RV tire blow-out dilemma

[Norm-n-Mary]

We recently completed an approx. 1400-mile 3-week trip in which we
experienced a tire blow out. Our trailer is a 2022 Dutchman Kodiak Ultimate 2921FSDK purchase 4 months ago and the tires are Ridgeway Sport ST LH-001
ST225/75R15. The Good Sam gentleman that came to change the tire stated he sees a lot of these "China Bomb" blow-out on the interstate.
My questions are:
1) should I try to purchase a new replacement Ridgeway Sport
ST225/75R15?
2) should I purchase complete set (5) of new tires?
3) which brand of tires do you believe are better suited for my trailer?
(6500lbs when towing)
4) Is it advantageous to change to ST___/75R__????
I hope gave you all the info to help answer my questions and position.

Thanks in Advance Norm

[franktafl]

Welcome to the “China Bomb” club. I too had a blowout, fortunately, it did not damage anything on the RV and I hope the same for your issue. I replaced my tires with Goodyear’s and was very satisfied. You don’t need to replace the spare but I would.. by the way, make sure you replace the valve stems because the running pressure on the new tires will be more than your current tires.

All the best,

Frank

[dsol]

Goodyear has two trailer tires. The best is Endurance which has an 80 mph speed rating, a really high weight rating spending on size and inflation psi, and is made in the USA. The other one they have is a Marathon and it is made in China.

Lots of threads and posts on tires with this group and many opinions about whether China bombs are safe are not but I would never risk it again. I had a blow out on my Westlake’s that were properly inflated with tire pressure monitors and it just exploded on the freeway doing about 60-65 mph. I luckily had no damage.

Endurance tires are expensive but I think money well spent.

And if you are lucky Goodyear actually has mobile installers in some areas so you can save that headache too. (And no I have nothing to do with Goodyear and actually almost never buy them for my cars as they tend to be expensive and there are better options out there for me).

[chily3]

I run the endurance on mine, be sure to weigh your TT fully loaded ready for travel. weigh the tongue(make sure you hitch is adequate., then weigh the trailer. Need to know your total weight to help with tire selection. Pay the extra for the Goodyear endurance. AS the china tires are an accident looking for a place to happen.

[erhardd]

The best Goodyear are the G614’s, however I don’t know if they make them in a 15”. Endurance are good tires for the load, they only come in 10 ply, I have them on my enclosed trailer but it doesn’t pack the load of my fifth wheel. The tire most come with are junk and I would recommend changing them out before you blow one and it destroys something

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Norm-n-Mary

We recently completed an approx. 1400-mile 3-week trip in which we
experienced a tire blow out. Our trailer is a 2022 Dutchman Kodiak Ultimate 2921FSDK purchase 4 months ago and the tires are Ridgeway Sport ST LH-001
ST225/75R15. The Good Sam gentleman that came to change the tire stated he sees a lot of these "China Bomb" blow-out on the interstate.
My questions are:
1) should I try to purchase a new replacement Ridgeway Sport
ST225/75R15?
2) should I purchase complete set (5) of new tires?
3) which brand of tires do you believe are better suited for my trailer?
(6500lbs when towing)
4) Is it advantageous to change to ST___/75R__????
I hope gave you all the info to help answer my questions and position.

Thanks in Advance Norm

It would be helpful if you could provide the following information:
What is the Load Range of the current tires?
What is the truck scale reading for each axle on the trailer
What cold inflation do you run in the tires.
Do you have a picture of the failed tire
Have you filed a complaint with NHTSA?
Can you post a picture of the Certification sticker from the side of the RV?

[Tireman9]

I think the ST type Marathon in the smaller sizes was discontinued when GY introduced the Endurance.
IMO the Endurance is a better tire, not because it is made in the USA but because it has a Nylon layer over the steel belts in the tread. You can read the material and quantity on the tire sidewall.

[OldOneTwo]

In any case when purchasing tires always check the date of manufacture. I had a problem with the Chinese tires that came with my 5er. Just north of Tuscon on a nine-week trip, I lost a tire that ripped all electrical on my slide. So, I replaced all the tires with Marathons. They were stored in a very hot warehouse. But were "new" But I made it home. Next trip out I made a tight turn, and the side walls went out. The tires although new were aged too long in heat. so make sure and check the mfg. date

[dsol]

Originally Posted by OldOneTwo

In any case when purchasing tires always check the date of manufacture. I had a problem with the Chinese tires that came with my 5er. Just north of Tuscon on a nine-week trip, I lost a tire that ripped all electrical on my slide. So, I replaced all the tires with Marathons. They were stored in a very hot warehouse. But were "new" But I made it home. Next trip out I made a tight turn, and the side walls went out. The tires although new were aged too long in heat. so make sure and check the mfg. date

How do you know they were stored in a ver hot warehouse?

[dsol]

Originally Posted by erhardd

The best Goodyear are the G614’s, however I don’t know if they make them in a 15”. Endurance are good tires for the load, they only come in 10 ply, I have them on my enclosed trailer but it doesn’t pack the load of my fifth wheel. The tire most come with are junk and I would recommend changing them out before you blow one and it destroys something

The G614’s are a truck and trailer tire that are G rated and in order to get the max weight rating require 110psi which is possibly a higher psi than your rims can handle. They are also over twice as expensive as the Endurance which are E rated and can achieve their maximum weight rating at 80 psi which is more likely safe on any wheel.

No doubt the G614’s are better but might be more than you need to pay for and could require new wheels. Also after 80 psi you need metal valve stems as well where as up to 80 psi you can use rubber.

Obviously, with the right wheels and valve stems the G614’s are better but just be aware of some of the limitations you might have with your current set up. 4 G614’s will cost you over $2,000, probably close to $2,500 after tax and installation.

I am of the belief you don’t skimp on tires and brakes but that doesn’t mean overkill is always worth it either.

Good luck.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by OldOneTwo

In any case when purchasing tires always check the date of manufacture. I had a problem with the Chinese tires that came with my 5er. Just north of Tuscon on a nine-week trip, I lost a tire that ripped all electrical on my slide. So, I replaced all the tires with Marathons. They were stored in a very hot warehouse. But were "new" But I made it home. Next trip out I made a tight turn, and the side walls went out. The tires although new were aged too long in heat. so make sure and check the mfg. date

Did you file a complaint for each failed tire with NHTSA? If so did you include the RV VIN and the COMPLETE DOT serial for each failed tire/

[OldOneTwo]

No. Why bother a year or so later and nearly a thousand miles away. I was lucky get service on a Saturday on I-65 when AAA could not find anyone to come to my rescue. Had a Local tire company come and replaced the two tires and hauled the carcasses away. I immediately Went to a Goodyear and replace all four with new Endurances.

[dsol]

@oldonetwo, how did you know they were stored in a hot warehouse?

[OldOneTwo]

Because I had to go from one dealer that had two tires and get two from another dealer that had them stored in and auxiliary storage barn. It was not shaded and in Tuscon the middle of August is not a cool environment. While I went the first dealer put his tire on the curbside. When I got back, he installed the 2nd pair streetside. Those are the two that blew. Thats How I know.

[dsol]

Thanks for sharing. I think you should make a phone call or right a letter to that dealer. Worth a try. Probably won’t result in anything but you never know.

[Norm-n-Mary]

Tireman9

It would be helpful if you could provide the following information:

What is the Load Range of the current tires? 8PR 113/108L Load Range D
What is the truck scale reading for each axle on the trailer? 3500lbs?
What cold inflation do you run in the tires. 65PSI cold
Do you have a picture of the failed tire Yes
Have you filed a complaint with NHTSA? No (who is NHTSA) but have attempted to contact Lionsheadtireandwheels warranty dept. but they have not returned email or telephone messages. (tire date stamp 2221)
Can you post a picture of the Certification sticker from the side of the RV?

[Norm-n-Mary]

I want to thank all who commented on this article. It was our first blow-out while towing our travel trailer, we had Tire Minder TMPS 66 but decided (my fault) not to use them on this trip, after all it was a brand new 2022 RV purchased May 18 2022 what could go wrong??????
Thanks to Tireman9 for informing us of NHTSA. We filled out the form and submitted it along with seven pictures. I probably would not have filled the claim out but for the fact that Lionsheadtireandwheel.com has completely ignored my numerous phone calls and emails. (plural)
Again, thanks to all.

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by Norm-n-Mary

I want to thank all who commented on this article. It was our first blow-out while towing our travel trailer, we had Tire Minder TMPS 66 but decided (my fault) not to use them on this trip, after all it was a brand new 2022 RV purchased May 18 2022 what could go wrong??????…

Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you have a TPMS or not… have the “best” tires or not, and/or take every precaution in the world beforehand. Blowouts occasionally happen.

I’ve been running Goodyear G614 tires on my rig since new (2013), swapped them out for new ones after 5 years, AND had my TPMS working… but that still didn’t stop me from having a blowout on I-80 outside of Omaha in May of 2021. Everything was quite normal until she blew. Tire pressure & temp were normal, and then… BAM! I felt it a split second before the TPMS began beeping & flashing red.

Even if it’s a good tire… when it’s ready to go, ain’t a damn thing you could’ve done differently.

[Norm-n-Mary]

After seeing the damage on your trailer, I feel a bit of relief that didn't happen to ours.
Thanks for note and picks

[OldOneTwo]

Thanks for the reply. It all happened several years ago and I've gained a lot of insight pertaining to tires and dealers.