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nlrstate View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 Jul 2014
Location: Hot Springs, AR
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Posts: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Tire Issue
    Posted: 03 Jun 2021 at 4:41pm
The original tires on our 178 lasted just over five years, which I know is unusual.  We kept them properly inflated, monitored the tread wear, and were very fortunate. They were ST205/75R14 - Load C (50psi)

In February 2020 I purchased three National Roadmax ST205/75R14 - Load D (65psi).  After about 5,000 miles of use during COVID, we had a horrific blowout on I40 this past March.  The tire was destroyed, and it blew off the r-pod fender. We were blessed that we were not traveling fast (about 65mph) and we were able to get safely to the side; however we ruined the wheel by driving directly on it to get to safety.

Tire dealer ordered a replacement tire under warranty.  Today, headed to the NCAA baseball regionals in Fayetteville (Go Hogs!) we had another blowout - it was not the replacement tire but one of the 3 purchased in 2020, and it was on a new wheel.  Fortunately we were only about 20 miles from home, and traveling around 50mph on a two lane road.  I had checked the tires for proper cold pressure this morning.  

Did we just get a bad batch of tires?  Any recommendations as to what to purchase now?  We're not interested in moving to a 15" wheel (tho' our r-pod came with axle risers).

Thanks for your insights and recommendations.
Nancy & Dwight
2015 rpod 178
2013 Tahoe LTZ
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campman View Drop Down
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Joined: 26 Mar 2021
Location: La Salle, MB
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Posts: 209 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2021 at 8:20pm
Hello Nancy and Dwight. It is amazing how much damage can happen when a tire fails!

I am glad you are alright and I hope your trailer was easily repairable.

I have had good service from Carlisle tires on all my trailers from travel trailers, light duty open utility trailers to a heavier covered utility trailer. I have NEVER heard of so many tires blowing up for no reason till we started reading up on all these, ummm, questionable off-brand inexpensively manufactured trailer tires that TT's come with now.

Many here swear by the better quality Goodyear tires and sometimes it pays off in the long run to get better (more expensive) tires. Peace of mind is priceless!

I would say you take good care of your rig and even then they are blowing up, so don't wait any longer to see if the other tires you got are going to blow up on you...I would suggest you get a good set of replacement tires.

You can sell the ones you have if you are comfortable with that of course. It is terrible to need to throw new tires (and money you spent on them) out, but I couldn't sell them myself...but that is just me and how I do things. (Do you know any farmers who may need tires to attach to their hay bale cover tarps?) They would take them for free!

Good luck and I hope this has helped!

Andy
Andy and Laurie
'16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg
'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
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jato View Drop Down
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Posts: 3224 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2021 at 8:33pm
Hi Dwight and Nancy, bummer about your tire woes.

I am another Carlisle fan, it is our 3rd set of tires on our 10 year old 177.  The last set we had from Discount Tire were Hartlands "C" range tires, they were ok but after 5 years with these I thought it would be wise to go to a "D" range tire that runs at 65 psi. 

The most amazing thing noted was when traveling to Discount tire (35+ miles away) with the old Hartlands there was a stiff 35+ mph crosswind.  I could see the sidewall of the tire flexing as we traveled and even felt the wind blow not only the trailer but the trailer also caused our pickup to shift a wee bit because of the high winds, we run with a Curt friction bar only.

After getting our new Carlisle "D" trailer tires the change felt during travel was dramatic.  The winds were just as strong yet there was no tire flexing (sidewalls) and the 177 as well as the pickup were rolling down the road as if there were no wind present.   The Carlisle trailer tire has proven itself reliable and trustworthy for many decades.
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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riotkayak284 View Drop Down
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Posts: 162 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 11:19am
Same thing... Had a bad blowout and found the best tires I could find.... Been great tires...

https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/endurance-trailer-tire
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 11:26am
I have the opposite opinion. I go by rating not brand. Any tire can have problems if loaded near it's max spec. I want tires with at least a 25% safety factor over axle Mac gross weight, so I run 15 in LRDs rated at 2500 lbs, giving my a 42% safety factor. No problems or issues of any kind.
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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Pod People View Drop Down
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Posts: 1067 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 2:20pm
I have had 2 pods since 2011. I have used Carlisles, Maxxiis and GoodYear endurance. My personal experiences tell me that that the GY end are the best for me(179).  they are noticeably stiffer in the sidewalls, don't leak, have not had any unusual wear and no blowouts. Of course, all of that could change tomorrow.
if I had to buy new tires tomorrow, they would be Goodyear Endurance 215/75-14, mounted with steel valve stems and balanced.
Vann

Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Posts: 1214 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 3:02pm
Put me on the Carlisle list, no doubt about it. I believe these have the longest quality record of all trailer tires on the market
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding
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campman View Drop Down
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Posts: 209 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 4:25pm
The OP's already upgraded from lr C to lr D after getting a lot of life from the original tires. The tires are being monitored and inflated properly. They had not one but 2 blowouts with the new tires. This would indicate an issue with the new tires quality. Maybe the were built on a Friday at 1530 hrs but either way I would get rid of them before an even more serious tire failure occurs.

I don't make or suggest purchases for a name on the sidewall as the defining reason, but in this case it could make a big difference.

Tire inspections and pressure verification will definitely help tire life in most cases. Not overloading the TT is of great importance as well but I don't think that is in play here, with the info that has been provided.

Lots of good suggestions and thoughts here in this thread so I hope it has helped!

:-)

Andy
Andy and Laurie
'16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg
'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
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nlrstate View Drop Down
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Posts: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2021 at 7:43am
Thank you for all of this information.  We are not tire experts, and want to select the best, safest tires for our camper.  We intend to discard the remaining tires, as they are not safe for anyone’s use, and will select one of the recommended two brands, and stick with the load D. 

Just want to be sure - some of you have recommended going to a 215.   Its okay to put a 215 instead of a 205 on our 14” 5 1/2” wheels?  

To Jim and Diane at Torch Lake -  it is indeed a beautiful lake!  I am a native Michigander, and will be Up North next week at our cottage on Big Lake, five miles east of Gaylord.  Up North is a very special part of our beautiful country! 

So appreciative that all of you have shared your expertise...thank you!
Nancy & Dwight
2015 rpod 178
2013 Tahoe LTZ
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2021 at 8:07am
There are differences between brands of tires.  Rubber compounding, tread design, and choice of fabric for the body of the tire are just a few of the factors.  We will probably replace our OEM tires this fall and our choice for new tires will be either Goodyear Endurance or Carlisle.  Tires are not a place to economize.  One blow out can be the end of a travel trailer or worse.  It's a matter of odds, but the odds are more in you favor with good quality tires.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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