Brand new rig, trash the tires?

[Northofu1]

Originally Posted by notanlines

i heartily agree with danny concerning the tpms coming in on my phone. I think not.
And this statement: "i plan on running the trailer kings for a couple years (3 tops)" coming from a person with a new nice 35' cougar after everything that has been written. I simply can't understand the reasoning.

^^^^^^^^^ x 2

[flybouy]

I also don't want anything on my phone while driving. I have the Level Mate Pro and the Topeka tank sensors on my phone but they get used while parking or when set up. I like to scan information while driving and "flip thru" apps or get the screen saver off to get info.

I agree with George on being "cash strapped" with a new unit. I think the majority of first time camper owners don't realize that they'll spend quite a chunk of change on all the stuff that they need that doesn't come with the hig new shiny thing.

[wiredgeorge]

Have you ever seen the dealer supplied starter kit? Geesh, I would be looking for an EMS, a decent sewer hose(s) and chocks, etc. Camping can get pricey quick. That is why absolute essentials can become "wait till we have the bucks" items like the tires and EMS and a Rhino sewer hose and the like.

[Brantel]

Thanks guys but my phone sits in a hands free cradle and the In-Command TPMS app runs just fine on it and requires no fiddling and provides the needed info at a glance just like a dedicated monitor.

[Mike&Sandy]

Just got my carlisle tires from Amazon, manufacture date 3320. Not to bad.

[Brantel]

Yes, not bad at all!

[Brantel]

To close the book on the topic of my OP, I took her in today for 5 Carlisle Radial Trail HD ST225/75R15 LRE's.

Date codes:

1ea 3820
2ea 3320
2ea 2820

So I think I did about as good as can be expected with date codes.

The sales guy at my go to tire shop was very interested in the rig and understood why I was getting rid of the Trailer King's. He was more than happy to make a sale.

The guys in the back thought I was crazy and I overheard them discussing how stupid I must be. LOL

I also had them change all 5 valve stems out to these Haltec N-1600's:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Well I think I can sleep better now know that as long as I keep the tire pressure on point, keep the speed and loads reasonable and monitor with a TPMS that I have done everything I can to ensure I don't trash my trailer from a road bomb. I know it is still possible but that is what insurance is for.

Now to sell these Trailer Kings to someone that does not give a flip.

[vancouverbrian]

I purchased a 2018 Cougar 30 RLs fifth wheel (GVW 11,000) and it came with TK tires. I used them to go south to Arizona and while down there, I researched the tires. I went with the Goodyear Endurance but as long as you do your own research and make your own decision, you should be fine. I did not like the tires that came with the rig originally and wanted to be worry free going down the road. Of course, everyday on the road, I check the air pressure and eyeball the tires as part of my daily pre-trip.

[Bob Landry]

A better choice is LT tires. I did that on my outback and love them. I had to go up a size in rims, but that was only around $200 and it was well worth the cost.
You are going to have to deal with weak sidewalls on any ST tire.

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

A better choice is LT tires. I did that on my outback and love them. I had to go up a size in rims, but that was only around $200 and it was well worth the cost.
You are going to have to deal with weak sidewalls on any ST tire.

So others on another thread claim the opposite. Who is correct?

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

To be quite honest after having the TST507 TPMS with a separate monitor I wouldn't want anything that I had to specifically find on my phone as I found myself looking at pressures & more so at temperatures quite often.
Not a good idea to be texting, dialing or in my opinion looking up tire conditions on your phone while driving especially while towing.
Not to mention if the TPMS through the InCommand system is as troublesome as most of the forums are indicating the rest of the system is then I wouldn't trust it to much. It's one thing for the lights or awning to have issues through the InCommand, but I want accurate tire information instantly.

I would offer that the Pressure report from your TPMS is more important accurate than the temperature numbers. In my comparison test I found that the external sensors report temperatures that are 20 to 30F cooler than the temperature of the tire because the hot spot of a tire is at the belt edges not in the air chamber.
Temperature warning may be of value with a brake or bearing failure as the heat is transferred through metal much better than through air. If your temperature warning is set at the normal 70C or 158F you should be able to ignore the regular readings. I set my low pressure warning at a couple psi below my normal morning "cold" pressure as there is no reason for the pressure to get lower due to ambient temperature drop.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

A better choice is LT tires. I did that on my outback and love them. I had to go up a size in rims, but that was only around $200 and it was well worth the cost.
You are going to have to deal with weak sidewalls on any ST tire.

Correct, When switching from ST tires to LT you will need to go to larger and/or higher Load Range (inflation) to get equal or better load capacity.
You should NEVER go to a lower tire load capacity.

[pdaniel]

I have a 2019 fifth wheel weighing in at 11,000 dry and 16,000 loaded (well, factory numbers) with Westlake G rated tires. I have about 12000 miles on the trailer with those tires, but, I keep the weight within limits and the inflation to the recommended pressure, and speed reasonable, about 65 MPH.
What kills the tires, Chinese or domestic (keep in mind they need to meet DOT requirements regardless of country of manufacture) is under inflation, overloading and speed which equals heat with the result of a blowout.
I wouldn’t be so quick to replace the tires. Just be diligent.

[Cfilipiak]

Originally Posted by Brantel

My new 2021 Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 32BHS came with Trailer King RST ST225/75R15E tires.

All the talk on the interwebs about China bombs has me concerned that I should trash these tires right out of the gate.

After looking closely at how the Cougar is built around the tires, a blowout would likely cause much damage and be very expensive to repair.

I think I read somewhere that the TK RST's are a fairly new model and with little history on them as far as reported failures?

So I am considering the Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R15E tire as a replacement as this seems to be the only American made choice in that size with an E load rating.

Should I or should I not? If I do am I making a good move with my choice of replacement tire?

I have a 2017 Cougar TT 29bhswe with Trailer Kings ST225/75r15. I purchased the trailer new. I’ve racked up about 10,000 miles in those three years. I just put the spare on yesterday due to a flat time. It was my first plat tire on this TT. There does not seem to be any nail or puncture. Luckily it happened while I had been parked for three days. BUT, this tire and the other three need to be replaced. They are all worn unevenly, which I don’t understand. Some of the tread is completely gone on one side of the tire while the other side still has decent tread. 10,000 miles on a set of tires seems terrible to me. I will 100% be replacing all of them, with a different Brand. Thanks for all who replied to this thread.

[rs1718]

Those are junk. They came on my raptor toy hauler and one blew out at 2500 miles and did $6000 damage to my trailer. Upon inspection the other 3 tires had the steel belts exposed.

[wjslam]

FWIW Discount Tire has taken my pull-offs and given me as much as $40 per tire (depending on size/type) credit toward new ones. Tread has to be over 5/32 iirc. They also have price matched for me. We do 6k mile cross country each year and have never had anything but over the top service from DT from Ga to Washington State. ymmv

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Cfilipiak

I have a 2017 Cougar TT 29bhswe with Trailer Kings ST225/75r15. I purchased the trailer new. I’ve racked up about 10,000 miles in those three years. I just put the spare on yesterday due to a flat time. It was my first plat tire on this TT. There does not seem to be any nail or puncture. Luckily it happened while I had been parked for three days. BUT, this tire and the other three need to be replaced. They are all worn unevenly, which I don’t understand. Some of the tread is completely gone on one side of the tire while the other side still has decent tread. 10,000 miles on a set of tires seems terrible to me. I will 100% be replacing all of them, with a different Brand. Thanks for all who replied to this thread.

Sounds like your rv needs an alignment, which is not unusual, if the tires are wearing unevenly. Also rv tires will typically age out long before they wear out. Say 10k miles in 3-4 years, check date codes, they may have been a year old before put on your rv, they may still have good tread but they'll need replaced, they're running on borrowed time after 5 years even if the tread still has the little hairs on it.

[jadatis]

Originally Posted by Brantel

My new 2021 Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 32BHS came with Trailer King RST ST225/75R15E tires.

All the talk on the interwebs about China bombs has me concerned that I should trash these tires right out of the gate.

After looking closely at how the Cougar is built around the tires, a blowout would likely cause much damage and be very expensive to repair.

I think I read somewhere that the TK RST's are a fairly new model and with little history on them as far as reported failures?

So I am considering the Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R15E tire as a replacement as this seems to be the only American made choice in that size with an E load rating.

Should I or should I not? If I do am I making a good move with my choice of replacement tire?

I dont believe in bad tires, sooner in bad choise of the vehicle maker, wich gives certain cheap tires a bad name.

To yudge if its better to upgrade, I have to know the configuration of your vehicle.
Need GVWR, Number of axles, single or dual-load axles, GAWR's and kind of vehicle. I am not familiair with what name belongs to what kind of vehicle, so is it a 5thwh or TT,

Already read 11500lbs GVWR, is that right?
ST 225/75 R 15 E has 2830 lbs maxload AT 80psi up to 65mph. Even if you change to Goodyear Endurance .

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by jadatis

I dont believe in bad tires, sooner in bad choise of the vehicle maker, wich gives certain cheap tires a bad name.

To yudge if its better to upgrade, I have to know the configuration of your vehicle.
Need GVWR, Number of axles, single or dual-load axles, GAWR's and kind of vehicle. I am not familiair with what name belongs to what kind of vehicle, so is it a 5thwh or TT,

Already read 11500lbs GVWR, is that right?
ST 225/75 R 15 E has 2830 lbs maxload AT 80psi up to 65mph. Even if you change to Goodyear Endurance .

Dual axle, four tires total, 11,500 GVWR, 5th wheel.

Both the original Trailer King RST and the Carlisle Radial Trail HD, and the Good Year Endurance are rated for 81mph in this size.

[jsmiller47]

Our new 2020 Cougar Half Ton 26RBS @ 6500# blew out a tire on our second trip. We had gone fewer than 2,000 miles and had a blow out on the I10 in Texas. We fishtailed back and forth, but always kept control. No one on the road with us. Dumped nearly everything on the floor from the kitchen and bathroom. The TV swung out and broke the Velcro strap. We were able to drive about 45 minutes to the next town for an emergency tire change. We got all new tires in Kerrville, TX at Discount Tires. In my opinion, the Trailer King tires we got should not have passed inspection. It reminded me of the Bridgestone/Firestone debacle about twenty years ago. It is not an uncommon practice to replace the "China Bombs" immediately with an upgraded tire.