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Old 12-24-2013, 12:04 PM   #1
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Oops, I should have checked the forum

Soon after purchasing our 07, 25 FB I realized that the tires had to go. Within the first week of ownership I went to Tire Kingdom and had the tires replaced with Tow Max Super Kings, load range E. If I had paid more attention to the forum I would have upped to 16" wheels and gotten the Michelins. I've got less than 25 miles on the Tow Max STs and am looking forward to a couple of years of concern if they'll possibly blow before I switch to 16" and Michelins. Oh well...

>>ron<<
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Old 12-24-2013, 12:29 PM   #2
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Ron,
We've had a couple of years of good running on STs. Remember you usually only hear about the disasters. Few folks post "well, my tires are doing fine" when everything is OK.
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Old 12-24-2013, 12:31 PM   #3
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I've always had 15" tires & have been fine.....on 27' & two 31 footers, oh and the Bambi II as well.
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Old 12-24-2013, 01:11 PM   #4
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Keep your speed down, check your tire pressure EVERY day you're planning to travel, check your sidewalls and tread for any potential separation - and you'll be pretty safe. Add tire pressure monitoring system on the trailer tires to prevent running flat and you'll be better!

Now that I have a backup camera on my tow vehicle, I'm buying myself a Christmas present of one for the Airstream. Maybe I should get an airplane drone to circle the combo and check for road hazards, oncoming traffic around turns, etc.

Oh by the way - before you buy check Jackson Center for prices - sometimes they are LESS expensive than buying the rims and tires separately.

Paula
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Old 12-24-2013, 06:30 PM   #5
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I've had Power King Tow Max load range E 15's on my 25' for 3+ years. I have averaged around 3,000 to 4,000 miles per year since I installed them. I have had no problems at all. And, I like them. At first I inflated the tires to the pressure recommended on the manufacturer's placard, but the outer edges started to wear faster than the center. Then I inflated to 60psi and the wear pattern evened out. I would use more pressure, but my wheels are limited to 65psi.

I check tire pressure with a gauge when I start out each trip. I check inflation visually and knock on each tire every time get out of the tow vehicle during the day, about every two hours. I have never had a flat or a tire failure during the 40+ years I have been towing.
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Old 12-24-2013, 10:17 PM   #6
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I've never been so interested (or over my head) about tires since I see this large silver expanse everytime I look in the rear view mirror. I must say, the horror stories do make me cringe a bit (okay, a lot), and the the variety of at-odds opinions and depth of detail mostly stokes my insecurity about how much there is to consider and how little I know.
One thing I've noticed is that there seems to be a lot more commentary (and, I think, hard earned wisdom) from those towing in summer in the hottest climates. Heat seems to really ramp up the tire-killing factor. As my full-time route planning to geared to the south in winter and north in summer, I'm wondering if general good tire hygiene (checking pressure, tire condition & wear, moderating speed, appropriate stock TV & TT use rating) is sufficient for reasonable tire safety if the added insult of really hot asphalt is taken out of the equation?
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Old 12-24-2013, 11:20 PM   #7
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Tires

Quote:
Originally Posted by carver 1 View Post
Soon after purchasing our 07, 25 FB I realized that the tires had to go. Within the first week of ownership I went to Tire Kingdom and had the tires replaced with Tow Max Super Kings, load range E. If I had paid more attention to the forum I would have upped to 16" wheels and gotten the Michelins. I've got less than 25 miles on the Tow Max STs and am looking forward to a couple of years of concern if they'll possibly blow before I switch to 16" and Michelins. Oh well...

>>ron<<
Ron, As far as your current tires go the best thing to remember is that as the tires heat up from running down the road that they will also gain some air pressure too! I always run my trailer tires 5 psi less that they are rated for to compensate for this and have never had a tire failure or blowout. Some of the newer foreign made tires suffer issues like tread separation and sidewall failure due to faulty mfg processes. Finding a firmer sidewall tire is possibly the best protection from blowouts. This is why I only run LT (Light Truck) tires on my trailer. Then again I only have one axle so tire failure is a bigger issue for me. Just my two cents! Ed
P.S. My name is Ralph (ED) Carver
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Old 12-25-2013, 05:53 AM   #8
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If they are at least 8 ply tires, preferably 10, you should be all right. In my opinion most st tire failures are on 2 or 4 ply tires. Threads mentioning tire failures seldom mention how many plies the tires had and if they were bias ply or radial. My tires are 10 ply radial and have been fine. Jim
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Old 12-26-2013, 06:17 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zigzagguzzi View Post
If they are at least 8 ply tires, preferably 10, you should be all right. In my opinion most st tire failures are on 2 or 4 ply tires. Threads mentioning tire failures seldom mention how many plies the tires had and if they were bias ply or radial. My tires are 10 ply radial and have been fine. Jim
Unfortunately, Jim is confusing the picture. I'm sure that is not his intent, but he is using old nomenclature - and the reason it was obsoleted was because of this confusion. Let me explain.

In the very old days, the number of plies indicated the strength of a tire - and how much inflation pressure could be used. Since bias ply tires were all there were, the number of plies was always an even number.

When synthetic fibers started to be used, less plies could be used to get the same strength. So the tire industry invented the term "Ply Rating" (PR, for short). Since that time it was usual for the PR to be more than the actual number of plies. In other words, the tire's strength did not revolve solely around the number of plies - the strength of the cord and the amount of those cords were the deciding factor.

When radial tires were introduced, the strength of a tire concentrated in the belt and the whole idea of a tire's "strength" changed - and so did the way the strength was indicated. They invented the term "Load Range" (LR) with letters substituting for the numbers. It was a direct substitution and a LR E = 10 PR, LR D = 8 PR, etc.

I think it is obvious that it would be easy to confuse a Load Range E - which nominally has 2 sidewall plies and 2 belts - with a tire needing significantly more ply material.

You will find that most tire retailers use Load Range - as do ALL the tire manufacturers. That is the preferred nomenclature.

EXCEPTIONS:

Some types of tires still retain the use of the old "PR" system. Mining tires, farm tires, and other types of tires for specialized off road usage retain that system.

Passenger car tires use a completely different system: Standard Load (SL) and Extra Load (XL) In some respects those are the equivalent of 4 PR and 6 PR, but that isn't quite accurate. Let's just say passenger car tire system is consistent within itself, but different to other types of tires.


Needless to say, I think Jim's characterization that it is only 2 or 4 ply tires that are failing is wrong. Most of the trailer tires that fail are LT235/80R16 Load Range E's and those typically have 2 sidewall plies and 2 belt plies - just like ALL trailer tires. Even when P type tires are used in trailer application, they have 2+2. I don't see a connection between either the number of plies, nor the PR in this area.
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Old 12-26-2013, 07:46 AM   #10
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It's OK to Trust but Verify but make sure to inspect them carefully. I had 15" GYM's that were 3 yrs. old and did have a few miles on them. Probably in the range of 30k or so but from the tread they looked good to very good. I was in the process of replacing them with 16" Michelins and removed them to replace. 3 were still in good shape and I put them on my son's flatbed utility trailer. 1 was split along the edge of the tread on the inside where I couldn't see it. I had been under the trailer just 2 weeks prior doing the winterization thing and did take a look at them as best I could but still was not able to see it. So just a "BEWARE". It may take more than a visual inspection to find a failure before it happens. I thought I had been doing all the good things too. You may need to jack things up and climb down to get a good eyeball on the tire and rotate it so you can see it all around. I thought my GYM's were serving me well and got lucky and removed them just in time.

Good luck and many tire trouble free miles.
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Old 12-26-2013, 08:27 AM   #11
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I disagree, most AS tires that are failing are 15 in ., not 16. My ST tires are 10 ply not 10 ply rated. Jim
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Old 12-26-2013, 04:22 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zigzagguzzi View Post
I disagree, most AS tires that are failing are 15 in ., not 16. My ST tires are 10 ply not 10 ply rated. Jim
The ply identification should be molded into your tire's sidewall. Maybe you can show us a picture. I'll bet lots of readers are thinking you're riding on very old tires or something special that actually has 10 plys.

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