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Old 05-19-2010, 04:31 PM   #1
Mickey
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Ripley Ohio
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Angry Chinese Tires

May 7th while hooking up for a weekend trip to Lexington KY to visit an old friend I noticed my RV spare tire had BLOWN-OUT while lying in the bed of my P/U truck. It was a Carlisle 225/75R/15 which came on a 2004 travel trailer I purchased new. This tire had maybe 200 miles on it as it was always used as a spare. Last year (2009) was the first time this tire was on the ground because I blew-out 2 tires while on vacation in two different incidents that caused $ 1725.00 damage to my old travel trailer. these tires were also made in China, brand name, BCT. I now own all made in the USA Goodyears.
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Old 05-19-2010, 06:02 PM   #2
GBHRPS
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Mickey,
You state that you bought the trailer in 2004, which means the tires were made in 2004, but more likely the year before in 2003.

Most experts in the tire industry will tell you that a tire's life expectancy is 5 years, 6 years at most. Regardless of their tread depth, whether they have no visible sidewall cracks, or how few miles they have gone, they need to be replaced. The reason is due to the nature of the rubber compounds that deteriorate with age, to the point where the rubber becomes hard, doesn't grip, and starts to crumble. They really become a ticking time bomb after 5 years of age.

It doesn't matter whose tires you buy, they're all going to be problems if you are trailering them at that age.

Check the sidewalls for the DOT date codes of their manufacture. Close to the rim, every tire will have DOT in raised letters, followed by the date code inside a depressed oval shape. The 4 numbers give the year and week of manufacture. For example: 0348 means they were made in the 48th week of 2003.

Gene
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Old 05-19-2010, 06:29 PM   #3
Tom and Kelley Crawford
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You may think your tires were made in the US but I will bet my last dollar they were not. My husband did extensive research and found that there are only 2 trailer tires made in the US and neither are Goodyear. There is something on the tire (a code of some kind) that will tell you the plant where the tire was manufactured. After talking to RV dealers, tire dealers, etc. he found that even they think the tires are manufactured in the US, when in fact they are not. We just bought a new 5th wheel and we will be buying Michelin heavy duty 16" 10 ply truck tires to replace the so-called US made tires that are stock on the unit. They are not US made, they are Chinese tires. Not worth taking the chance of damaging our campers.
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Old 05-19-2010, 07:33 PM   #4
hankpage
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom and Kelley Crawford View Post
You may think your tires were made in the US but I will bet my last dollar they were not. My husband did extensive research and found that there are only 2 trailer tires made in the US and neither are Goodyear. There is something on the tire (a code of some kind) that will tell you the plant where the tire was manufactured. After talking to RV dealers, tire dealers, etc. he found that even they think the tires are manufactured in the US, when in fact they are not. We just bought a new 5th wheel and we will be buying Michelin heavy duty 16" 10 ply truck tires to replace the so-called US made tires that are stock on the unit. They are not US made, they are Chinese tires. Not worth taking the chance of damaging our campers.
Marathons are now being made in the US but still some Chinese out there, but are still ST tires with a speed rating of 65mph max. I removed my Chinese Marathons and went with the Michelin X Ribs. They are designed for all axle use. (Steering, drive and commercial trailer. ) Be sure that your rims and valve stems are rated for 80psi or higher or load range E. There are stricter regulations on tires made to carry passengers and higher speed ratings. In my opinion, this is more of a factor than where they are made. No matter what tire you choose load, inflation and balancing are big factors also. JM$.02 , Hank
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