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Old 09-06-2016, 07:42 PM   #1
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Tire replacements

So I understand often tires should be replaced not because
they have a physically need on inspection. But they should be replaced based on age with our trailers.

What age should we look at replacing the tires on our RV?
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Old 09-06-2016, 07:57 PM   #2
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These tires were only about seven years old. Thankfully I changed them before they let go. Goodyear Marathons
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Old 09-06-2016, 10:24 PM   #3
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Look at them before you go out every time. 5-7 years max
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Old 09-07-2016, 12:26 AM   #4
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Five to seven is the industry accepted standard. However I would look very closely at them. I have seen tires 3 years old that needed to be replaced due to weathering. Also if you are running anywhere close to the maximum tire loading you may want to replace earlier, due to reduction in load carrying capacity as they age.

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Old 09-07-2016, 01:11 PM   #5
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If they are china bombs i recommend you change them now unless you like repairing fenders. I also recommend from experience you got to a higher rated tire especially if your hauling toys. The tires put on RVs are not of good quality and cannot hold the loads we demand from them
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Old 09-07-2016, 02:01 PM   #6
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And the 5 to 7 years should be from the date of manufacture which is found on the tire. It's not uncommon for a new RV to have tires 2 or 3 years old.
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Old 09-07-2016, 04:05 PM   #7
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I always keep a good coat of 303 protectant on my tires, keeps the sun from destroying them.
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Old 09-07-2016, 05:55 PM   #8
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I bought some of that 303 because of you.

Now I need to start using it like you.
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Old 09-17-2016, 01:31 PM   #9
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I use trailers on a daily basis, from single axle utility to 12k dump trailers and larger. I go through 8-12 tires a year, normally due to punctures. I have had a couple tires fail due to age, but it has been rare. When I replace tires I go to a reputable tire shop and get the highest grade of tire that the budget will allow. I try to bump up a load rating if possible too. Well worth the money. When I replace camper tires I get tires for utility trailers and they seem to last longer.
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Old 09-17-2016, 02:06 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gazingm42 View Post
So I understand often tires should be replaced not because
they have a physically need on inspection. But they should be replaced based on age with our trailers.

What age should we look at replacing the tires on our RV?
My experience is if they are an "ST" tire their life expectancy is 3 to 4 years. This is based on the production date stamped on the tire. The stamp will show four numbers, such as 0914 meaning it was produced on the ninth week of 2014. I learned this the hard way - I had 3 of 4 blow out at the four year mark.
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Old 09-17-2016, 03:12 PM   #11
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Tires

I just put 2 new ST tires on my trailer, made in China. It cost me $175.00 for them and the dealer pumped some grease in all my EZ lube fittings!! The ones I replaced were original tires from 2010. They looked OK but I just think at 6+ years I was pushing my luck. The other 2 are dated 2014, 2015 production dates. We have put over 2,000 miles since we replaced them. They seem to be doing fine. I do not overload my truck and trailer and never go over 65MPH. I think cheap China tires are fine for a travel trailer if you just keep an eye on them and do not overload them and speed. Most blow outs we see are people passing us at 70MPH+ and then a few miles down the road BLOW OUT? ST travel trailers are rated for weight and no faster than 65MPH.
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Old 09-17-2016, 03:42 PM   #12
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A lot to be said about people driving too fast with ST tires, however I've seen and heard several examples of people driving like you and I still having blowouts.
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Old 09-17-2016, 04:04 PM   #13
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Cheap China Tires

I know things happen. But if people would just check tire pressure, not overload the trailer and the tow vehicle and not go over 65MPH. I think they would have alot less blow outs. I don't think they even make travel Trailer tires in the USA anymore? Cheap China tires are good enough for me!
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Old 09-17-2016, 06:07 PM   #14
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There are cheap china tires and there are china tires. If you are purchasing from a name brand made in china your chances are probably better than buying an unknown brand made at an unknown plant. There was an article a while back about fake tires too. Guy bought some tires cheap from somewhere, had issues and tried to invoke the warranty, turns out that the company that had made that tire originally had contracted out with a tire manufacturer in china. The contract ran out or had been canceled, the manufacturer was "supposed" to destroy the molds, however it appeared that they continued to make and sell tires under the brand, but they weren't made to the original specs.

I prefer to buy brand name tires from reputable dealers. I am not saying they are perfect but at least you have somewhere to go if you have issues. I have run Westlakes, Carlisle, and Maxxis all with good results. Maxxis is probably my favorite trailer tire, they are a bit more, but I have always gotten full life out of them. One issue I have run into over the years is that the smaller tires are quite often limited in the the weight class they sell.

I do agree that checking tire pressure religiously (TPMS is a huge plus) and watching the loading and speeds goes a long ways towards preserving them. A lot of people don't realize that as tires age the load capacity goes down too.

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Old 09-18-2016, 03:40 AM   #15
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and the dealer pumped some grease in all my EZ lube fittings!! .
I agree with you on the speed and loads! Not to steal a thread, and understand I am a believer in the EZ lube system. You will find that many are not. But you don't just "pump some grease" into the system. You are supposed to pump a lot, slowly, and not high pressure (in other words, by hand, not pneumatic gun) , into each hub until the new grease comes out the front, after having flushed out all the old grease. The old will be black, the new will be purple, or whatever you're pumping. You're also supposed to turn the wheels while you pump, to keep the bearings coated evenly. I've done that every year, and I believe it works great.
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Old 09-18-2016, 05:00 PM   #16
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i am shocked the amount of passive people believing ST china bombs are good tires.. history shows they are junk and too many people have evidence of this.. I have lost two fenders to china bombs never overloaded or under-inflated. Never speeding over 65 and both have blown. I now run J rated tires and have no issues. They are not ST tires. If you truly believe in ST tires and especially china tires which makes 95 percent then its a matter of time before you lose a fender and tire.
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Old 09-18-2016, 07:29 PM   #17
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i am shocked the amount of passive people believing ST china bombs are good tires.. history shows they are junk and too many people have evidence of this.. I have lost two fenders to china bombs never overloaded or under-inflated. Never speeding over 65 and both have blown. I now run J rated tires and have no issues. They are not ST tires. If you truly believe in ST tires and especially china tires which makes 95 percent then its a matter of time before you lose a fender and tire.
If you have 14" or 15" wheels the "china bombs" are the only tires out there you can use.

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Old 09-18-2016, 07:37 PM   #18
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EZ lube

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Originally Posted by MartyG View Post
I agree with you on the speed and loads! Not to steal a thread, and understand I am a believer in the EZ lube system. You will find that many are not. But you don't just "pump some grease" into the system. You are supposed to pump a lot, slowly, and not high pressure (in other words, by hand, not pneumatic gun) , into each hub until the new grease comes out the front, after having flushed out all the old grease. The old will be black, the new will be purple, or whatever you're pumping. You're also supposed to turn the wheels while you pump, to keep the bearings coated evenly. I've done that every year, and I believe it works great.
The guy who owns the tire shop and sold me the Hercules ST china tires asked me how many miles I had on the trailer. I told him about 10,000-12,000 miles. He said he would just pump some grease in the EZ lube hubs and I would be good to go. We then went on a 2,000 mile trip and had no problems. He said just keep a eye on the tires and do not overload the trailer. I do not know everything about trailers and tires but on cars and trucks that I have had I have gone 50,000+ with out repacking bearings. Why wouldn't it be the same with a Travel trailer? I watched the YouTube video on the EZ lube system and I think I will wait a little while longer to do the full pump lube. On second thought I may just pull all the bearings and repack by hand. That way I know it will be all new grease. Does any one know how much to repack a double axial travel trailer?
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Old 09-18-2016, 08:30 PM   #19
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Not to change any subject. But we went to the RV show in Sacramento on Friday. Was looking at the retro trailers, these are new trailers made to look like old trailers. So noticed on the Sticker that the price for the white sidewall tires was $775 for a pair. So looked at the tires and they were H78X15 Coker tires. Coker makes vintage tires and did not look at where they were made. But these are passenger tires. And at 775 they better last forever
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Old 09-18-2016, 09:48 PM   #20
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i am shocked the amount of passive people believing ST china bombs are good tires.. history shows they are junk and too many people have evidence of this.. I have lost two fenders to china bombs never overloaded or under-inflated. Never speeding over 65 and both have blown. I now run J rated tires and have no issues. They are not ST tires. If you truly believe in ST tires and especially china tires which makes 95 percent then its a matter of time before you lose a fender and tire.
I've been reading the thread with interest. I have ST Westlakes on my 2015 Kodiak, they came with the trailer. Although I have read about the warnings, I'm just not prepared to change out 4 or 5 tires at this time. Maybe once they have some wear or years on them, but for now I'm going to be meticulous about tire pressures and driving speed.

Hopefully I don't learn the hard way.
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