Quote:
Originally Posted by CWtheMan
OEM tire failures are not brand or design related.
Finger pointing at the results without troubleshooting the cause gives no real clue to the root problem.
We see a lot of pictures of blown tires. Most include a tire tread separation. Any trained tire expert can pinpoint the cause of a tread separation when they have what remains from the tread and carcass. Material failures will always prompt a recall action. How many have been initiated? Very few.
OEM tire fitments have a high percentage of failures for numerous reasons. Some just don’t have any, or enough load capacity reserves.
RV trailer owners are somewhat lackadaisical about tire maintenance. Until?
Ask yourself, how well balanced is my trailer? Is its weight evenly distributed across all axles? Where is it located? Evenly across the axles or heavy right or left or just heavy on a single axle end? Until you know the answer to those questions you’re always flirting with potential early tire failures, especial if you’re carrying nearly a full load.
When the inflation pressure in a tire is not sufficient to support the weight it’s carrying it’s going to degrade. Tire damage is cumulative and is most often not recognizable.
This is a common occurrence with RV trailer tire fitments. I’m just going to pick this one because it’s in the middle of the pack. Trailer has two 5000# GAWR axles, certified by the vehicle manufacturer. Each are fitted with two 2540# maximum load capacity tires with a recommended cold inflation pressure of 65 PSI. Perfectly legal according to FMVSS fitment standards for RV trailers. Keystone does not stand alone there, they all do it. It’s all about the cost. The next load range on that tire would provide 2830# of load capacity at 80 PSI and be above the 10% reserve load capacity recommended by RVIA. That fitment would probably be less than $7 per tire/wheel fitment.
NOTE: Don’t overlook the importance of valve stem replacement when replacing your tires. They are also a safety item that are often recalled for seal failures. Bolt ins are recommended for RV wheels.
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CW I agree with most of what you say... Here are my "but's).
OEM tires failures are not brand specific?..but.. where's the data to support that? I confess that you are vastly more informed on this subject so I'd love to read the study on this as I haven't seen anyone posting issues with some of the other OEM brands.
Trained ...can tell what caused failure..but how many people just replace the tires?
Material Failure always spurn recall? ...but..I would hazard to guess the vast majority of these failed tires end up in a landfill. The manufacturer and NTSB don't see them. Material failure...but..what about manufacturing errors? I agree that the failures should brought to the governments attention, I question why insurance companies don't do this..but.. I suppose it's because most damages caused by tire failures end up with the tire being disposed. Tire failures on trailers rarely end up in fatalities unlike failures on motor vehicles (remember the early steel belt radials?)
Lackadasical maintenance...but.. Do these people change their ways when they replace tires? Do they weigh individual wheels to ensure equal loading?Some may, but, there's no way to quantify that with data. Troubleshooting
Finger pointing without troubleshooting... But.. When this happens with such high frequency I think most posters are just relaying their experiences. The tire issues have been discussed ad nauseum here and it seems to me replying without diagnosis equates to folks raising their hands saying yup, it happened to me to.
I completely agree that most of these tires are on the edge of capacity and when replaced are upgraded ..but.. my gut feeling is many who add that capacity will also add more weight because now they can..but.. again no imperial evidence just, observing human nature.
I apologize for taking up yet more storage space on the forums server on the tire subject but I'm seeking more hard evidence on this subject as it is a constantly discussed topic.