Have you had problems with your tires

[retfrm]

Originally Posted by Halibutman214

In an effort to know all I can know I do frequent other RV sites and while it's not too bad on here I am REALLY tired of the tire posts that pretty much all say the same thing. It does get a guy to thinking though. What I'm looking for here is some first hand info about the tires they put on OUR Keystones. If you want to simply bash Chinese tires please don't bother.
I'm going to Alaska this year and the last thing (though I'm prepared) I want to deal with is multiple tire failures. The tires on my Keystone are Power King Towmax STR. I would assume if you have a newer Keystone you probably have the same brand of tire. What I'm wanting from you all is to simply know if you've had any issues with these tires? To make this simple maybe approx miles driven and yes or no on failures. When I say failures I'm not talking the occasional flat. Hopefully this will be beneficial to all. Thanks everyone

Only problem was tire wore down on inside due to a bent axle. Made them replace axle and put spare on in place of worn tire. Took it to California and back. No problem. Got over 15000 miles on them and just got it inspected. Tires are still in good shape. I also am going to Alaska probably next year but with four new tires.

[Azdryheat]

Originally Posted by Halibutman214

In an effort to know all I can know I do frequent other RV sites and while it's not too bad on here I am REALLY tired of the tire posts that pretty much all say the same thing. It does get a guy to thinking though. What I'm looking for here is some first hand info about the tires they put on OUR Keystones. If you want to simply bash Chinese tires please don't bother.
I'm going to Alaska this year and the last thing (though I'm prepared) I want to deal with is multiple tire failures. The tires on my Keystone are Power King Towmax STR. I would assume if you have a newer Keystone you probably have the same brand of tire. What I'm wanting from you all is to simply know if you've had any issues with these tires? To make this simple maybe approx miles driven and yes or no on failures. When I say failures I'm not talking the occasional flat. Hopefully this will be beneficial to all. Thanks everyone

I've had too many ST tires fail on me over the years. The tires they put on our Keystones, regardless of the brand, all come from CHINA. I don't see how you can keep CHINA out of the equation. China makes crappy tires that separate and ultimately explode and that's a fact and that is all the brands, even TOWMAX.

I took the CHINESE Will-pops (Marathon's) off my Everest and put on LT truck tires and that's what I would do if I were you.

[Festus2]

At the risk of starting a Made in China vs Made in the USA tire war here on the forum, I understand that many RVer's have Maxxis tires on their RV's and, if you believe what these owners have to say, they are excellent tires. I know that there are some members here on this forum who swear by the Maxxis tires that they have installed on their TT's.

Maxxis is one of the world's largest tire manufacturers which was founded in Taiwan in 1967. Their factories are found in China, Thailand and also in North America. Are the Maxxis tires manufactured in North America superior to those manufactured in Taiwan? I don't know but I doubt it.
I had Maxxis tires manufactured off-shore, on a previous 5th wheel and drove thousands of miles on them and never had one problem - no explosions, no separations or blowouts. I would hardly describe them as being "Chinese Will Pops". "Crappy" tires"?? I don't think so.

Granted, many off shore tires were and are failures - right from the get-go and deserved the poor reputation that was associated with them. Many of them were made in China and were "crappy".
To say or to imply that all tires not made in the USA are "crappy" is a stretch and simply not true. There are numerous car tires, for example, that are made in Japan and in Europe that are of very high quality.

I'm not here defending off-shore tire brands but if you make a broad, sweeping statement saying that all Chinese tires are crappy, you are, by default, including Maxxis in your condemnation of anything not made in North America as being a piece of junk. By reading your posts, I realize that you have had some bad experiences with Chinese tires and obviously do not like them and would not recommend that anyone have them on their TT. Fair enough. However, if you would take the time to talk to those who have Maxxis tires, I am certain you would get a different and more positive endorsement of that brand of off-shore (Thailand) tire.

These Maxxis off-shore made ST tires are, by all accounts, highly rated and respected amongst the RVing community.

[Azdryheat]

OK, all Chinese made ST tires are crap. lol

Too many people have had even brand new ST Chinese tires blow up and cause damage. Mine were Marathons that blew up and caused much damage. I've never had an LT blow up.

My question is, Why are ST tires not made in the US? With a name like Goodyear you would expect their Marathon's to be a reliable tire. They're not - and they're made in China. I don't trust any tire from China and that is why I trust my US made LT tires, which have never failed me. If an ST were ever to be made in the US, I would really consider it.

One thing I would recommend to everyone is getting a TPMS installed.

[therink]

I have heard that Carlisle STs are now made in the USA.
Steve

[Quiroule]

To add to the confusion of those who are half as confused and worried as I am.

I have Towmax on my 2010 Cougar HC. They have about 25% wear. After reading all the horror stories I was wondering if I should change them.

So I talked to a brother-in-law who sells tires about getting LT tires. He tells me that I needed ST’s which are made to withstand the side pressure on the tires when making sharp turn.

Is-he right, if not what is the difference between ST and LT.

[SAABDOCTOR]

Hey festus in an other thread someone stated everything made in the U.S. is junk therefore i conclued it must all be junk! we are dommed!LOL the devil made me write this! but i am with you and what you postedquiroule you out law tire relitive is right LT icall light truck ST i call side wall tough for trailers.

[smiller]

There are so many variables in the tire equation that no single blanket statement is correct, especially the blanket statements that 'all' ST tires are inferior or 'all' offshore-manufactured tires are inferior. It's just one of those internet memes that will be repeated forever it seems.

As to the difference between ST and LT tires, ST tires are designed for trailer use and usually have stronger sidewalls to resist side-stresses during cornering (since they drag rather than steer) and a higher aspect ratio and less tread depth to provide lower rolling resistance and higher stability. There are also some commercial LT tires that are approved for trailer use (and note that only these LT tires are manufacturer-approved for trailer applications.)

As Festus noted there are certain brands and models of ST tires that have been trouble-prone in service for a number of reasons, perhaps either poor design or manufacture, or the RV manufacturer equipped the vehicle with barely-adequate tires in terms of weight rating (unfortunately a very common practice), etc. and as a result it pays to research a purchase in advance. ST tires seem to be a niche market without a lot of options and right now it appears that Maxxis is about the only ST tire manufacturer with a good record (defined as reports of sudden failures being few or non-existant), but that's not to say that they are the only good ones. There are also a few good options in approved LT tire models as well but agan, I'm not sure it's wise to slap just any LT tire on a trailer and call it 'better.' Again, there are many factors to consider and no single generalization is always correct.