Sailun failure

[gearhead]

215/75R 17.5 Sailun failure. Running about 65MPH on US550 in the middle of nowhere New Mexico; an explosion. Nothing in my mirror. Betty, you think that was us?? YES the tire on my side just exploded!
Yes it did. I got off the road without drama. Fender pulled off and bottom trim caved in. Called Good Sam road service. Long story short...2 dirtbags showed up 2.5 hours after I called. I already had the the wheel off. They had a breakover bar and a couple sockets. No impact, no compressor. I called Discount Tire and they ordered a Hercules tire for delivery the next morning. On our way the next noon.

[Javi]

Glad it wasn't any worse than it was.. be safe

[chuckster57]

Wow, and after a month of peace and quiet. Damage looks minor considering what it could have been. Glad everyone is ok.

[roadglide]

Can you speculate on what caused the tire to blow it?

[gearhead]

Yeah all is well. We've been home about 3 hours. Unloaded the refrigerator and sat down to relax. Drove from Fort Richardson SP near Jacksboro TX to home today. Got an appointment for the RV repair.
Javi...Ft. Richardson ain't too bad if you want somewhere different to go. It's an old Army post from the 1860's. Everything was closed for the virus. Made a good overnight for us.
The Sailun failure kinda shattered my trust in them.

[Javi]

I'll give it a try soon.

Thanks

[gearhead]

Can you speculate on what caused the tire to blow it?
No idea. I checked pressure the day before using a trusted digital gauge. No history of leak down. Didn't run over anything. Tire looked almost new when we bought the trailer used. No idea how it was treated by previous owner. I had put maybe 6,000 miles on it with no issues.

[sourdough]

Sorry to hear about that. It's one thing you don't want to happen and when it does you hope for the very best in damage. You had a good trip and made it home so just focus on that and get the rest taken care of.

Thinking about it....reckon that Landmark was the cause....:lol: (just kidding). Get some rest and get a new perspective tomorrow. Glad you made it home OK.

[mcomeaux]

Tell us a bit more what is the date of Mfg? You mentioned you were second owner. Interesting how old the tires are.

[CWtheMan]

No idea. I checked pressure the day before using a trusted digital gauge. No history of leak down. Didn't run over anything. Tire looked almost new when we bought the trailer used. No idea how it was treated by previous owner. I had put maybe 6,000 miles on it with no issues.

I wonder why the tires were Sailun when the specs in the reference below say they are Goodyear???

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2018-heartland-landmark-fifth-wheel-floorplan-lm-oshkosh-tr33860

[gearhead]

I wonder why the tires were Sailun when the specs in the reference below say they are Goodyear???

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2018-heartland-landmark-fifth-wheel-floorplan-lm-oshkosh-tr33860
I don't know but there are a couple other things wrong on that spec sheet. I have looked at the tire dates in the past and they seemed appropriate. I''ll check again today.
Are these tires good for 5-7 years as opposed to the usual 3-4?

[notanlines]

Brent, it is pretty well known that I'm a Sailun fan, but I believe I would send them down the road when 4 years old and start fresh. The Suites came with Goodyear, but in about 2 years time will be up. We probably will go to Sailun unless Goodyear drops their price considerably...fat chance.

[gearhead]

I don't know but there are a couple other things wrong on that spec sheet. I have looked at the tire dates in the past and they seemed appropriate. I''ll check again today.
Are these tires good for 5-7 years as opposed to the usual 3-4?
Tires built 42/16.
Trailer built 4/17.

[CWtheMan]

Tires built 42/16.
Trailer built 4/17.

Sailun has given your tires a 6 year warranty. I'd judge their life expectance accordingly.

http://gosailun.com/Content/images2/737/4266_TBCB_PRODUCT%20SHEETS_Sailun%20MRT_S737_0120. pdf

[rhagfo]

Tires built 42/16.
Trailer built 4/17.

So tires are less than four years old and were installed on the trailer when they were about six months old. How do the others look?

[Javi]

Y'all laugh at me for buying new tires for the trailer every two years...� � Cheap insurance.

[Northofu1]

Y'all laugh at me for buying new tires for the trailer every two years...� � Cheap insurance.

No one's laughing, it makes good sense, especially with the big heavy units.

[gearhead]

So tires are less than four years old and were installed on the trailer when they were about six months old. How do the others look?
The others look good. No uneven wear. Both outer treads are wearing the same. No cupping. No cracks.
The spare had a sticker on it when we bought it so I'm assuming no previous failures.

[gearhead]

Y'all laugh at me for buying new tires for the trailer every two years...� � Cheap insurance.
Yes it is.

[ChuckS]

Wonder what the ambient temp was at time of blowout and did you have a TPMS and is so what were the tire pressures and temps?

That’s a heavy 5er ... and a good tire... the Hercules 901 series should serve you well

[LewisB]

Wonder what the ambient temp was at time of blowout and did you have a TPMS and is so what were the tire pressures and temps?

That’s a heavy 5er ... and a good tire... the Hercules 901 series should serve you well

The TPMS would be my question as well. Checking tires the night before means they were fine the night before - but how about 10 hours later and 5 minutes before the failure?

I agree with changing the tires early as insurance - but having a TPMS system in operation at all times is even better insurance! JMHO

[Hoopy Frood]

Y'all laugh at me for buying new tires for the trailer every two years...� � Cheap insurance.Well, it may be insurance but it ain't cheap. Putting new tires on my triple axle toyhauler every two years would be foolish. My 6 year old Sailuns still look good, perform well, and didn't lose any air pressure over the last year of sitting in storage. Even if one blows now and causes $1000 worth of damage I'm still about $2000 ahead going by your standards. But whatever floats yer boat.

I certainly wouldn't lose faith in a tire brand because you had a failure. You have to look at the overall number of failures, and I believe you'll find very few Sailun failures. I intend to buy Sailun when I replace my old Sailuns. Probably next year, that will make them 7 years old, but only about 30,000 miles so I may put the old ones up on Craigslist since they still look and function great.

[Javi]

Well, it may be insurance but it ain't cheap. Putting new tires on my triple axle toyhauler every two years would be foolish. My 6 year old Sailuns still look good, perform well, and didn't lose any air pressure over the last year of sitting in storage. Even if one blows now and causes $1000 worth of damage I'm still about $2000 ahead going by your standards. But whatever floats yer boat.

I certainly wouldn't lose faith in a tire brand because you had a failure. You have to look at the overall number of failures, and I believe you'll find very few Sailun failures. I intend to buy Sailun when I replace my old Sailuns. Probably next year, that will make them 7 years old, but only about 30,000 miles so I may put the old ones up on Craigslist since they still look and function great.

$171 each at Walmart.. $1026 for 6.. or in my case $684 and I sell them for $50 a tire when I take them off..(standing offer) so I'm actually only out $484 every two years.. My DW can spend that in one curio store in less than 10 minutes :D

[NevadaRich]

gearhead, I am another Sailuns tire guy and have a very large Trailer, 6 tires to buy, I have had these tires for 5 years and had No trouble so far, I do use a TPMS system, One thing that I do when the RV is in storage is raise the RV so the tires are almost off the ground, I was advised to do that on my boat trailer which has a 26ft boat, and those tires are 6 years old, I will change those next year. Like one guy mentioned, not every tire is made the same, even the best will go bad...BUT if you feel better changing to some other tire I would......Also get a TPMS system, it will keep you informed of whats going on back there, My Trailer is 43ft long and over 25k pounds, if a tire went south, I wouldn't know until some one advised me !!

[m.lange]

I have Sailuns on my triple axle toy hauler. I am on my second set and have great faith in them. I also run a TPMS system. I am sure I will buy Sailuns again.

[rlh1957]

215/75R 17.5 Sailun failure. Running about 65MPH on US550 in the middle of nowhere New Mexico; an explosion. Nothing in my mirror. Betty, you think that was us?? YES the tire on my side just exploded!
Yes it did. I got off the road without drama. Fender pulled off and bottom trim caved in. Called Good Sam road service. Long story short...2 dirtbags showed up 2.5 hours after I called. I already had the the wheel off. They had a breakover bar and a couple sockets. No impact, no compressor. I called Discount Tire and they ordered a Hercules tire for delivery the next morning. On our way the next noon.

If your other tires are the same, expect the same.
Replace them all.

[ChrisB]

I have a 43 footer toy hauler with tripple axils as well. In my the early part of my second year of owning this rig. Even though I have read multitudes of post about the China bombs. I find that until you have experienced the damage they cause first hand it is hard to make yourself buy good tires. One of my tires blew out and even though there where 5 others I knew right away. A quick look into the passenger side mirror and pieces were flying everywhere. Got everything shutdown and discovered the tread got wrapped around the axial, ripping the brake wiring out of the hub in the process for two wheels. The under carriage got ripped out and the water proofing liner was destroyed as well. We also Discovered a huge hematoma on the tire next to the one that blew out. Had to change them both. Finished our journey and replaced all 6 with goodyear endurance. They have been good tires for me. We just completed over 3k mile trip from Houston Texas to yellowstone and back. Stayed in Idaho at the West entrance. Nobtire issues and these tires are already 2 years old. I am sure that I will replace them with the same brand. Not to mention discount tire's backing.

[azchoco]

Glad it wasn't any worse than it was.. be safe
I had a similar blowout that did considerable damage. A few thousand to repair the damage. I purchashed a TPMS after that. Now I can tell if a tire is heating up or losing pressure BEFORE the failure. Good investment and piece of mind.

[Hoopy Frood]

$171 each at Walmart.. $1026 for 6.. or in my case $684 and I sell them for $50 a tire when I take them off..(standing offer) so I'm actually only out $484 every two years.. My DW can spend that in one curio store in less than 10 minutes :DAmen. LOL :)

[ncstan]

I had a similar blowout that did considerable damage. A few thousand to repair the damage. I purchashed a TPMS after that. Now I can tell if a tire is heating up or losing pressure BEFORE the failure. Good investment and piece of mind.

What TPMS did you go with?

[Tireman9]

A couple observations and support for what others are saying.
Since you did not get the tires new you really have no idea what previous owner did for monitoring Load or Inflation.
You didn't offer what your individual axle loads are.
You say you check your inflation. What level do you run? When was the last time you confirmed your gauge was at least +/- a couple of psi from accurate.
Have you read THIS (http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35148&highlight=tires+fail) post?
Have you ever don a "Free Spin" inspection? Many times this can reveal belt separations hundreds of miles before they grow to the point the tire comes apart.
Have you files a complaint with NHTSA (http://www.nicar.org/data/nhtsa/) (you will need both your trailer VIN and the full DOT serial.


I hear lots of people saying they never hit anything but while I do not doubt you do not remember hitting anything on today's roads I would challenge anyone to remember every pot hole of piece of concrete they drove over with tires 25" behind the driver over the past 1,000 miles. There is a scientific study showing a 100% correlation of tire failure to impact.


I published pictures of two tire failures on my blog. One on my car and one on the wife's car. Neither of us remember hitting anything but the evidence is 100% clear we did it something.


Looking forward to learning your load and inflation numbers.

[Vet4jdc]

Y'all laugh at me for buying new tires for the trailer every two years...� � Cheap insurance.

I'm going to be on the three year plan myself! :lol:

My blowout came in year 4.

[gearhead]

A couple observations and support for what others are saying.
Since you did not get the tires new you really have no idea what previous owner did for monitoring Load or Inflation.
You didn't offer what your individual axle loads are.
You say you check your inflation. What level do you run? When was the last time you confirmed your gauge was at least +/- a couple of psi from accurate.
Have you read THIS (https://www.keystoneforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35148&highlight=tires+fail) post?
Have you ever don a "Free Spin" inspection? Many times this can reveal belt separations hundreds of miles before they grow to the point the tire comes apart.
Have you files a complaint with NHTSA (http://www.nicar.org/data/nhtsa/) (you will need both your trailer VIN and the full DOT serial.


I hear lots of people saying they never hit anything but while I do not doubt you do not remember hitting anything on today's roads I would challenge anyone to remember every pot hole of piece of concrete they drove over with tires 25" behind the driver over the past 1,000 miles. There is a scientific study showing a 100% correlation of tire failure to impact.


I published pictures of two tire failures on my blog. One on my car and one on the wife's car. Neither of us remember hitting anything but the evidence is 100% clear we did it something.


Looking forward to learning your load and inflation numbers.

I haven't weighed each axle separately. I have weighed both together with the truck. I have 18,000GVW with 8,000# axles. From memory, I'm about 17,400 total with around 4,400 on the pin. With the load range H tires at 4800 each I'm heavy but good.
The blowout was on the curb side, the lighter side of the trailer with just the dinette and recliners, as opposed to the kitchen side with the pantry, stoves, and refrigerator.
I ain't no shoe salesman. I am anal about tire pressure, and most everything else. My "go to" is a Joe's Racing digital gauge, good for +/- 1%. Backed by a Joe's analog. Backed by another digital, backed by the Ram pressure system. I take pressure readings in the morning before the sun shines on the tires and before they have been driven on. I run max pressure on all 12 of my trailer tires. The Sailun calls for 123PSI.
I had a Trakker TPMS on a previous Montana HC but can't get it to change pressures from the LR E specs. I need to work on that.

[notanlines]

No reason at all that a set of Sailuns won't make a good five years. $750 every five years isn't much to ask. Change every two years if you sleep better. $375 a year. That won't put a pimple on a hind end of a good beer budget. Buy the Sailuns, sell 'em used, sleep good, and secretly siphon the money off Momma's pull tabs at the beer joint (:eek:) but keep good tires on your rig!

[Tireman9]

I haven't weighed each axle separately. I have weighed both together with the truck. I have 18,000GVW with 8,000# axles. From memory, I'm about 17,400 total with around 4,400 on the pin. With the load range H tires at 4800 each I'm heavy but good.
The blowout was on the curb side, the lighter side of the trailer with just the dinette and recliners, as opposed to the kitchen side with the pantry, stoves, and refrigerator.
I ain't no shoe salesman. I am anal about tire pressure, and most everything else. My "go to" is a Joe's Racing digital gauge, good for +/- 1%. Backed by a Joe's analog. Backed by another digital, backed by the Ram pressure system. I take pressure readings in the morning before the sun shines on the tires and before they have been driven on. I run max pressure on all 12 of my trailer tires. The Sailun calls for 123PSI.
I had a Trakker TPMS on a previous Montana HC but can't get it to change pressures from the LR E specs. I need to work on that.




Well it's good to know you have some data 9better than the guess some use) and a good pressure gauge. Given that RVSEF (certified weighing company that does individual tire position weights at large RV Conventions) has discovered that a majority of RVs have a tire or axle in overload. They have also confirmed some individual unbalance is in the range of 1,000#.


I strongly suggest, at a minimum you get your individual axle scale readings. Only a few $ more than a single overall reading. I also suggest you assume you have side to side imbalance of about 3% (53/47% side to side load split). I also suggest you do a "Free Spin" inspection at least once a year.

[sourdough]

No reason at all that a set of Sailuns won't make a good five years. $750 every five years isn't much to ask. Change every two years if you sleep better. $375 a year. That won't put a pimple on a hind end of a good beer budget. Buy the Sailuns, sell 'em used, sleep good, and secretly siphon the money off Momma's pull tabs at the beer joint (:eek:) but keep good tires on your rig!



Oh boy, now you put it in writing and when Brenda finds out....:cry: For a bit I thought you had shadowed me to TX and observed my "operational skills":) but after driving around to the limited RV parks here I could not see a MS thru the muddy mist....:D

[gearhead]

Well it's good to know you have some data 9better than the guess some use) and a good pressure gauge. Given that RVSEF (certified weighing company that does individual tire position weights at large RV Conventions) has discovered that a majority of RVs have a tire or axle in overload. They have also confirmed some individual unbalance is in the range of 1,000#.


I strongly suggest, at a minimum you get your individual axle scale readings. Only a few $ more than a single overall reading. I also suggest you assume you have side to side imbalance of about 3% (53/47% side to side load split). I also suggest you do a "Free Spin" inspection at least once a year.

I assume there is some side to side imbalance the way the trailer is built. Not sure I can do much about it.
I will weigh each axle soon. I suppose it's possible but given my numbers I think it would be unlikely that I could overload a tire.
The spin test I will do.

[Tireman9]

I assume there is some side to side imbalance the way the trailer is built. Not sure I can do much about it.
I will weigh each axle soon. I suppose it's possible but given my numbers I think it would be unlikely that I could overload a tire.
The spin test I will do.


RE Free Spin. Have you reviewed the video?
If you Google free spin tire inspection
you should find information with a video

PM me if you can't find the video


RE overload. Remember RVIA recommends a 10% Reserve Load and I and other Tire Engineers suggest 15%

[Northofu1]

RE Free Spin. Have you reviewed the video?
If you Google free spin tire inspection
you should find information with a video

PM me if you can't find the video


RE overload. Remember RVIA recommends a 10% Reserve Load and I and other Tire Engineers suggest 15%

Thanks for the info Roger, this is greatly appreciated.
Dan

[gearhead]

I Googled it and got a lot of BS.
If you are referring to free spin in regards to run out, I can handle that. Might even put a dial indicator on it.

[Fuzion1278]

Add me to the list of Sailun tire failures. We have a 2018 Fuzion 357 toy hauler. Tires dates are late 2017. ST235/85R16. Lat Friday morning, two miles down the road on our way to a camping trip and the driver side rear sidewall blew completely out, (dual axle set up). Checked tire pressure before leaving approx 107 PSI when cold. Waiting to get the rig in to a dealer for damage estimate. Bottom skirting destroyed and it also bent the outer frame of the kitchen slide out. :banghead:

[LewisB]

Add me to the list of Sailun tire failures. We have a 2018 Fuzion 357 toy hauler. Tires dates are late 2017. ST235/85R16. Lat Friday morning, two miles down the road on our way to a camping trip and the driver side rear sidewall blew completely out, (dual axle set up). Checked tire pressure before leaving approx 107 PSI when cold. Waiting to get the rig in to a dealer for damage estimate. Bottom skirting destroyed and it also bent the outer frame of the kitchen slide out. :banghead:

Do you have a TPMS? If so, did it give you any warning?
????

[Fuzion1278]

I do not have a TPMS. We were only two miles down the road so I think it was going to happen regardless. Just a tire/sidewall failure. Funny thing is the rest of the tire,(excluding the sidewall), is in very good shape.

[Javi]

I do not have a TPMS. We were only two miles down the road so I think it was going to happen regardless. Just a tire/sidewall failure. Funny thing is the rest of the tire,(excluding the sidewall), is in very good shape.

One of the things that almost no one talks about on these tires is the loss of load rating based on age.. If I remember correctly it is something like 10% per year.. So in say 3 years a tire good for 4,000 pounds when new could potentially be only good for 3600 after a year and after 3 years.. maybe 2800 pounds...

Maybe one of the tire gurus will chime in and educate us.. :D

[Northofu1]

Maybe why moving up a load range is beneficial.

[CWtheMan]

Add me to the list of Sailun tire failures. We have a 2018 Fuzion 357 toy hauler. Tires dates are late 2017. ST235/85R16. Lat Friday morning, two miles down the road on our way to a camping trip and the driver side rear sidewall blew completely out, (dual axle set up). Checked tire pressure before leaving approx 107 PSI when cold. Waiting to get the rig in to a dealer for damage estimate. Bottom skirting destroyed and it also bent the outer frame of the kitchen slide out. :banghead:

Any All-Steel Tire

"A zipper rupture is a spontaneous burst of compressed air that can occur in the sidewall/flex area of EVERY steel cord radial tire."

That's a description of a sidewall failure of an all steel radial tire.

I' don't know what caused you tire to fail but it sure doesn't look like a typical sidewall failure.

30423

[Tireman9]

I tend to agree with CWtheMAn. Doesn't look like a sidewall flex failure from run low. More likely a belt separation.
Might have been discovered if a "Free-Spin" inspection had been done in the last 500 to 1,000 miles.

[ChuckS]

I hope my tires don’t loose loss of load capacity at a rate of 10% a year.. if so does that mean my rear tires on my Duramax have lost 30% of their rated load capacity since they are now turning 3 years of age?

My G rated tires just saw their 5th season of use... covered when not towing.. I’ll just have to rely on my eyes, my experience, and gut hunch when it comes to deciding when to replace my truck and RV tires...

[LewisB]

One of the things that almost no one talks about on these tires is the loss of load rating based on age.. If I remember correctly it is something like 10% per year.. So in say 3 years a tire good for 4,000 pounds when new could potentially be only good for 3600 after a year and after 3 years.. maybe 2800 pounds...

Maybe one of the tire gurus will chime in and educate us.. :D

Javi,
I think that's the first time I've heard this - hope it's not true! Any idea where that came from? Do any of you tire guys know if this is true?

[Fuzion1278]

In the short time sisnce the failure, with the research I have done, I cannot find a "heavier" load rating than a "G" rating for the ST235/85R16 tires that are on my rig.

Anybody out there with more knowledge than myself about tires know of a tire manufactured that has a heavier load rating? I would appreciate any input on that!

[JRTJH]

In the short time sisnce the failure, with the research I have done, I cannot find a "heavier" load rating than a "G" rating for the ST235/85R16 tires that are on my rig.

Anybody out there with more knowledge than myself about tires know of a tire manufactured that has a heavier load rating? I would appreciate any input on that!

I think you're about to run into a brick wall with a search for higher rated tires in that size wheel. I've never see a 16" wheel that's rated greater in pressure and weight capacity than the ratings for the tire above. So, even if you did find a tire rated higher, where are you going to find a wheel to install it on ????

It becomes a "double edged sword" of finding not only the tires, but also new wheels...

[travelin texans]

In the short time sisnce the failure, with the research I have done, I cannot find a "heavier" load rating than a "G" rating for the ST235/85R16 tires that are on my rig.

Anybody out there with more knowledge than myself about tires know of a tire manufactured that has a heavier load rating? I would appreciate any input on that!

My last 5er came equipped with Goodyear Gs with no issues for 50-60k miles. When it came time to replace I did so with 17.5" H rated Sailuns ordered mounted on nice aluminum wheels shipped to my door for less than I could replace the GYs & had good service with them up til I sold the 5er.