Tire problems

[ingelberg]

Has anyone else had lots of tire problems with the Montana? We have now destroyed 5 tires in 3 1/2 years of travel and cannot figure out what is causing the problem.

[madigand]

Just the usual comments.
Are tires properly Inflated?
Are tires able to carry weight?
Have you weighed each axle to verify tires are in weight range?
Have you talked to dealer? might can offer some insight
A lot of reports on Carlise tires having problems
Are you running St tires?
Are the date codes older than 5 years?
Have you talked to the tire manufactuer?

Hope this helps

[Stripit]

madigand has hit exactly every question that needs answering to hone in on the cause. Plus a question about valve stems, rubber or steel?

[Stripit]

double post sorry

[ingelberg]

Yes, to all your questions. Cannot determine what type valve stems we have, tho. Any suggestions? Also, how do we determine if the mfg. put the right axles and wheels on? Keystone and our dealer have been no help. They are trying not willing to discuss any design flaws that we may have, and keep reminding us that the things we are asking about are not covered by warranty. At this point we just want to fix whatever is wrong, and get ready to hit the road at the beginning of October. Any other advice, suggestions & input would be greatly appreciated.

[tstammer]

Are your tires made in China? I know alot of people have had problems with the Milestar, Mission and Trail America tires all manufactured in China. I just recently purchased a ste of Michelins, the XPS Rib I have been told this tire is one of the best on the market. Good luck.
Tom

[wingnut60]

What is the axle rating on your trailer? Should be attached to the axle near the center as a tag, or stamped/painted on the axle.
What is the wheel rating? Should be inside the rim somewhere.
What is the load rating on the tires? What is the weight of your trailer?

If all those figures come in under the max load rating, then I guess you have tire problems. Lots of discussion on the Sunnybrook forum about Kenda/Carlisle/GY Marathons--and on and on. Seems a lot of tire mfgs are importing tires from China, and are having problems--even GY.

Go to a Michelin that is rated for your load.

[billr]

Just another thought to consider....although 5 tires seem excessive, make sure you haven't got into a vicious circle where one or maybe two have failed due to one of the previously mentioned problems and then the remaining ones were due to the tire on the same side having failed and the remaining one failed later as a result of being overloaded carrying the entire wt of the rig for even a short time. Many folks have had this happen after replacing the blown tire, the mate failed shortly after.

Axle alignment or even bent axles may also be worth a look. This should be indicated by uneven tire wear, but maybe not. Just may be heating them up more than normal.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Bill

[craigswan]

By all means have the axles checked as Bill suggested. Many things bend axles; pot holes, hitting a curb, and - in our case - having the 5th tipped up with the weight on the back axle while being parked in a repair shop. Just a bit of a bend is enough to cause tire problems.