Unusual Tire Wear

[Jake]

Have a 2004 25' Safari. Purchased new in 04 and after two years had to replace the "Marathons" because of bulges in sidewalls. Now have 40k on the replacements. No issues with the sidewalls BUT have a problem with the curbside tire leading axel. Noticed today that the tire has worn on both edges for a distance of about 10". No tread. Face of the tire is fine. Jacked the trailer up and checked visually for an alignment problem. Tire spins true. Would normally replace the tires (all others are normal ware) after five years but do not want to replace the "bad" one and then have the same ware issue. Could this be just normal ware or do I have some type of aligement issue. Spoke to a Goodyear dealer who suggested that I probably had a brake lock-up. I don't think so.
Thnx
Jake

[dznf0g]

Could you post some pictures of the tire wear?

I suspect you have some alignment and/or balance issues

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Jake

Have a 2004 25' Safari. Purchased new in 04 and after two years had to replace the "Marathons" because of bulges in sidewalls. Now have 40k on the replacements. No issues with the sidewalls BUT have a problem with the curbside tire leading axel. Noticed today that the tire has worn on both edges for a distance of about 10". No tread. Face of the tire is fine. Jacked the trailer up and checked visually for an alignment problem. Tire spins true. Would normally replace the tires (all others are normal ware) after five years but do not want to replace the "bad" one and then have the same ware issue. Could this be just normal ware or do I have some type of aligement issue. Spoke to a Goodyear dealer who suggested that I probably had a brake lock-up. I don't think so.
Thnx
Jake

Jake.

How well do you have the running gear balanced?

Andy

[SteveH]

I would wager that tire has seperated. That's what the Goodyear Marathons do best.

[Bluto]

Originally Posted by SteveH

I would wager that tire has seperated. That's what the Goodyear Marathons do best.

That's what it sounds like to me too.

[Jake]

Andy
Had all tires balanced when I initially installed them even though the GoodYear dealer said that it wasn't necessary. Tire in question still has the wheel weights. Given the fact that we hit a couple of rather large pot holes on I-81 on our trip down to SC I am inclined to believe that I have a separation as suggested by a couple of other Forum Members. What do you think?

[Bill M.]

My 25' Airstream wears Michlen light truck tires. 4 years, 40000 miles or so, no wear, no problems. That is what I think of GYM's.

[Jake]

Bill
Were you able to get the same tire size 225/75R15 in the Michelin LT tire ?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Jake,

Both edges, inside and outside worn in the same place on the tire? No sidewall damage?

Is the tech who told you the balance was unnecessary the one who balanced the tires?
Could be he necessarily did a rotten job.

I would suspect balance.

Bob

[Mr.Bill]

If the inside and outside edges of a tire are worn evenly but the center of the tread is not it's almost always from running the tire under-inflated. If the center is worn but the edges aren't, the tire was over-inflated. If one edge is worn but the other isn't it's an alignment problem. If the tire has odd scuff marks, as if it had been dragged sideways, it's an alignment issue. If the rubber on one edge or the other has odd "cups" it's usually a balance issue, if I remember right. This is all coming from Auto Shop classes of almost 50 years ago, but I don't think much has changed.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Jake

Andy
Had all tires balanced when I initially installed them even though the GoodYear dealer said that it wasn't necessary. Tire in question still has the wheel weights. Given the fact that we hit a couple of rather large pot holes on I-81 on our trip down to SC I am inclined to believe that I have a separation as suggested by a couple of other Forum Members. What do you think?

Was the entire running gear balanced as an assembly, namely the tire, whell and hub and drum.

If not, then the running gear was not properly balanced.

Andy

[Scott J-24]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Was the entire running gear balanced as an assembly, namely the tire, whell and hub and drum.

If not, then the running gear was not properly balanced.

Andy

Andy,

When I replace my tires where can I get the entire running gear balanced as an assembly? Can any tire store do this, or do we need to go to a specialty shop (or come to you)?

[Phoenix]

Andy is probably trying to avoid being called out for pushing commercial products and services, but he's hinting at Centramatic Dynamic Balancers. Many of us have purchased these over the years to reduce tire problems, and Inland is a supplier. This is not a plug, just a statement of fact.

Personally, I searched these out after discussing Airstream tire problems with a neighbor who is an independent long-haul trucker. They have had these on their tractor for millions of miles, and swear by them; because they add 100,000+ miles to tire life, which saves them money. He says they eliminate pounding and cupping, which is a common problem on big rigs. The tires run much cooler, smoother and wear more evenly. This is probably less apparent on Airstreams; because we don't ride in the back, and we don't put near as many miles on our tow vehicles. However, to me its a good investment, if it reduces the chance of blowouts. We put these on when we switched to 16-inch wheels and all-steel, Michelin XPS Ribs.

Link to video demonstration and more information:

http://centramatic.com/Page.aspx?page=Demo

If you think this will help your problem, there are a couple of similar products available. But the easiest way to purchase these is just to call Andy for details. His pricing and shipping costs are competitive, and you won't have to do a whole lot more research. By the way, I am in no way connected to Andy or Inland RV, other than being a satisfied customer. (I don't work for Michelin, either.)

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bill

If the inside and outside edges of a tire are worn evenly but the center of the tread is not it's almost always from running the tire under-inflated.

Yes, but not necessarily true if the worn area only spans 10in.

Bob

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Scott J-24

Andy,

When I replace my tires where can I get the entire running gear balanced as an assembly? Can any tire store do this, or do we need to go to a specialty shop (or come to you)?

Usually truck tire centers can balance the complete running gear.

In the absence of that, there are wheel balancers that can be added to the running gear, that balance the assembly as soon as the rig gets to about 25 MPH. They last forever, but more importantly, they also keep up with tire wear.

Phoenix, from a post above, gives you an opinion.

Andy

[Phoenix]

Jake, I don't think you mentioned what brand, etc. the replacement tires were. What kind of tires are you experiencing the flat spots on? From your description, it sounds like the belts have slipped; and you are probably only a few miles from tread separation. In any case, I'd take this as a visual warning and replace them. Preferably, with some other tire than GYMs; if that is what you are running. If you haven't already stumbled across this post, checkout this link and search for others on Marathon tire failures, on this site:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...oll-76867.html

[Jake]

First time posting a pic. Hope this works. If not sorry for the inconvenience. Photo shows area of heaviest ware. I re-measured . Total area is 12" start to finish. Remainder of the tire shows no abnormal ware.
jake

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Jake

Attachment 140765

First time posting a pic. Hope this works. If not sorry for the inconvenience. Photo shows area of heaviest ware. I re-measured . Total area is 12" start to finish. Remainder of the tire shows no abnormal ware.
jake

Typical unbalanced issue.

Andy

[richinny]

one vote for bad tire.

[ventport]

Out of balance and under inflated?