Tire blowout!!

[92landyacht]

I was just looking for recommendations from people that have used a service and have been satisfied with them. I know that there are a lot of services listed on the web. Tons of junk businesses that do shoddy work out there. Not every wheel repair service will do welding and bead repair.

[92landyacht]

I contacted them and was quoted $155 based on description and pictures. Well, at least I know I can get it repaired locally for that price. Still looking for any other recomendations.

[Kota]

Ouch! It broke my heart and wallet to replace a hodge-podge of unworn 8 to 12 year old tires last year. I went with the Goodyears on sale. I paid about $2600 for 6 mounted and balanced. The one thing I noticed was great improvement in ride and road noise. The old ones were pretty dried out and hard. I store it inside and put most of the weight on the jacks when it sits for any time. Hope to run them for 8 years including a trip to Alaska. Road service on the Goodyears might be better than the Chinese imports.

[Punch]

Originally Posted by Dakota

Ouch! It broke my heart and wallet to replace a hodge-podge of unworn 8 to 12 year old tires last year. I went with the Goodyears on sale. I paid about $2600 for 6 mounted and balanced. The one thing I noticed was great improvement in ride and road noise. The old ones were pretty dried out and hard. I store it inside and put most of the weight on the jacks when it sits for any time. Hope to run them for 8 years including a trip to Alaska. Road service on the Goodyears might be better than the Chinese imports.

Are any tires still manufactured in North America?

[Kota]

Originally Posted by Punch

Are any tires still manufactured in North America?

Check out the Goodyear RV tire site. I believe they are manufactured here but don't take my word for it. They have some good tire maintenance videos. Happy with them so far. People will have some strong opinions one way or another.

I just had a highly recommended expensive Yokahama destroy its self with less than 100 miles on my Audi S6. Manufactures flaw is the only thing they could determine. Nothing left but the beads and damaged $1200 rim.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Punch

Are any tires still manufactured in North America?

The Michelins I just bought for my trailer were made in Canada.

I'm sure lots of brands have multiple manufacturing locations. Goodyear Wranglers are made in several different countries according to this Tire Rack page:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....el=Wrangler+HP

That site seems pretty comprehensive for searching by brand and being able to identify country of manufacture.

Good luck!

[masseyfarm]

On the Michelin site I find this.

While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a simple precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear limit.
Tire Problems|What does it mean when my tires start to show signs of Aging, ozone cracking or weather cracking?|Michelin Tires

Dave

[wvabeer]

The goodyear dealer had i think G647 s for 280 installed. they said they have good luck with them on ups trucks. I'm getting a pair in the spring.

[switz]

Tire expense is just that, a maintenance expense. Other expenses include insurance, storage fees, dump fees, furnace repairs, water heater repairs, A/C repairs, etc.

Tires can have a decent service life if properly taken care of both when stored (covered for sun protection and off the ground on a board so the pavement does not degrade the rubber) and checked often when on the road for proper inflation and road damage.

The collateral damage to an Airstream trailer from running an older tire to the point of failure can far exceed the cost of the tire and the insurance deductible becomes another expense even if it pays for the majority of the damage repair expense.

I replaced the airplane tires long before they were worn out as preventative maintenance. I plan to replace the 16" Michelins early rather than later or after a failure.

This Airstream camping is an expensive hobby as compared to tent camping. If one can not afford to do preventative maintenance, perhaps they bought into the idea that the initial cost was the only cash outlay.

Perhaps a less expensive version of the camping hobby that is more budget friendly needs to be considered.

[wvabeer]

Expense, is why most of us on this forum buy used motor homes or trailers, so we try to save money buy stretching our dollar as far as possible. Anyone with enough money can go buy new but some of us do not.

[92landyacht]

Agreed. Spending $2500 for 6 tires does not fit into my budget and I will need 9 tires to complete the change over. At that rate I would have to spend $3750 for the 9 tires mounted. For the few times a year I take the MH out on a trip I can't justify the added expense of high end tires that will do no better a job then the ones I'm getting. By the time I'm done I will still have spent close to $1500.

[Punch]

We all have our budgeting priorities. But if a person (say) continues to smoke a pack of cigarettes every day, or spend $200 per month on TV and internet, but then run ancient tires at 70 mph on the freeway, I would have some issues with that person's assessment of priority. And it's not just the RV driver who puts him or herself at risk by this, it is potentially whoever is in the vehicle with you and other road users too, should a tire fail at high speed, which is when they usually do.

Having said that, any tire sold by a reputable dealer should meet all required federal and state safety standards, and I have such confidence in this that I always buy the cheapest big name brand RV tire I can. And the cheap RV tire will run that much smoother and more quietly than your 10 year old Michelin, believe me.

[Kota]

Originally Posted by wvabeer

Expense, is why most of us on this forum buy used motor homes or trailers, so we try to save money buy stretching our dollar as far as possible. Anyone with enough money can go buy new but some of us do not.

My initial budget for making transition from tent to hard wall camping was $25K. Boy did I blow through that! Buying an older coach has to be approached as a hobby and labor of love. I feel for those that get into it without the ability, desire, or time to do their own maintenance. I think having safe tires has to be a priority and should be considered as part of the initial cost. I also think a properly maintained tire can safely see 8 to 10 years of service and you don't have to buy the most expensive tires to be safe.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, rich or poor, tires are quite expensive now days, especially for a motorhome. I just bought two for my trailer and it cost more than $300.00 for them. In the old days blow outs were caused by an old tire being worn into the cords; We could actually wear a tire out back then. Now they just fly apart and the owners get the blame.

(1.) This tire was still in use on a tour bus in Alaska.

(2.) This tire, in Alaska, was not longer in use.

(3.) I don't think the sewing machine works either.

[wvabeer]

Ouch, that one will take a few plugs

[73shark]

Nah, you can't put plugs in sidewalls.

[92landyacht]

200 MPH Duct Tape should do it. Can't see taking the MH faster then that.

[92landyacht]

[QUOTE=Punch;1373053]We all have our budgeting priorities. But if a person (say) continues to smoke a pack of cigarettes every day, or spend $200 per month on TV and internet, but then run ancient tires at 70 mph on the freeway, I would have some issues with that person's assessment of priority. And it's not just the RV driver who puts him or herself at risk by this, it is potentially whoever is in the vehicle with you and other road users too, should a tire fail at high speed, which is when they usually do.[QUOTE]

The tire completely failed at 6 years old. I understand that it may be near end of life, but this was not a gross misjudgment issue IMHO. I'm not entirely sure if the failure was due to age or a result of a puncture resulting in loss of air over time while driving. I felt a slight increase in steering vibration just before the tire blowout but no other signs of problems. Tires were visually inspected before leaving the race track.

I don't particularly appreciate being tagged as someone with dangerous priorities. I don't smoke and pay less then $39 on Internet. You might just hold that crap to yourself until you know whom your criticizing.

[graysailor]

I took it that he was speaking in general terms and not specifically too you. We all are capable of spending here when we should have been spending there.

[Punch]

The tire completely failed at 6 years old. I understand that it may be near end of life, but this was not a gross misjudgment issue IMHO. I'm not entirely sure if the failure was due to age or a result of a puncture resulting in loss of air over time while driving. I felt a slight increase in steering vibration just before the tire blowout but no other signs of problems. Tires were visually inspected before leaving the race track.

I don't particularly appreciate being tagged as someone with dangerous priorities. I don't smoke and pay less then $39 on Internet. You might just hold that crap to yourself until you know whom your criticizing.

Actually I wasn't even thinking of you when I wrote that. Early on in this thread I wrote of a friend's brother in law and his expensive experience, and how that made me change my front tires. Those tires were on my AS when I bought it, and must have been about 8 years old, but I really hadn't given them a thought until I was told this story. I then went and looked closer at my tires and saw the crazing in the fronts and had them changed next day. It really changed my attitude towards RV tires, especially up here with deep cold and high UV, and I did some more research on tires too. If the MH sttod less of its time I also wouldn't worry so much, so it's the combination of standing and environmental conditions that make me especially aware. I have also made potentially costly judgement errors on tires, and only 3 years ago a tire I had run for far too long (almost 100k miles) on the front of my pickup simply burst ..... luckily with no other damage, but it had been stupid of me to keep that tire going so long.

So don't take things too personally. I regarded your post as a "public service" posting, and giving others the heads up about tires, and then the debate opened up. It's the people who think that their RV tires are safe when they are ten or 12 years old who should be mad at me!