Damage by Tire

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May 13, 2009 | 02:46 PM

#16

mwsF250

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Joined: Jun 2008

Posts: 2,564

Likes: 11

From: Wayyy NoCal, USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfboro

I had the similar tire delamination incident happened to me about a year ago . In my case , it was the fifth wheeler's tire that got delaminated and blown-up on interstate hwy. Partially delaminated tire caused some damage in the RV's tire-well as well as some damage outside the fender . At the time, my trailer tires were 5 years old & approx. 25K miles on them(more than half the thread was still on them ) . I always maintained tire press. and trailer was never overloaded . I encountered numerous RV owners in the RV discussion websites that had the same kind of tire problems . One thing I did not do was that I did not protect my RV tires from sun's UV degradation by covering them during the storage ( now I do , by using tire covers and UV protection sprays ) .

Another spin to this story ; My RV rims (wheels) turned out to have significant "horizontal run-out" (side-to-side ) on wheel balancing equipment while I was replacing all my RV tires . Then I purchased brand new rims to resolve the run-out issue . All the new rims purchased ( some made in USA and some made in China brands ) all had significant run-outs , unacceptable by automotive standards . First I did not believe the Sam's Club tire shop when they told me all the brand new rims I brought in had bad run-outs . I had this verified by another tire shop . I was going berserk .

Finally , a trailer axle manufacturer engineer at Dexter Axle Corp. put everything in perspective for me . Engineer stated that the "RV /trailer rims are not manufactured by the automotive standards (they are exempt ).
In my case , I blamed the horizontal run-out as being the prime contributor (second the UV degredation) since as the tire rolling on the highway with a horizontal run-out (side-to-side) causes additional shear forces on tire treads which will lead to delamination eventually .

What can I do to prevent it from happening again ? not much , cover the tires and/or use UV protector sprays frequently , change tires every 5 year (maximum life) regardless of tread left.
My rim run-out problem is still there , and if you have a trailer /RV most likely you have the same problem . Just be careful .

Ken

You're right, and I'm sorry you were affected as so many others were. Most problems were likely due to inflation, but I have heard from others as attentive as you and now believe there is more than just that going on.
I have a theory that ST tires are also rated less conservatively than LT's... Combine that with the runout issues (which WILL, as you suspect, generate even more EVIL heat) and the outsourcing of the tire manufacturing from US to China and I suspect a combination of factors.

For me, I switched to bigger/better wheels and American made LT tires on my 22' trailer. The new wheels and tires are quite a bit larger to get an even higher load rating than the original ST's. (ST205/75-15 on 7" to LT235/75-15 on 8"). I was lucky in my trailer having lots of room in the wheel wells! I can't recommend others do it as I don't know for sure if there are any other design differences between ST and LT, but they are sure working well for me. Especially when towing across sand dunes!
I also change tires every 4-5 years regardless of tread left. Cheap insurance.

May 13, 2009 | 03:38 PM

#17

Wolfboro

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Joined: Feb 2006

Posts: 545

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From: FL

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwsF250

For me, I switched to bigger/better wheels and American made LT tires on my 22' trailer.

......................
My trailer tires were already LT . I am curious about your new wheels (rims) . I had 4 requirements to meet when I wanted to change my trailer rims with automotive grade ones. 1- load -carrying capacity , 2- rim size (for mounting a specific tire size) ,3-Number of log holes/pattern . These were no problem , many light truck rims will fill these requirements . But my problem was the 4th requirement " Off-set value " which was zero on my trailer rims . I spent days checking out different rim manufacturers rims and off-set values . None matched , I could not find a single automotive rim that I can use on my trailer (due to different off-set values ) . I did not want to make a hasty decision using a rim with different off-set values which may place axle weights at a different point on axle bearings which may invite other problems . I did not have a lot of room in the trailer tire well to use an adaptor either.

It is nice that you were able to find a rim that you can use on your RV . My trailer is loaded 13K lbs , any error I make will have very serious consequences . I am always open to suggestions though .

Ken

May 13, 2009 | 05:44 PM

#18

dkf

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Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 10,101

Likes: 40

From: Pa

Did anyone ever notice they usually don't balance trailer tires either? I don't know how TT are but my boats or my utility trailer always came without the wheels/tires being balanced. My utility trailer takes a tire bigger in dia. than most cars but they are not balanced. I usually get them balanced but didn't get my trailer done yet as its fairly new.