Tire problems?

Discuss with others about towing. What is the best tow vehicle, hitches, brake controllers, etc, keeping in mind that everybody has his/her favorite.

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ovrdrawn
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Tire problems?

Post by ovrdrawn »

I have an '08 30RKLE and travel quite a bit each year. (maybe 10k miles) I always check my tire pressure (80 lb) before traveling, keep the speed below 70mph on the hwy and keep the tires covered when not on the road. The original tires were Kenda Loadstars which failed before 2 years of use due to tread separation. I weighed the trailer hitched and unhitched at a certified weigh station and was well within my load capacity. I replaced them with what I thought were the best trailer tires at the time - Goodyear Marathons. Less than 2 years later, I've replaced 2 of those, also due to tread separation. I'm currently on the road and will be home soon before heading on a long trip in August. I feel like I should replace the other 2 just for piece of mind, but at over $200 each, I hate to buy more bling tires. Tire size is 235-80-R16. LR-E

Am I doing something wrong? Has anyone found a tire that lasts?

Andy in Florida
Rob & Cathy

Re: Tire problems?

Post by Rob & Cathy »

Welcome to the club Andy. The consensus for your bird is the Michelin XPS RIPS.

Rob
Randyman

Re: Tire problems?

Post by Randyman »

Hi Andy, I too experienced a belt breakage on my 2011 3425 with less than 4,000 miles on the factory Marathons. I think they are a glorified baloney skin. I know it was expensive, but I switched to the 17.5 rims and Goodyear G114 tires 3 weeks ago. Couldn't bear the thought of tearing up the side of the camper as well as taking relaxation time away if I would have had a blowout. I bought mine from http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com/ Scott is very sharp on trailer tires and even if you don't go the 17.5 route he might be able to tell you what other tire options you would have. Their phone number is 419-272-2277. Hope this helps. Randy
honker

Re: Tire problems?

Post by honker »

You might want to consider having the alignment checked at a camping world if one is by you. Read post Tires or Alignment. If you are out of alignment won't matter what tire you put on.
snoking

Re: Tire problems?

Post by snoking »

ST tires are speed restricted to 65MPH. If you have a GAWR of 6000 or less I would install LT tires.
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dpalmer
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Re: Tire problems?

Post by dpalmer »

We had a Marathon fail on a trip and replaced it. The Marathon tread was nearly half gone on the remaining tires after about 12K miles.
This year I replaced all 5 with Michelin XPS RIBS. On the way to the Memphis Rally we noticed that the bird was towing better and felt more stable. Pricy but we feel more secure now.
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ovrdrawn
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Re: Tire problems?

Post by ovrdrawn »

Thanks for everyones input. I had heard that the michelin tires were good but they don't make them in my size. 85 aspect vs 80 on my rig. I'm going to look into whether they'll work.

Andy
snoking

Re: Tire problems?

Post by snoking »

ovrdrawn wrote:Thanks for everyones input. I had heard that the michelin tires were good but they don't make them in my size. 85 aspect vs 80 on my rig. I'm going to look into whether they'll work.

Andy
You have two sizes to choose from LT235/85R16E and LT245/75R16E. The 235 is around 31.9-32 inches in diameter and the 245 is 30.6 similar to the 235/80 ST tire. To run the LT235 you need at least 33" center to center on your axles. To run the LT245 you need about a 1/2 more side to size room. Some have had to trim the plastic fender slightly.

There is also the Bridgestone Duravis R250 which is also steel ply carcass(sidewall) tire also. The R250 is about 50 dollars each cheaper than the XPS.

Both of these tires are good for 6 or 7 years of use of a trailer, and you will never wear the tread out.

Chris
tschmalz

Re: Tire problems?

Post by tschmalz »

I have the same rig as you and replaced my Kenda tires within two years of buying the rig. I looked at the Michelins but found that because of the bigger size I would have to trim the wheel skirt in order to make them fit. I eventually settled on the Maxxis ST tires through Les Schwab. From what I have read on this site and some other discussion about tires I have found Maxxis are probably one of the best ST tires. I have probably put 20k miles on them and have not had any problems. I'm pretty religious about checking my air pressure while on the road and when the rig is parked at home I have the tires off the concrete and covered.
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Chief409
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Re: Tire problems?

Post by Chief409 »

When I had XPS Ribs installed on my 'Bird, the only problem was that the trailing edge of the plastic skirt, left side, rubbed on the shoulder of the tire at the tread because of the flex of metal skirt on the slide out it is mounted to. I repositioned the brace for the metal skirt because it wasn't holding the metal skirt straight , and trimmed 1/2" or so of the plastic where it curves in at the very bottom. The right side plastic skirt has a more secure mount directly to the trailer body and required no modification. That was 5 years and many miles ago. The larger diameter of the XPS Ribs preclude the use of the more common between tire chocks.

The higher initial cost of the Ribs is offset by the longer lifetime of the tires, better handling and peace of mind. Steel belts for the tread and sidewalls definitely beef up the tire.

Jeff
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Re: Tire problems?

Post by watkinsk »

Thought I read somewhere recently that Mike Clay is using Goodrich tires??? Less expensive if they work well.
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Chief409
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Re: Tire problems?

Post by Chief409 »

Also remember this, the XPS Ribs are only for trailers with axles rated 6000# or less, they are 80 PSI tires. So many of the 2009 and newer trailers can't use them.

Too bad Michelin doesn't make a trailer tire rated for them.

Jeff
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Mike Clay
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Re: Tire problems?

Post by Mike Clay »

watkinsk wrote:Thought I read somewhere recently that Mike Clay is using Goodrich tires??? Less expensive if they work well.
Yes I am 12k on them so far. I guess time will tell.
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