Trailer Tire Concerns

Bigdomino · 11-13-2016, 03:34 PM

HI all,

I am planning to buy a White Hawk 27DSRL and a new 2017 F150. Both will need to be ordered. I full timed for nearly 9 years in a 40 foot pusher motorhome. I had never had an issue with a flat or damaged tire.

I seem to hear a lot about tire problems with trailers. Flats and tires coming apart. How common is this? Why is this common?

Is it that bad? Are people exaggerating?

Thanks.

Steve

Levinehikeski · 11-13-2016, 03:47 PM

If you are referring to this site, remember how many rv's are out there. You don't have every person coming on this site posting " I had an uneventful trip, bla,bla,bla." You only hear the horror stories, for the most part. If I were to use this site to judge getting a Jayco, I might steer away. But, would shortly find most all other manufacturers are the same for quality. Me, I chose our pop up for its simplicity, plus there is only three of us, we have been tent camping and backpack camping since my son could keep his head up. The camper this year was a welcome change as the rain was coming down one trip.

Grawe · 11-13-2016, 04:10 PM

Steve, if you are buying a new Jayco, they just initiated a mandatory Goodyear tire upgrade on 2017 models. Levi is right, all RV manufacturers "go cheap" in the same areas and tires has always been one of those areas. We are camp hosts and hear lots of stories and could even tell you ours with less than 2000 miles but you can read that on these forums. If I gave any new owner advise after the purchase it would be vent covers and evaluate the track record of the the tires on your new rig. Even thought they are new, they can be problematic. It's not even just the flat tire, it's the potential damage that really irritates most RV'ers. Again don't judge an individual manufacturer but know tires are a concern. Good luck and enjoy whatever you pick!

Full timers but still active duty AF, anxiously awaiting retirement travels where I have been told everyday is a Saturday

Bigdomino · 11-13-2016, 04:31 PM

Thanks. I was a bit misleading. I was not referring to Jayco trailer having a problem. I was referring to the entire base of travel trailers.

Thanks.

schrederman · 11-13-2016, 04:32 PM

That trailer will probably come with Ranier tires in load range C. My trailer was new on August 3 and I've already blown one of them and destroyed the wheel. I received a wheel that I bought on eBay but.... correct model wheel.... wrong size. Dealer was NO help with replacing the tire or locating a wheel. I'll be upgrading to Carlisle HD tires in load range D as soon as this wheel debacle is over with. These are also speed rated to 81 mph... and... no I don't have any intention of towing over 65...

Marcm157 · 11-13-2016, 04:45 PM

I swapped out my Ranier load Range D for Maxxis Load Range E just as relatively cheap insurance. I may have been swayed by the stories here of blowouts and damage etc.

But in my entire adult life there are 2 areas of vehicle maintenance (Trailer and Auto) that I absolutely refuse to cut any corners on and that is Tires and Brakes...

oldmanAZ · 11-13-2016, 05:02 PM

IMO, one of the big unknowns regarding trailer tires is SPEED. All of the trailers I've towed, the tires are supposed to be limited to 65mph. I tow at 65 and I am passed by LOTS of TT. I'm sure a few of them have upgraded their tires, but certainly not all.

The other issue is INFLATION. My experience: I checked and set the tire pressure to the maximum shown on the sidewall during the PDI. I drove ~1,800 mi over the next 3 days with only visual checks (and temp checks by touch). A few days after that, I noticed 1 tire was visually low. A pressure check confirmed it. A trip to Discount tire and they found it needed a new core/valve stem (no charge, BTW. Love that place!). Thankfully it wasn't a faster leak. My point is even with a brand new trailer, tires can be under inflated and need to be checked.

Even if it was the truth, few, if any, posting about tire a failure begins with, "My tires were under inflated and I was driving 75 mph when ..."

**norty1** · 11-13-2016, 05:07 PM

Regular pressure checks or monitoring and regular physical inspection of tires can pay off in preventing blowouts and resultant consequences.

If you tow anything it's a good habit to develop.

schrederman · 11-13-2016, 06:58 PM

Well, I carry an air tank and check my pressure every time the trailer gets moved... and still had the problem. It could have been a road hazard but I don't think so... I never saw one. The tire disintegrated so fast the rim was on the ground within a second... and destroyed. I don't tow faster than 65, and we were going 55 when it blew. Thank goodness we had no trailer damage.

ykcamom · 11-13-2016, 07:41 PM

This is a tough one for us. I keep reading all these horror stories, but then again, we had our previous Jayco for 2 years and never had any problems with the tires. And we drove it long distances.

We've only had our new Whitehawk since April, but we have driven it about 5000 KMs (3200 miles) thus far. We are about to take it to Arizona for our first snow birding experience. We've debated getting new tires, but decided against it for now. Hopefully everything will be fine. As another poster mentioned, it's only the stories of tires that blow that we hear about, not the thousands of travel trailer owners who have not had any problems with theirs.

Grawe · 11-13-2016, 08:56 PM

It is really tough to buy a new RV and pay again for new tires as you then throw away almost new tires. If you are cautious and understand the concern, you will be better than me. I was oblivious to the issue. Follow the previous posters advice:

Tow at no more than 65 mph
Check pressure before leaving
Check pressure at every stop
Check temp and wear regularly
Pay attention/use your mirrrors

A great Christmas present would be a TPS (tire pressure monitoring system). I hope my wife reads this!

Full timers but still active duty AF, anxiously awaiting retirement travels where I have been told everyday is a Saturday

Explorer03 · 11-13-2016, 09:04 PM

Quote:

If you are cautious and understand the concern, you will be better than me. I was oblivious to the issue. Follow the previous posters advice:

Tow at no more than 65 mph
Check pressure before leaving
Check pressure at every stop
Check temp and wear regularly
Pay attention/use your mirrrors

I had a 2013 Jauco 26BH for four years riding on the OEM tires. I never had a single issue with any of them. They were still looking in good condition when I sold the trailer. Follow the advice from the other posters.

As some of the others presented in this thread; it is pretty hard to get a new trailer and pay for more new tires.

Ottawasteve · 11-14-2016, 08:44 AM

Not sure if the new Jaycos are still coming with Towmax (aka Blowmax), but if they are it would definitely ordering upgraded tires if possible. Not every set that blows up but I do believe that they do have an unacceptably high rate of premature failure, based on the reports and factory recalls. I have added TST TPMS to mine to hopefully get an early warning of any problems with temperature or pressure and I plan on changing my tires out next season even though they have only been through 3 seasons and about 30,000 kms (18,000 miles).

Hohenwald48 · 11-14-2016, 09:08 AM

95% of trailers come with China made ST tires. It should come as no surprise that 95% of tire failures are China made ST tires.

I've heard good stories and bad stories about all brands and manufacturers of tires. Even the much exalted Maxxi's and Goodyear's.

I think the best policy is daily pressure checks to maintain max sidewall pressure, keep the speed down, don't overload, check tires at every stop, protect from the sun, don't use petroleum based "tire dressings" and don't run over curbs. I firmly believe misuse and neglect causes most tire failures regardless of brand.

I've had 7 motorhomes and 3 trailers and 2 blowouts. One was a 16" Michelin on a Class C and the other was a 22.5" Goodyear on a Class A DP. I've never had a tire failure on a trailer.

troutslayer · 11-14-2016, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

IMO, one of the big unknowns regarding trailer tires is SPEED. All of the trailers I've towed, the tires are supposed to be limited to 65mph. I tow at 65 and I am passed by LOTS of TT. I'm sure a few of them have upgraded their tires, but certainly not all.

The other issue is INFLATION. My experience: I checked and set the tire pressure to the maximum shown on the sidewall during the PDI. I drove ~1,800 mi over the next 3 days with only visual checks (and temp checks by touch). A few days after that, I noticed 1 tire was visually low. A pressure check confirmed it. A trip to Discount tire and they found it needed a new core/valve stem (no charge, BTW. Love that place!). Thankfully it wasn't a faster leak. My point is even with a brand new trailer, tires can be under inflated and need to be checked.

Even if it was the truth, few, if any, posting about tire a failure begins with, "My tires were under inflated and I was driving 75 mph when ..."

I think that is well said. The only thing I could add is that trailer tires have a 4 to 5 year life span, which I believe is shorter than MH tires?

Bigdomino · 11-14-2016, 06:31 PM

I am getting ready to order a new Jayco white hawk or Jay flight. I wonder what tires they are using? Can I request better tires and possibly larger tires when I order the trailer? I imagine the answer is no. Anyone here order different tires?

Thanks.

Steve

Witt74 · 11-14-2016, 07:11 PM

Check your tires and tire pressure often. Visually check tires outside sidewalls, inside sidewalls, thread. Set your tire pressure to the data plate (sticker) on your trailer, don't overload, don't travel faster than the tire's speed rating. Tire pressure is normally checked and adjusted when the tires are cold.

schrederman · 11-14-2016, 07:41 PM

So........ today I got my new wheel and called Discount Tire. They had the required tires which are ST205-75-14 Carlisle Radial Trail HD in load range D. They also have a speed rating of M which translates to 81 mph. The trailer is 3 1/2 months old and it's a shame that I have spent $710- on tires and wheels for a trailer that is no older than that. The tires probably had 1000 miles on them from delivery... Indiana to Fort Worth. We put about 2400 miles on them before the first one popped. So, shouldn't tires last more than that? I had no warranty information about them at all... (I'm usually more careful than that)... At least Discount Tire did me right. They wanted $102- each for these tires but I found them at a big price break, elsewhere. They matched it and threw in metal valve stems free. So I got 5 of these tires mounted, balanced, metal stems, and road hazard for less than their price of 5 tires.

Be careful out there... Yes, they're just about all Chinese. The Maxxis tires I bought 3 years ago came from Thailand. I believe some if not all Jaycos are soon to be coming with a new Goodyear tire that's made in the USA. But... who knows if those will be any better. Admittedly some of this expense is for my own peace of mind... and these Carlisles may not be any better than the last Carlisles were... (I was not happy)... but thus far they have a good reputation.

It's a crap shoot. Only you can decide if it's worth taking a chance on factory tires. If they are the new Goodyears, maybe you'll be OK. Best of luck with it.

Atlee · 11-15-2016, 02:25 AM

That is another unknown about new tires from the factory, no matter who makes them. Your tires had a lot of "delivery" miles on them. The big unknown is exactly how much air was in the tires when the delivery started, and exactly how fast did the delivery guy tow the trailer between Indiana and Texas? Under inflated and a thousand miles at 70 miles an hour will definitely damage the tires.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schrederman

.... The tires probably had 1000 miles on them from delivery... Indiana to Fort Worth. ....

hboy · 11-15-2016, 07:43 AM

I've never had a tire issue. We're on our 3rd camper. 2 of them were purchased new from dealers. Neither had the tires inflated to the psi recommended on the sticker.

I'm not saying I've avoided blowouts by checking the tire pressure, but I just wonder how many of the blow outs occur due to tire pressure issues. I totally believe trailer tires are the worst tires available and many blow outs occur to no fault of the owner.

The ol "batteries and tires" statement that keeps you on the road can be so true. I would be cautious running tires over 4 years old regardless of wear or how good they may look. With the exception of some premium tires that have a proven record.

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