Towmax tires

[tom studstill]

I don't know if anyone else has had problems with these towmax tires or not but I have had two sets bust and do damage to my 5th wheel. These tires have stamped on the side of them not to exceed 65 mph. I was not told that when I purchased the Rv nor was I told when I purchased a 995.00 tire policy. Camping world has been made aware of this several times by me and nothing has been done. Someone needs to do something about getting these tires off before someone gets hurt. By the way many camping world dealers don't sell or install tires yet they will gladly sell you a tire policy. I have a 2010 3500re alpine unit that was not cheap. The 2012 are still using the same tires as mine two years later. Can anybody help? I changed my last one on I-85 on the drivers side. Believe me not very pleasant. I just spent over $2,200 for new rims and tires. I stepped up to G rated tires rated for 110 psi. And of course camping world does nothing about it. I went to three dealers including where I purchased my Rv.

[ktmracer]

unfortunetly all ST (trailer tires) are rated for 65 mph max speed. And the tire standards for ST tires are IMHO woefully inadequate compared to passenger car/light truck tires.

Maxxis seems to be the highest quality ST rated tires, that's what I and my neighbor use and haven't had a tire failure yet.

[Vidorcom]

Check out my post a few below yours. Keystone fuzion fz 300. Bought the trailer brand new and 400 miles later.....well you know the rest

[allentx1]

I just had a blow out on my Avalanche. Did about 1500 in damage to drivers side, including ripping the brake wires out for both axles. I called TowMaxx and was referred to the manufacturer who requested I send the tire back to them via UPS. They paid for it. I am awaiting their "findings". What is our other choice as in Texas, speed limits are 75 mph and my truck is capable of pulling that fast on the flat interstates... now I know I am screwed if I drive that fast. Can we move to a light truck tire?:(

[Festus2]

Sorry to hear about your blowout and the damage. I wouldn't be putting any kind of light truck tire - unless it is specified for dual use - on an RV as most are not designed or constructed to withstand the flexing that TT tires undergo when turning.

[Alpinecummin]

Michellin XPS tires are rated as truck and RV tires. I read several threads last year about all the problems people were having with Towmax and then looked at the tires on my Alpine and saw they were Towmaxes. So after a lot of research I discovered most people recommended Maxxs and Michellins. I have used Michellins on all of my vehicles for the past 30 years and have never had a problem, so based on my experience and results with them i purchased Michellin XPS for my Alpine last July. I have only 5,000 miles on them at this point, but haven't had any problems. My daughter lives in Dallas and we go there a couple times a year. Even though the posted speed limit is 75 miles per hour, I wouldn't recommend anyone pull a camper at that speed. I pull my Alpine between 62 and 68 regardless of higher posted speed limit. There are to many things that can happen and to it's to difficulty to manuver a camper at high speeds.

[Exsailor]

Welcome to the "I'm disgusted with my tires" club. Haven't found any that aren't made in china and most have a bad rep. I had 2 blowouts last summer and the only thing I can attribute it to is my driving 70 or so MPH. BUT why is that an issue? This 65 MPHthing is garbage when I am getting passed by coaches, horse trailers and tractor trailers. I still don't get it.

[smiller]

Sorry to hear about your blowout and the damage. I wouldn't be putting any kind of light truck tire - unless it is specified for dual use - on an RV as most are not designed or constructed to withstand the flexing that TT tires undergo when turning.
The problem with sticking with a trailer-specific ST tire is finding one you can trust. The only US brand I can find (in the very common ST235/80-16E size) are Goodyear Marathons and the negative posts on those would fill a hard drive. Is the only tire I can trust a $300 each Michelin XPS rib? What other alternatives are there that are either a reliable ST or a dual-use LT?

[jsmith948]

DW and I have been following this thread and others regarding the Power King Towmaxx tires. Our new Cougar came equipped with ST225/75r15 Towmaxx tires.
We have 1100 miles on the trailer so far. We are planning a trip to Cape Disappointment in southern Washington (about 1850 miles round trip)
I have read all of the negative posts, but these are offset by posts from some of the other members (JohnnyFry for example) that have logged many thousands of miles on the Towmaxx tires without experiencing any problems.
There are many factors that can contribute to tire failures. Under inflation, road hazards, overloading, age, and exceeding the speed rating of the tire, to name a few.
I guess I will try to avoid the pot holes and curbs, monitor my air pressure, watch my speed, and keep my fingers crossed:confused:

[raytronx]

My experience with the TowMax Powerking ST225/75r15 set of tires that came with my Cougar fifthwheel new has been positive. I've been traveling fulltime for 10 months and logged around 15000 towing miles with no problems other than normal tread wear. Vancouver Island to Newfoundland to Florida Keys to Arizona so all kinds of roads. I keep my inflation between 62-65 lbs and usually drive around 60 miles per hour on the highways. Trailer weight loaded up is approx 9000 lbs with about 7200 of that on the trailer axles.

[geo]

Yes, the TowMax PowerKing tires are on our Alpine as well. There was a post on the Forum about two years ago, or so, that recommended tracking the temperature of the tires at every stop with an Infrared Thermometer. I did a little Internet research on this and found that usually a tire's temperature will drastically increase before it "blows out". This temperature increase might occur over several days or several hours depending upon the conditions.

I found a nice Fluke Infrared Thermometer in a pawn shop for US$20 about a week after the above post. I now carry it beside the driver's seat in the Beast. When ever we stop, I measure every tire on the truck and the fiver. On long trips, we write this down in our log to track it, and I probably should do that for the short trips also.

I noticed that Home Depot sells Infrared Thermometers in their electrical department if you aren't lucky to find one pawned.

Before EVERY trip and every morning when in transit, I check the torque on the lug bolts, the air pressure before moving the Alpine, and the temperature. At each stop, I go around and "shoot" the temperature of each tire.

Ron

[ktmracer]

DW and I have been following this thread and others regarding the Power King Towmaxx tires. Our new Cougar came equipped with ST225/75r15 Towmaxx tires.
We have 1100 miles on the trailer so far. We are planning a trip to Cape Disappointment in southern Washington (about 1850 miles round trip)
I have read all of the negative posts, but these are offset by posts from some of the other members (JohnnyFry for example) that have logged many thousands of miles on the Towmaxx tires without experiencing any problems.
There are many factors that can contribute to tire failures. Under inflation, road hazards, overloading, age, and exceeding the speed rating of the tire, to name a few.
I guess I will try to avoid the pot holes and curbs, monitor my air pressure, watch my speed, and keep my fingers crossed:confused:

we have over 10K miles on our towmax that came on our outback and so far they are doing fine. Had them balanced when we bought the trailer and they did take a fair amount of weight to balance. When they are due to be replaced it will be with Maxxis, but till then I'm just watching them.

[jsmith948]

Thanks to those of you responding positively to our earlier post.
Especially the tip regarding the infrared thermometer
I have not felt any "bounce" transmitted up to the TV, but I'm sure we would benefit from having the tires balanced
No correlation to preventing blow-outs but will certainly help keep the cabinets up on the walls!
This is a great venue for the exchange of ideas and opinions
All good food for thought and it is appreciated:)

[allentx1]

I'm convinced now that my Tow Max tires blew out due to my speed. I was not aware that 65 mph was the max speed. I KNOW my tires were inflated properly and I am pretty sure I did not hit anything. I guess what is disappointing is that the speed limits are 10 mph higher than the max speed. Like another poster said, I don't want to be the clog in the roadway. We have signs in Texas that state: "Don't slow texas down, Slow traffic keep right"... If you have towmax, watch pressure and for the love of god, do not go over 65mph.

[f6bits]

In California, the legal speed limit for trucks and cars towing trailers is 55.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22406.htm

[bartletts]

Here's some information I found from Goodyear about running their Marathon tires above 65 mph:
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/goodyear/Marathon_Special_Trailer_Applications.pdf

They want you to increase the cold inflation pressure if you do that. I don't think I would do that with the Towmax though.

I have Towmaxes on my new Passport 238ML. I'm not sure what I am going to do with them long term, but the infrared thermometer idea is a good one, along with carrying a portable air compressor so you can adjust the pressure before leaving a camp site. Harbor Freight has decent infrared thermometers. Also handy for checking the brake drum temperature. I plan to keep the sidewalls dressed and avoid high speeds.

By the way, I have experience with hot brakes frying a pair of trailer tires. I had a little Fleetwood popup that I towed up and down 101 in Oregon and HWY 1 in California. I had the brake controller turned up a little high and I stopped and found that one of the sidewalls of my tires had turned brown from heat, and the wheel was really hot. The brake shoes were adjusted slightly tight on that side, and drum brakes put a lot of heat out through the lug bolts and into the wheels. The bearing was fine, but that tire experienced a sidewall bubble shortly after that experience.

Watching your brake use and shoe and controller adjustment should also help with tire life.

[RCrawler]

I run 16" E rated light truck tires on my gooseneck equipment trailer in a plain rib tread pattern. I've had a couple of sets on it so far without any issues. This trailer gets loaded heavier than any towable RV out there, so I have no concerns about any side loading that might take place.
I'm keeping an eye on my tires, but a tire and wheel upgrade to 16's might be in my future.

Although, I have P205/70-15's on my 18' car trailer that have been on there since I bought it used 15 years ago. I've overloaded it many times and haven't had a tire failure. Just starting to show some weather checking.

Jason

[cosgro]

2010 Cougar 326MKS, we had 2 blow-outs on our first trip of 1500 miles. The second tire dealer told me that the high pressure rubber valve stems are my problem. They leak and when you loose air the heat of the tire rises and causes the tire to fail. At this time we now have two tires with steel stems.

We installed a tire pressure monitoring system before our next trip of 8,500 miles and were alerted 3 separate times that we were loosing air pressure. Each time I changed the tire and located a tire store that night and had a high press steel valve replace the rubber valve (no tire damage). Now all 4 plus spare tires have steel valves. We have now driven over 6,000 miles without an issue.
The best investment I ever made was the 20.000 lb rated tandem tire ramp that I bought 2 RV’s ago.
Ed

[CWtheMan]

The real truth about your trailer tires is found in their history. Did the tires that came on your trailer fail? If so, there may have been nothing you could have done to avoid their failures. Why? Because they may have already been severely damaged when you started using them.

Did you accept custody of a trailer with marginal tires? By that I mean tires with very little load capacity reserves. The closer tires are operated to their load capacity the faster their materials degrade.

And, DO NOT skimp on tire pressure. DO NOT exceed the tire manufacturers speed limit. DON’T overload your trailer.

There are two ST tire manufacturers going the extra mile by installing nylon overlays on most of their ST tires sizes. One provides a lot of OEM tires to trailer manufacturers. It’s TowMax. The other is the most popular replacement, Maxxis.

CW

[zman]

Like many of you my fiver came with towmax tires. When pulling I usually do not go over 65mph except a few instances of long downgrades where I'll coast up to 72mph. On interstates with long gradual curves & bends I make sure to keep my speed at or under 65mph.

Since I'm new to this tire game on trailers I have a few questions...
Noticed many use a point n' shoot infrared thermometer. Where exactly on the tire do you take temp readings? The sidewall, tread? Most importantly what temp reading is considered hot or too hot?

Secondly, for Interstate driving what tire pressure should I be running? My tires have 65psi stamped on the tire. To be safe should I always ensure they're inflated to 65psi at cold? Tires are ST225/75R15, 3 yrs old according to DOT date stamp and still look new. I have less than 3000 miles on them.

[ktmracer]

Like many of you my fiver came with towmax tires. When pulling I usually do not go over 65mph except a few instances of long downgrades where I'll coast up to 72mph. On interstates with long gradual curves & bends I make sure to keep my speed at or under 65mph.

Since I'm new to this tire game on trailers I have a few questions...
Noticed many use a point n' shoot infrared thermometer. Where exactly on the tire do you take temp readings? The sidewall, tread? Most importantly what temp reading is considered hot or too hot?

Secondly, for Interstate driving what tire pressure should I be running? My tires have 65psi stamped on the tire. To be safe should I always ensure they're inflated to 65psi at cold? Tires are ST225/75R15, 3 yrs old according to DOT date stamp and still look new. I have less than 3000 miles on them.

there are lots of thoughts on tire pressure. for cars/trucks etc. tire pressure usually matches the load on the tire based on vehicle weights, and seldom is normally the max pressure listed on the sidewall.

My trailer lists the tire pressure at 65lbs which is what I do and is also the tire max pressure. this is consistent with many ST trailer tire manufacturers recomendations as well, run them at max pressure. At 65psi the tire is capable of carrying way more load than it needs to in my case.

Some folks run tire pressure based on tire load. Personally I'll follow the mfg and trailer recomendation and run them at max pressure. In my case, based on tire load, that would mean going from 65pis to about 45psi.

Most mfg claim that they are desgned to be run at max psi and is the way to get max life from the tire, and makes sure that in turns etc. the sidewall doesn't come off the bead. I've also been lucky in that in close to 30K miles doing this tires have worn evenly, never had a flat or blowout even with the china bombs. Once my towmax are worn out, I'll replace them with Maxxis. looks like they will be good for 15-20K miles.

[zman]

Thanks for the great advice!

[Carlosmodesto]

We have Towmaxx Powerking 235/80/16E on our Toyhauler. Tires were manufactured on the 33rd week of 2008. No issues yet. Before that, we had Missions on our previous Cougar Toyhauler without incidents. I hope I don't have to post otherwise, lol.

[chivas]

Well you are not going to believe this. I have a 2012 Alpine and was reading this thread last week. I looked at my tires and they were Towmax. Went camping this weekend and decided on the way home to get a set of Maxxis. About 20 miles after that decision. BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes a blowout and did about 2K worth of damage. I am the original owner (11 months), not overloaded (just weighed it last week), run tires at 75 psig.

:banghead::banghead::banghead:


What is funny is I just got the rim (that cracked) replaced by Keystone.

[smiller]

Yep, I tossed the Towmax and am not looking back (although I have to note that there seem to be fewer problems with these than other Chinese tires... but 'fewer' isn't good enough.) FWIW I will say that there was a noticeable difference in construction when comparing the Towmax 235/80-16E and the Maxxis version side-by-side in that the Maxxis have clearly heavier sidewall construction.

[therink]

Well you are not going to believe this. I have a 2012 Alpine and was reading this thread last week. I looked at my tires and they were Towmax. Went camping this weekend and decided on the way home to get a set of Maxxis. About 20 miles after that decision. BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes a blowout and did about 2K worth of damage. I am the original owner (11 months), not overloaded (just weighed it last week), run tires at 75 psig.

:banghead::banghead::banghead:


What is funny is I just got the rim (that cracked) replaced by Keystone.

Man, This has got be nervous. Im about to embark on a 300 mile trip. My towmax tires are 3 years old, and look ok. I am thinking Maxxi's for next year. I hope they make it through this trip.....:confused:

[X-Treme]

Well you are not going to believe this. I have a 2012 Alpine and was reading this thread last week. I looked at my tires and they were Towmax. Went camping this weekend and decided on the way home to get a set of Maxxis. About 20 miles after that decision. BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes a blowout and did about 2K worth of damage. I am the original owner (11 months), not overloaded (just weighed it last week), run tires at 75 psig.

:banghead::banghead::banghead:


What is funny is I just got the rim (that cracked) replaced by Keystone.

Tires are supposed to be at 80psi. Also, speeds must NOT exceed 65mph. BUT, I'm starting to get worried about my towmax's as well.

[biglake]

Has anyone replaced the 15 inch wheels and tires with 16 wheels and tires on a 2007 Raptor 3612. Thanks Mark

[smiller]

Take it from one (actually, many) who has been there. Replace any tire(s) that you have the slightest question about, period. Do not wait, do not try to stretch one more trip or one more season because that 'one more' is when you will lose a tire. If you do have an 'event' maybe it won't do a couple grand worth of damage but probably it will.

As far as I can tell the best bets are the Maxxis M8008 10-ply if you want to stay in an ST tire and the Michelin Ribs if you want an LT and don't mind the lower weight rating (or can rationalize that it's OK ;) ) Both of these seem to have nearly nonexistent sudden failure reports. But even these should be replaced on a time or mileage basis regardless of their outward appearance. Personally I don't go beyond three years.

Some of the cost is 'insurance' but it is money well spent because... blowouts SUCK. If you have never had the experience then that is great and it is worth some expense to keep it that way, trust me.

[biglake]

Smiller, I agree with you a hundred percent, I bought a raptor friday and didn,t even make it the 30 miles home had a blowout on 15 bct tire , I was wondering if 16 inch tires and wheels under a raptor 3612. Thanks for any info..Mark xxx-xxx-xxxx

Please use PMs to exchange phone numbers, not on open forum. Thanks, Hank

[biglake]

How much height clearence do I need between tires and top of fender. Thanks Mark

[azlee56]

if you bought that RV from a dealer, I would be calling a dealer fast! If from a private party....then that just sucks.

[therink]

Man, This has got be nervous. Im about to embark on a 300 mile trip. My towmax tires are 3 years old, and look ok. I am thinking Maxxi's for next year. I hope they make it through this trip.....:confused:

Well, I did it. I just ordered a set of Maxxis 10 ply Maxxis tires and will have them mounted, balanced and new HD valve stems in time for my trip next week. $800 well spent.

[smiller]

Well, I did it. I just ordered a set of Maxxis 10 ply Maxxis tires and will have them mounted, balanced and new HD valve stems in time for my trip next week. $800 well spent.It will be nice to not have the tire thing in the back of your mind. If you have a chance, compare the construction of both the Towmax and the Maxxis tire when unmounted. I think you might be surprised (and even more certain that your $800 was well-spent ;)).

[gatorrig]

We had two Towmax tires replaced before going on a trip from Florida to Virginia. All tires were about a year old and had about 4-5k miles on them. Always parked in covered concrete pad storage. Tires were always inflated properly, and never ran over a curve. One tire separated, the other developd a big bubble. I was convinced those tires needed to be replaced, so I decided to wait until we got back to Florida. Just before getting into Virginia I pulled into a rest area, guess what, another Towmax was separating really bad. Pulled into Richmond, VA with my spare at a place called Mincz Tire, and replaced all Towmax with Maxxis tires. I guess my point is, do not take a chance with this tires, specially on a heavy 5th wheel or toy hauler. And as mentioned previously, construction on the Maxxis is obviously superior.

[azlee56]

question here. I don't know much about tires so be nice. When backing the RV into my yard on a board I noticed one tire seemed to give a bit more then the other as it rolled onto the board. I was on the cell phone directing him in and I said, I think you might look at this one tire when you have a chance. (he made sure the air was right before the trip). But that tire seemed to flatten more then the other one as he hit the board.

Now am I paranoid or this the way it is?

[SAABDOCTOR]

HI THERE some food for thought on what you noticed. and i will be nice i promise.:Done side of you camper may weigh far more than the other that's 1.2 if the bf hit the boards and the trailer was not perfectly squared up so one side my have been a little contortted. but to help you fel better. run your hand over the sidewall of the tire inside and out and see if you feel any bubbles in the side wall. there will always be a slight wavyness to the side wall due to the construction process that is normal.then run your hand carefully over the tread. do you feel a scalloping? or twists in the tread? scalloping is form a balance issue or a slight bend int the axle. the twist is from ply seperation and that is bad. just be careful and go slow because if you run into ply seperation there is a chance the steel belt may be exposed and dam thea hurts when you stick your fingers. hope this will help you feel better about your tires. also when everi stop i walk around to all the tires and feel them for temp you can spend $$ on a temp gun but itrust my hand a bad tire will be to hot to the touch. agood one will be bearable and warm. your a race fan Dick Trickle used to set up his sprint car by feeling the tires with his hand and then make the chassis adjustments. i used to do it that way with my two go karts. my son and i were wka champs in the late 80's. have a great day! notice i let you wake up from your 1:30 am question ha ha:D:D barney

[chivas]

We had two Towmax tires replaced before going on a trip from Florida to Virginia. All tires were about a year old and had about 4-5k miles on them. Always parked in covered concrete pad storage. Tires were always inflated properly, and never ran over a curve. One tire separated, the other developd a big bubble. I was convinced those tires needed to be replaced, so I decided to wait until we got back to Florida. Just before getting into Virginia I pulled into a rest area, guess what, another Towmax was separating really bad. Pulled into Richmond, VA with my spare at a place called Mincz Tire, and replaced all Towmax with Maxxis tires. I guess my point is, do not take a chance with this tires, specially on a heavy 5th wheel or toy hauler. And as mentioned previously, construction on the Maxxis is obviously superior.

Just replace my Towmax with Maxxis this weekend and added metal valve stems and a tire pressure monitoring system due to a blowout that cause 2K worth of damage. When they were changing the Towmax look what was waiting for me. A golf ball size bubble on the inside of the tire. :eek: Do not know how I missed that.

[SAABDOCTOR]

AZLEE IF You look at the picture on chivas' post you would find that quockly when you rub your hand ove the tire like i said. if you get one of those it i time right then to replace the tire! great picture mr c. (tx)

[azlee56]

thanks! Yes that side is heavier with 3 slideouts on it. I just thought it was strange the back tire on that side didn't do it and the other tire did it. Maybe it hit the board different. I will do as you suggested and see what I feel. I should be doing it too, it really isn't just up to one person to keep this stuff safe is it?

Another racing person, yeah!!! I might need to read up on scalloping, not quite sure what that is, but I am sure the internet has a ton on it. Thanks for being nice ...(big smile).

[SAABDOCTOR]

azlee the best way to describe scaloping is, when you run your hand over the tread you will feel a series of low spots around the tread. it is from the tire skipping down the road. that is why it is important to balance your trailer tires. a feathered edge like someone ground a low path around the circumfrance of the tire several times so when you look at the tread from front to back it looks like steps. that would indicate a bent axle oralignment. i would call that a blue job! thats the bf's job you do the pink jobs. at least that's what my dw says... funny thing is there are an awful lot of blue jobs :rolleyes:hum... but safty is all of our job!:) given what you said about the rear tire and the front. the rear is up on the board to the load moves forward a bit so there is more weight on the front tire