Tire Quality

[azpopup17]

This topic I am sure has probably been visited before.  

I bought tires from Discount for my Coleman Mesa in June during a roadtrip to Yellowstone.  They have about 5000mi on them from a couple of wonderful roadtrips this summer.  Yea we used the camper quite a bit this summer.  Last weekend we took it to Glamis, Ca for some camping in the sand with our ATVs.  This involved about 3mi of dirt road en route to the camp site.  The trip was great but one of the tires seperated on the way back to Chandler.  The tires have plenty of tread and no dry rot, so I figured they would be ok.  The camper is stored out of the sun here in AZ.  Needless to say once again I am disappointed in the quality of tires that are available for pop ups.  

On a positive note there was no dammage to the plastic wheel wells and the tire is still holding air.  I am guessing I can probably get a credit towards a new tire from Discount.  They are usually pretty good about that.

Happy Camping.

[AustinBoston]

You didn't mention the brand of tire.

Most Coleman/Fleetwoods used to come new with Duro tires.  Our OEM Duros lasted 5 years and approximately 25,000 miles (40,300 Km).  We replaced them because the tread was worn down, a rare thing with trailer tires.  The only thing we did to preserve them was to not park directly on dirt, and make sure they were always properly inflated.  Durng that time, they were subjected to temps as high as 111

[OC Campers]

We have been having some tire issues also.  Our original Duro tire that came with the popup lasted 6 years.  They looked fine but we were nervous about taking another long trip on them so we bought new tires at America's Best Tire in April 2007.  We paid a pretty penny for them (a little over $200 including road hazard for both tires).
 
Last weekend my dh was boondocking out in the Mojave desert (500 miles from home) with our sons and on the way back he noticed the tire wasn't right.  He cbecked the pressure and all was right.  He started driving agian when a motorist flagged him down.  The tire had completely lost its tread.  For some reason the tire didn't have a blow out but the entire tread was gone.  These tires probably only had 2,000 miles on them.  I also know the camper wasn't over loaded either.  The tire store recommended this brand of tires because they had a good load rating and because they didn't carry Duro.  Fortunately, the tire store replaced the tire but it could of been a real disaster out on the road.     Moral of the story, next time we need tires, we will order Duro.
 
Jacqui

[flyfisherman]

One of my fishing buddies SIL is the manager of a large tire distriubtor here in this part of the country and I've gotten some insight on tires in general. He says about all the name brand tire maunufacturers run into trouble from time to time ~ new tread designs, changing plant locations, some bad materials, ect, ect; but seperates the good tire company's from the bad, is how well they stand behind their product. Last summer he said there were a lot of junk tires coming into the country, like some of those made in the "land of rice and everything nice", like China; and you are completely at the mercy of whoever imported them into the country as to who stand s behind them. He said they were looking hard and long at the imports as never before.

For the most part I've had good service from Carlisle tires. Did have one seperate right in the middle of the thread and the tire was relativley new. Called Carlisle and they made arrangements for UPS to pick up the tire from the house and in a short time called me back to say that it was indeed a bad tire. Asked me if I wanted a replacement, or if I had already replaced the tire (which I had), to send them the bill and they would reimburse, which they did and kinda fast, too. Now, I can't ask for any better customer service then that.

By the way, my friend's SIL says the worst thing that you can do with tires is to park them on the bare ground for long periods of time, that the ground will make short work on the tire's longevity. He says there's a lot of admonishment about the sun's UV rays on tires (which he says is kinda overblown), but very little about storing on the bare ground ~ says you should always have something under them, like a piece of treated wood or one of those patio masonary slabs. I figure he ought to know will all the tires that pass through his warehouse and all the feed back he gets from dealers and manufacturers.


Fly

[azpopup17]

As it turns out I have Tow Master tires on my PU and utility trailer.  The tires on my utility trailer are about 2yrs old and have about 2k mi on them.  They are starting to show some dry rot cracking on the sides and between the tread.  Both the spare, which has never touched the ground, and the other tires look about the same with respect to the dry rot.  My PU spare is still the original Duro and looks fine.  I guess I will replace both tires on the PU and will try to get some better quality ones at the same time.  These Tow Masters were pretty cheap at about $150 for the pair.

I will never buy Carlisle tires.  I shredded two with good tread and minimal dry rot on my utility trailer.  Everyone I know has had blow outs with these POS tires on various campers.  Evidently it looks like Tow Masters are not much better.