China bomb believer now

[larryi]

Last night I went to move the FW to do some maintenance before an upcoming trip. Its a FR Salem Hemisphere 370BL that is one year old now and we've put approx. 3000 miles on it so relatively young OEM CastleRockST tires. I live in SC and we've seen several days at 100 degrees so its warm. I am a believer in tire maintenance so I always check pressures before trips.

I went to pull the chock blocks and see the tire flat. Oh darn.... I look further and see the belts shooting out of the tire. What jerk vandalized my tire? Then I realize no way slashing a tire is going to push the steel belts outward. We took the trailer to Key West back in March and its been parked since. Only thing I can think is that it exploded in the heat??

I'm a believer in China bombs now especially since I wasn't even driving on it. Ordered 5 new Carlisle Radial Trail HDs based on positive comments and rim compatibility and cost today.

OEM tires beware!! I think i'll even get the tire covers for while its sitting to keep the sun off them as well.

[notanlines]

Don't you just love it when a stroke of luck comes your way? Most people not into RV's wouldn't see the irony of this. You're a lucky duck!

[Gegrad]

Originally Posted by larryi

I think i'll even get the tire covers for while its sitting to keep the sun off them as well.

I will say the tire covers are a must to keep that UV from degrading the rubber and the lack of covers could have been a significant contributor to your blown tire.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by larryi

Last night I went to move the FW to do some maintenance before an upcoming trip. Its a FR Salem Hemisphere 370BL that is one year old now and we've put approx. 3000 miles on it so relatively young OEM CastleRockST tires. I live in SC and we've seen several days at 100 degrees so its warm. I am a believer in tire maintenance so I always check pressures before trips.

I went to pull the chock blocks and see the tire flat. Oh darn.... I look further and see the belts shooting out of the tire. What jerk vandalized my tire? Then I realize no way slashing a tire is going to push the steel belts outward. We took the trailer to Key West back in March and its been parked since. Only thing I can think is that it exploded in the heat??

I'm a believer in China bombs now especially since I wasn't even driving on it. Ordered 5 new Carlisle Radial Trail HDs based on positive comments and rim compatibility and cost today.

OEM tires beware!! I think i'll even get the tire covers for while its sitting to keep the sun off them as well.

We've always used tire covers when the trailer will be exposed to the elements for any length of time. I always used light colors. Something that I never thought of and was mentioned by Tireman is using the lighter color on the spare. The OEM was black and when it "blew away" I replaced it with black because it matched the trailer- I just wasn't thinking. It now has a light tan cover to minimize the heat and degradation of the spare.

[bobbecky]

I think ozone is harder on tire rubber than UV, and covers will do nothing to protect from ozone. Also, it's said being parked for long times is hard on these tires as they will last longer when rolling regularly, but not sure what the technical reason for this is.

[ChuckS]

Any of the typical “stock” OEM tires on fifth wheels are typically not worth a hill of beans.. However some are being equipped OEM now with Sailun which is an excellent brand...

UV exposure does degrade the tire structure... put to pieces of plastic, cloth, etc out in the direct sun covering 1 covering one of each sample...

You’ll be amazed at how quickly the color fades and the plastic turns brittle..Ruth example but just a generality..

Proper cold tire inflation and covering when not towing adds a ton of longevity

[rjrelander]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

Also, it's said being parked for long times is hard on these tires as they will last longer when rolling regularly, but not sure what the technical reason for this is.

I think it has something to do with oxygen getting worked out of the rubber by mechanical action and reducing oxidation of the rubber. There may also be some beneficial chemical reactions that occur when rolling. The oxygen permeates the rubber over time and the permeation increases with ambient temperature. The higher pressure on the inside of the tire causes more oxidation on the interior layers and can cause ply separation when it gets to the "skim" layers that hold the plys together.

Tire covers will protect the outside from UV and light colored covers may help the heat issue to some extent but as far as I understand, tires usually age out from the inside without any indication that they are about to fail. The only solution is to replace based on the age of the tire. I think they say five years regardless of external condition although you will probably see reduced load capacity before that. Here is a link to a "sciency" article on rubber oxidation and tire aging that goes into more detail:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/21e...c12408388a.pdf

[PARAPTOR]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

I think ozone is harder on tire rubber than UV, and covers will do nothing to protect from ozone. Also, it's said being parked for long times is hard on these tires as they will last longer when rolling regularly, but not sure what the technical reason for this is.

Similar to my tire dealer thoughts, ie, he feels that although UV does effect tires that the most significant issue is the tire just setting (without movement) which includes storage at the factory/dealer. He claimed that movement enables the tire rubber to self lubricate.

Yes Op was very lucky to find faulty tire before his trip. I myself was not that lucky on my original Chinese tires

[Badbart56]

We had the same thing happen to ours when we had the Goodyear Marathons that it came with. I had parked it after getting the lifetime roof installed and I was outside about three weeks later and I thought someone took a shot at me. I actually saw mist erupt under the RV from where I was, about 50 feet away. Once I had determined I wasn't under fire, a closer investigation revealed the tread on one of the six Marathon had blown out. It wasn't from the sidewall. I called a friend of mine who has a tractor service company and asked him what he was using for trailer tires since he had so many trucks and trailers. He suggested the Sailuns or Super Cargos. When we put the new Super Cargo's on, we saw where the tread had separated from another of the Marathons. The Super Cargo's are an overkill for the Fusion 405 but that's ok with me. I feel very lucky to have "dodged that bullet" when that first tire blew. (Pun intended) Pretty sure most all tires are made in China now anyway, and UV rays didn't cause this, but I like these Super Cargos. A very heavy, sturdy tire. They weigh about 70 pounds each, much heavier than the Marathons that they replaced.

[CWtheMan]

Often times when a tire is damaged it will just fester for an undetermined amount of time. Then it just gives-up.

That's all I'm going to say about those pictures.

[efrulla]

Pulled my China Bombs off this spring and replaced them with 5 Good Year Endurance. One less thing to worry about while on the road.

[tubacjohn]

Change to G load.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by larryi

Last night I went to move the FW to do some maintenance before an upcoming trip. Its a FR Salem Hemisphere 370BL that is one year old now and we've put approx. 3000 miles on it so relatively young OEM CastleRockST tires. I live in SC and we've seen several days at 100 degrees so its warm. I am a believer in tire maintenance so I always check pressures before trips.

I went to pull the chock blocks and see the tire flat. Oh darn.... I look further and see the belts shooting out of the tire. What jerk vandalized my tire? Then I realize no way slashing a tire is going to push the steel belts outward. We took the trailer to Key West back in March and its been parked since. Only thing I can think is that it exploded in the heat??

I'm a believer in China bombs now especially since I wasn't even driving on it. Ordered 5 new Carlisle Radial Trail HDs based on positive comments and rim compatibility and cost today.

OEM tires beware!! I think i'll even get the tire covers for while its sitting to keep the sun off them as well.

Some data would help to understand "Why" the tire had the belt separation. Complete tire size, GAWR, Actual scale weight on each tire position or at least the scale weight on one axle. DOT serial date code.


I also suggest you re-read THIS post.

[larryflew]

3 blow outs in same year about 4 years ago in 100 degree weather and 500 to 1200 miles apart. 5er was 3 years old at the time.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by larryflew

3 blow outs in same year about 4 years ago in 100 degree weather and 500 to 1200 miles apart. 5er was 3 years old at the time.

OK but tires simply do not fail because they are 3 years old or it is 100F outside. If that were the case almost every RV would have every tire fail every couple years.

[KeystoneKal]

I have seen on other forums RV owners buying LT light truck tires in stead of ST tires.
China is famous for manufacturing to the lowest bidder. It would be interesting to see what RV manufacturers pay for a tire made in China vs US.
Didn’t US tire manufacturers get sued about 30 years ago for exploding under inflated tires on SUVs? Deja Vu all over again.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by KeystoneKal

I have seen on other forums RV owners buying LT light truck tires in stead of ST tires.
China is famous for manufacturing to the lowest bidder. It would be interesting to see what RV manufacturers pay for a tire made in China vs US.
Didn’t US tire manufacturers get sued about 30 years ago for exploding under inflated tires on SUVs? Deja Vu all over again.

If you switch from St to LT you MUST increase either size or Load Range or both to meet the load capacity requirements.


Yes any tire can fail with a sidewall run low flex failure or with belt separation if you run underinflated or overloaded.

[jsb5717]

Tireman - in the Post you linked further up the thread you commented on not expecting long life performance out of the lowest priced tires. There seems to be something in all of the reports for "China Bombs" in that there are a lot of reported failures. Is the hype bigger than the problem? Should well maintained OEM tires last better than what is being reported? Is it your assessment that the seemingly high percentage of failures is due to the OEM tires being cheap, low cost tires?

Sailun tires seem to have a good reputation, even though they are China tires. So it would seem that it's really just an issue of quality of build. A good tire is a good tire, regardless of where it's made?

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by jsb5717

Tireman - in the Post, you linked further up the thread you commented on not expecting long life performance out of the lowest priced tires. There seems to be something in all of the reports for "China Bombs" in that there are a lot of reported failures. Is the hype bigger than the problem? Should well maintained OEM tires last better than what is being reported? Is it your assessment that the seemingly high percentage of failures is due to the OEM tires being cheap, low-cost tires?

Sailun tires seem to have a good reputation, even though they are China tires. So it would seem that it's really just an issue of quality of the build. A good tire is a good tire, regardless of where it's made?

In general, I would consider steel body tires, like many Sailun items, "Commercial" grade, be they LT or ST type and as such I would expect them to perform better than lighter duty tires (both ST & LT type).

A problem with "reports" of failures is that almost no owners have the knowledge or training necessary to properly identify the real cause for failure. So while there may be a dozen reports of "Blowouts", there could be a dozen different root cause reasons. Some might even not be tire related cause but valve or wheel failure or pothole or 10d nail through the sidewall.

RE quality. All tires sold in the US are required to be certified by the manufacturer to be capable of passing Federal Regulations. If tires do not pass a test (random selection by DOT) or if there are sufficient complaints to get the attention of NHTSA they might initiate an investigation. If it is found that tires do not pass the required testing then a recall might be ordered and recalls would include all tires made since the last tire that passed the test was made. This could be many thousand tires. There are also fines. So this is something tire companies really do not want to have happened.

I have written a number of times on my blog about "China" tires and how I disagree with the concept which I liken to claiming that RVs made in Indiana are bad because most of the complaints or problem reports are about RVs built in Indiana.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

In general, I would consider steel body tires, like many Sailun items, "Commercial" grade, be they LT or ST type and as such I would expect them to perform better than lighter duty tires (both ST & LT type).

A problem with "reports" of failures is that almost no owners have the knowledge or training necessary to properly identify the real cause for failure. So while there may be a dozen reports of "Blowouts", there could be a dozen different root cause reasons. Some might even not be tire related cause but valve or wheel failure or pothole or 10d nail through the sidewall.

RE quality. All tires sold in the US are required to be certified by the manufacturer to be capable of passing Federal Regulations. If tires do not pass a test (random selection by DOT) or if there are sufficient complaints to get the attention of NHTSA they might initiate an investigation. If it is found that tires do not pass the required testing then a recall might be ordered and recalls would include all tires made since the last tire that passed the test was made. This could be many thousand tires. There are also fines. So this is something tire companies really do not want to have happened.

I have written a number of times on my blog about "China" tires and how I disagree with the concept which I liken to claiming that RVs made in Indiana are bad because most of the complaints or problem reports are about RVs built in Indiana.

Wasn't this failure the type that is called a zipper failure, which is a failure of the structure of the casing. And Roger I will disagree with you your china tire view. History going back to mid 2000's with Kenda ST's, Mission ST's and so many other shows that these tires particularly on larger trailers were just not up to the task assigned to them.

When we bought a 2019 Laredo 225MK it had Goodride ST's. I told the dealer that I was going straight to the tire shop to put GY Endurance tires on it. He said run it for the first year with the Goodride's. I rejected that advice, however it shows how much confidence even this dealer had in the tires that came OEM. Chris