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DFDureiko · 06-07-2009, 08:40 AM

18 mos ago we bought a 2004 34ft ClassicLTD slideout sofa, I asked the dealer, JD Sanders where I brought it for a go over, to put the BEST ST tires he could find. They put on Hi-Run, 18mos/approx 12,000 miles later I got belt separation, luckily I noticed the "rounding" of the tires and got three replaced. Tire shop said it was alignment issues.
stopped by Jackson Center and had alignment done. Now in michigan, I'm noticing rounding of one of the remaining three Hi-Run tires (the three new ones are PowerKing/Towmaster)
While at JC, I asked about going to Load Range E, the service guys said it would make the trailer ride too harsh.
YET, out in the Terraport there was the prototype PanAmerica with 16in Load Range E Firestone Transforce tires on it! Placard had the 10,500lb GVWR and Load range D 15in tires, same as my '04.
So, do I switch to 225/75R 15 LRE? can I use both? ie put three E's on tomorrow, then 3 more later on?
I'll say also I watch my pressures, and in 30 years of Airstreaming (started with mom and dad when I was 15) I nor my father have EVER had a blowout, I'm trying to keep that track record!
Thanks for any advice.
Dan

Forrest · 06-07-2009, 09:06 AM

By rounding, do you mean that the tire edges are rounding? If so, which, inner or outer edges?

thecatsandi · 06-07-2009, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFDureiko

18 mos ago we bought a 2004 34ft ClassicLTD slideout sofa, I asked the dealer, JD Sanders where I brought it for a go over, to put the BEST ST tires he could find. They put on Hi-Run, 18mos/approx 12,000 miles later I got belt separation, luckily I noticed the "rounding" of the tires and got three replaced. Tire shop said it was alignment issues.
stopped by Jackson Center and had alignment done. Now in michigan, I'm noticing rounding of one of the remaining three Hi-Run tires (the three new ones are PowerKing/Towmaster)
While at JC, I asked about going to Load Range E, the service guys said it would make the trailer ride too harsh.
YET, out in the Terraport there was the prototype PanAmerica with 16in Load Range E Firestone Transforce tires on it! Placard had the 10,500lb GVWR and Load range D 15in tires, same as my '04.
So, do I switch to 225/75R 15 LRE? can I use both? ie put three E's on tomorrow, then 3 more later on?
I'll say also I watch my pressures, and in 30 years of Airstreaming (started with mom and dad when I was 15) I nor my father have EVER had a blowout, I'm trying to keep that track record!
Thanks for any advice.
Dan

Dan,
My double axle classic 31 GVW 10,000 has load range D tires on it. Yours Should have the same since you have the extra axle.
What pressure are you running in your tires?
It should be toward the limit on the side wall.
Belt seperation is a result of over heating. Most tires over heat due to under inflation or overloading.

purman · 06-07-2009, 09:14 AM

Personally I think you will get to much bounce out of the E tires. They are really stiff. And the rounding shouldn't have anything to do with D or E range. It has to do with crapy tires or bad alignment. or running to much or to little air.

drag'nwagon · 06-07-2009, 09:59 AM

I will go against the grain here. I would put E rated tires on it and keep them at max inflation at all times. Everyone here talks about how the tires are going to ruin your AS, but I think for the most part that is Bunk. Your AS has a fantastic suspension under it with rubber torsion and shocks! All those years AS used High-Bias ply tires with the same suspension and I have yet to see one break apart from the tires being too stiff, in fact a significant percentage of those trailers are in use today. The rough ride theory of using E tires is almost never the case, but people like to blame tires for mis-manged running gear. Since I am on a rant here; I have never heard of or seen any engineering data that suggests that AS (or any other trailer manufacturer) used the tires as an integral part of the active suspension.
I use E's on my 31'r with complete confidence and w/o incidence, that being said I also have new axles and shocks, and precision balanced drums (1/4 oz./") and balanced wheel/tire mounting. For two years I have been running in this condition and have never had any interior rivet issues excessive shock or any of the nasty stuff that people talk about here. I have suggested the use of E rated tires on a few of my friends trailers (30' and larger) and again I have not seen any of the "bad" stuff in thier trailers due to E rated tires.

All of that being said if you continue to have "rounding" issues, than I believe you either have a "vibration" problem or an alignment problem.

Lumatic · 06-07-2009, 10:12 AM

I have had D range Hi Run tires for several years without problem

DFDureiko · 06-07-2009, 10:37 AM

always keep them at 65psi. and perhaps the alignment was in fact off, so these are the remaining three tires. the tires are rounding in the middle of the tread, as though they are over inflated.
All this being said I've read elsewhere on this forum of Cooper Custom Trailer Plus, which I assume to be a quality manufactered tire.
I NEVER had problems with the Michelin XCA's on the '77 or the US made TowMasters on the '96.......but now TowMaster's are made in China, why they ruined one of the last good us tires I'd don't know.
Dan

handn · 06-07-2009, 12:38 PM

I run Maxim E's blown up to 80 pounds. I have only a 6300 gvw 25 Safari. I have had five blowouts with D rated tires (Marathons and no names)(One Marathon lasted two weeks and 1500 miles) Tire problems are due to heat and ST tires not being up to the task, pure and simple. All my tire problems have occured at 95 plus temp after running 4 plus hours at highway speeds. I check air pressure daily and don't exceed 65 mph.
I have run my E's for a year and about 10,000 miles with no failures. I can't claim yet that E's are the answer but I have more confidence in them than D's.
If you run back and forth to the lake up north, you are probably not going to have tire problems with D's. But those of us who tow a lot in hotter than hell conditions cannot rely on factory specification tires and have to go to E's or LT tires.
I tow a lot in Mexico where the roads are bumpy. I estimate I have at least 35,000 miles on my Airstream. So far zero suspension and frame problems. I tape all my cabinets shut and have had to reset a number of cabinet screws in plastic wood (Safari's don't have real wood cabinets) but that is the extent of my problems. The value in an Airstream is in the suspension and the body structure. I don't think I am shortening the life of my trailer by running E's. I promised on another thread that I would post if running E rated tires trashes my Airstream. Don't hold your breath waiting for that post.

stufarmer · 06-07-2009, 01:38 PM

Do any of you run those tire/wheel balancer that mount between the Brake Drum & wheel assembly..? I would think a quality rated Radial Tire and a proper alignment would put these hauntings behind us...

drag'nwagon · 06-07-2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stufarmer

Do any of you run those tire/wheel balancer that mount between the Brake Drum & wheel assembly..? I would think a quality rated Radial Tire and a proper alignment would put these hauntings behind us...

The add on (slip on) wheel tire balancer thingies (centri-matics) are useless below 45MPH (where balance is not much of an issue, I know) and cost more than having the drums properly balanced. It is the drums that are the issue provided your local tire dealer did thier job of balancing the wheel and tire. When I intalled my brand new axles (OEM) I the drums precision dynamically balanced (granted to an over-kill spec.). The best of these new drums were out over 3 ounces, and the worst was out more than 7 ounces.

I have yet to hear of anybody experiencing blow-outs with properly inflated/serviceable E's.

Bing-Bing · 06-07-2009, 08:12 PM

I use Uniroyal LT 50 psi "C" rated and have run 3000 miles in 2 years on I-80 in 100 degree heat at 55 to 60 mph. I have checked them with my heat gun and they all run cool. The LT's were recommend by my tire tire guy who has been in business for 30 years and sez he see's nothing but problems come in with ST tires and will not even sell them, He also said Airstreams come in after being jacked up incorrectly at other dealers. A word to the wise...

Beginner · 06-08-2009, 02:24 PM

ST Tires
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) only requires the ST class of tire be required to withstand 65 MPH.
The loss of integrity of the rubber that holds the tie together is what causes blowouts.
Actually the tires don’t "blow out", they start losing air. This causes the side walls to flex more and create more heat.
This heat causes the rubber to melt (lose integrity) and the belts start to slip.
The air leaks out faster because the slipping belts cause a faster leak.
The rubber lets go faster and the tire eventually comes apart.
At 65 miles an hour this takes only a minute or so.
In phone conversations with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s engineer responsible for the FAR, he stated that the overall rating of a tires ability to withstand heat is the SPEED RATING. The higher the speed rating the more heat the tire can withstand and survive.
The better the rubber compound (the more expensive) the more heat it can withstand.
Its not the number of extra caps or belts in the tire it’s the rubber that holds it together that is causing the problem.
In today’s cost cutting world if you think that a tire company is going to put the same rubber compound in a tire that is required to withstand 65 MPH that it puts in a tire that has to withstand 99 MPH or 140 MPH you are living in a fantasy word.
The safe speed for a ST tire is 55 MPH. If you inflate a ST tire to the point that the sidewall is not flexing (Load Range E of F) all you are doing is destroying your trailer.
Go to a tire that has a Speed Rating of 99 MPH or better. The only one on the market that I’m aware of is the Cooper Custom Trailer Plus (99MPH) but their marketing structure is such that this tire is hard to get and will be on the road.
I went to the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A LT225/75R16 Load Range D and run 60 PSI. 60 PSI is recommended by Airstream. If I have to go to E rated Commercial T/A I would still run 60 PSI as that is the pressure that is required for the weight of the trailer.
Running ST tires and traveling more than 55 MPH is a crap shoot. Like to gamble?
Go faster on those 100+ degree days.
Why not just walk away from the table, go to LT tires with a speed rating of at least 99 MPH.
Beginner

Cracker · 06-08-2009, 05:14 PM

I'm on my second set of Goodyear Marathons - having replaced the first set due to age (5-years.) The original set were load range "C" and the replacement set is load range "D". I have always maintained the pressure at 50 psi, as per Airstream specs. The capacity of either load range is the same at that pressure. My normal travel speed is 60 mph on interstates. I have never experienced a blow out with the Airstream, or for that matter with any of the fleet of rigs I have owned over the past 50 years - including other travel trailers, pop-ups, boat trailers, and even a motorhome. I'm always amazed at how many tire problems others have had.