Now I'm Spooked

[SCOTTinNJ]

Could be the valve stems but my original Goodyears required daily monitoring. They would lose at least 1 psi every night.

In the year + that I've had my Michelins the only air that's lost is when I check the pressure. They are rock solid.

That alone is worth piece of mind to me.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by GettinAway

We have our original 14" GYMs still on our 2011.
. . .

Have you checked the DOT-required label for the date of manufacture for those tires? They could easily be 8-9 years old, and quite unsafe IMO.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret....jsp?techid=11

[slowmover]

The thing about ST tires is that there is no good argument in favor oftheir use.

Not allowed on passenger vehicles by law as the expected failure rate is high.

Plenty of better tires: by description, and manufactured quality.

A tire loss is expensive. TT damage can be many thousands of dollars.

Being on the side of an Interstate afterwards is unacceptable risk.

And for what?

[dkottum]

Our '06 VW Jetta, '91 Suzuki Samurai, Airstream, boat trailer and utility trailer were built without TPMS. Only our '16 Ram 1500 came with it. We spent our money on high quality tires for peace of mind, and then only after running the originals a reasonable distance first. All protected from sun damage when parked.

On the Jetta Continentals that was 80K and 11 years, they had tread and the casings showed no damage in or out.

Gadgets won't protect your tires, taking care of them will.

[jdalrymple]

We have used several brands of ST tires. I had one separation on a 4 year old tire.

I replace tires every three years, regardless.

One can purchase several sets of ST tires for the cost of new wheels and LT tires, which from reports here on the forums are not immune to issues.

Keep them covered if parked on the sun, move the trailer now and then if not traveling, keep the air pressure checked, and don't drive 80 mph.


Regards,


JD

[terryg]

Regarding TPMS, I'll share my experience. Last winter while traveling with a caravan through Baja I picked up a large nail in the left rear trailer tire on my Classic 30. My TPMS alarm went off when the air pressure dropped below 60 psi. I watched the air pressure continue to drop while I searched for a place to pull off the Highway. Luckily, I was able to find a place before the pressure dropped below 30 psi. I was able to save the tire, plug it, and continue on my journey. The alternative could have been a shredded tire with accompanying damage to the Airstream. My experience made my fellow caravaners into TPMS believers.

[Mollysdad]

My potential dealer said this about GYM.
"There's nothing wrong with them. People who have problems don't keep their tires inflated properly."
So I countered,
"So then when the same people switch to Michelins, they suddenly become aware of tire pressure and thus have no problems? Then why is Airstream offering Michelins as an option?"

The problem isn't so much a blow out with the GYM, but the damage the flailing tread will do your trailer when it happens, and believe me, it's not a warranty item.

I'd get a TPMS no matter which tires you purchase.

[Jbuccola]

Agree with SeaLevel, centramatics add more peace of mind and a smoother ride. The tires will wear more evenly if you keep proper inflation. Very low cost addition.

[rastapoodle]

Originally Posted by dkottum

No TPMS on the trailer, pretty much a waste of money. If they fail suddenly, the TPMS just tells you they did and the damage is done.

I used to have this same opinion until at Alumapalooza 7, I attended a seminar from a gentleman from TST. What caught my attention was his statement about tire blowouts happen from low air pressure that cause increased heat in tire that leads to tire failure that can happen if you pick up a nail in tire and not know until it's to late. His tpms let's you see tire pressure and tire temperature. I bought the unit at the end of the seminar.

[Rich Jenkins]

I had GYMs on our 16 FC 27FB.

I was seeing 2-4 psi loss a week, requiring constant air pressure maintenance.

Cosmetically, the tires are a joke. The tire mould markings are poorly rendered and the tread and rubber look substandard and second rate.

I picked up a non repairable nail in one on the way to San Antonio our first season, so hearing the horror stories I opted to switch to Michelin P tires. The fact the GYMs were speed limited to 65mph played a factor in my decision to upgrade.

The Michelins look crisp, with high quality exacting design on the sidewall and tread.

I had Colonial swap the Michelins over to our used 16 FC 30 Rear Queen last year. We've towed something in the region of 10-12,000 miles on these tires.

I filled them to 50 psi in Florida in February, when we started this year's trip. Last month in Nevada I had to add 2 psi each. That's it.

I don't worry about going over 65, occasionally, though I tow at 63, mostly.

Through all this I have used a TST507 system, dash mounted, and four sensors. I've replaced the sensor batteries once. The TST works very well. It provided me a low pressure alarm for the slow leaking GYM tire, and I was able to pull over and top up with a compressor. If I did not have the TST, the tire would have continue to deflate that day, while towing on the Interstate. That would not have ended well for me.

Personally I think a TPMS is essential these days, considering the cost against performing periodic manual pressure checks. Especially if you have the GYMs, which I found to be extremely lossy in terms of air.

In my opinion, I would not own a Trailer with GYMs, they are a cheaply made tire with a ridiculous hard speed limit and require frequent attention. I would change them out as soon as I possibly could. YMMV of course.

Rich

[KK4YZ]

Thanks to everyone for your advice and experience. I am definitely going with a TPMS soon and will change out the GYMs in two years. I'll also investigate the centramatics.
Two years from now there should be a good body of experience on the Endurance tires. That'll help me decide on what the replacement will be.
Cheers,
Jim

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Gadgets won't protect your tires, taking care of them will.

Originally Posted by dkottum

No TPMS on the trailer, pretty much a waste of money. If they fail suddenly, the TPMS just tells you they did and the damage is done. Save the money and put it towards more reliable tires. Or to cover the insurance deductible.

Nobody is suggesting TPMS will 'protect' tires. They *will* however alert to conditions that could lead to tire failure. And one can encounter debris in the road that leads to a slow leak leading to a blowout, which has nothing to do with 'taking care of your tires.' TPMS will alert to that.

Meanwhile, having had cars without TPMS is a whole different story. When a tire blows on a car, you know it right away. On a trailer, one could drive miles with a blow out without knowing it.

TPMS isn't for you obviously but your argument against is quite specious to say the least.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

There are several different types of tire pressure monitors so there is no way to make a statement like this that covers all of them. *Some* of these gizmos only "report home" every couple of minutes. They do that to save energy. You can find all sorts of wonderful YouTube videos of people with blown tires and a monitor that says "tire is at 85 lb" due to this. Unfortunately, the guys who make these things aren't always very good at letting you know what the update rate is supposed to be. If your main concern is to catch a blowout as it happens, it's something worth digging into.

Bob

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by rastapoodle

Originally Posted by dkottum
No TPMS on the trailer, pretty much a waste of money. If they fail suddenly, the TPMS just tells you they did and the damage is done.

I used to tow an enclosed trailer with two motorcycles cross country behind my motorhome. I experienced two blowouts on the trailer. In both cases I felt nothing, I heard nothing, and I have no idea how far I went before a trucker waved to me and pointed. In both cases, I turned on the rear view camera, and everything looked normal. So I'd pull over and discover I'd been driving on the rim, there were two rings of rubber formerly known as the bead. The fender was gone (a fiberglass custom part) and there were black streaks on the back of the MH and the sides of the trailer from rubber flying.
If I'd have used a TPMS, I might have known sooner, and saved the fender and rim at least.
That was back when I thought "tires are tires" and I couldn't tell you what brand. Unfortunately, you're 2000 miles from home, need a new tire and rim and take anything you can get.
I still have no idea why they blew. Because the trailer had outboard wheels, the damage was all external, thankfully.

[HiHoAgRV]

I've run GYM's for 10 years 80,000 miles with no issues on 4 Airstreams. BUT all of my trailers have low weights, 1200lbs or less per tire. TPMS alerted me of one rapid leak, unfortunately on I40 in West Memphis, lots of construction, traffic and rain. I found a stripped out metal valve stem from heavy handed installation.

[KK4YZ]

My 23D weighed out at a hair under 5K lbs on the scales, while on vacation and attached to TV with WD on. I was somewhat surprised to see that.

I don't have individual wheel weights but given that my each tire has a load rating of 2500lbs ( X 4 tires) I have a large margin. It is highly unlikely that any of the 4 tires is anywhere near it's rated load. I think that works in my favor.

[GettinAway]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Have you checked the DOT-required label for the date of manufacture for those tires? They could easily be 8-9 years old, and quite unsafe IMO.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret....jsp?techid=11

Like I mentioned. They were fine last year. Getting replaced this year.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

The Federal Government requires TPMS on all new vehicles. That is why the manufacturers install them.

Correct. The requirement is because so few people check the air in their tires and people were effectively killing themselves and passengers because of poor maintenance.

30 to 50 % of cars & RVs on the road have one or more tire overloaded due to low inflation.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

There are several different types of tire pressure monitors so there is no way to make a statement like this that covers all of them. *Some* of these gizmos only "report home" every couple of minutes. They do that to save energy. You can find all sorts of wonderful YouTube videos of people with blown tires and a monitor that says "tire is at 85 lb" due to this. Unfortunately, the guys who make these things aren't always very good at letting you know what the update rate is supposed to be. If your main concern is to catch a blowout as it happens, it's something worth digging into.

Bob

It's easy to check the timing on warning on air loss. Simply un screw a sensor and see how long it takes for the monitor to sound.

It is true that if there is no sudden change in pressure the sensor may not send a signal for 10 to 20 minutes. ( my sensors cycle on about 8 to 15 min when no change) But report in less than 2 min when there is air loss.

[Rich W]

[QUOTE=KK4YZ;1977735]Hi,

We took delivery of our new 23D just a little over 3 months ago. Of course it has goog ole' GYM's on it. Is the problem with GYM's so bad that I should run out now & replace 'em?
Has ANYONE had a satisfactory experience with GYM's or am I pulling 4 blowouts waiting to happen?
QUOTE]

I have run GYMs on my boat trailer since 1994. I had 1 blowout on a 14 year old tire on a 95 degree day traveling 75 mph. I have replaced all 3 with new GYMs, 1 of them made in China. I don't travel faster than 70 and I overinflate them by 10 lbs. so I can do that.

My 23D AS came from the PO with 4 GYMs, all made in China. I've had the AS for 3 years, no tire problems. they are now 6 years old so time to replace before the next long trip, although they look like they were just mounted. I will replace with either GYMs or the newer ST tire they came out with.

I regularly check tire pressure now and I won't be running 14 year old tires anymore. I do not have TPMS on either trailer.