American made trailer tires

[RustyJC]

I certainly don't get hung up on US made tires - case(s) in point:



The Michelin XPS Ribs I installed on my previous 5th wheel and which gave years of trouble-free service were made in Great Britain. They replaced Goodyear Wrangler HT OEM tires that were made in the US.



The Goodyear G614 RST tires that were OEM on my current 5th wheel suffered 2 tread separation failures, the second doing $2500+ in damage to the 5th wheel. These tires were made in the US.



The 17. 5" load range J Michelin XTA tires that replaced them (and have been absolutely trouble-free) were made in Germany.



Having said that, I would NOT run China Bombs under ANY circumstances.



Rusty

 

[GCroyle]

Trailer tires certainly stir a discussion. On the other forum that I am active on, its tied with all of the hitch configurations for most discussed topics.



I had GYM's fail on my first outing (2007 trailer 2010 incident) tread seperation less than 100 miles from home, caught before catastrophic failure. In camp raised up 9000 Lb trailer and replaced 3 tires (4th tire was already replaced but purchased 4th tire to make a matching set) with USA GYM's even though it was GYM's that failed while in camp on 1st day. Drove home no issues.



Shortly after returning home discovered protruding sidewall bulges. Contacted selling dealer their response was basically what tire would you like? They replaced all 4 USA GYM's. I chose MAXXIS, my choice.



Best advice I have, do your research, make you choice but really think hard about a TPMS to go along with the new tires.



Note: I already posted the pic at https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/towing-hauling-rv-forum/224740-rv-tires-5.html permalink #66 that I wanted to add to this discussion.



And good luck.

 

[NIsaacs]

I certainly don't get hung up on US made tires - case(s) in point:

Having said that, I would NOT run China Bombs under ANY circumstances.



Rusty

I would, have and do. You would be hard pressed to find a US tire on any new utility trailer now days. My guess is, every household anywhere, will have some type of China product.



Nick

 

[AMink]

I had OEM Carlisles on my tt. Failure. I've had the brand that Les Schwab sells. Failure. Turns out, my axles were out of alignment for part of the time, though a good tire would have been able to wear unevenly and not grenade. I checked Green Ball tires that Costco had, made in India. For my last tire that is wearing funny I got a GYM at Wally World. Outside of moving to a 16" rim, I don't see another way to get a US made tire under the trailer.

You'd think with the number of threads throughout the internet on this subject, someone would say "Hey, we should manufacture a 15" LT in the US that will fit on a trailer and last more than 1000 miles" or a trailer manufacturer that would say "OK, for another few hundred bucks, let's put 16" rims on this pig that will be able to run an "E" rated LT tire and make our customers just a little happier". One can dream.

 

[RustyJC]

I would, have and do. You would be hard pressed to find a US tire on any new utility trailer now days.

Your money and your choice. I just happen not to agree with it insofar as Chinese tires on my vehicles are concerned.

My guess is, every household anywhere, will have some type of China product.

Undoubtedly true, but the subject of this thread is trailer tires.





Rusty

 

[NIsaacs]

Undoubtedly true, but the subject of this thread is trailer tires.

Rusty

Yup, "American made trailer tires" to be exact.



Nick

 

[mwilson]

GCroyle, were yours load range "C" or "D"???



I know that Goodyear had addressed some issues with the Marathon line and moved manufacturing back to the USA at some point.



Hopefully that all happened just before I bought mine... ..... :-laf



Mike.

 

[RustyJC]

Yup, "American made trailer tires" to be exact.

Nick,



Maybe I'm reading your posts incorrectly, but it almost seems that you're trying to pick a fight with me. I sincerely hope that's not the case. My post addressed American made trailer tires, specifically the Goodyear Wrangler HTs and G614 RSTs. I brought them up merely to indicate that being made in America is no ironclad assurance of trouble-free performance from a tire and that trouble-free tires (in my case, the Michelins) can be manufactured in locations other than North America.



Rusty

 

[GCroyle]

Mike,



I just checked a pic of the nameplate data ST225/75R15D, 15X6 rims, 65PSI and 10,300 GVWR. I don't run at a full chassis load, not carrying any water or waste water. IIRC, I replaced with E's, again my choice, my outcome. So far sucess on all counts on my limited outings.



IF big if I run into any tire failure that points to my choice of tire, then I'll have to seriously look at 16" and Michelins.



Check your tires frequently, don't assume.

 

[NIsaacs]

Rusty,



Maybe I should post without a quote so I don't sound like I am picking a fight with you. I am sorry if that was how it sounded.



I have a set of tires on my Sears garden tractor that are Carlisle. The front are made in China and the rear are made in the USA. Some tires don't have the origin even printed on them.



Nick

 

[mwilson]

Mike,



I just checked a pic of the nameplate data ST225/75R15D, 15X6 rims, 65PSI and 10,300 GVWR. I don't run at a full chassis load, not carrying any water or waste water. IIRC, I replaced with E's, again my choice, my outcome. So far sucess on all counts on my limited outings.



IF big if I run into any tire failure that points to my choice of tire, then I'll have to seriously look at 16" and Michelins.



Check your tires frequently, don't assume.

Yup, that is the same thing that I have. Running 65 psi, load range "D".



Only difference is that I am loaded with grandkid junk and sometimes with partial or nearly full tanks. Not to mention booze, slushie makers, bicycles, enough first aid equipment to supply an ambulance, firewood, and whatever else will fit in through the trailer door or in the underbelly storage.



Weighed truck and trailer on one such trip two years back on a "CAT Scale" and grossed 18,800 lbs. That is plenty for my weekend use Cougar.



I must confess that we sell Goodyear Tires here so I know that any issues will be taken care of or the tire department will begin to receive very poor service from the parts department if you know what I mean... ... .



I also confess that my running Goodyears was to see how they do perform and provide feedback to the Goodyear Rep when he appears here from time to time.

If I have any that bulge, break belts or blow it is very easy for me to make noise about it and get the info to the right people.



A guinea pig of sorts... ... .....



Mike.

 

[RustyJC]

I must confess that we sell Goodyear Tires here so I know that any issues will be taken care of or the tire department will begin to receive very poor service from the parts department if you know what I mean... ... .



I also confess that my running Goodyears was to see how they do perform and provide feedback to the Goodyear Rep when he appears here from time to time.

If I have any that bulge, break belts or blow it is very easy for me to make noise about it and get the info to the right people.



A guinea pig of sorts... ... .....

I'll offer this on Goodyear's behalf - they replaced the 4 failed Goodyear Marathons on our first 5th wheel and paid to repair the damage to the RV. They replaced all the G614s on our current 5th wheel after the second failure and paid to repair the damage to the RV. I've never had a problem getting Goodyear to pay for damages or to replace tires - I just got tired of the tire failures and decided to go with tires that have a history of not failing in the first place.



JM2CW.....



Rusty

 

[GCroyle]

Guys,



This is a good discussion, lots of experiences but I'd like to emphasize one point.



Our rigs are expensive, we are on vacation away from home, loaded, out of our resources except for a credit card and we promised our better 1/2 it would be a fun trip right! Not to mention others that we share the road with.



My point, consider and reconsider a Tire Pressure Monitoring Systemfor your trailer tires. and no, it will not prevent certain calamaties, but it has the chance of preventing MANY MANY calamaties, disasters and expensive repairs.



Mine uses an internal monitor (looks just like many OE systems in the wheel) and reports PSI for each wheel in rotation holding each wheel reading for a couple of seconds, then next wheel etc. And by holding a function button, you get the INTERNAL tire/wheel temp. Over temp or PSI gets you an alarm and wheel position for the alarm.



Its very reassuring while motoring that some element of technology is looking over your shoulder. NOTE: Don't forget the pre-trip inspections, this does not replace that.



Uh Mike, me thinks you would make a great camping neighbor, I'll be cooking over a fire with cast iron, come on over.



Gary

 

[DDevers]

I suppose I should have stated I wanted a quality trailer tire NOT MADE in CHINA. I was thinking about going with the Goodyear Marathon but have read too many posts of people having problems with them whether made in the US or China.



The local Discount tire dealer recommended Carlisle over the GYM and said he sold more Carlisles and Maxxis than other brands.



It seems the Maxxis' are the best brand available in my size. Thanks for your help.

 

[Buffalo]

Carlisle Tires.

Well, I've also heard that the Carlisle tires were the worst of the worst! However, things have apparently changed over at Carlisle. I guess they got tired of their terrible reputation & are doing something to resurrect their awful image.



I was talking to a guy from Discount Tire, here in Phoenix, & he told me that they have completely redesigned the Carlisle's & are doing a lot of research & development. Since speaking with him, I've gone to two different discount stores & they are all telling me the same thing. One guy even told me that Discount is doing their own testing where they put a tire in a furnace at 350* & run it up to a high speed & keep it there until it blows or survives. Discount seems quite confident that this is probably the answer to our tire woes. Time will tell!!!! Discount could be giving me a line of bull. I asked them what tire they would put on their Mother's trailer & they said Carlisle's.



I've not had a tire failure on any of my trailers since the middle 80's but, I change them out every three years, no matter what they look like. I, also, live in the desert (Phoenix, AZ. ) which, is terrible on rubber products.



Most of the tires have been Greenball Towmaster's (225-75-15-D), which until recently, were made on the Goodyear assembly line in Canada (Ontario). In the last 4 or 5 years, they have been made in the Orient. Still, I haven't lost one to detonation or anything else.



BTW, the older Goodyear Marathon's that had a lot of the problems had a different design, internally. They incorporated a polyester cord & a steel cord, only. Both cords could expand when hot & the constant expansion & contraction caused them to loosen up inside the carcass & eventually blow. What they did was to install a nylon cord on the outside of the other cords (polyester & steel). I seems that the nylon doesnt expand or contract when heated & cooled & that belt acted like a "girdle" holding the other belts in place. Seemed to work better than the old design.



For some reason, Discount is no longer going to sell the Greenball Towmaster's. They will only be carrying the Carlisle's & another brand, which, I can't remember.



Even though I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express, that, in no way, makes me an expert in trailer tires!!! I'm still looking for answers, also. Hopefully, the new Carlisle's will be a step in the right direction.



Joe F.

 

[ILIANBG]

This is all very good info for what to look for in a trailer tire.
Gary, what monitoring system do you use? I am trying to research and choose one to install next time I need tires.
Ilian

 

[GCroyle]

Ilian,



I chose Dill. It uses the style internal sensor. As I was having new tires installed, the tire shop said they would install them at the same time, no additional charge. Systems do exist that are cap style on your stem also.



The Dill monitor is a bit of a dash hog due to the way they connect power if you use the glass suction mount. It does allow for tire rotation by changing the matching chip on the display to move a position. Mine also included an external antenna and a stub antenna.



One caution, even the tire guy messed up. Overtightened the connection and broke one sensor off. It sent an alarm but all was OK. They changed it out.



You can see the PSI increase from cold as you run and it just keeps cycling from tire to tire. Temp will alarm, but to see temps you push a button.



Gary

 

[Grizzly]

Well, I've also heard that the Carlisle tires were the worst of the worst! However, things have apparently changed over at Carlisle. I guess they got tired of their terrible reputation & are doing something to resurrect their awful image.



I was talking to a guy from Discount Tire, here in Phoenix, & he told me that they have completely redesigned the Carlisle's & are doing a lot of research & development. Since speaking with him, I've gone to two different discount stores & they are all telling me the same thing. One guy even told me that Discount is doing their own testing where they put a tire in a furnace at 350* & run it up to a high speed & keep it there until it blows or survives. Discount seems quite confident that this is probably the answer to our tire woes. Time will tell!!!! Discount could be giving me a line of bull. I asked them what tire they would put on their Mother's trailer & they said Carlisle's.







Joe, I like Discount Tire, but I would never trust what they say about Carlisle tires or any other tire brand. Discount Tire, like any other tire store, are going to tell you whatever they want to sell you tires. Tires are really a cut throat business.



Do your own research. george

 

[DDevers]

I made a mistake and went with the Carlisle tires for our trailer after reading that Carlisle had changed their tire make-up and being told by the saleman at Discount Tire that they didn't have any trouble with them when I asked for the Maxxis'. I had a tire blow with only 420 miles on it. I called Discount Tire and they paid for a replacement tire which was more than the Carlisle that blew. (We were in Canada on our way to Alaska at the time. )



A few days ago, I received an email asking me to rate the service I received from Discount Tire. There was a box for written explanations of negative response. I was truthful and stated that I was told there weren't any issues with Carlisle and that my tires were only inflated to 40 psi when I wanted 50 and told they were pressurized to 50 psi. Much to my surprise the manager of that store called me from his home on his day off after reading my review and said they would buy 5 Maxxis tires and replace the Carlisle tires on my trailer. Since I don't believe that is right, I will pay the difference in cost between the two brands. To me, this manager has gone above and beyond in the customer service department. He has won me for my future tire needs.