EXPLODING RV TIRES ON MONTANA 3500RL

[ruggles16]

I have a 2006 Montana 3500RL Fifth Wheel and I just experienced my 5th tire blow out, while owning this rig. Has any one else had as many tire problems with their Montana? Were you able to determine the specific problem? My local Camping World store knows me by sight because they have done all of the repairs. Of course, that's where I bought the RV, also. As with most proud RV owners, I have been meticulous with my maintenance and driving, but I have been unable to prevent at least one of the tires from exploding, when I take a 800+ mile trip. Camping World, Keystone and Montana have taken chasis measurements, done tests etc. and come back saying......there's nothing wrong with the RV. The tires are the Goodyear Marathon. After the last blow out, I was given 4 new back up tires by the Keystone home office.....but that doesn't stop the blow outs! Thank goodness no one has been hurt yet....and I don't want that to happen. Can any one lend some info about this type of tire problem with their Montana rig?

[Ozz]

So sorry for your bad experiences. It seems the tires they supply are a weak point, the Montana is a wonderful 5th wheel IMHO, I have your model, in the 2007. I went through the blown tire deal as well, I, and many others elected to go with a heavier better (American made) tire.
There are many many threads about tires, and we all have an opinion on which one is best.
I would sell the new tires they gave you and upgrade to an American tire. Your wheels will need an 80# tire, newer wheels can take the 110# tires. I bought newer wheels and the heavier tires, but that was expensive.
Do your research, and many should come and help here with tire advice.
Good luck with it. You are not alone.
Ozz

[hookman]

From all reports keep away from Marathons. Get in touch with Lonnie and get his advice he is one of our tire expertsand runs a tire shop in New Mexico. He told me the tires I should try on mine. If I was in his area I would deal with him but it is a little far away from our home.

[bigmurf]

Go get a set of LT tires made in the USA.

[DQDick]

It seems Marathons keep this forum alive. i just posted this a couple of days ago on another similar thread. This is just the meat of the article, if you want read it all, go to Anything-camping.com and look under general discussions. Anyway here it is:

To quote one tire site:
"Put a different way, the load carrying capacity of an ST tire is 20% greater than an LT tire. Since durability is strictly a long term issue - and the results of a tire failure on a trailer are much less life threatening than on a truck - the folks that set up these load / inflation pressure relationships allow a greater......ah......let's call it load intensity."

There it is in print to be read. They make a calculated decision to give the ST tire a higher load rating because a failure is less life threatening.

I have on a number of occasions pointed out the weight difference between the different tires and have been told that does not matter. Well it does matter. The rubber in the average tire only makes up around 40 some percent of its weight, the rest is in the steel belts, gum strips, steel beads, and the carcass plies. The remaining 60 or so percent of the stuff in a tire is what builds in the reserve capacity.

So to review again, here are some weights:
1. Michelin XPS RIB LT235/85R16 LRE (rated to 3042lbs) Weight 55.41
2. Goodyear G614 LT235/85R16 LRG (rated to 3750lbs) Weight 57.5
3. Bridgestone Duravis R250 LT235/85R16 LRE(rated to 3042lbs) Weight 60
4. BFG Commercial TA LT235/85R16 LRE(rated to 3042lbs) Weight 44.44
5. Uniroyal Laredo HD/H LT235/85R16 LRE(rated to 3042lbs) Weight 44.44
6. GY Marathon ST235/80R16 LRE(rated to 3420lbs) Weight 35.4

So which tires on the list have the most reserve capacity? Well that is not a completely simple answer, as one of the tires is a G rate 110 lb tire and the rest are LRE at 80lb inflation. So if we disregard the G614, then the Michelin XPS RIB and the Bridgestone Duravis R250 due to their all-steel ply construction will have the most reserve capacity inherent in their construction. The twin Commercial TA and Laredo will be next and the Marathon would have little or no reserve capacity available because it was used up in its higher load rating, AND because of it's much lighter construction it had much less inherent reserve capacity to start with.

So what have we learn from this?

I think that the first thing that we learned was that a LT tire can be used at or near it max rated loading without having issues, as they built with "substantial reserve capacity to accept the additional stresses of carrying heavy cargo".

The second thing we may have learned is why ST tires are failing on mid to larger 5th wheels, in that they do not have inherent reserve capacity beyond that rated max loading. Again this is because they have less reserve capacity to start with and their greater "load intensity" used up any reserve capacity that might have been available.

[steves]

Many of us had the same experience.....get rid of the Chinese Bombs! I (and many others) have change to the Goodyear G614 LT that are made for trailers.

[DQDick]

One other thing to consider is that if you haven't actually weighed your rig you really don't know what the load is on your tires. You can guess, but you probably won't be right. In our rig for instance the kitchen, refrigerator, and all the pantry shelving is on the drivers side. That means all the full cans and bottles are loaded on that side along with most of the machinery. Even if my overall weight is good the weight on those drivers side tires may not be. Now add the 40mph wind gusts we drove home in from the rally and you have two days of the wind shifting even more weight onto the drivers side. Add in a little heat and you get an even worse combination. Marathons are just not designed to withstand that and should never be put on a rig that weighs what ours do!

[HOOK]

Many of us have had similar experiences. I never had any body damage but did have 4 broken belts in 1 yr. Goodyear agreed to give me credit for 5 Marathons and refund all out of pocket expense towards the purchase of 5 new G614s, made in America and spoken very highly of by all who own them. Peace of mind is very valuable, and we have had no troubles since installing.IMHO Larry

[bncinwv]

I don't believe a 2006 rig will have 110 psi rims. That is the first thing to check on the inside of the rims there should be a stamp as to their capacity. I would think you are looking at a good set of LT tires, 80 psi max that will get you close to your capacity needs (if you have alloy rims). Steel rims are different and hopefully a knowledgeable person can let us know what their maximum air pressure is. I also think the 2006 rigs had the 6000 pound axles, so all you need is greater than 3000 pound load capacity on your tires. You can look at DQdick's post to see some of the alternatives you have. When I have done tire research, I did exactly what Hookman proposed, I e-mailed and PM'd Lonnie to make sure I was making a reasonable decision. Good luck and keep us posted on how you resolve the issue. As a side note, we also have the 614's but I think you will be looking at new rims if you go that route.
Bingo

[The Weekenders]

Agreed with the LT choice. I had the Mission Time Bombs on and barely escaped a broken belt. Based on massive research and opinions from others here on the forum and at RV.Net, I went with the BF Goodrich Commercial TA's. Everyone was right about them, incredible tires and now piece of mind.

[DQDick]

If you've got 80# rims LT tires are the only way to go. If you've got 110# rims then you have a choice, but it's still only between LT tires and G614's.

[drsmart]

quote:Originally posted by ruggles16

I have a 2006 Montana 3500RL Fifth Wheel and I just experienced my 5th tire blow out, while owning this rig.

We also switched to G614s and installed tire pressure monitors as soon as we got our Montana. How old were the Marathons? Was it a mix of new replacements and old originals that blew?

Dave

[gr8330]

I went with the Michelin XPS tires and sold my Marathons before I had any trouble.

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by hookman

From all reports keep away from Marathons. Get in touch with Lonnie and get his advice he is one of our tire expertsand runs a tire shop in New Mexico. He told me the tires I should try on mine. If I was in his area I would deal with him but it is a little far away from our home.

He is also the one tire expert I rely on. I drive out of my way to obtain his service and buy the tires he recommends. I just had four new tires put on the rig (Bridgestone Duravis R250). I had the Duravis 500 tires on for four years and had not one problem. I changed them out, not because of tread wear out, but because I believe in not taking any chances with sidewall failure. I know the shelf life of a tire is said to be seven years but with full timing and traveling at 55-60 mph, why take chances?

Orv

[mainer]

Sorry to hear about your many, many tire problems. Thankfully no one has been hurt. Since you are new to the forum you might not know how to get in touch with the tire expert. His user name on the MOC is Lonnieb.

To send him a message click on the Private Messages at top of page and then click on New PM. Another window will open and in the send to field, type in Lonnieb. You can then type your message and send it to him.

On our 2005 we did buy new tires, they were not the Marathon Tires and showed no wear but they were getting old and didn't want to take any chances.

Lonnie recommended a few different types and price ranges. We went with the BF Goodrich Commerical Ta. The price was good and quite a few members had also recommended them.

Hope this helps,
Marge

[richfaa]

I hate to mention this. We had the OEM Missions..no blow outs..We had Coopers...no blow outs..we now have Generals..no blowouts..We have the 06 3400

[steves]

Rich....go buy a lottery ticket! You are lucky!

[CORattler]

Talk about waving the red flag in front of the bull!!
Hopefully you didn't just jinx yourself Rich!!

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

I hate to mention this. We had the OEM Missions..no blow outs..We had Coopers...no blow outs..we now have Generals..no blowouts..We have the 06 3400

[NCFischers]

BF Goodrich Commercial TA's for us after one Chinese road bomb blowout and another with broken cords and ready to blow. These were one of the tires that LonnieB recommended to me.

[richfaa]

"Talk about waving the red flag in front of the bull!!
Hopefully you didn't just jinx yourself Rich!! '

that is why I hate to mention it but I knocked on my head which is mostly wood....