Hercules Tire Review

[marknson]

My wife and I have a 2010 Raptor (18K pounds gross) that we run loaded. We are considering upgrading from a 10 ply TOWMAX set of China bombs to the Hercules 14 ply G rated H901 tire. Our local distributor and dealer both say that they have good experiences and stand behind the Hercules brand.

Can anyone out there share any experiences regarding Hercules tires.

[Knucklehead]

I have a set of 4 of the H901 tires on a 2013 raptor with 3000 + miles and love them and will replace with another set when that time comes

[marknson]

Thank you for replying.

[Roadmaster]

I put them on our last 40 foot Impact and loved them. Great tire and will consider them when our 2020 needs new rubber.

[Ken / Claudia]

I am not saying their good or bad. This is my finding, I got them in 205/75/14 the STR model. And when I stacked it with the spare Tow King RV OEM spare. I noticed that the tread is 100% the same pattern. I then looked up who makes them by the imprinted tire code and found the are the same company, just difference was the plant was in another city in China. BTY, they work great on the boat, but its trips are normally 1 mile each way to the ramp. Several times a year they get 50 miles round trips. Just saying, if the Tow Kings are junk of the RVs as factory tires are these really any different? That I cannot answer.

[Brentw]

I'm on my second set, tow about 10k per year, very happy with them. Lots of meat, good tread. I have no worries about my tires.

[jsb5717]

I still get confused by this. Are the China Bombs bad because they are poorly made or because they have historically been applied incorrectly? The OP is replacing E tires which are too light and should never have been on his rig.

I keep suspecting that the tires installed by the OEM's have failed due to consistantly installed under-rated tires. The brands that they used developed a bad rep as a result and "China Bombs" was coined.

My Monty came with Rainier "F" tires, which is a good rating for my weight. Am I in danger of a blowout? However, I've seen that earlier years of the same model came with "E" tires. Since the OEM's were recently required to install more properly rated tires from the factory will the China Bomb issue fade away?

Many of the tires touted as good tires also come from China. But they were purchased after a failure and were properly rated or even over rated for the rig. Many are now running "G" tires when the weight of their loaded rigs would put them in "F" tire range. Not a bad thing, but much less likely to fail and then touted as a better tire.

If someone puts "G" rated Tire Kings on their rig will they last as long as a Sailun "G" tire? I could be wrong but it kind of seems that the entire China Bomb scare has developed by comparing apples and oranges. If the OEM's had been using properly rated tires all along would China Bombs have even become a thing? Just wondering.

The OP may be just fine with Hercules tires if they are properly rated for his rig. For his weight, probably "H"'s. Definately not "E"'s.

[JRTJH]

Jeff,

I suppose you'll get as many "slightly different opinions" as you get "responses to your post"...

Here's mine: China Bombs are a result of much more than just one issue. Years ago, tire manufacturers moved their ST tire facilities to China (cheaper labor) and there was a lengthy "learning curve" that resulted in many inferior tires on the market. Putting those "inferior tires" in a "barely adequate condition" created a hazard with a "bomb reputation". Chances are had the tires been installed with an adequate weight margin, they would not have failed as often, had they been better quality (initially) they would not have failed as often. Had they been BOTH better quality and used properly, they would have certainly not "earned the bad reputation"....

All that said, Goodyear Marathon ST tires were the "go to gold standard" for years. When they moved the manufacturing process overseas, the tires began to "earn" a bad rep and eventually resulted in multiple recalls. That, IMHO, wasn't a result of changing the weight standards for tires installed on trailers, but a result of inferior quality. On the other hand, Carlisle built a plant in China to manufacture their RH and later HD lines. Both have excellent reputations in "most" RV communities, but is that a result of "Carlisle owning/supervising the plant or of installing adequately rated tires as a part of the "learning curve" by RV manufacturers in the states ??? I can't tell you, but I do know that at the time, Goodyear Marathons were being replaced by Goodyear Endurance tires. The Endurance line is manufactured "in the USA".... Co-incidence ??? Probably more "incidental" than we'd suspect, but is that a result of "outsourcing the supervision/quality control" by Goodyear as opposed to the "in house supervision/quality control" by Carlisle ???? And how much does the recent change from "inadequate" to "adequate" to "additional reserve capacity" that's been mandated by RVIA factor into the current situation as opposed to the reputation that was "earned" by past tire problems? There was a time that LT tires were attempted (to get better performance) and that seems to have fallen by the wayside as the ST tire quality/fitment become more reliable....

I don't think we'll ever gain access to the "in house records" of any ST tire manufacturer. That "secret data" just isn't available....

My guess: It's a combination of inferior workmanship, cheaper quality materials and the RV industry "cutting corners with inadequate tire ratings"... which contributed how much? We'll probably never know, or even get access to the data to begin to find out......

[jsb5717]

Thanks, John, I always appreciate your insight. It still leaves buyer's of new rigs to wonder if their properly rated OEM tires will take care of them or not. Because of the bad reputations many opt to upgrade to tires with good reputations just to play it safe.

In any industry or category there is a Good, Better, Best. I'm sure that's true for our tires. Even properly rated and applied there is likely one that will perform better than another. If price is an indicator of level of quality (it usually is) then the OEM's are likely just Good.

[JRTJH]

Thanks, John, I always appreciate your insight. It still leaves buyer's of new rigs to wonder if their properly rated OEM tires will take care of them or not. Because of the bad reputations many opt to upgrade to tires with good reputations just to play it safe.

In any industry or category there is a Good, Better, Best. I'm sure that's true for our tires. Even properly rated and applied there is likely one that will perform better than another. If price is an indicator of level of quality (it usually is) then the OEM's are likely just Good.

It's interesting to note that Jayco "climbed on the bandwagon" about 2 years ago by advertising that all their towables would come with Goodyear Endurance tires as "standard equipment". I'd suppose that decision was based on two factors, the pending RVIA tire standard changes AND the announcement by Goodyear that a "new ST tire line, the Endurance ST Radial was being released. I'd suspect there was a "sweetheart deal" between Jayco and Goodyear to get a large population of Endurance tires into consumer's hands. Given the "enhanced tire weight guidelines" that came on the scene at the same time, the Endurance line was 'essentially guaranteed success" if it was a decent tire....

Now, for "out of the box speculation" I'd ask, Why didn't Keystone climb on the bandwagon with Endurance tires? My guess (and STRICTLY a guess) is that Goodyear couldn't meet the production quantities required by Keystone at the time, and Jayco's tire requirements meant less over time at the Goodyear plant as they ramped up production..... It was most likely (IMHO) more a numbers game that landed the Jayco contract rather than a "tire quality improvement to keep our customers safer" concern....

[flybouy]

I think John is right on point, as usual. I would only add my opinion to that.
This is based solely on my observations and attempted logic. Around the same decades that John refers to historically the auto and RV industry were going thru major changes. Remember the Firestone/Ford debacle when radial tires first hit the market? Huge learning curve followed.
Several decades ago a pick up truck pulling a fifth wheeler was a rolling traffic jam on many roads often struggling to make the speed limit at 55 m.p.h.
Fast forward and I see more "FIRST TIME BUYERS" purchasing larger rigs. Folks used to buy a pop-up, then a little larger camper before going large. This progression allowed for the user's learning curve to catch up with and hone their knowledge and skills.
Now,more powerful trucks, larger and larger trailers and they blow by doing 80+ m.p.h. All to often When they arrive at their destination, either a campground or storage location and the longer trailer with the longer wheelbase truck must turn in smaller, tighter arcs to park. These maneuvers add tremendous side wall forces as well as exceeding the weight and speed ratings and resultant heat build up (to say nothing of the deteriorating roads and impacts) and the results are tire failures.
Add that into the consumer's oft ignorance of properly maintaining the tires and I believe you have the perfect storm for tire destruction.
JMHO

[jsb5717]

I've grown quite sceptical of todays manufacturing and marketing claims.

I can buy a Toro lawnmower at Home Depot. I can buy one that looks just like it and costs more from a quality lawn mower shop. But they aren't the same. The Home Depot mower doesn't have the same Toro engine that the higher priced one has.

Is it possible that Goodyear developed a line of tires specifically for the OEM's that are the same in design and name but not quite as good as the one you'll pay more for at the tire store? Sceptical, I know. But there's so much to be concerned with in the "Buyer Beware" arena.

I don't know if this all helps the OP or not. I also don't know if in today's China-made tire world if we are now beyond the learning curve enough that a Tire King or Hercules tire may perform just fine...if properly applied.

[Brentw]

Probably one of most civil tire threads ever. I tend to agree with the "how we got here" thoughts on change.

[wiredgeorge]

I was recently looking for new tires for my ancient Cougar 5ver. Current tires look OK but date code is mid year 2014 so time for a change. In any case, when plugging in ST225/75R-15 in eBay came across 87 million manufacturers of that size. I suspect MANY are coming out of the same plant in China under different brand names and are the same tire. I currently use Carlisle and find them great tires but purchased Goodyear Endurance as US made tire likely will meet my needs although they are about $75 a set more than the Radial Trail HD LREs that I currently use.

One tire I was surprised to see is the Kenda Loadstar. It is pretty expensive and have never heard of anyone using these. Kenda makes the proprietary rear tire on a Can Am Spyder. I am also familiar with their motorcycle tires which always seemed to fill the "budget" market space. Anyone ever used Loadstar tires on their RV?