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Old 06-28-2009, 12:07 PM   #1
rames14
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Carlisle Tires

Our Big Sky came with Carlisle tires. Add them to the bad list. On the way to Colorado had a blowout with sidewall separation. S&H tire in Council Bluffs, Ia checked the other 3, bad also. I will be doing battle with someone when I get home. Got 4 new Kumho tires. I was in the beggars can't be choosers role. Owner said it's what he sells to all of the local construction companies. This was 2nd flat in 2 months. Hope these are better. No damage, caught the others before they went - thankfully.
 
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Old 06-28-2009, 12:44 PM   #2
Emmel
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Glad you didn't get any damage from the blowout. Good that you caught the other 3 also, guess the blowouts can happen with about any of the tires used on the rvs.
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Old 06-28-2009, 12:53 PM   #3
Delaine and Lindy
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For what its worth, I have heard good thing about Kumho tires. I think they are Korean made but do have plants in the USA. Keep us posted on your results. Again glad there was no damage. GBY...
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Old 06-28-2009, 01:15 PM   #4
Art-n-Marge
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Interesting. I have heard good and bad things about Carlisle. I had Carlisles on a pre-owned TT and experienced terrible problems. But they were old and may not have been treated by the previous owner very well. I was constantly filling up the air in them so I think they were in bad shape when I took over the rig. I bought it two years old, had it for two years and the date code showed the tires as over 5 years old. I also stored the trailer in the open, tires uncovered in hot Southern California and wouldn't check the pressure until I towed the trailer to my house 6 miles on city streets before I could check the pressure (remember I ALWAYS had to refill them, so I drove the TT home on low tires) because there was no where on the way home for me to do this. I now have a generator and a nice compressor so I can check before moving my Monty.

Others have said they have had good luck with their Carlisles and have purchased them once again - but again these were on smaller trailers with GVWR under 10K. No experience from me on larger rigs.
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Old 06-28-2009, 01:36 PM   #5
Glenn and Lorraine
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A month and a half ago I put 4 Carlisles on my Monty. I absolutely specified they had to be made in the USA and these 4 are. I have about 2500 miles on them and so far so good.

At this time I wouldn't add them to any list.
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Old 06-28-2009, 02:13 PM   #6
Delaine and Lindy
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rames14, On the big board (RV.net) use Carlisle tires in (search engine) and 11 pages will come up some good most not so good. My John Deere tractor has Carlisle Construction tires, I will say they seem to be wearing good but I don't go 60 mph. Carlisle tires are made in the USA. I did read today that Goodyear is or have started making the their tires in USA now. Lots of problems with the China made Goodyears. GBY....
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Old 06-28-2009, 04:29 PM   #7
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I think the Carlisle tires on the Big Sky model are CRT labeled not the word Carlisle. Maybe Ron can verify and the CRT tires are made in China.
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Old 06-28-2009, 08:29 PM   #8
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Ron and Terrie--Are you still arouond the Council Bluffs/Omaha area? If so give me a call or email me! Would like to meet you and maybe have breakfast or what ever with you! I'm here in Omaha at the stick!

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Old 06-29-2009, 03:11 AM   #9
steves
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Ron, on the way home from Florida this year I had the right rear Carlisle blow and took out a big portion of the under belly. I did see a piece of metal in my sidewall and attributed that to the cause. I could not find a replacement Carlisle or another tire (except for the Goodyear G614) that would handle the same weight rating.

What is the load rating on your new Kumho tires?
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Old 06-29-2009, 03:37 AM   #10
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I have posted my Carlisle story several times on several threads. If you have any doubt about Carlisles, Google them. The horror stories will astound you. It will probably take a death before these tires are pulled. It could have been mine! I switched to GY G614's because the Big Sky weighs so much. One week back from a 5000 mile trip, and so far so good.
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Old 06-29-2009, 10:06 AM   #11
rames14
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The internet has been intermitent at the CG in Loveland, Co. Rondo, would have liked to have a cup of coffee but we headed straight to Colorado. Yes, these were the CRT tires and SL's. The new ones are LT rated. Glenn, there is probably a big difference between the US and China made Carlisle tires. I checked pressure religiously on these. The replacement for the first tire looked better. It might be the first 4 were a bad batch. To the mountains tomorrow. Will keep you posted.
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Old 06-29-2009, 04:57 PM   #12
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Correction, ST tires, not SL's. Glenn, we were told the LT's had a stiffer sidewall. I think I've read on the forum that the LT's were the way to go.
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Old 06-30-2009, 02:38 AM   #13
steves
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If you check the LT tire weight ratings...I think you'll find they are not rated as high as the ST Carlisle CRT tires.
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Old 06-30-2009, 04:15 AM   #14
Tom S.
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Someone could probably write a book about RV tires. Here are some things I have picked up on after four years of web browsing.

Several RV tires problems are synonymous with the word 'China'. US Manufactures couldn't compete with the prices of Chinese brands due to vast differences in wages and lack of restrictions in China. Because of this, many either opened factories in China or contracted with Chinese companies. Initially, the loser here (besides the US workers, of course) were us folks, the RV'ers who had to put up with the problems these shoddy tires created. Mission brand gained the first notoriety when so many failed, a recall was issued on them. They weren't alone though, as many folks reported issues that had a common denominator, the words 'Made in China' on the sidewall. Even Goodyear, formerly one of the most respected American brands had problems. It will not always be this way. Remember how 'Made in Japan' had the same connotation in the 50's and early 60's?

In an effort to get away from the 'China Problem' some RV's have switched to light truck tires (LT). Depending on your rig, this might or might not be OK. The first consideration is weight rating. This can be very confusing since tire companies are getting away from the old "C", "D" and "E" ratings in favor of numeric ratings like "112" or "121". Here is a chart to help:

No. Weight
101 1,819
102 1,874
103 1,929
104 1,984
105 2,039
106 2,094
107 2,149
108 2,205
109 2,271
110 2,337
111 2,403
112 2,470
113 2,536
114 2,601
115 2,679
116 2,756
117 2,833
118 2,910
119 2,999
121 3,197
122 3,306
123 3,418
124 3,528
125 3,638

This new rating is a better standard. I have seen one tire company's "D" rated tire have weight ratings that would make it a suitable replacement for another company's "E" tire.

RV owners need to cognizant of one thing though. Trailer tire sidewalls are designed to flex different than LT tires. This is due to the stresses put on the tires when turning sharply. Since the axles are so close together compared to those of a truck, the tires tend to fight each other. This is especially noticeable when trying to park your RV. It is perhaps due to this difference in sidewall construction that leads RV tires to lower speed ratings, usually 65mph, but I'm not sure about that.

So, can you use LT truck tires? There seems to be no consensus on this. Provided you pay strict attention to the weight rating of the tires to match your rig, I suspect you would probably be alright. As far as the sidewall issue, you may see more tire scuffing when making sharp turns (where one tire drags across the payment). This would lead to premature wear if it happened often enough. One thing to remember when replacing tires: you should know your rig's loaded weight. Not that anyone (sane) overloads their rig, but it does happen. Weigh your rig fully loaded and get it weighed. Then divide that number by 4 (or 6 if you have 3 axles) to determine what rating tires you will need. Don't skimp! If you need a tire with a minimum 2950 weight rating, don't buy one with a 3000. The reason is simple, road hazards put additional strain on the tire by momentarily increasing the weight on a tire. Also, should you have a flat, all the weight that was being carried by two tires is now being carried by one.

Hope this helps!!
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Old 06-30-2009, 08:01 AM   #15
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Well said Tom S.

I would like to add to your post by saying there is a letter after the number that denotes the speed rating of the tire. For example, 120S would be 3080 lbs max load with a max speed of 112 mph.

Yes you can (and I do), use LT rated tires on your trailer as long as the load rating is at least adequate.
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Old 06-30-2009, 09:31 AM   #16
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Hmmmm, a recall on Mission tires? I don't think so. There were a bunch of imported tires recalled, but that took place about the time Keystone started installing Missions. I sent five Missions back to Tireco, but of course the only defective tire they found was the one that popped. Got a check for replacement for one tire.
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Old 06-30-2009, 01:09 PM   #17
Tom S.
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by SlickWillie

Hmmmm, a recall on Mission tires? I don't think so. There were a bunch of imported tires recalled, but that took place about the time Keystone started installing Missions. I sent five Missions back to Tireco, but of course the only defective tire they found was the one that popped. Got a check for replacement for one tire.
My bad - thought they were part of the 1/2 million tires recalled (forceably)by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company. Maybe if enough people alert the NHTSA, they will be.
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Old 06-30-2009, 05:55 PM   #18
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Sorry to hear about this on your new tires. Wish you would have called us, we have good friends with a tire shop--they also do big rigs so are good at getting you tires that are good for your needs. Have a ggod trip and if you come back through Omahs give us a shout.
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Old 06-30-2009, 06:10 PM   #19
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Hey Rames14,

I have read that ST tires have stiffer side walls that LT tires. The STs are stiffer to withstand turns on axles that do not steer and other structural reasons. LT tires have more flexible sidewalls so they can be used on the front axles of a vehicle where turning is very required. One major advantage of LTs over STs is mph. STs typically have a 65 mph rating, where LTs are much higher. Not that other parts of the trailer will withstand the speed, but this is driver preference.

I have also read that LTs are being installed by RV manufacturers and dealers but that sometimes higher weight rated LTs are used over the STs to make up for the sidewall difference. There may be other reasons, too.
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Old 07-01-2009, 05:48 AM   #20
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Art
Stand a dismounted ST next to a dismounted LT and see for yourself which has the stiffer sidewall. The sidewalls of the ST tire are way more flexible than the LT. The reason for this (I have been told) is to relieve some of the stress on the crown belts when cornering sharp.
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