Tires on X17Z Jayco Ultra FeatherLite wareing out

[Nathalie]

Hi, I've attached 2 photos of one of my tires that was wearing wierdly. I took it off last fall, so it has been on since we bought it in 2011. I'd say it had about ... 7,500-8,500 kms on it.

I took the 2nd tire off today and very similar wear patterns. We don't add much weight inside, other than a BBQ, tools, food, rug, bedding ... all the usual. No modifications whatsoever.

Anyone have any idea why this wear so quickly, or is this normal ?

The tires are ST185/80D13.

Now, the spare tire on there seems to be starting the same wear pattern. It has about 2,000 kms.

[DocBrown]

It's possible the axle is out of alignment. I can't tell clearly from the photos, is the wear on both inside and outside edges? If it is I'm thinking you run too low of pressure. What PSI do you fill them at? They should 50psi in when towing.

[Nathalie]

The wear is on both the inside and outside. This is the exact same for the 2nd tire. God I hope it is not an axle issue.

I will post when I have a few more km's ... doing about 2,000 end of July. Will monitor.

Thanks ...

[Jagiven]

It could be a few different things that causes that issue. One of the items, is the outsides is worn and the inside is not, makes me suspect low tire pressure. Another item to consider is turning. Single axle tires typically do not scrub as badly as multi axle trailers. Do you make a lot of sharp turns with the trailer, such as pulling out or backing into your driveway? I do, and because of this I have one tire that has a lot more wear then the others.

We have a tire distributor near my place and I buy my tires and batteries from their city desk (much cheaper), on the wall they have a chart that shows tire conditions and explains what typically causes the wear. Might be able to do some googling and find a similar chart for reference. Here is a link to one I found.

[DocBrown]

I'm inclined to think it's not an axle issue based on the wear pattern. You still need to answer the question about what PSI do you run your tires at?

[Nathalie]

Thanks for the info Jagiven. I'll check tonight when I bring the warn tires to my local trailer store (hopefully they have a chart).

DocBrown ... I'd assume the psi is set correctly, but I won't know until I check at home tonight.

[DocBrown]

Well, trailer tires tend to lose air even over a couple of weeks because they are just sitting. Do you check them before each trip? That's when you need to know how much air. The fact that you aren't sure tells me that you have been running them low and that's what's causing the excessive wear.

[Nathalie]

You are probably correct DocBrown ... I sure hope so. I went out at lunch and bought a GOOD TP Monitor ... something like yours and not cheap (noticed the posting you did in another thread). As well as a small compressor.

I have to honestly say that my testing of the tires in the past was a "quick look" and that was it. Now that I see the deterioration in them ... no more neglecting what is keeping my trailer safely on the road.

[eldermike]

It looks like low tire pressure. Last week I tried to get the attention of a man towing a single axle camper because the driver side tire was very low on air. He was speeding and I had to give up the chase and just watch him go out of my sight. I hope he made it ok.

check your tires before towing.

[Nathalie]

I'm pretty stupid. The one tire just starting to show wear was 38 PSI. The spare I just put on was at 32 PSI ... all cold. I will certainly be more careful from now on.

DocBrown ... you say it should be 50 PSI. The tire, and the info on the side of the trailer shows that it should be 65 PSi ???

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by Nathalie

I'm pretty stupid. The one tire just starting to show wear was 38 PSI. The spare I just put on was at 32 PSI ... all cold. I will certainly be more careful from now on.

DocBrown ... you say it should be 50 PSI. The tire, and the info on the side of the trailer shows that it should be 65 PSi ???

I'm pretty sure "D" rated tires are supposed to be 65psi.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Nathalie

I'm pretty stupid. The one tire just starting to show wear was 38 PSI. The spare I just put on was at 32 PSI ... all cold. I will certainly be more careful from now on.

DocBrown ... you say it should be 50 PSI. The tire, and the info on the side of the trailer shows that it should be 65 PSi ???

Best to go with what it says on the tire and on the trailer.

On the tire, the tire manufacturer has the maximum inflation pressure. The sticker on the trailer has tire size and other information. The inflation pressure on the sticker is the inflation pressure for the tire that the trailer manufacturer installed on the trailer. If you bought your trailer used, hopefully the tires are the same, or better, than the original tires.

[octane]

Originally Posted by Nathalie

The wear is on both the inside and outside. This is the exact same for the 2nd tire. God I hope it is not an axle issue.

I will post when I have a few more km's ... doing about 2,000 end of July. Will monitor.

Thanks ...

if the tires were underinflated that much, and wore down like that, I would not plan on doing another 2000km on them, there might be internal damage from being so underinflated, and what is left of the thread on those is not very safe!

[DocBrown]

D rated tires on an X17Z? I didn't think you could even get this size in anything other than an "R". I have the same size tires on my X20E, they are "R"s and max at 50 psi. The manual simply says to keep them inflated to the max the sidewall specifies. If yours say "Max 65 PSI" on the sidewall, then that's what you should fill them to.

[RedHorse1]

I agree with what seems to be the consensus that it looks like too many miles (kms) at low pressure. The bottom pic looks like there might also be a balance issue.

[Nathalie]

Concerning the PSI question above ... DocBrown ... is there something that I don't know and it should only be 50 PSI ?

[Nathalie]

Oops ... didn't do a refresh. I see your replies now.

Thanks all for accommodating an embarrassing issue.

[DocBrown]

Nothing to be embarrassed about. Live and learn. As they say, the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked. You took the time to ask and learned something new!

[Nathalie]

Thanks ...

I've been reading about tires and it sounds like radials might be better (assuming I use the proper PSI ... hehehehe) for better traction/tread-ware/stability/last longer. So, I assume I'd go from;

ST185/80D13, to
ST185/80R13