TIRES - Montana Owners Club

Montana_4558 · 09-07-2005, 06:18 PM

IS ANYONE HAVING TROUBLE WITH TIRES THROWING THE TREAD OFF AND
TEARING UP THE SIDE OF THE RV?
THIS IS SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD IT HAPPEN. THESE ARE NOT WORN-OUT
TIRES EITHER. THE LAST ONE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST.
WE HAD JUST LEFT VICTORIA, TEXAS AND 8 MILES OUT OF TOWN THE LEFT
FRONT TIRE CAME UNRAVELED AND TORE UP THE SIDE OF OUR 2002 3280RL
TRAILER.
THE FIRST TIME WAS IN SOUTH DAKOTA IN 2003.

Montana_4560 · 09-08-2005, 01:22 AM

Read my post "Tech on site", Bud. It may or may not be your cause. Have you checked into possibly faulty tires?? is it the same axle, same side throwing the tread?? Give me more info and I might be able to get you heading in the right direction. And sorry about your wheel wells-- I've seen what loose tread does to the underpinning and such-- That can turn into a rather pricy bodywork job. If it blew out under a slide make sure that your wiring for the slide, and your LP lines, if they are in that location, are checked out. Loose tread has a tendency to yank wires loose and crimp LP lines, as
well as leave all those black marks up and down your j-wrap and underpinning.

sreigle · 09-08-2005, 05:05 AM

Sometimes it seems to be a faulty tire. Other times it's the tire ran too hot. That can be caused by overloading or by underinflating the tire for the load it's carrying. Hot pavement this time of year just adds to the problem. If you are sure it was fully inflated and not overloaded then I'd recommend taking the carcass to the dealer and ask them to replace the tire as defective. They may refuse but it might be worth the try.

Garin1 · 09-08-2005, 06:38 AM

cringer2,

Take the tires to an independant tire shop and ask to have them removed from the rim.Look inside and if the innerliner has no damage,:rips,bubbles overload stress marks then the tread is faulty and should be warrentied not only for the tire replacement but also the damage to the RV. A proffesional tire shop can diagnose the problem with authority.

jackel1959 · 09-08-2005, 07:21 AM

Charles,
Read my post on in this area "TIRE FAILURES". I have had the same problem. I would be interested to know if yours are the same brand and size.

Jack

IS ANYONE HAVING TROUBLE WITH TIRES THROWING THE TREAD OFF AND
TEARING UP THE SIDE OF THE RV?
THIS IS SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD IT HAPPEN. THESE ARE NOT WORN-OUT
TIRES EITHER. THE LAST ONE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST.
WE HAD JUST LEFT VICTORIA, TEXAS AND 8 MILES OUT OF TOWN THE LEFT
FRONT TIRE CAME UNRAVELED AND TORE UP THE SIDE OF OUR 2002 3280RL
TRAILER.
THE FIRST TIME WAS IN SOUTH DAKOTA IN 2003.
[/quote]

Montana_984 · 09-15-2005, 06:56 PM

See my post under Aluminmum Wheel failure, If you are having a problem with tires disintagrating it could be due to rapid loss of pressure ie: a valve stem rated for 50 PSI being used in a wheel with a tire requiring 80 PSI. Was the valve stem still in the wheel when the tire went flat. If the valve stem was missing that could be the problem.

HamRad · 09-15-2005, 07:22 PM

Not throwing the tread..... just blowing out! Second one in two years. No apparent reason. Not overloaded. Air was at proper level. No observable damage to tire. I have aluminum wheels but not the spoked type. I do not have the problem of the tire going low on me.

HamRad

richfaa · 09-16-2005, 04:09 AM

There are a lot of things that will cause tire failure on our Rv's.In my experience the primary reason is..cheap tires" I noted at a recent Rv show that nearly all of the campers had tires made in far off places. Mission tires are causing a lot of problems and they are on some Montana's. I think there is a number printed on the mission tire that you can call and it gets you to a import Company in Calif. Think the tire is made by the Nanking rubber and tire Company. Wonder how many fivers there are in Nanking???I have replacement Tow Master tires on my present camper..Made in Canada. no problems.. We had occasion to see some nearly new Mission tires that a RVer was replacing with the tow master tire..a side by side comparison
is a eye opener and would cause you to buy new tires...now...I don't care what brand cheap tire is on the new Montana. I will replace them with real tires before any long trip. The tire dealer asked the rv'er if he wanted the Mission tires..he said no and the dealer said well nether do I...

Sunshine · 09-17-2005, 07:56 AM

Been there, done that. First thing we did when we returned home from the trip was replace all the Montana tires with heavier duty ones. Second thing we did was contact the tire company - they covered the cost of repairs and the new tire we bought on the road to replace the faulty one.

sreigle · 09-20-2005, 11:46 AM

The only problem with the cheap tire argument is our blowout was a Goodyear and some friends' were Michelin. Cheap tires may blow but not-so-cheap tires do, too. There have to be other factors at work here.

richfaa · 09-20-2005, 03:52 PM

Right Steve and I sure would like to get a handle on those other factors. There seems to be, at least to me,more tire failures on RV's that on cars or trucks.The cause of tire failure, other than picking up a foreign object is heat.Tire overheats, tire fails.What causes tires to overheat on Rv's more so than on cars or trucks. Tell you what as a old truck driver and current big bus driver tire failure and the disaster they can cause worries the heck out of me...

Searchers · 09-20-2005, 06:06 PM

I think you see more tire failures on RV's than tow vehicles because the RV's weight is much closer the maximum tire rating than the tow vehicles. For example, my load range E tires on the tow vehicle are rated at 3415 lbs. each for a total load capacity of 13360 lbs. The tow vehicle weighs approximately 6800 lbs. I believe the load range D tires on my Montana are rated at 3024 lbs. for a total of 12096 lbs. while the GVWR of the Montana is 11040lbs.

All the newer Montanas are heavier than my old rig and although they run load range E tires I believe the margin for error is still too close even considering part of the weight is carried on the pin.

We've all heard that over loading, speed and under inflation builds heat in a tire. Combine either one or all of these with running on a hot road surface doesn't help the situation either.

richfaa · 09-21-2005, 03:13 AM

Well that sounds like the tires are "cost efffective" or the cost vs benefits are attractive to the company. When we used those term in my previous life (US Government) we meant cheap.

sreigle · 09-22-2005, 10:39 AM

Our Montana has load range D tires, so the max would be the 13,360 lbs Don mentioned. Our Montana weighs 100 lbs above that but only 11,060 of that is on the tires. The rest is on the pin. We've never had a blowout on this Montana in over 30k miles. We have had belt separations and flats while parked but never while towing. The one blowout we had was on a far lighter fifthwheel (6600 lbs total). So we, at least, are not pushing the max on those tires. However, I have not weighed at each tire individually so there's still a possibility there is more weight on one tire than the others.

wildcard · 09-28-2005, 11:13 AM

Just had the same problem on my 2955.Right rear tire tread seperated without breaking the inner seal. Tire deflated after I had pulled to side of road.This is a 2002 2955RL with about 13,000 miles.The tires were General Grabber AW 235-85-16R E-load rated. Appears that the tires are rated for the weight,but with the side stress and twist that towing and turning puts on tire , possibly the tires cannot take it.Just replaced with Bridgestone 187R all steel tires, which have a heavier side wall.

Montana_3939 · 09-29-2005, 04:15 PM

Just learned about 50 lb and 80 lb valves reading the MOC. My dealer said to put in 50/ 55 lbs of air. The sticker on the left front of our 3280rl before it washed away said 80 lbs of air. After purchasing the 5vr and an air compressor, I dutifully put the pressure to 80. After that, PARKED, all 4 valves leaked and had to be replaced. The metal stem inserts came loose from the rubber. Question now is what are the replacements. Two ended up looking like the originals and two are all rubber. We never seem to run out of things. I'll keep reading. Thanks all for your always valuable input. Earl

sreigle · 09-30-2005, 04:09 PM

Doesn't the ST trailer tire have a stronger sidewall than the LT truck tire in the same size? Or is my memory faulty on this one? Our FW's have always had the ST tires.

Searchers · 09-30-2005, 07:00 PM

Steve,
I believe I recently read on a tire manufacturer's website somewhere the ST indicates Special Trailer and it consists of a different compound and construction in order to better withstand sitting in one place for long periods of time and resist enviornmental damage. It seems a stiffer sidewall was indicated in the article also, in comparison to Passenger or Light Truck rated tires. If I can find it again, I'll post the link. In the mean time I'll bet Glenn Adams can give some insight as he was a dealer at one time I think.

OntMont · 10-01-2005, 03:18 AM

Tires seem to be an unending source of grief to all RVers. The following is from a Trailer Life e-newsletter that I recceived recently. I thought it might be worth repeating here as general info.

Tire Damage You Can´t See

The significance of proper inflation and loading is not appreciated by most drivers because the results of under-inflation and/or overloading often don´t show up immediately. A temporarily under-inflated/overloaded tire may fail long after the inadequacy has been corrected, depending on driving conditions.

Heat is a tire´s worst enemy, and excessive heat is the result of under-inflated/overloading, as well as the cause of tread separation. When the temperature of the tire´s core compound exceeds approximately 250 degrees Fahrenheit, cords lose strength; the bond is loosened between the cords and the surrounding rubber compound, making the tire more susceptible to failure.

If the owner escapes a failure and is not even aware of the under-inflation until later, the under-inflation incident then appears to have had no consequence. To the contrary, an overheated tire does not cool to its original strength; it is permanently weakened and a blowout or tread separation probably will occur later, after the under-inflation incident is long forgotten. When the tire eventually fails, the owner may blame it on manufacturing defects or poor quality when in fact the tire was damaged by negligence.

When is a tire overheated? It´s not practical to measure tire temperature with a thermometer, so the primary defenses against excessive heat are proper loading and adequate inflation. The worst condition is traveling super-heated highways, so it´s best to avoid the heat of the day in summer, if possible.

Damage from tire overloading and/or under-inflation can be readily detected by site service personnel. Such tires often rupture in the upper sidewall area after cords break. The evidence may be ripples, bulges, soft spots, wrinkles, creases, or other signs of weakness in the sidewall.

neighborman · 10-02-2005, 11:41 AM

Coming home from a long weekend a few weeks ago, I had a similar problem. We were on a rural highway, and heard a siren approaching from the rear. As the ambulance passed us, (we had pulled over and stopped on the shoulder), the ambulance driver stopped and told me that he actually saw our tire blow about 20 seconds before we pulled over. I never felt a thing.

We had about 10K miles or so on our 2002 3670RL, and I have been pretty faithful about keeping 80lbs (cold) in the load range E General tires.
Wanting to limit this possibility in the furure, I looked into load range G tires (110lb of air). This presents another whole set of challenges that I could use some advise on:

1. My FW has the 6 lug wheels that are rated for only 80lbs. I contacted Keystone to see about obtaining 110lb rated rims, and their
supplier told me that the 110lb wheels only came in the 8 lug configuration. My understanding is that the last year or so, Keystone has gone to the 8 lug, 110lb rated wheel for all of their rigs, even if they put E rated tires on some of them.

2.If I go with the 8 lugs, obviously I'll have to change hubs.

3. If I change hubs, I may as well look into up upgrading the brake system to hydraulic disks.

Looking at spending $3K plus on this isn't very appealing, but I would like to do something. Any suggestions?

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