Uneven tire wear Rainier ST

MarMic · 07-07-2016, 07:08 AM

I noticed on my return trip from Florida that the right front tire of my 29RKDS was wearing on the outside. I just made a trip to Perce and now all 4 tires are showing signs of extra wear on the outside. No additional wear on the inside or in the middle. The unit has about 5,000 miles. The first tire that showed signs of wear has now gone to the safety bar.

Tire pressure is always at 80 psi cold.

Anyone else with this problem?

Grumpy · 07-07-2016, 07:15 AM

Usually a broken belt causes that type of wear. If still under warranty contact your dealer.

eldermike · 07-07-2016, 07:52 AM

It's my personal opinion that all RV'S ship with underrated tires. It's just part of the cost to upgrade the tires for us serious users. If it were me I would put G614 on it as soon as possible.

tularockstar · 07-08-2016, 12:50 PM

Another thought, here, would be that your axles are not fully aligned---or no longer aligned. Keep in mind that the shackle and spring hardware that come from the factory and not real quality and can wear out prematurely--the bushings are often plastic and the pins are not self-lubed. Then, add more cargo weight and road punishment during towing, the axle alignment can adversely changed. I guess it's one of the reasons we had our spring and shackle hardware upgraded to more heavy duty, with ability to add grease to keep it lubed.

Just something else to ponder, in addition to the tires.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarMic

I noticed on my return trip from Florida that the right front tire of my 29RKDS was wearing on the outside. I just made a trip to Perce and now all 4 tires are showing signs of extra wear on the outside. No additional wear on the inside or in the middle. The unit has about 5,000 miles. The first tire that showed signs of wear has now gone to the safety bar.

Tire pressure is always at 80 psi cold.

Anyone else with this problem?

GretasDad · 07-12-2016, 05:58 AM

I would agree with eldermike. Most OEM tires are minimally adequate for these trailers. Sadly, my new Ranier ST's on my new 5'er failed on my first trip. I would recommend investing in G-rated or LT tires all around - I've heard/read good results on both options. I upgraded to G-rated.

It's frustrating to buy new tires for a new rig but the overwhelming stories of bad ST tire experiences and the manufacturer's refusal to change their practices puts the safety burden on the consumer.

mjgood · 07-12-2016, 06:22 AM

The Rainier tires are absolute junk.. replaced mine with the G614's after first blister on the Rainiers...
I had an alignment issue, but it was due to trailer being 900lbs heavier on the left side.. the way the suspension is designed causes the axles to come closer to each other as the springs flatten out, axles spacing was almost 3/8" different on the heavier side.. I replaced the 3500lb springs on the heavier side with 4000lb springs.. trailer now rides level and axle spacing equal.
Jayco engineers and designers must not talk to each other...

Cinci002 · 07-12-2016, 03:58 PM

Just had the same problem with these same tires, upgraded to Goodyears while enroute home. Found a bulge on one tire and replaced all four. Not happy with the cheap tires they are putting on these trailers.

Widows Son · 07-14-2016, 07:08 PM

Raniers are junk. I had fist sized bubbles on two of mine at about 1800 miles.
Upgraded to 110# rated rims and bought Sailun S637 14 ply G-Rated tires. I got the best price package by calling trailertiresandwheels.com. Don't buy them on line but call them directly for best price. The Goodyear G614 are great tires too. Either way, dump the Raniers.

A word to the wise is sufficient...

MarMic · 08-22-2017, 06:26 AM

Went to the dealer (Layzee Acres) in June 2016 to have axles/tires checked. Our unit was 1 year old. The dealership changed one tire that was worn out below the safety bar but on only on the outside. They did not do anything to fix the axles. Made a trip to Arizona last winter and the new tire is now worn out to the same level as last year tire. All other tires are very close to the safety bar also only on the outside of the tire.

Went back to the dealership in June this year, a few weeks before the warranty ended, and did not get much support for resolving my problem. I called yesterday and they still do not know what to do. Jayco does not want to do anything blaming Dexter for the problem and Dexter does not return calls from the dealer. My dealer took many measurements and requested to Jayco that the axles and tires be changed under warranty.

I checked with a few tires shops and was told that I would be wasting money by installing good quality tires indicating they will not last long because of my axles problem.

We have not used the unit this summer waiting for the issue to be resolved. We may have to install cheap tires to return to Arizona this winter waiting for the dealer to resolve the issue.

Can anyone recommend a place that can fix our axles?

Thank you

Campers & Fishers · 08-22-2017, 07:12 AM

In my opinion, you need a first class Alignment shop. These are usually ones that have been in business a long time. The Boss will have grey hair. and the shop will have a pit. They will most likely do commercial vehicle work and they won't be inexpensive. They know a lot, cause they have seen a lot.
Best of luck to you....

Marcm157 · 08-22-2017, 07:13 AM

I would contact Dexter directly and explain what the dealer is telling you. Many have found that dealers say anything to push blame off when in fact they are not doing all they can do. May not be the case here but I would call both Dexter and Jayco as you definitely have a documented axle alignment issue.

tularockstar · 08-22-2017, 07:54 AM

If you can make it back to AZ any time soon, I would recommend that you have axles aligned at Straight Line Suspension (http://www.straightlinesuspension.com/) in Mesa. They were the one who installed a sub-frame on our rig, as well as upgraded our shackles and bolts to Dexter heavy duty. They also aligned our axles and added a brace bar to each, for additional support. Their prices are reasonable and I think you'd be happy with the results.

Good luck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarMic

Went to the dealer (Layzee Acres) in June 2016 to have axles/tires checked. Our unit was 1 year old. The dealership changed one tire that was worn out below the safety bar but on only on the outside. They did not do anything to fix the axles. Made a trip to Arizona last winter and the new tire is now worn out to the same level as last year tire. All other tires are very close to the safety bar also only on the outside of the tire.

Went back to the dealership in June this year, a few weeks before the warranty ended, and did not get much support for resolving my problem. I called yesterday and they still do not know what to do. Jayco does not want to do anything blaming Dexter for the problem and Dexter does not return calls from the dealer. My dealer took many measurements and requested to Jayco that the axles and tires be changed under warranty.

I checked with a few tires shops and was told that I would be wasting money by installing good quality tires indicating they will not last long because of my axles problem.

We have not used the unit this summer waiting for the issue to be resolved. We may have to install cheap tires to return to Arizona this winter waiting for the dealer to resolve the issue.

Can anyone recommend a place that can fix our axles?

Thank you

Grumpy · 08-22-2017, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcm157

I would contact Dexter directly and explain what the dealer is telling you. Many have found that dealers say anything to push blame off when in fact they are not doing all they can do. May not be the case here but I would call both Dexter and Jayco as you definitely have a documented axle alignment issue.

Not only DEXTER, but also JAYCO, as Marcm said some dealers are good at pushing things off. You maybe able to snag an appointment at the FACTORY service center in Middlebury on your way South. Nice Hampton Inn right across the street if you need to spend the night.

Cdash · 08-24-2017, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarMic

Went to the dealer (Layzee Acres) in June 2016 to have axles/tires checked. Our unit was 1 year old. The dealership changed one tire that was worn out below the safety bar but on only on the outside. They did not do anything to fix the axles. Made a trip to Arizona last winter and the new tire is now worn out to the same level as last year tire. All other tires are very close to the safety bar also only on the outside of the tire.

Went back to the dealership in June this year, a few weeks before the warranty ended, and did not get much support for resolving my problem. I called yesterday and they still do not know what to do. Jayco does not want to do anything blaming Dexter for the problem and Dexter does not return calls from the dealer. My dealer took many measurements and requested to Jayco that the axles and tires be changed under warranty.

I checked with a few tires shops and was told that I would be wasting money by installing good quality tires indicating they will not last long because of my axles problem.

We have not used the unit this summer waiting for the issue to be resolved. We may have to install cheap tires to return to Arizona this winter waiting for the dealer to resolve the issue.

Can anyone recommend a place that can fix our axles?

Thank you

Been there, done that with my previous camper. Took it to a big rig shop and they aligned the axles. It wasn't very far off spec, but they adjusted anyway. Still had tire wear problems afterwards.

Changed all the ST tires out to LT tires and never had an issue in the next several years and 20,000 miles.

Junk tires, plain and simple. You chase the wear pattern thinking it's alignment, when it really is just the tires. The Maxxis that came on my Eagle HT seem to be faring pretty well though.

MarMic · 09-13-2017, 06:14 PM

Was at my dealer today and Lippert has agreed to replace both axles but they will not cover the installation cost. My dealer has agreed to cover the costs but they are having a lot of trouble getting communication return from Lippert sometime many weeks to answer messages. This has been going on since June. They have not received the axles yet and do not know when they will come in.

Looks like I will have to buy temporary new tires for our next trip South. Any others have experienced this type of delay from Lippert?

MarMic · 09-13-2017, 06:19 PM

The axles are Lippert and not Dexter

ALJO · 09-13-2017, 06:34 PM

Even if you get new axles it doesn't mean your problem is solved. If the original set of axles are out of alignment who says the replacements are good. Lippert components have a bad rap of inferior quality. Some suggested to see a alignment shop and that would be my choice too. Putting temporary tires on for a trip south isn't a very good option. I rather would spend some money out of pocket for a good alignment and good tires and then try to get my money back through Jayco or Lippert. We know the RV industry has a lot of quality issues and if they have no intention to clean up their act, we just have to live with it and just don't buy their product. Have been for over 50 years an RVer, and had a few bad axles, but just went with a alignment shop, which always solved my problems cost effective.

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