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Tkalb2 · 10-01-2019, 09:18 AM

My wife and I recently purchased a lightly used 2015 flying cloud FB from a local private sale. We are the third owner of this trailer and I was told it had maybe 10,000 miles on it. It currently still has it's original tires and I was told from a mechanic that the tires need to be replaced after 5 years regardless of the mileage. Anyone else have experience with this or any suggestions?

We plan to go fulltime in the spring and want to make sure we are starting off on the right foot for our new trip.

DryFly · 10-01-2019, 09:34 AM

The general wisdom is 5 years for ST tires. You may be able to push it longer, but that may not be a wise choice.

**moosetags** · 10-01-2019, 09:35 AM

We have had two 25FB's, a 2005 and a 2015. The '05 had about 10,000 miles on it when we went to 16" wheels and Michelin LT tires. We had had terrible experiences with the OEM ST tires and a subsequent set of ST's. We continued using the '05 for several more years with no further tire issues. We put over 60,000 miles on the LT's. We keep a trailer mileage log, so we know that our mileage figures are accurate.

We got our 2015 in 2014. We immediately replaced the OEM ST tires with the 16" Michelin LT's. We now have 59,000 miles on these tires having just returned from a three month trip to Alaska. Even though the current LT's do not show significant tread wear, we will replace them next year when we reach six years of use.

Brian

AtomicNo13 · 10-01-2019, 10:03 AM

Buy new tires as you hit the road

ghaynes755 · 10-01-2019, 11:10 AM

5-7 years regardless of mileage is what most tire manufacturers will show in their documentation. There are manufacturing dates on the sidewall of the tires. Google how to read them. The tires on your trailer may be and likely will be older than the trailer. So you may be at 5 years now or even older.

Tire wear and any sidewall cracking are also indicators that is time to change.

Lots of options now with Michelin or the Good Year Endurance tires.

Halford1 · 10-01-2019, 11:47 AM

Reason for changing 5-7 years is the possibility of dry rot from too much sun shining on it, or from the heat (high temperature on road or even parking for a period of time). Never cover the tires with tarp or tire covers-the cover will increase temperature which would speed up the dry rotting. You can put plywood board on tire to prevent sun damages.

The new Goodyear Endurance tires are MUCH better than the Marathons. If you have Marathons, it may be a good time to change to Endurance. Up to you.

out of sight · 10-01-2019, 12:39 PM

I agree. Get rid of the Marathons. I've had 2 blowouts with them. There really should have been a product recall on them.

A W Warn · 10-01-2019, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tkalb2

My wife and I recently purchased a lightly used 2015 flying cloud FB from a local private sale. We are the third owner of this trailer and I was told it had maybe 10,000 miles on it. It currently still has it's original tires and I was told from a mechanic that the tires need to be replaced after 5 years regardless of the mileage. Anyone else have experience with this or any suggestions?

We plan to go fulltime in the spring and want to make sure we are starting off on the right foot for our new trip.

On the side of the tire there is a date code.
Before spending $, look at the tires to see the age of each tire.
Maybe they have been changed.
IMO, if they are approaching 5 years change them.

How to determine tire age>
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...191001185750:s

Tkalb2 · 10-02-2019, 07:28 AM

Awesome, thanks for all the feedback. I'm new to all this and wanted to make sure I was understanding what the mechanic told me correctly. Especially if we are going to be calling the AS home for the next few years.

The tires do have some wear and some sidewall marking which leads me to believe now might be a good time to swap them out.

Does it make sense to put a lift on it if I'm switching to 16" tires?

rbs · 10-02-2019, 09:02 AM

we just replaced the original tires on our 2015, the mfg dates were 2014, so they had reached the 5 year point. We had over 72,000 miles on the tires and they looked great, but 99% of the trailers we see stopped on the side of the road are the result of tire blowouts. Our desire is to not be stopped on the side of the road, so new tires. We replaced the original Michelins with Michelin XPS rib tires, we like Michelins.

drbrick · 10-02-2019, 09:52 AM

Yep, 5 years period.... better to spend a couple hundred bucks on new tires than a couple thousand bucks on repair to the AS caused by a blown tire .. that's MHO.

uncle_bob · 10-02-2019, 09:54 AM

Hi

The dates on the tries are the only way to work this out. Tries ship into the factory in bulk. They sit there for a while before they go on trailers. The 2015 models started down the line in May of 2014. You could (but probably don't ) have tires made in 2013 on your 2015 trailer.

Bob

perryg114 · 10-02-2019, 09:58 AM

With trailer tires (ST), I would say 50 yrs unless you are doing very short trips in cool weather. With light truck tires you could probably get close to 10 yrs out of them. Tires that are man rated hold up better and are more reliable than those ST tires made for hay wagons. The folks out west who drive in 100 degree heat have more issues and should replace tires more often.

Perry

Halford1 · 10-02-2019, 10:15 AM

my previous camper was Coleman Niagara (popup) which had Marathon tires. I stored the popup in Ventura where temperatures rarely reach 90 degrees all year. I had the tires over 6 years. The camping trips were usually local and a few were over 50 miles away.

Now with my NTM Bambi, I see Endurance tires. Should last me a while in this Ventura weather.

Mollysdad · 10-02-2019, 11:22 AM

If it's a stock 2015, it came with Good Year Marathons. (Made in China)
I'd change them to GY Endurance (made in US) in the same size.
I just returned from 4500 miles and the Endurance never lost air or complained.

fclewis · 10-02-2019, 11:39 AM

We replaced our Goodyear Marathon's after three years with approximately 20,000 miles on them. Using wheel/tire covers can definitely preserve and extend the life of your tires as well. Our's were showing significant cracking. I intend to re[place them every 3 years. It's the best $500-$600 dollars you'll spend!

GeeSag · 10-02-2019, 02:12 PM

Had Good Year Marathons.
Had Blow out
Had damage to trailer.

Sitting on side of Interstate was high on the: "Do not want to do that again" list

Now Have Good Year Endurance.

If anyone still has Marathons, ....Well .... They can finish their own paragraph.

PKI · 10-02-2019, 03:58 PM

Replace them now if they are Goodyear Marathons. Then use your RV tires four to five years and replace. RV tires age out before they wear out. A blow out on an AS can damage a lot of aluminum - think 2000 dollars or more. Wheel well, side panel, wiring and plumbing can all increase the repair bill. Keep new tires on your rig. Lots of threads on this issue. Search for them and educate yourself. Pat

**jcanavera** · 10-02-2019, 08:21 PM

Original Goodyear Marathons ST tires started failing with belt separation on the last trip of season 3. Maxxis ST E rated tires failed on the first trip of season 4 with belt separation. 16” Michelin MS/2 LTX tires gave me 6 seasons of use with no issues. Replaced due to age with Michelin Defender LT’s that are finishing their first season of use. Based on my experience with ST tires with a heavy Classic 30’ slide out I’d change out at the beginning or mid 3rd season. I feel 6 seasons of use is my maximum comfort level with the LT 16” tires on my style of Airstream. They may have gone a year more but I didn’t want to push my luck.

Jack

banderabob · 10-03-2019, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tkalb2

Awesome, thanks for all the feedback. I'm new to all this and wanted to make sure I was understanding what the mechanic told me correctly. Especially if we are going to be calling the AS home for the next few years.

The tires do have some wear and some sidewall marking which leads me to believe now might be a good time to swap them out.

Does it make sense to put a lift on it if I'm switching to 16" tires?

If you do a lift be aware that it may elevate the trailer beyond the reach of your stabilizers, requiring the use of waffles or wood to reach the ground.