Take the trailer to Discount Tire?

BlueThunder34 · 07-17-2016, 07:06 PM

So after reading all of the horror stories about the Trailer King tires I have decided to invest in a little insurance and safety and ordered the Carlisle HD tires for our new Cougar and they are scheduled to be installed on Saturday before our trip the following Monday. My question is, is it best just to take the trailer down to DT and let them take the tires off the trailer (this location does have a large parking area), or would it be better to take the wheels off myself and just take those to them? I can always call and ask them but looking to hear what others have done. Thanks

Brucelas · 07-17-2016, 07:39 PM

I have taken two different trailers to discount tire.
Let them do the work, they know what they are doing.
As a side note, I would have them install steel valve stems in case later you want to add a tire monitoring system.

Mike484 · 07-17-2016, 08:01 PM

I took ours to discount tire when we got it (took one short trip first) to get the wheels balanced since they do not come from the dealership balanced. They were very hospitable to us and it only took about a half hour. I would recommend DT to help you with your tire needs.

Desert185 · 07-18-2016, 07:25 AM

My DT is an hour away, so I take the wheels/tires to them and leave the trailer at home.

Definitely get metal stems during the process. www.vulcantire.com has a pretty good deal on a TST507RV TPMS with flow-through sensors, if you're interested.

mfifield01 · 07-18-2016, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike484

I took ours to discount tire when we got it (took one short trip first) to get the wheels balanced since they do not come from the dealership balanced. They were very hospitable to us and it only took about a half hour. I would recommend DT to help you with your tire needs.

Did you notice any difference in towing after you got them balanced?

Mike484 · 07-18-2016, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfifield01

Did you notice any difference in towing after you got them balanced?

Didnt notice a difference, but it should make the tires last longer anyway. Have you ever seen how fast an unbalanced tire goes to pot on a vehicle?

BlueThunder34 · 07-18-2016, 12:35 PM

Thanks for the replies, I'll definetly get the metal stems. I'll just take the trailer down there and let them do all the work

the sodfather · 07-18-2016, 02:00 PM

Definitely take it there. They will have a place for you to park. You will not be their first trailer. Heck, their tires are delivered to them in semi's...

bsmith0404 · 07-18-2016, 03:41 PM

I've done it both ways. A DT where I used to live had a very large parking lot and volume was fairly low. The DT where I live now has a tight parking lot and the volume of cars is insane. Although my 5er would fit, I wouldn't feel comfortable with it. It all depends on your location and comfort level.

Outback 325BH · 07-19-2016, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueThunder34

So after reading all of the horror stories about the Trailer King tires I have decided to invest in a little insurance and safety and ordered the Carlisle HD tires for our new Cougar and they are scheduled to be installed on Saturday before our trip the following Monday. My question is, is it best just to take the trailer down to DT and let them take the tires off the trailer (this location does have a large parking area), or would it be better to take the wheels off myself and just take those to them? I can always call and ask them but looking to hear what others have done. Thanks

I wouldn't let anyone touch my trailer/camper, so I would take the wheels off myself. But that is just me.

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BlueThunder34 · 07-19-2016, 03:57 PM

It feels silly to pull off essentially brand new tires on a $30k trailer and put new ones on but there are just so many horror stories about the trailer kings I worry about it every time we head out

Outback 325BH · 07-19-2016, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueThunder34

It feels silly to pull off essentially brand new tires on a $30k trailer and put new ones on but there are just so many horror stories about the trailer kings I worry about it every time we head out

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Then about 50% of the camper owners I know told me about the damage they had from tire failures. These are real numbers/stats to me. They were unaware of the China-bomb reputation, so they weren't biased and did not embellish.

I swapped wheels and tires the moment I brought my new TT home from purchasing. Was able to sell the factory wheels and tires for a decent price because they were obviously like-new with only 50 miles on them.

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**sourdough** · 07-20-2016, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueThunder34

It feels silly to pull off essentially brand new tires on a $30k trailer and put new ones on but there are just so many horror stories about the trailer kings I worry about it every time we head out

Yes, it does feel sort of silly to have to do that. But, the facts about the Trailer King tires are real (look at the pics I and JRTJH posted of the failures). It's cheap insurance compared to the damage they can do. The cost for my repairs was $6980.....and the tread wrapped around the axle. If it had just turned loose and started flopping there's no telling what kind of damage would have occurred.

BlueThunder34 · 07-22-2016, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

Yes, it does feel sort of silly to have to do that. But, the facts about the Trailer King tires are real (look at the pics I and JRTJH posted of the failures). It's cheap insurance compared to the damage they can do. The cost for my repairs was $6980.....and the tread wrapped around the axle. If it had just turned loose and started flopping there's no telling what kind of damage would have occurred.

Good point, are the Carlise a better grade tire than the trailer kings? I was trying to find reviews on the HDs but couldn't find anything. Found quite a few reviews that are 5+ years old on the net and a lot were saying they were a cheap tire and bottom quality. If I'm going to pay up I would rather do it right the first time and find the best tires I can. The most expensive I found were the HDs and the Maxxis 8008.

On The Road Again · 07-22-2016, 06:34 PM

I decided to replace the factory Trailer Kings with the Sailun S637 tires.
I removed the tires/wheels from the trailer and took them to the tire shop.
The manual states a specific order to torque the lug nuts. It also states to first torque them to 30 pounds, then 60 and finally to 110-120.
I doubted the shop would follow this, so I did it myself.
That way, I know it was done correctly.

gearhead · 07-23-2016, 07:09 AM

I bet if you told DT to do that, they would.
That is the correct way to torque anything critical. Just not many folks do it.

Desert185 · 07-23-2016, 07:28 AM

Since the advent of torque sticks, many tire shops just use them instead of torque wrenches and a cross-torque procedure. I always specify using a torque wrench and give them the spec, which may be different than what their data specifies. Regardless, I always check the torque when I get home, which should be done after a few miles anyway.

Outback 325BH · 07-24-2016, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desert185

Since the advent of torque sticks, many tire shops just use them instead of torque wrenches and a cross-torque procedure. I always specify using a torque wrench and give them the spec, which may be different than what their data specifies. Regardless, I always check the torque when I get home, which should be done after a few miles anyway.

Every time I mount my wheels, it takes about four re-torques to se no more tightening. The first three or four (each one after 50 miles after the previous) end up tightening more.

I used to never do this, but I will now that I have seen first hand.

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Desert185 · 07-24-2016, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outback 325BH

Every time I mount my wheels, it takes about four re-torques to se no more tightening. The first three or four (each one after 50 miles after the previous) end up tightening more.

I used to never do this, but I will now that I have seen first hand.

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I do that, too.

When I towed a used 5er home for a friend last week, the previous owner had recently installed new tires by a local tire shop. When I arrived at the location I could tell a few tires were low in air. One was 35#. I was glad I brought my compressor and generator, as the battery was almost dead. While the gen was charging the batt so we could raise/lower the gear, I checked the lugnut torque. Well, most of them were around 50#. I also discovered that the hot water heater electric switch was on. Glad it had water in it. Amazing stuff, but halfway expected, I guess.

I wonder how proactive folks are in checking their trailers over after exposure to others?

bsmith0404 · 07-24-2016, 08:10 PM

I always check the lugs each day prior to starting out, sometimes I get a slight bit of movement, but nothing to be concerned about. As for Discount Tire, They do use torque sticks, but it is company policy to also do a final check with a torque wrench. I have been to several different DTs and everyone has used this procedure.

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