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Old 10-31-2016, 01:23 PM   #1
buzzcop63
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Power King tires that worked!

Power King Towmax STR ST225/75R15LRD, tires DOT dated 4911 (Dec 2011) and trailer purchased new 3/12/2012, tires will be 5 years old this December with approximately 4,000 miles of use, all in Oregon. Tires have preformed beautifully with absolutely no problems caused by tires. Tires rated for 2,540 Lb at 65PSI, when trailer is attached to truck and fully loaded weight on trailer is 5,500Lb per scale giving a per tire load weight of 1,375Lb which means each tire is supporting approximately 54% of its rated load giving 46% safety margin. Tires were kept covered when stored in outside RV storage facility, PSI was kept at 65, traveling speed was set at 55 Mph and Tire Minder was used to monitor temperature and pressure, this is the type with sending unit attached on rubber stem, no problems to date or marks on rim from rubbing. Towmax states that at 100C or 212F that tires rubber will suffer degradation and adhesive force can drop, delaminating the tire and going flat. My tires on the hottest days would reach only half of the maximum.

Having read many complaints about tire failures, researched what tire manufactures have to say as well as talked to several tire dealers my conclusion why I have not had trouble running Power King tires is that my tires have a large safety margin in weight they can carry, they have been run at 55mph and kept covered during storage, their PSI has been constantly watched. Scale weight of trailer compared to weight rating of tires is critical as is keeping the speed and thus heat down should increase your odds of reaching 5 years of use without tire failure. New tires in Spring, its time.
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Old 10-31-2016, 01:35 PM   #2
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Which brand will the replacement tires be?
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Old 10-31-2016, 03:06 PM   #3
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Same brand, recommended by Tire Distributor Les Schwab, gave them the option to upgrade my tires or use another brand, their reply, stick with the same brand and take care of them. The tires they see coming in that have failed, all brands, they feel is due to speed, too much weight, too old and not keeping up with recommended PSI. But I will be watching them on every trip with my Tire Minder and checking them at every stop as I have done with the current tires.

My wish would be Trailer Life to set up a scientific test of the major brands fitted as OEM tires and beat them until they fail as well as a few of the top competitors so that we would have answers that are not just our own experience.
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Old 10-31-2016, 03:23 PM   #4
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Robert,

When you do replace your tires, if you would, please examine the inside (under the tread) and see if you can identify any separation. It will look like small bubbles or round "inflated" spots. Hopefully you won't find any, but that is exactly what I saw on two of the tires I replaced this spring. Here's a picture of one of the tires.

I'd be interested in knowing if the tires that "do make it to the end" have any of the same characteristics as those that, at least in my situation, got caught before they self destructed.

Thanks,
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Old 10-31-2016, 03:25 PM   #5
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

I think I can see the reason so many (China bombs) fail on so many trailers. Your trailer scaled at 5500 lbs. Mine is 9600 - 9800 lbs depending on trip. Mine came with the same size and rated tires as your trailer leaving me with almost zero weight margin (load vs tire capacity). Yours have performed well, mine blew the first trip of the 3rd summer. And yes, I drive less than 65, filled daily to correct psi etc. Probably needs to be something we all need to consider when buying a new trailer instead of just assuming the manufacturer has given us a safety margin.
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Old 10-31-2016, 04:00 PM   #6
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Robert,

When you do replace your tires, if you would, please examine the inside (under the tread) and see if you can identify any separation. It will look like small bubbles or round "inflated" spots. Hopefully you won't find any, but that is exactly what I saw on two of the tires I replaced this spring. Here's a picture of one of the tires.

I'd be interested in knowing if the tires that "do make it to the end" have any of the same characteristics as those that, at least in my situation, got caught before they self destructed.

Thanks,
When I put on the new set in Spring I will ask to see the tires that they have taken off!
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Old 10-31-2016, 05:44 PM   #7
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
I think I can see the reason so many (China bombs) fail on so many trailers. Your trailer scaled at 5500 lbs. Mine is 9600 - 9800 lbs depending on trip. Mine came with the same size and rated tires as your trailer leaving me with almost zero weight margin (load vs tire capacity). Yours have performed well, mine blew the first trip of the 3rd summer. And yes, I drive less than 65, filled daily to correct psi etc. Probably needs to be something we all need to consider when buying a new trailer instead of just assuming the manufacturer has given us a safety margin.
Sourdough, I've been thinking, (I know a dangerous thing for me to do) but...

Here's something to consider: Thinking back to the descriptions on Carlisle, Maxxis and several other tire manufacturer sites, many of them say that their ST tires "degrade" about 10% per year. So 4 tires rated at 2540 each would support about 10160 pounds the first year, about 9144 the second, about 8128 the third, 7112 the fourth and 6096 the fifth year. Factoring in 15% tongue weight on a travel trailer, that would be a trailer with about 7000 pounds in the fifth year without "overloading the aged tires". Quite a significant difference between buzzcop's trailer and yours or mine. We'd be overloaded the second year or the third for sure.

Robert,

Thanks, if you can remember, it will be an interesting comparison of the inside of your tires and of mine.
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Old 10-31-2016, 06:33 PM   #8
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

John, I am going to replace tries also this spring or sooner and will check them as you pointed out. I will post what I find. I might go to Carlisle trail HD same size as current ones, ST225/75R15 8ply with 2540 lbs max wt. Unsure where they are made. Their web says many of their tires are US made but, not all tires and they do not list which tire is US and which is not.
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Old 10-31-2016, 06:46 PM   #9
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Sourdough, I've been thinking, (I know a dangerous thing for me to do) but...

Here's something to consider: Thinking back to the descriptions on Carlisle, Maxxis and several other tire manufacturer sites, many of them say that their ST tires "degrade" about 10% per year. So 4 tires rated at 2540 each would support about 10160 pounds the first year, about 9144 the second, about 8128 the third, 7112 the fourth and 6096 the fifth year. Factoring in 15% tongue weight on a travel trailer, that would be a trailer with about 7000 pounds in the fifth year without "overloading the aged tires". Quite a significant difference between buzzcop's trailer and yours or mine. We'd be overloaded the second year or the third for sure.

Robert,

Thanks, if you can remember, it will be an interesting comparison of the inside of your tires and of mine.
John,

You're exactly right and make the point I was alluding to. I don't think most folks think about scrutinizing the new tires on a new trailer to determine exactly what kind of weight margin they have. In this case they used the same type of tire on a 5500 lb trailer and a 10,000 lb trailer. That doesn't really make sense to me and really puts the owner of the heavier trailer in a bit of a quandary.

You and I both had experiences with tire degradation/destruction early on. Mine went on the 1st trip of the 3rd summer (trailer was 2 yrs 1 month old) leading to the observation that those tires (if I had kept the same type/rating) would have to be replaced every other summer. Something that folks need to keep in mind even when purchasing a brand new trailer.

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Old 10-31-2016, 07:01 PM   #10
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

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Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia View Post
John, I am going to replace tries also this spring or sooner and will check them as you pointed out. I will post what I find. I might go to Carlisle trail HD same size as current ones, ST225/75R15 8ply with 2540 lbs max wt. Unsure where they are made. Their web says many of their tires are US made but, not all tires and they do not list which tire is US and which is not.
,
Thanks Ken.

If you're going to replace your tires, you might want to consider the LR E (10 ply). They are only a couple of dollars more and have significantly more load capability. As for where the Carlisle Radial Trail HD, as far as I can tell, they are made in China. A "couple of provinces" away from where TowMax is made. The difference: Carlisle owns their factory, TowMax is a "contracted by an outside manufacturer" which, to me, means significantly lower quality control.
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Old 10-31-2016, 08:20 PM   #11
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Another factor in your favor is only 4000 miles in 5 years. I usually put twice that or more every year. For that reason I sold my nearly new Trailer King tires to the dealer where I bought 5 Carlisle 235/85/R16 LRF TH tires ~ up from LRE ~~which gives me more cushion.
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Old 10-31-2016, 08:23 PM   #12
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

I dunno.... only 4,000 miles in a 5 year period of time to me doesn't seem to be a great gauge on the longevity or quality of any trailer tire brand! Maybe it's just sour-grapes on my part eh?

P.S. We have at least 60,000 plus miles on our present trailer tires!
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Old 11-01-2016, 12:35 PM   #13
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

I also thought less miles on the tire would mean they should last longer, not according to Power King, the following is from their web sight:

Tires are designed and built to be used. The rubber used in tires ages faster when they are not used, so more use results in longer tire life. The problem is lots of RV’s don’t get used that much.
When tires are manufactured compounds are added to help protect the rubber from weather cracking and ozone damage. The problem is the tire needs to be rolling down the road, heating up and flexing for these compounds to work their way to the surface of the tire and protect the rubber from damage. So, when tires sit still, like in storage they start to dry out causing them to age faster.
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Old 11-01-2016, 01:20 PM   #14
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzcop63 View Post
I also thought less miles on the tire would mean they should last longer, not according to Power King, the following is from their web sight:

Tires are designed and built to be used. The rubber used in tires ages faster when they are not used, so more use results in longer tire life. The problem is lots of RV’s don’t get used that much.
When tires are manufactured compounds are added to help protect the rubber from weather cracking and ozone damage. The problem is the tire needs to be rolling down the road, heating up and flexing for these compounds to work their way to the surface of the tire and protect the rubber from damage. So, when tires sit still, like in storage they start to dry out causing them to age faster.
It's accepted that RV manufacturers do what they can to save costs and equip their brands with components that meet the "minimum" specs required to support the load in ideal/new conditions. This can be applied especially to tires, axles, and brakes.

As others have stated, factoring in yearly losses in tire degradation is NOT part of the build process. If it was, OEM tire blow outs would be a relatively quiet subject on these forums.

I believe that its a shared responsibility of both the RV manufacturer and the new owner. The RV manufacturer should have the responsibility to provide satisfactory tires allowing for degradational safety margins. On the flip side, the RV owner should be responsible for proper care and maintenance of those tires (i.e. inflation pressures, speed allowances, life span).

I say "should" as we all know both parties, generally speaking, don't follow the rules.

As far as tire condition relative to miles driven, I agree with the manufacturer's statements, based on personal experience with automobile tires. 2 sets of the same brand, 90K miles on 1 set after 5 years. 30K on the other set in in practically the same amount of time. The set that seen limited miles looked older than the one driven frequently.
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Old 11-02-2016, 09:48 AM   #15
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Buzzcop, good on ya, mate, for your odd fortune. But I sincerely hope you aren't here to push others in the direction you're headed. Dozens and dozens of members on this forum and others have given horror stories galore concerning your tire brand. Two proverbs come to mind. "A word to the wise is sufficient" and of course "You can lead a horse to water, but......." Luck to you, my friend.
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Old 11-02-2016, 10:19 AM   #16
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

This might be apples vs oranges, but I've had good service out of the Maxxis 8008 trailer tires. Now, the apples and oranges thing....that has been on a 7 x 16 foot enclosed trailer which is rated at 7000 lbs GVW and I'm usually going down the road at a little over 5k lbs. What are your thoughts on the Maxxis brand for heavier towing? I now have a 9000 lb (empty weight) toy hauler with CCC of almost 4K lbs.
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Old 11-02-2016, 10:52 AM   #17
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

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This might be apples vs oranges, but I've had good service out of the Maxxis 8008 trailer tires. Now, the apples and oranges thing....that has been on a 7 x 16 foot enclosed trailer which is rated at 7000 lbs GVW and I'm usually going down the road at a little over 5k lbs. What are your thoughts on the Maxxis brand for heavier towing? I now have a 9000 lb (empty weight) toy hauler with CCC of almost 4K lbs.
The only two brands of ST tires I'd consider are Carlisle and Maxxis. Any others are "off brands" and subject to significant criticism on this and many other forums. Of course, you'll find the occasional poster who will "swear by" most any brand, but the vast majority will "swear at" those same brands, with the exception of Carlisle and Maxxis. In order or preference, most would suggest that Maxxis is the better tire probably because Carlisle had a "not too good" reputation some years ago, mainly in their bias ply ST tire brands. The new Carlisle Radial Trail HD and Radial Trail RH have, for the most part, come as close to Maxxis M8808's reputation as any tire can get. I'd say, from what I've read, that the two, Carlisle and Maxxis are pretty much equal.
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Old 11-02-2016, 12:39 PM   #18
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Quote:
Originally Posted by xrated View Post
This might be apples vs oranges, but I've had good service out of the Maxxis 8008 trailer tires. Now, the apples and oranges thing....that has been on a 7 x 16 foot enclosed trailer which is rated at 7000 lbs GVW and I'm usually going down the road at a little over 5k lbs. What are your thoughts on the Maxxis brand for heavier towing? I now have a 9000 lb (empty weight) toy hauler with CCC of almost 4K lbs.
I have the Maxxis M8008 235/80R-16 LRE on the SRX toy hauler and Carlisle RH on the utility trailers. No problems with either. The Maxxis have ~7000 miles on them with no abnormal or even discernable wear. Unless there is a big ST tire development between now the the time arrives for replacement, I won't change a thing.
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Old 11-02-2016, 03:40 PM   #19
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

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Buzzcop, good on ya, mate, for your odd fortune. But I sincerely hope you aren't here to push others in the direction you're headed. Dozens and dozens of members on this forum and others have given horror stories galore concerning your tire brand. Two proverbs come to mind. "A word to the wise is sufficient" and of course "You can lead a horse to water, but......." Luck to you, my friend.
No push intended!

But it is common that when something fails we complain about it but when something works we generally say nothing. We know that Power King is an OEM tire, how many are out their that have not given any problems and what percent of safety margin did those tires carry for the weight that was put on them? Are our tires failing because the owner has not done his due diligence or are they failing due to the factory putting tires on trailers that are barely able to carry the trailers weight or are cheaply made? Our government DOT rates the tires and allows them into the country so we should assume they are good?

Apples and Oranges, I have had one blowout on a tire, Studebaker Lark pick up overloaded with wet sod on old tires! Started driving when I was 16 now 71, driving sports cars, passenger cars etc, 100,000 miles plus on bikes, many miles spent towing bikes and boats, driving construction trucks and trailers that were overloaded and tires that looked like they were ready to die, had flats due to nails, screws etc but no other blow outs! So why so many on trailers! I personally am sick of driving with the fear in the back of my mind that a tire will let loose on our trailer. We cannot trust that our small sampling of tire uses is going to tell us what tire really works and will the same manufactured tire be the same quality next year and the year after. We are only guessing and that is not good enough!
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Old 11-02-2016, 05:13 PM   #20
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Re: Power King tires that worked!

Buzzcop; close to my age and my life experience mirrors yours regarding tires. I am with you - something is wrong that we should need to spend this much time in discussion of tires. Someone on this board always responds to these issues with: Well, you see-the manufactures have to be competitive. So we must clearly be at a race to the bottom. Doesn't say much for the industry. Rant over.
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