Carlisle Tire Blowout

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i just had a blowout on one my tires which is less than two years old. When i googled Carlisle Tires looking for a replacement I found tons of horrible reviews that these tires should be recalled and removed from all trailers. Several reviews mentioned blowouts on multiple tires within the first year of use. Any experience this or have any recommended replacement brands. My size is ST225/75D15

2008 Keystone Springdale 296BHSSR

[Festus2]

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You might try phoning Carlisle at 1-800- 260-7959 to see if there was a recall on these size tires and if so, you should be considered for a replacement. I believe there has been a recall on a certain size of Carlisle due to a faulty valve -- not sure about other recalls. In view of previous problems with Carlisle tires, I would suggest replacing them as soon as you can - but not Carlisles --- even if they offer you replacements.
Other members will be able to suggest a better quality tire(s) for you.

[Flyguy]

I just put on a set of "H188" brand tires and I'm happy with them so far. The size I have is ST205/75D14. Your size is here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-Trailer-Tires-ST-225-75D15-H78-15-ST225-75D15-15-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem5193c7795aQQitemZ35037 1674458QQptZMotorsQ5fRVQ5fTrailerQ5fCamperQ5fParts Q5fAccessories I have 2000 miles on my tires so far. I also like the K550 tires found here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4712.m2000054&item=150518117431&viewitem=
All of these tires are bias ply ST type (D) tires. My Passport OEM tires came with bias ply tires, the next year (2009) they started putting radials on them. I prefer the bias ply tire for two reasons: 1) they help to control sway because of the stiffer sidewall. 2) they have nylon belts and I feel won't do as much damage as steel belted radials in the case of a blowout. JMO Between the bias plys and the Reese dual cam hitch the trailer rides rock steady behind me! One down side to nylon tires is that they will "flat spot" when sitting for a prolong period of time and you can feel that when towing but they smooth out after about 5 or 10 miles. I'll take that minor disadvantage for all the positives, JMO.

[CWtheMan]

i just had a blowout on one my tires which is less than two years old. When i googled Carlisle Tires looking for a replacement I found tons of horrible reviews that these tires should be recalled and removed from all trailers. Several reviews mentioned blowouts on multiple tires within the first year of use. Any experience this or have any recommended replacement brands. My size is ST225/75D15

2008 Keystone Springdale 296BHSSR

The Carlisle tire warranty is one of the shortest In the industry - two years from date of purchase. ( http://www.carlisletire.com/warranty/warranty.pdf ).

The use of radial tires on your trailer is going to be much more highly recommended than the bias belted tire. If your wheels are rated for the 80 psi required for the LRE tire you can move on up and gain some much needed extra load capacity which is always a good move.

CW

[Jim W]

i just had a blowout on one my tires which is less than two years old. When i googled Carlisle Tires looking for a replacement I found tons of horrible reviews that these tires should be recalled and removed from all trailers. Several reviews mentioned blowouts on multiple tires within the first year of use. Any experience this or have any recommended replacement brands. My size is ST225/75D15

2008 Keystone Springdale 296BHSSR

I do not mean to insult you or cause a tire war. But I have a few questions that I would like you to answer for me. The reason is I am trying very very hard to understand tire failures on RV's.

What speed do you tow at?

Have you weighed the camper and TV loaded for camping?

If so what are the axle weights of the trailer?

What air pressure do you keep the tires at and how often do you check them?

Do you cover the tires when not in use?

Do you use in infrared heat gun to measure tire temps when towing?

I almost have a tire failure on my Ameri-Camp 5er, two years ago. That would have resulted in a blow-out. When we stop at a rest stop and I always check tire temps at rest stops, on my TV and the camper. I found one tire that was out of the normal temperature range on my camper for the tire temps. I changed this tire out and found a belt had failed on the tire. Replaced with the spare on the camper and then bought a new spare tire for the camper. So I am very carious on tire failures and I am trying to see what is the major cause of them.

Jim

[CWtheMan]

I do not mean to insult you or cause a tire war. But I have a few questions that I would like you to answer for me. The reason is I am trying very very hard to understand tire failures on RV's.

What speed do you tow at?

Have you weighed the camper and TV loaded for camping?

If so what are the axle weights of the trailer?

What air pressure do you keep the tires at and how often do you check them?

Do you cover the tires when not in use?

Do you use in infrared heat gun to measure tire temps when towing?

I almost have a tire failure on my Ameri-Camp 5er, two years ago. That would have resulted in a blow-out. When we stop at a rest stop and I always check tire temps at rest stops, on my TV and the camper. I found one tire that was out of the normal temperature range on my camper for the tire temps. I changed this tire out and found a belt had failed on the tire. Replaced with the spare on the camper and then bought a new spare tire for the camper. So I am very carious on tire failures and I am trying to see what is the major cause of them.

Jim

Hello Jim W,

Over the years Keystone has been very reluctant to listen to owner feedback or do any meaningful statistical analysis on the wheels/tires and axle combinations they provide on their 5th wheel RV trailers. Your current fiver is a prime example how little they pay attention.

According to the specs on your 2010 Cougar ( http://www.keystone-cougar.com/index.php?page=specs&year=2010 ) I’ll bet when you go out and check the certification label on your axles you will find they are rated at 5080# each. Guess what your tires are rated at? You guessed it, 2540# X 2 equals 5080#. Even though my RV trailer is setting on 6000# axles Keystone did the same thing to me with tires rated at 3000#. Being very active full timers at the time we blew three of our original tires in about nine months. Since then I’ve been researching RV trailer tires of all kinds and the replacements people use. In my particular circumstance I did not eliminate my tire problems until I got to more than 500# of load capacity above my original tires.

Full timers tend to carry heavy loads but also tend to learn how to manage their loads. Part timers especially those with guests or kids traveling with them seldom manage their loads and tend to be overloaded.

Here are my simple rules for managing our tires. Get the normal load onboard and find some scales. I Always keep my tires aired to maximum sidewall pressures. I never leave the current parking area without checking tire pressures. I Do not haul our trailer more than 65 MPH. Unless you’re a very high mileage user you are never going to wear out the treads on your trailer tires because they need to be changed every 3-5 years, PERIOD. I do mine every three years from purchase date. Why am I still on ST tires? Because they will work if properly managed. I do a walk around on every stop. If I find a hot tire, off it comes and on with the spare. (I can change a tire in less than 15 min). If the spare gets hot in the same position and my brakes are not dragging and the bearings are cool I may have too much weight in that area in the trailer. It has not happened in a long time. We have more than 60’000 miles on our fiver and the axles have never had any maintenance other than lubrication.

I have all sorts of references. This is the best one.

http://www.keystonerv.com/media2/manual/Owners_Manual_08_09.pdf

CW

[Jim W]

CW,
I am a retired engineer from Caterpillar INC. I have spent over 40 years designing and building heavy equipment. So I know how to read the specs and how to design around them. I have also been camping for over 50 years starting with the Boy Scouts of America till now. We have done the tent camping to the pop-up trailer and then on to the 5th wheel camper.

What I am trying to understand is the amount of knowledge other users of RV's have. Such as do you know that with ST tires, you are limited to 65 MPH max, not 70, or 75 MPH.

Do you know your tire temps and trailer brake temps? I do, mine are never over 118F with 95 ambient air temps tires. The brakes are usually 5 to 10 degs warmer. I also use the exhaust brake on my 6.7L CTD, to slow the TV and camper down when stopping to help keep the brakes cool.

I also know my TV weights, my trailer weights and along with the total GCVW, do you?

How often have you checked your air pressure in your tires and lug nut wheel torque? I check mine every trip, I also carry a torque wrench in my truck along with a complete set of hand tools. Plus my electronic diagnostic tools and air compressor.

I have never had a tire blow-out failure in all our travels. I have had flats mainly do to nails left behind in the camp grounds from other campers on my trailers.

Jim

[Flyguy]

Both "JimW" and "CWtheman"s posts have lots of good info and all members should heed their advice!! I too have not had a blowout but I always do four things before I leave the parking lot: 1) I carry a torque wrench and set the lugnut torque to specs before starting out. 2) I use my 12v air pump and air the tires to max pressure cold which in my case is 50psi. 3) I tow at 55mph and sometimes 60mph but never more than that, I set the tv on cruise control and rarely have to brake on Interstates at those speeds and I can still make 500 miles a day which is my goal. 4) And now thanks to Jim I have my new toy in an infrared thermometer so I too can check the tire temps when we stop. Thanks guys for all the good info.

[outbackmac]

best bang for the buck Maxxis tires

[Seann]

Jim asked some very good questions... may I follow up with a little known fact.. RV tires are only rated to 60 mph. Going faster can cause a failure.. might not happen right this second.. might not even happen when you are still going 70 or 80 or ?? but will start the process for a failure.

[CWtheMan]

Jim asked some very good questions... may I follow up with a little known fact.. RV tires are only rated to 60 mph. Going faster can cause a failure.. might not happen right this second.. might not even happen when you are still going 70 or 80 or ?? but will start the process for a failure.

Actually the Special Trailer tire has a 65 MPH speed limit. Truck and light truck tires with a 65 MPH speed limit can be manipulated upward by increasing air pressure and reducing the load. There is no such provision for doing so with Specialty tires such as the ST.

CW

[Bowline]

In our travels over the past year I have been amazed how few RVers check their lug nut torque and cold tire pressure before starting off. I am usually the only one who does this at the RV parks we have stayed at. More often than not, I find at least one loose lug nut and/or tire with less than ideal pressure. I recently read that many RV drivers check their tires twice per year. It is no wonder that so many tire failures occur. That daily check is a small price to pay to increase our safety margin! (Also, I am usually the slowest RV driver on the road as I drive 55mph.)

[Seann]

In our travels over the past year I have been amazed how few RVers check their lug nut torque and cold tire pressure before starting off. I am usually the only one who does this at the RV parks we have stayed at. More often than not, I find at least one loose lug nut and/or tire with less than ideal pressure. I recently read that many RV drivers check their tires twice per year. It is no wonder that so many tire failures occur. That daily check is a small price to pay to increase our safety margin! (Also, I am usually the slowest RV driver on the road as I drive 55mph.)

My new lugnuts are a split design.. once torqued they do not need to be retorqued.. so claims the dealer... verified by my torque wrench.. :D

[cnbhand]

Outbackmac mentioned Maxxis tires. I am on my 3rd set and never had a problem. The price continues to rise but still a good buy.