! TIRED OF TIRE SEARCH- recalls/complaints

[Tireman9]

m.Honey & Jack
Yes with better pictures it is easy to see the tire has suffered a belt separation and should not be driven on at all.

1. I would do an inspection of all your tires. I covered how you can do your own inspection on my blog in Aug 12 2014 and have a video as part of my June 16 2014 post that you can watch. (Sorry I'm not allowed to post direct links to my tire blog in posts here, but you can view it by going to my Homepage when you click my ID.)

2. I would record the full DOT serial of any tire that has a bulge or separation and file a complaint with NHTSA.

3. I would take pictures showing direct comparison as Jack did (easier to see the problem)

4. Take the tires to your tire dealer and ask for a replacement for the "manufacturing defect".

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

I had two E rated Maxxis ST's on the front axle of my Classic do the same thing. I just returned from a 200 mile drive, cold pressure on the tires were 80 psi checked 3 days earlier. I backed into the driveway when I got home and noticed that my wheel locks wouldn't open between the tires. I was really lucky I caught them here at home.Attachment 246215. Here is a picture of one of the bad tires next to one that hadn't failed. Tires were on the first trip of season 4 of use.

Jack

Jack - thanks for that picture - your picture and the ones in the preceding posts ought to be put in a thread with a STICKY for all time, so that newbies and people who generally ignore their tires could clearly see what tread/belt separation looks like. Clearest examples I've ever seen. THANK YOU

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by switz

SenDel T03-66655T wheels are the same design used by Airstream. There are two choices - all plain aluminum or black highlights on the aluminum. These wheels are rated 3,580 pounds load at 80 psi.

Michelin part number P/N 05681 is the LT225/75R16/E LTX M/S2 tire rated 2,680 pounds load at 80 psi. I have found 75 psi is the sweet spot and the Classic alone scales around 9,250 pounds ready for camping

I installed the Dill TPMS #1506-453 system that has the new display and six senders. The 453 is the valve hole size.

For the 16" wheels, I used Centramatic 300-356 all "A" plates along with McGard 24138 Chrome Cone Seat Wheel Locks and McGard 64010 Chrome Bulge Cone Seat Style Lug Nuts acquired from Amazon.

Switz
You get extra credit from the tire engineers for running TPMS as this should warn you of cuts, punctures or valve problems that cause air leak which can lead to run low flex failure or what some call a blowout.

[jcanavera]

Glad the pictures helped. You know it is so strange since I have had a travel trailer for years, the last two being Airstreams. Up until I owned the Classic and with 20+ years of towing a travel trailer, I'd never had a tire failure due to puncture or tread or belt separation. I've always been a stickler for maintaining my tires. I've always towed using the trailer manufacturers pressure recommendations, when I used to store outside, I covered my tires to protect against UV, and I replaced tires at year 5 of use. My Classic other than its first two years of life is stored inside in a dark garage. Minimal UV exposure

I really believe that a web page on Discount Tires web site zeros in my problem with ST tires.

"Time and the elements weaken a trailer tire.
In approximately three years, roughly one-third of the tire's strength is gone. Three to five years is the projected life of a normal trailer tire.
It is suggested that trailer tires be replaced after three to four years of service regardless of tread depth or tire appearance."

Note that sentence. In approximately 3 years 1/3 of the tire's strength is gone. Now we can wonder how the word strength is interpreted. I'm interpreting it as load capacity. My belt failures with both my Marathon and Maxis tires occurred either at the end of year three of use or the beginning of year 4.

Now to connect the dots with me, the Classic is carrying more weight than any trailer that I have ever owned. My Safari was carrying less weight (6,000 lbs) on the same exact sized Marathons that my Classic came with (8,200-9,000 lbs). I had a lot more reserve capacity with the Safari that I do the Classic. Add the statement by Discount Tire, that the strength of the tire is reduced by 1/3 after 3 years, is it that much of a stretch to figure that my trailer is just too heavy for the supplied ST tires, or even my E rated Maxxis tires after 3 years or so?

I think that's the crux that many of us are paying for. As these tires age and dependent upon your inflation temperatures. Many of us may be exceeding the limits of what an ST tire can bear.

Obviously I am not a tire engineer but when you have done everything you can to make sure you are using the tires properly, and they still fail with belt separations, you really have to start looking at issues with the tire itself. This to me explains a lot as to why some users of ST tires don't have issues. It's a combination of age, inflation, speed, and the amount of reserve capacity that a tire has.

Jack

[m.hony]

I will order Sendel T03 wheels from the internet.
Then, I will get Firestone TransForce HT 225/75R16 tires locally with a discount from my work- $140-$165 per tire-
Next, I will get new lug nuts to replace the cheesy chrome covered ones- suggestions? Anyone?
Finally, I will get TPMS- Dill? Thoughts? Suggestions? Anyone?


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[Ag&Au]

When I replaced my wheels and tires, I found the lowest price I could online (don't forget a lot of the online dealers charge "handling and/or shipping charges"). I took those prices to the local Discount Tire store. They matched the prices, including the extra charges (as they advertise they do). They were able to get both the T-03 and Michelin tires. They also mounted the Centramatics I brought along for no additional charge.

When you do it this way, you get benefit of DTC's nation wide network to handle any warranty problems plus free rotation etc.

Ken

[m.hony]

We don't have a local Discount Tire.
None of the tire stores here have ever heard of Sendel wheels.
I will be ordering from the internet, but everyone is out of stock till at least 9/20. Even Sendel estimates it will be 10/1 before they are available.
I'll just wait and hope the wheels are available before we go to Texas mid October and take a chance on the Marathons for at least 3 more "local" trips-


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[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by m.hony

We don't have a local Discount Tire.
None of the tire stores here have ever heard of Sendel wheels.
I will be ordering from the internet, but everyone is out of stock till at least 9/20. Even Sendel estimates it will be 10/1 before they are available.
I'll just wait and hope the wheels are available before we go to Texas mid October and take a chance on the Marathons for at least 3 more "local" trips-


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We don't have one in my neck of the woods either. But their Internet site still gave me excellent prices, no sales tax, and free shipping. They have mounting agreements with many local dealerships which made the entire process very easy and clean. I ordered the Sendel wheels from Tredit. I think shipping for 5 wheels (including a steel spare) had a $40 shipping charge. Tredit also provided wheel stems the center hub and chrome lug nuts. All and all it was a pretty easy process.

Jack

[m.hony]

Hmm...
A clue...
I should investigate.
I can get the tires at a good price through my work- $157 each or less-
I can mount and balance them myself at work- we got a tire mounting machine and tire balancing machine 3 summers back. I mounted and balanced the tires myself on our previous camper- a Forest River Wildwood 28RLSS-


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[m.hony]

The only wheels available from Discount Tire are Raceline Wheels 870 Trailer for $110 each = $440 - $50 web only savings = $390-
Did you get Raceline? Or were the Sendel wheels available at some point in time?


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[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by m.hony

The only wheels available from Discount Tire are Raceline Wheels 870 Trailer for $110 each = $440 - $50 web only savings = $390-
Did you get Raceline? Or were the Sendel wheels available at some point in time?


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I got Sendels from DTC. They had to order them, but I got them in a few days. However that was in 2012. 3 years and one day ago.

Ken

[casarodante]

Just swapped out my 15" Marathon's for the Michelin/Sendel combo ($1300 all done). Here is a pic of my 4 Marathon's. You can see the tread differences in the right ones vs the left ones.

[m.hony]

Looks like I gotta wait-
The Sendels won't be available until 9/20 or 10/1.
It's either wait or choose a different wheel.
I think I will be about $1,100-$1,200 all in with Firestone TransForce HT225/75R16 $157 each or less through work and Sendels at about $99 each from Amazon or recstuff.com.

[m.hony]

The Sendels are not available from any seller in the $100 each range-
They are available from other sellers at $189 or from an Airstream dealer at $685.40 + shipping each for a tire/wheel combo!
May be less at Jackson Center, but I ain't at Jackson Center. Maybe I should plan a trip to Jackson Center?

[m.hony]

I guess I should wait-
I waited a long time- years- for a Tundra-
I waited a long time- many years- for an Airstream trailer-
What's a few weeks or a month to wait for wheels?
I waited many years for a good job-
I waited many years for a Harley-
I waited many years for a wife-
I waited many years for a house-
I wonder if recstuff.com will let me pre-order Sendels-
They are the seller recommended by Sendel-


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[Lance M]

Why not try these wheels from etrailer?
Aluminum HWT Series S5 Trailer Wheel - 16" x 6-1/2" Rim - 6 on 5-1/2 - Black HWT Tires and Wheels AM22658HWTB
Or these?
Aluminum Hi-Spec Series 04 Star Mag Wheel w/ +5 mm Offset - 16" x 7" Rim - 6 on 5-1/2 HWT Tires and Wheels TTWAL04167655

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by m.hony

Looks like I gotta wait-
The Sendels won't be available until 9/20 or 10/1.
It's either wait or choose a different wheel.
I think I will be about $1,100-$1,200 all in with Firestone TransForce HT225/75R16 $157 each or less through work and Sendels at about $99 each from Amazon or recstuff.com.

Did you check Sendel's website? They may have some pattern you like better.

[m.hony]

Yes- there are other options, but I like the T03 best and the others are more expensive.


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[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Top

Why not try these wheels from etrailer?
Aluminum HWT Series S5 Trailer Wheel - 16" x 6-1/2" Rim - 6 on 5-1/2 - Black HWT Tires and Wheels AM22658HWTB
Or these?
Aluminum Hi-Spec Series 04 Star Mag Wheel w/ +5 mm Offset - 16" x 7" Rim - 6 on 5-1/2 HWT Tires and Wheels TTWAL04167655

I'm thinking about those, but I'm not sure about the Hispec wheels. I've heard sone people had trouble- don't know what kind of trouble- and they're not as good as Sendels- maybe that's not true-
Are the 15" wheels on the trailer now Hispec wheels?


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[Lance M]

HiSpec, Sendel or whatever. Probably cast in the same Chinese factory.