Tires

[FastEagle]

That's all well and good, except often the reality is that the manufacturers buy cheap tires that in reality don't meet reliable standards. A good case in point besides the obvious issues we see on fivers are the Jaxxon tires that came on my car hauler. They were undersize and wore unevenly and prematurely. I called the trailer manufacturer and described the problem. The owner actually told me that perhaps I had done something to disturb alignment or bent an axle. He even mentioned that the tires should not be balanced.

I measured everything according to his specs and all was within limits. I changed the tires to Carlisle balanced tires and all the noticed issues disappeared. Discount Tire had never heard of Jaxxon, and neither had I.

It's good that the government sets standards for the consumer's protection, but often typically what happens is things failling through the cracks along with unintended consequences. I'm not saying that the government agencies should be disbanded, but the consumer has to take some responsibility and assume added expense in the process by doing his or her own due diligence because the guvmint protection is lacking. Avoid dependence, do the research, spend the money and get the right tire for your rig, balanced with metal stems and a TPMS ASAP. A wetbolt kit with heavy shackles and bronze bushings ain't a bad idea, either (more due diligence). The peace of mind, alone, is worth it.

I think everyone knows there are excellent, good & bad tires of all designs. And, you are right to make choices to better your equipment.

I'm just answering this to point out a fact. The regulations and standards the DOT requires all vehicle manufactures to abide are minimum requirements. Sometimes they slip in the word appropriate, which, to the builder, still means minimum. Then we have the OEM providers. They may be providing equipment on the fact that they were the low bidder. Buyer Beware!

 

[JRTJH]

Desert185,

In your last post, the last paragraph motivated me to comment in agreement with your recommendations. You commented that a wet bolt kit with heavy shackles ain't a bad idea...

Thinking about the excessive wear some people have with the "light duty shackles and completely destroyed plastic shims used, I have often wondered if the use of unbalanced tires has at least contributed to the excessive shackle wear. I'm almost convinced that the "bouncing tires" is probably the most direct reason for worn shackles with the cheap steel and thin stamped shackle materially being a close "runner-up" for their frequent failure...

So, like you, I strongly recommend quality tires, balanced properly and a wet bolt kit. Adding a "cushioned equalizer" such as the equaflex or mor-ryde systems is also something I'd strongly recommend. From my personal experience, all the trailers I have owned that do have a cushioned equalizer have had significantly less suspension wear than those with a "steel equalizer", but the most important, at least to me, is quality, balanced tires, wet bolt kit with heavy duty shackles and lastly the equalizer, in that order.

 

[JRTJH]

CWtheman,

Your last comment, "They may be providing equipment on the fact that they were the low bidder" is actually one of the "claim to fame" statements by Keystone... They have, on a number of occasions and in much of their "corporate literature" stated that since they are the largest manufacturer of travel trailers, they can negotiate the absolute lowest price for components and pass those savings on to the customer in the form of "greater value"....

I think what they are actually saying is, "Since we buy so much stuff, we can force suppliers to sell to us cheaper than the competition, even if it means the suppliers have to lower their standards to stay in business. The customer who usually doesn't know any difference, will buy our trailer with a bigger bathroom and a pretty upholstery because it looks better. So, we don't focus on quality that can't be seen (tires, brakes, suspension) because the customer doesn't look at those things."

If you think about the "new members" who join our forum and have never owned a travel trailer, not a one of them has ever introduced themselves and asked a "tire question". That tells me that none of them have ever looked at the tires, done the math and wondered the first bit about load capacity, reserve capacity or proper use before delivery to the customer. I'd almost bet that the vast majority, if they even looked at the tires, it was just to count the number on the trailer and see if there was a spare. If there were 5 total, the thought is: Tires, check, good to go"......

 

[Desert185]

Desert185,

In your last post, the last paragraph motivated me to comment in agreement with your recommendations. You commented that a wet bolt kit with heavy shackles ain't a bad idea...

Thinking about the excessive wear some people have with the "light duty shackles and completely destroyed plastic shims used, I have often wondered if the use of unbalanced tires has at least contributed to the excessive shackle wear. I'm almost convinced that the "bouncing tires" is probably the most direct reason for worn shackles with the cheap steel and thin stamped shackle materially being a close "runner-up" for their frequent failure...

So, like you, I strongly recommend quality tires, balanced properly and a wet bolt kit. Adding a "cushioned equalizer" such as the equaflex or mor-ryde systems is also something I'd strongly recommend. From my personal experience, all the trailers I have owned that do have a cushioned equalizer have had significantly less suspension wear than those with a "steel equalizer", but the most important, at least to me, is quality, balanced tires, wet bolt kit with heavy duty shackles and lastly the equalizer, in that order.

Absolutely agree.

I feel fortunate that my 326SRX came from the factory with a MOR/ryde equalizer. Given that, I sometimes wonder why they didn't take the extra step of including a wetbolt kit that cost me $88 retail.

 

[triplethreat]

JRTJH wrote

If you think about the "new members" who join our forum and have never owned a travel trailer, not a one of them has ever introduced themselves and asked a "tire question". That tells me that none of them have ever looked at the tires, done the math and wondered the first bit about load capacity, reserve capacity or proper use before delivery to the customer. I'd almost bet that the vast majority, if they even looked at the tires, it was just to count the number on the trailer and see if there was a spare. If there were 5 total, the thought is: Tires, check, good to go"...

I guess I'm kind of the exception here (I've been told before that I'm "exceptional" ). Even though this is my very first camping type trailer, and a new member here, I've had probably 9 or 10 trailers over my lifetime. This is the heaviest by far and when I joined the forum, I read almost everything that I could find if I thought it was something to help me with my very steep learning curve about camping type trailers. Of course the China bomb topic came up multiple times and low and behold, that's what my new Toy Hauler came with. So, I devised a plan to lessen the worry about them.
1. Buy and install a good quality TPMS system
2. Sell the Trailer King tires and replace them with a known quality tire that has performed well for me on past trailers.....Maxxis 8008.

Both of those objectives have been completed and I certainly feel much less worried about my "tire situation". Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to ask a question if I don't know or can't find an answer, but the Maxxis brand tires have performed well for me in the past, so to me it was a known product.

And while I'm on a roll, I'd like to thank everyone on the forum that has jumped in and offered up their knowledge and experience to other forum members like myself.....it's been a giant learning curve (and still is to some extent), and I am thankful for all the help.

 

[FastEagle]

xrated said:

“Sell the Trailer King tires and replace them with a known quality tire that has performed well for me on past trailers.....Maxxis 8008.”

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Normally people upgrade to gain some extra load capacity reserves with the replacements. That’s why so many upgrades get better reviews and last longer than the tires they replaced.

The ST235/80R16E tires are manufactured in three different load capacities, 3420#, 3500# & 3520#, all at 80 psi. All have the same size number and load range letter on their sidewalls. It depends on the brand named manufacturer.

On edit:

When looking for a little extra quality in the construction of ST tires, buyers should read the sidewalls. Manufacturers putting a little extra protection in their ST tires will include nylon overlays. When doing so they must put such information on the tire's sidewall. Nylon overlays are not required for the basic construction of the tires but they have proven to be very beneficial for the ST design. Not all ST manufacturers include them in their design and others are selective and only use them in larger (15" & 16") sized tires.

 

[JRTJH]

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Normally people upgrade to gain some extra load capacity reserves with the replacements. That’s why so many upgrades get better reviews and last longer than the tires they replaced.

I think your statement about increasing load capacity and its direct relationship to reliability and preformance is likely to be the primary reason for increased satisfaction. To replace OEM load range C tires with almost any brand load range E tires of the same size would significantly improve load capacity and reliability. Even a "bad brand" tire with double the capacity is an improvement.... Upgrading to a "better brand" AND "increasing capacity" (load range and size) is a "sure fire improvement" and probably is a large part of why so many members (me included) feel better about our tires and get better service from them....

 

[Desert185]

I think your statement about increasing load capacity and its direct relationship to reliability and preformance is likely to be the primary reason for increased satisfaction. To replace OEM load range C tires with almost any brand load range E tires of the same size would significantly improve load capacity and reliability. Even a "bad brand" tire with double the capacity is an improvement.... Upgrading to a "better brand" AND "increasing capacity" (load range and size) is a "sure fire improvement" and probably is a large part of why so many members (me included) feel better about our tires and get better service from them....

That's the formula for ST trailer tire success. Carve that in stone in put it in a sticky.