got some great advice early on after having a sidewall failure. Buy Michelin XPS radials. They have the best sidewall construction and have proven to be well worth the extra cost. Living in Texas heat and exposed to the sun all the time. Heavy loads like horses put a lot of weight on dual axle trailers. Anytime you hit a curb when turning the sidewalls are compromised. These tires are the only ones built to handle these issues.

The Bridgestone Duravis R250 is in the same league. I have used both. Chris