2 flats on our road trip

[69bullet]

As the title has it I got two blow outs on our last trip out last weekend. My wife and I been working on the trailer over the winter and looking forward to this summer. We left the house to do a week trip to a local lake about 120miles away. I made it going to the lake 10 miles before the first blow out, tire properly inflated, 10ply tire that had less than 800 miles on it, three years old. Anyhow I change it out on the highway and get a new tire installed.

We camp for the week and have a good time. On the way home I have another blow out on the same side, with the same brand tire (supercargo). This time the wheel well it all torn up and the aluminum around the wheel well messed up also. I like to throw in the towel almost with this trailer.

I did check tire pressures, has new axle and shocks, new rims, load in the trailer balanced out the best I could. Im afraid of taking the trailer on the road anymore.

[CRH]

Never heard of Supercargo tires....Sorry for your troubles.

[Mollysdad]

I never paid attention to tires until I started watching here.
I had a enclosed trailer and all I knew about the tires is that they were black and I inflated them properly before a trip. However, I had two blowouts, like you, and finding a new spare in the mountains when you're on vacation, and your only transportation is a motorcycle is frustrating. (never mind the missing fender for now)
Now, I hear more than I ever imagined.
First, it would be helpful to know what your trailer is, then what the tires are? ('69 safari 23?)

Many folks here swear by Michelin LT 16" tires and rims, Airstream has now come with Goodyear Endurance on 15" rims (2018) so there's much to absorb.

[pteck]

Is your trailer 1 or 2 axles?

There could be numerous other issues that could cause a blowout other than the tires themselves.

It would be worthwhile to get a non-contact thermometer to monitor that tire position. Could be a brake, alignment, load, etc. issue that is causing the one tire position to be out of spec.

[PKI]

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...res-92935.html

Quick google shows Pep Boys and Walmart sell. Link above recounts similar issue in 2012. Lots of tire threads with advice. Other folks have shared your frustration while others have had great service from ST tires.

Hope you work through the frustration and find a solution that works for you. We'd like to see your smile down the road some day. Pat

[m.hony]

Reading the original post-
3 years is the key.
No ST trailer tire will go beyond 3 years.
Most never make it to 3 years.
These are not long-life/high tread wear mileage tires like P-metric tires for passenger cars or LT tires for trucks.
Most are made in China and some important ingredient is left out- the ingredient that makes them last or not come apart...
After 2 sets of ST tires failed I switched to 16" wheels and truck tires on my camper.

[dames7]

Made in china, junk

[mcomeaux]

Most important thing is tires everything else is secondary. I'd brush this off get some nice Firestones/Michelins there is a number of great tires to choose from. There is alot of discussion regarding tires here and great information. I took possession of our Airstream and immediately took the chinese tires off and went with the michelins and air sensors great sense of comfort. Stick with it...

[JohnCaliAS]

I recently replaced my Goodyear Marathon tires (14") for the same reason with Goodyear Endurance (15") which are made in America and apparently Goodyear's bid to win back customers of Marathons... went on a 4000 mile trip this summer in hot weather and had no issues... just a data point.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by mcomeaux

I'd brush this off get some nice Firestones/Michelins there is a number of great tires to choose from.

I remember getting a set of four Firestone 721's on my wife's car. Within in a month of each other, all four delaminated. Yes, I could have gotten more Firestones pro-rated, but I never went back to Firestone.
Just because it's made in China doesn't make it bad, or made in the USA make it good. Do your research, try to be prepared. (I finally started carrying two spares.)

Oh, and I never had a problem with Michelins.

[CarolynSteve]

We just did 61 days from Southern California (near San Diego) to southeastern Alaska and back.7,500 miles on Goodyear Endurance Tires.


Bought new at the beginning of the trip. Clipped the curb coming out of the storage lot and realized that the Marathons didn't look great.
Couldn't find a Marathon and the tire store was having a "sale" on Memorial weekend. Worth the peace of mind of having 4 new tires.
Nine states, 3 provinces. The tires ran smoothly, comfortable and without and problems.
Kept an eye on the air pressure and kept them near recommended max pressure.
From 38 degrees to 115 degrees in Las Vegas no problem.

Picked up a screw puncture on the Alaska Highway on the Bridgestone Duellers run flats on the tow vehicle.

Bridgestones --Short life tires.
Endurance looked excellent.

Kept a spares and a compressor on board. Needed both for the "run-flats?"
Had two spares for the trailer. One for the tow vehicle.

Everyone at the tire dealerships said said two-three years on trailer tires regardless of miles and they are done. Even with lots of thread they are a risk after that.

This article sums up my research.

http://www.trailerlife.com/tech/diy/...-a-tire-guide/

c'ya on the road,
Steve, Carolyn and Charley pup

[Dlaker]

Seems like you just can't tell about tires with Airstreams. I have a 2016 25 FC that came with GY Marathons (made in China), but I had not spent enough time yet on the forum to understand the issues associated with these (or other) tires and the other factors that can affect the life of tires. My wife and I just finished in July a 7,500 mile trip through the Rockies, to the west coast, back through CA, NV, UT and CO in some of the worst heat ever (+113 several times). At the end of our trip the tires had 11,000 miles on them, with no problems at all. I try to drive no faster than 60 mph and have TPMS so I can keep track of the pressure and temp. Since then after reading all the threads about tires, I decided to switch out to the new 15" GY Endurance tires (made in U.S.) with a much higher load rating, as I did not want to upgrade to 16". I think driving no faster than 60 (in general) had a lot to do with my tire performance, or at least it probably saved me from the Marathon nightmare. Doug

[m.hony]

I never exceed 65 mph towing alone or 60 mph in a caravan.
The ST tires still failed in under 3 years.
Maybe the new Goodyear Endurance is better?
Maybe the Goodyear Endurance is the answer to all of the bad trailer tires out there?
Anyway, the Goodyear Endurance was not an option 2 years ago when I upgraded to 16" wheels and LT tires.

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by 69bullet

As the title has it I got two blow outs on our last trip out last weekend. My wife and I been working on the trailer over the winter and looking forward to this summer. We left the house to do a week trip to a local lake about 120miles away. I made it going to the lake 10 miles before the first blow out, tire properly inflated, 10ply tire that had less than 800 miles on it, three years old. Anyhow I change it out on the highway and get a new tire installed.

We camp for the week and have a good time. On the way home I have another blow out on the same side, with the same brand tire (supercargo). This time the wheel well it all torn up and the aluminum around the wheel well messed up also. I like to throw in the towel almost with this trailer.

I did check tire pressures, has new axle and shocks, new rims, load in the trailer balanced out the best I could. Im afraid of taking the trailer on the road anymore.

Get a 'Tire Pressure Monitoring System'!
I did, and it saved my Airstream, first time out; a half hour into the trip.
That $400+ expenditure saved me several thousand dollars.
Previously, I had RVed for about ten years, without a flat. Just did walk-arounds, with 'tattle-tail' valve caps.

[Lucky Tom]

mcomeaux, what air sensor did you use?

[Lucky Tom]

Sorry to hear about your tire trouble, however. . .
I am still using the 14 inch Goodyear Marathon ST, I now have between 25,000 and 30,000 miles on them. We returned a month ago from a 12,340 mile trip to Alaska.
My rig. . .
I tow with a Dodge Ram 2500, diesel. The truck measured the mileage of the trip as well as how far I have towed since purchasing the truck two years ago.
I am not sure why I have been so fortunate, we only had one tire come apart in Alaska and we did the whole country, with all the bad roads. While returning on the Tok Cutoff I heard the flap flap flap and saw in my mirror a piece of rubber go flying. Thankful there was no damage to the AS. I was traveling with two spares, however, when we got to Tok I found a name brand tire company that had the exact tire so I put the new tire on the rim and put my spare (which was purchased four years ago when I purchased the AS) back in the cradle. I can only share my story. . .
Always keep the pressure at max (50psi)
Never exceed 65 mph. (or only for a short time like in passing)
Always monitor tire temp, I use an infrared thermometer and walk around taking temps when I stop for breaks. I always want to see both axles read within 5 degrees of each other, if not I have either low air pressure or overloaded axle which I correct with weight distribution hitch.
Avoid tire damage on turns by always swinging out VERY wide, especially right turns, eyes on mirrors during this time.
While on this long trip to Alaska I went through very high cross winds, some rvers were pulling off until the wind dropped later in the day while I felt no ill effects of the wind, we could hear it howl and blow but no other effects. I know a heavy TV gets most of the credit but my low center of gravity with 14-inch wheels helps very much with this, plus, it IS an Airstream. It is supposed to handle well in a cross wind. I will not go beyond 5 years with these or any tire, too much drying out taking place. But with the Goodyear Marathons being this old and doing so well on this trip, there is nothing wrong with these tires. Anybody who has ever driven the Alaska Highway can say these tires took a beating with only one tire failure in 12,000 + miles. Average speed for the trip was 40 mph according to the truck computer.
Thanks for reading.

[69bullet]

The trailer is a 1969 23' Safari with a single axle. I do use a weight distribution hitch. Speed I dont exceed 60mph, Im towing with my 1970 chevy c10 pickup. The tires are made in China, not saying good or bad about that.

Question, Do 16" rims and tires fit in a 69 single axle wheel well. Where do I find the replacement rims for this.

[Mollysdad]

You should check the date code on your tires. Just because your trailer is a 2015 doesn't mean the tires are 2015. They may have been in some warehouse waiting to be picked off a rack.
A buddy of mine went to trade in a motorcycle for a new one. The dealer cut $500 from the price because he needed a new tire, it was three years old. "But you sold me this tire new six months ago."Sorry, it was three years old when we sold it, but thats our rules."

You really have no choice, I'd think dealers try to sell the oldest tire first, otherwise they get stuck with the old tires. I've never been invited to look at the tries before the sale.

[GM Airstream]

We have been pushing the ... you have to weigh your trailer... cart... We can not stress the fact that most trailers are not loaded evenly... with regards to the wheels... A lot of people DON'T think about how much to load with... but, we found that if the tires on the same side/wheel... you have a issue with that side of the trailer...

About the first thing you need to do after getting a good tire back on ... is to head off to a weight station... and measure the weight of the trailer... AT EACH TIRE... you would be surprised that when we did our survey... how many airstreams were overloaded on mostly the refrig side of the trailer... not to mention when still hooked up to the TV that the trailer was not traveling level and so also added to the loading on the particular tire...

One was about 300 lbs over the rating of the tire... and the owner had reported that he had trouble with that wheel several times... go figure...

Most owners take the manufactures weight as fact... when while empty.. most came in a little over what the factory said it should weigh... When we called the factory they said it was a TYPICAL... weight.. and that they were not conserned about the empty weight but instead... the total loaded weight limit...for structeral... design limits...

So if your trailer empty comes in at the max weight.. they don't care... but, most airstream owners haven't a clue as to how much weight they are putting in the trailer as 'LITTLE' items... that all weigh up...

So again the first thing you need to do is go seek out a certified weighing place.. and then weigh the whole trailer.. then go through and weigh each wheels weight... and don't be shocked

here is one site that ALSO has info on how to.. https://www.escapees.com/xscapers-gr...not-cat-scales

Once you have a handle on your weight... only then can you go to the tires... and start on them...

Indeed we went to the 16 in wheels and tires.. due to the added reserve in weight... and allowing lower tire pressure so that the trailer rides ... MUCH softer now... without having the tires overheat... I was looking around for the 16.5 rims and spindles so that I can carry the PU spare... and use it too on the trailer... but so far... have not found what we are looking for in the ford line... It would be nice to get away from the six lug chevy wheels that AS has had for years... but that doesn't address your problem...

Good luck in getting your issue resolved... and yes.. its hard these days to find a good AMERICAN made tire... as most of the envriomentalnazi's -demo's have run all the manufactures out of the country... and to start a new... well... hope it happens... to make america great again... (wait till you find that all the brake manufactures have been sold to the chineese government... they own it all...)

[TheDuke]

I'll say it again, "Chinese Bombs!"