[goodellj]

I struggled with the E-rated tires that came on my Montana 3750RL 5th wheel. I was getting about 8 thousand miles on each tire and couldn't understand why they were wearing out. Fortunately I invested in a tire pressure monitoring system which gave me some warning for slow leaks, which were happening every time belts started to break. A tire would lose a couple of pounds pressure over 24 hours, and if I looked hard enough I could find a bulge on the sidewall or a worn out spot on the tread surface, both indicating broken belts and future blowout.

The fully loaded camper was under it's GVWR, but only by about 10%. The tires were rated for 3,750lbs and when you deduct the tongue weight I thought I was well under the weight limit for the tires. I kept asking advice from tire shop managers every time I bought a new tire. I started carrying 2 extra unmounted tires on every trip, which for us included a 6,000 mile round trip from CT to AZ each winter. I was using one tire on the trip out and the other on the trip back for 2 years in a row.

Finally a tire guy said that I should have a bigger 'reserve', meaning that I was running too close to the weight limits for the tires. I could switch from the E rated 3,750lb tires to G rated 4,000lb tires without replacing the wheels. The actual tires were Gladiators model G4 ST235/85R16. It may not be a lot more weight capacity but it has made a huge difference. I switched in August 2016 and haven't had a problem since. I still watch my pressures closely and do a thorough inspection for wear and bulges before every trip.

A lot of these postings explain the problem they are having with their tires but they are leaving out the weight of the trailer and the ratings of their tires. Every time I read these I think that rather than talk about cheap brands and China-bombs, we should be talking about weights, ratings, and inflation pressures.