[FamilyCamper]

Well we blew a tire on the left hand side of the trailer running 65 mph. Never felt it in the Van until the rim started to come apart. Not a good thing changing the tire on that side with heavy fast moving traffic - everyone is ok.

We were returning home from camping. I checked the tire pressure and all 4 were 50 psi before we pulled out of the campsite. I had to make a sharp turn to get to the dump station and the tires and rims were really flexing - wife said she really didn't like the looks of them. About 75 and cloudy. We got about 10 miles away from the camp ground when the tire blew... Looked like the tread came off and beat itself to death. There's damage to the TT but the aluminum structure saved the floor.

Anyhow the tires that were on the TT came from the factory. I've ordered 5 new tires and rims, same type we've had on the last three TT's and also ordered a TPMS to keep an eye on the pressure and temps. From what I read the tire pressure can really increase with heat.

One question I have is while the tires say "maximum 50 psi" is this really the best pressure to be running - using my van for example the tires say "80 psi max" but most people run 50 to 70 psi.

Thanks in advance, Gary

 

[Gerry]

tire failure

RV tires should always be run at the maximum pressure shown on the side wall. You don't tell us several things that are important ie. how old are the tires and how close are they to their max weight? Our first toy hauler used 14 inch tires that when we were loaded for our usual trip were within a few hundred pounds of their max. Not a good situation. If RV tires are three years old no matter how the tread looks to me they are not trustworthy. If you have the clearence around and between the tires I would have gone up to a 15 inch tire with higher load ratings but being that you've bought replacement OEM tires I think the pressure monitoring system is a good idea. Also visual inspection of your tires at the begining and during your trip is a must IMO.

 

[dogbone]

There has been a lot of talk in the past about Chinese tires. They aren't made well and blow out. I don't know the make of the tire you had or buying. You might want to check it out.
Check the load rating on the tires. Might be a good idea to go a step up in the rating of the tires. Check out how many plies are on the tread and sidewall. The more plies the better the tire is. You also might have created a bubble when you made the tight turn.
I keep the psi at max on my trailer. Which, in my case, is 80psi. My truck, I follow the instructions on the door. 80 in the rear and 65 to 70 in the front. The max on the truck tires is 80 all around. I'm guessing that they want the psi lower in front for steering purposes. One time I rotated the tires. I didn't drop the pressure in the front and it rode hard and I felt every bump in the steering wheel.
I'm glad everyone is ok. It could have been very bad.

Bob

 

[FamilyCamper]

Hi guys. The tires were less then two years old, covered when not in use, no dry rot.

I bought 5 sturdier white steel rims (used them before), and the same size tires I've used on two other trailers without issues - also had them balanced. When I bought the tires for my other TT's I had them balanced, the ones on the trailer were not. I looked at going to the 15 inch but just wasn't sure about the clearance in the wheel well and didn't what to buy um to try um.

On the trailer I do run max air pressure as per the tire of 50. The tires that were on it were Radial Rider ST's. The trailer is rated at 7500 max, tires were 1740 (6960), I know I have more than 540 on the hitch. No water on board, both waste tanks were drained. Most of the wife added equipment is in the front end pass through storage and under the bed.

I guess what gets to me the most is that tires are made for going on the highway and they are on the edge of disaster at 65 mph... Oh well, I guess the wife will be driving from now on, she likes going 55...