Trailer King Tire Exploded at 75% Load

[jasin1]

get yourself a tpms system if you don’t already have one

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Diver

yes they were on my 2018 rig but minimal wear / use look at the tread

The tire discussions on this and other RV forums are never ending, one of those constant conversation topics is the unreliability of Trailer King tires aka "China Bombs". At 4 years those tires were about 3 years 11 mos. past replacement time IMO. RV tires wear out by age, not use unless you run the highways a LOT. Trailer Kings don't wear out by age or time....they just fail. Pull them all off including the spare and get a GOOD set of tires, one load range above what come OE and giver 'er a whirl.

[Mic]

Originally Posted by bdaniel

Just Google. You will find many opinions. It is like talking religion.

One of the links in that blog was about the exploding Carlisle tires I had in 2002 and how I replaced them with LT tires. If you did not see it, here is the link

http://www.bobbystuff.com/RV/index.p...-16-inch-tires

There is a lot of good info in that blog.

The biggest thing is to make sure the width of your rim works with the LT tire. Also make sure the weight capacity is there. If you go with a larger or wider tire, is there enough space?

As far as side wall stiffness, or special chemicals in ST tires, etc. my experience over 10 years and 50,000+ miles is that does not matter.

My LT tires have never failed me and I can drive 80+ MPH if I want. I've never had a flat on a LT tire on a 5th wheel.

Did you know ST tires can not be towed over 65 MPH? I now have had two explosions of ST tires, one on 2002 and now in 2014. Also one side wall hen egg bubble of an ST tire in 2002.

After 10 years ST tires are still MADE IN CHINA junk.

Bobby

curious

as I have ST tires and they say max 70 mph
...


.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Mic

curious

can't a mfg offer quality tires sized for max acceptable load?

if this happened with cars ppl would have a class action lawsuit N NTSB would be all over them

NTSB isn't going to delve into ST trailer tires. Much different than auto tires; far fewer users, far fewer failures and far more owner variable that can/could cause failure. Some will say to report all failures to NHTSA but as we can see, after all these years, that isn't going to work. The onus is on the owner and requires them to do their due diligence...just as every facet of RV ownership does.

Quality tires when trying to sell for the lowest price? Of course that won't happen and yes, the tires are sized and rated for the rated load...by the accepted math, which I don't accept BTW which requires replacing tires on a new trailer before it leaves the lot with me....part of the RV "game".

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by Mic

curious

as I have ST tires and they say max 70 mph
...


.

There is no speed letter for 70 MPH, therefore, the tire manufacturer can use option two and mold the speed rating onto the tire sidewall.

Publishing a tire speed rating is not acceptable without individual tire certification.

[MJCougler]

I too agree with JRTJH. The repeated, rapid bouncing of an RV will cause excessive sidewall flex as well as possible tread scuffing which can lead to damage. Both will increase heat, set up abnormal stress points and can easily lead to tire failure either from sidewall failure or tread separation.

I also agree with the person above that stated whenever there is a blow-out, the second tire on that side of the RV receives a sudden increase in the load, for the distance it takes to get to the side of the road. This tire shock causes unknown damage in severity to the "good" tire.

There a few things no one has mentioned in this strand: First, let me tell my story...

Within two years of purchasing my 2012 Keystone Laredo, I blew three Load range E tires. During the first blow-out I had exactly 80 PSI when I left upstate NY in March during a 1-week Easter school break. We spent the night in a Walmart parking lot in Hagerstown PA, and I did not check the tire pressure in PA that morning. We got to the Richmond I-95 bypass and the temperature had risen about 30 degrees. And, I had about 200 pounds of DJ gear (weight) against the rear wall of the RV that multiplied every time the trailer bounced over a bump. Boom. Fact: tire pressure increases as the surrounding temperature increases.

The Second failure was within a mile of pulling the RV out of the RV dealer's repair shop after fixing the damage from the first blow-out. And, it was the tire on the opposite side of the RV from the first blow-out. I did not check the tire pressure before I left the dealership. Boom. Fact: Sitting at the dealership, the tire pressures changed, and was not checked prior to traveling.

In my two complaints to the manufacturer distributor in Canada, they e-mailed me a "manufacturers tire information" sheet. In this manufacture's hand-out they stated that ST tires are only speed rated for 65 MPH. And, they stated that most tire failures are caused by improper tire pressure. They also sent me shipping labels to mail back the failed two tires for testing. All I can remember is the five tires from Keystone were made in China. Fact: Do not travel faster than 65 MPH, especially if the total load weight is not verified at a truck scale.

I bought two more (different) tire pressure gauges to check tire pressure after that. Is 80 PSI the same on each of the three gauge? No. I was also told it is better to be slightly over 80 PSI, rather than under. Fact: Before you leave for a trip, verify all tire pressures with several tire pressure gauges.

After the third failure in VA, on a hot day, at 64 MPH, I verified each of the five tires were the same brand and within a week of manufacture based on the codes on the side wall. They agreed to send me shipping labels for the failed tire and the fourth. They agreed to send me $100 for each failed tire, if I agreed to sign a "find no future fault" waiver. Fact: Also, verify the date of manufacture and R & R tires after they are 5-years old.

Each time I had a failure, I purchased the only tires I could find the day they failed, away from home, all made in China.

Now, ever sense these three blow-outs, I seldom let my speed go above 65 MPH, I purchased a compressor I carry in the front garage of my 5th wheel, and I had two annual NYS inspections that failed because of tread separation. Each inspector noticed the flat tire treads had rounded and they refused to issue or process the inspection paperwork.

The current tires are Load Range F, 12-ply rated, 3860 pounds (single). However, the two pairs of tires are only inflated to 85 PSI because the Keystone Aluminum rims are only rated for 80 PSI tires. Fact: it is dangerous to run load range F tires at 95 or 100 PSI if the wheels are only rated at 80 PSI.

Now a question: Am I damaging these tires by running them at only 85 PSI? And, are they going to fail prematurely, even if they are Load Range F rated, or made in China?

My 2-cents

[Rocketsled]

Originally Posted by sourdough

NTSB isn't going to delve into ST trailer tires. Much different than auto tires; far fewer users, far fewer failures and far more owner variable that can/could cause failure. Some will say to report all failures to NHTSA but as we can see, after all these years, that isn't going to work. The onus is on the owner and requires them to do their due diligence...just as every facet of RV ownership does.

Quality tires when trying to sell for the lowest price? Of course that won't happen and yes, the tires are sized and rated for the rated load...by the accepted math, which I don't accept BTW which requires replacing tires on a new trailer before it leaves the lot with me....part of the RV "game".

My insurance is paying $2300 and I paid another large chunk of change to both put Trailer King tires on the trailer (under duress), and then replace them with Goodyear Endurance tires when one blew. (Story here: https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=51907 )

So we may be a smaller group of people, but they seem to happen at a statistically higher rate, and it costs the insurance company to recover their customers…The new trailer (‘19 GD) had a factory fit tire blow as well.

I guess it had the side effect of not affecting the sale as I’m now aware of just how may trailers it happens to.

I’ve seen far smaller effects generate much larger litigation.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by MJCougler

I too agree with JRTJH. The repeated, rapid bouncing of an RV will cause excessive sidewall flex as well as possible tread scuffing which can lead to damage. Both will increase heat, set up abnormal stress points and can easily lead to tire failure either from sidewall failure or tread separation.

I also agree with the person above that stated whenever there is a blow-out, the second tire on that side of the RV receives a sudden increase in the load, for the distance it takes to get to the side of the road. This tire shock causes unknown damage in severity to the "good" tire.

There a few things no one has mentioned in this strand: First, let me tell my story...

Within two years of purchasing my 2012 Keystone Laredo, I blew three Load range E tires. During the first blow-out I had exactly 80 PSI when I left upstate NY in March during a 1-week Easter school break. We spent the night in a Walmart parking lot in Hagerstown PA, and I did not check the tire pressure in PA that morning. We got to the Richmond I-95 bypass and the temperature had risen about 30 degrees. And, I had about 200 pounds of DJ gear (weight) against the rear wall of the RV that multiplied every time the trailer bounced over a bump. Boom. Fact: tire pressure increases as the surrounding temperature increases.

The Second failure was within a mile of pulling the RV out of the RV dealer's repair shop after fixing the damage from the first blow-out. And, it was the tire on the opposite side of the RV from the first blow-out. I did not check the tire pressure before I left the dealership. Boom. Fact: Sitting at the dealership, the tire pressures changed, and was not checked prior to traveling.

In my two complaints to the manufacturer distributor in Canada, they e-mailed me a "manufacturers tire information" sheet. In this manufacture's hand-out they stated that ST tires are only speed rated for 65 MPH. And, they stated that most tire failures are caused by improper tire pressure. They also sent me shipping labels to mail back the failed two tires for testing. All I can remember is the five tires from Keystone were made in China. Fact: Do not travel faster than 65 MPH, especially if the total load weight is not verified at a truck scale.

I bought two more (different) tire pressure gauges to check tire pressure after that. Is 80 PSI the same on each of the three gauge? No. I was also told it is better to be slightly over 80 PSI, rather than under. Fact: Before you leave for a trip, verify all tire pressures with several tire pressure gauges.

After the third failure in VA, on a hot day, at 64 MPH, I verified each of the five tires were the same brand and within a week of manufacture based on the codes on the side wall. They agreed to send me shipping labels for the failed tire and the fourth. They agreed to send me $100 for each failed tire, if I agreed to sign a "find no future fault" waiver. Fact: Also, verify the date of manufacture and R & R tires after they are 5-years old.

Each time I had a failure, I purchased the only tires I could find the day they failed, away from home, all made in China.

Now, ever sense these three blow-outs, I seldom let my speed go above 65 MPH, I purchased a compressor I carry in the front garage of my 5th wheel, and I had two annual NYS inspections that failed because of tread separation. Each inspector noticed the flat tire treads had rounded and they refused to issue or process the inspection paperwork.

The current tires are Load Range F, 12-ply rated, 3860 pounds (single). However, the two pairs of tires are only inflated to 85 PSI because the Keystone Aluminum rims are only rated for 80 PSI tires. Fact: it is dangerous to run load range F tires at 95 or 100 PSI if the wheels are only rated at 80 PSI.

Now a question: Am I damaging these tires by running them at only 85 PSI? And, are they going to fail prematurely, even if they are Load Range F rated, or made in China?

My 2-cents

In models 2012 there was no requirement for RV trailer manufacturers to provide any load capacity reserves with Original Equipment (OE) tires. Without your trailer’s model we cannot check the specs for that particular model.

All ST tires without a speed rating letter or the actual speed restriction molded onto the tire sidewall default to a 65 MPH speed Rating. Since 2015 all ST tires have speed ratings molded onto the tire sidewall. Maxxis is the only brand name that has not done so.

You have answered your wheel PSI dilemma. It is unsafe to inflate tires on a wheel rated at 80 PSI to a higher cold value. Did you check your valve stems PSI limit?

If your OE tires (LRE) had insufficient load capacity reserves so do the LRF tires – same designated size - inflated to 80 PSI, cold.

The official way for a tire manufacturer to display a tire’s speed rating is by placing a speed restriction letter at the end of the tire’s load index as displayed in the picture below.



Another option – mostly found on China made ST tires – is by molding the actual speed rating onto the tire sidewall.



There is no speed letter for 65 MPH. It makes one wonder why TRA used a bastardized 65 MPH value.

[lcarver02]

Get rid of all the China Bombs. Buy Goodyear Endurance, very good tires made in the USA. Air them to max pressure posted on the tire. Load E is 80 I believe. Best to go up one load range than you need, pay more now, avoid trouble later. Check before EVERY Trip with a quality digital gauge.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

In models 2012 there was no requirement for RV trailer manufacturers to provide any load capacity reserves with Original Equipment (OE) tires. Without your trailer’s model we cannot check the specs for that particular model.

All ST tires without a speed rating letter or the actual speed restriction molded onto the tire sidewall default to a 65 MPH speed Rating. Since 2015 all ST tires have speed ratings molded onto the tire sidewall. Maxxis is the only brand name that has not done so.

You have answered your wheel PSI dilemma. It is unsafe to inflate tires on a wheel rated at 80 PSI to a higher cold value. Did you check your valve stems PSI limit?

If your OE tires (LRE) had insufficient load capacity reserves so do the LRF tires – same designated size - inflated to 80 PSI, cold.

The official way for a tire manufacturer to display a tire’s speed rating is by placing a speed restriction letter at the end of the tire’s load index as displayed in the picture below.

Attachment 41931

Another option – mostly found on China made ST tires – is by molding the actual speed rating onto the tire sidewall.

Attachment 41932

There is no speed letter for 65 MPH. It makes one wonder why TRA used a bastardized 65 MPH value.


Attachment 41933

For many years there were no speed letters on ST tires. The TRA set their speed rating at 65 MPH. You can thank President Trump for speed letters/ratings for ST tires.

[Diver]

Originally Posted by jasin1

get yourself a tpms system if you don’t already have one

i check my tires all the time
trust me it was not a pressure issue .. they were at proper pressure ..
and made a hell of a bang when they deflated ...

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Diver

i check my tires all the time
trust me it was not a pressure issue .. they were at proper pressure ..
and made a hell of a bang when they deflated ...

the TK tires are junk for sure…just pointing out to get a tpms no matter what tire brand you have ..i had a tk tire pick up a screw or nail at a truck stop …. (have you ever looked at the parking lot at a truck stop or the truck side of a rest stop? ..looks like all trucks haul screws and nails packed inside crab traps) …my tpms alarm went off shortly after and i watched the psi dropping..gave me time to pull over and change it before it caused any more damage…

won’t help in a blowout but not all tire problems are blowouts

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by jasin1

the TK tires are junk for sure…just pointing out to get a tpms no matter what tire brand you have ..i had a tk tire pick up a screw or nail at a truck stop …. (have you ever looked at the parking lot at a truck stop or the truck side of a rest stop? ..looks like all trucks haul screws and nails packed inside crab traps) …my tpms alarm went off shortly after and i watched the psi dropping..gave me time to pull over and change it before it caused any more damage…

won’t help in a blowout but not all tire problems are blowouts

I would also note to be sure and put a sensor on the spare. Had a spare repaired, placed back on the spare rack and noticed the next morning it had lost 40psi - the repair didn't hold. I was able to have that fixed and no big deal vs assuming all was good and finding a flat when I needed to use it.