Dealer comment on tire problems........

[TAKPAK]

We took our 3400 in for some warranty work and winterizing last weekend. While there I asked about the continuing problems with tires, especially the Missions. The dealer's service manager said they have heard of the problems, but have not had anyone come in because of it. One thing he did say though, that got my attention, was have we had the wheels/tires balanced? He informed me that the wheels/tires that the factory gets are NOT balanced, either before or after installation. He did say that of the people that have taken his advice and had them balanced have found that a lot of times they are quite a bit out of balance and that it can contribute to tire problems or failure. He said this applies to any wheel/tire on any trailer, no matter what the brand. This makes sense, as you can not see or feel what's going on with the trailer behind you, at least on bouncing tires. I for one am now going to take the wheels/tires in to have them balanced and see just how bad they are. He said any reputable tire shop could do it. In our area (NW) he recommended Les Schwabe tires, but any other good shop would do. I can understand this from having driven an over the road rig once with an out of balance tire on the front axle, and it just about pounded the living daylights out of me before the trip was over!!!!!

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Any tire rolling down the hiway must be balanced for the best possible ride as well as good tire wear. Anything less is just wasting money.
Having traveled thru the NW I saw many Les Schwabe tire shops and in my opinion your dealer's recommendation is a good one.

BTW-I spent many many years in the tire business.

[LonnieB]

I'm still in the tire business, and I agree with Glenn, and your dealer. We balance every tire we sell unless the customer doesn't want it done, and even though we do this free of charge, you'd be suprised at how many people don't want their trailer tires balanced.

As far as Les Schwab goes, I spent a considerable amount of time in the NW doing construction work, mostly in Oregon, and did quite a lot of business with them. They are a reliable tire center, and in my opinion, bested only by Commercial Tire in Hermiston, Oregon.

[ols1932]

Your dealer has given you excellent advice. I don't know how many people I've come in contact with who decry balancing the tires on any type of trailer, let alone a 5th wheel. But as Glenn and Lonnie have both said, any tire rolling on the road should be balanced. The only vehicle I wouldn't recommend balancing the tires on is a horse-drawn wagon bearing rubber tires. That was our vehicle of choice back in the 40's.

Orv

[snfexpress]

Orv,

When I was growing up in British Columbia, Babine Lake in particular, we couldn't keep up with the Joneses. We didn't have rubber wagon wheels - all we could afford were the old fashioned wooden ones. Your family must have been rich!

[Glenn and Lorraine]

By The Way....Balance your spare tire and wheel assembly as well as some where down the road it just might end up rolling down the hiway as well.


Orv and Mike, We must have been really rich. I can still remember my Dad's 41 Pontiac.

Speaking of not balancing, back than they used a bubble balancer which actually helped a bit BUT NO ONE balanced the rear tires and rotating tires was a term never used.
Also in the old days tires had nylon cord construction and after sitting awhile the tires flat spotted. On a freezing morning you had to drive 5 to 10 miles before they rounded out and in the mean time it was like driving on a washboard.

AHHH YES I remember it well. Today it's called "the Good Ole Days."

[skypilot]

Be sure to have them balanced lug-centric; on my trailer (opinion police please notice I'm saying on MY trailer), the center hubs are not accurate and the only way to get a good balance was to have them done lug-centric.

Glenn and Lonnie: Thanks for being here!

[Dean A Van Peursem]

I agree with getting the tires balanced but unbalanced tires don't explain tread separation of outside edge wear on the right front tire or inside edge wear on the left front tire. I've just had that happen and the first tire, right front, did have tread separation which we thought caused that but now having inside edge wear on the other left front tires causes me to worry about axle alignment. Going to have the checked and fixed if necessary.

[sreigle]

Agree with skypilot. Balancing by centering with the rim center hole can cause false readings and end up giving you tires they think are balanced but on the road are farther out of balance than before they were "balanced." Any reputable tire shop should have a lug-centric adapter. Be sure they use it.

[shortrnd]

hello,new here, but my o7 mountaineer had to have 3 valve stem replacements less than 100 miles from, talked to several montana owners in campgrounds and they have had horror stories about blowouts with mission st tires, can anyone enlighten me on any other problems, i am currantly in fla and will be heading back to pa in feb/ if it hadnt been for my aftermarket pressure sensors, it could have been a diaster. hope to talk to keystone about the tires, but i have a feeling it will be to no avail. thanks for anyu and all help

[skypilot]

Shortrnd: First - welcome to the forum. A lot of experience and good people abound here to help.

As for your question - there are a lot of issues with Tires -- Mission tires seem to have been noted in the forum(s) more than others but also some reports with a run of Goodyear Marathons, HiRun (I believe that is the name) and several others. Common factor seems to be the 'Made in China' quality control (lack there of).

Best insurance I can recommend is to replace the rubber valve stems that come standard with good quality metal valve stems (especially if you are running with a pressure sensor attached!!); maintain your tire pressure at the maximum recommended by your trailer manufacturer (most are 80 PSI for the Mountaineer series trailers); maintain your speed at less than 65 mph while towing (ST tires are only rated for a maximum of 65 mph anyway) and inspect your tires daily for any abnormalities (bulges, bubbles, tread separations (you'll might see what looks like a tear between the rows in the tread)).

There are an awful lot of tires rolling out there on the highways and many, many people are getting good mileage out of them.

Finally, This is the # 1 forum for Montana; and you are always welcome to ask for any help anyone can render.

[Dean A Van Peursem]

Shortrnd:

There are several(most) of us Montana owners who have had serious problems with the OEM Mision tires. Blow outs and tread separation, etc, often at about 10,000 miles. I've had to have all 5 Mission Tires replaced on our late 2006 Montana 3400RL due to tread separation. The company you will need to deal with is the supplier of the Mission tires to Keystone. That company is TireCo in Fontana, Ca. Phone number 800 937 9433. Be pepared with all the information off of all your tires such as size and DOT number. If you can decribe symptomns of failure such as tread separation or the DOT numbers fit their replacement criteria they will send you replacement tires free of charge. There are several different threads concerning the Mission tires here on this Forum. A little searching will find them.

[shortrnd]

SKYPILOT: THANKS FOR THE QUICK RESPONSE, I SAW WHERE THE MAX PSI IS 80LBS, BUT IF I PUT 80LBS IN EACH TIRE, AFTER 20 OR SO MILES, IT GOES UP TO 90 PLUS. SO TO ALEVIATE THE PROB, I RUN 68 LBS COLD AND WHILE RUNNING TGHE PRESSURE GOES UP TO APPROX 78 SO I AM STILL PLAYING. I SAW ON THE WEB SITE WHERE THERE IS A RECALL ON THE VALVE STEMS, ALTHOUGH I HAD THEM REPLACED WITH NEW R;BBER STEMS BY ROAD SERVICE, I AM GOING TO HAVE MY DEALER REPLACE THEM WITH METAL BOLT ONS WHEN I GET HOME. ONCE AGAIN , THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND IF YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER PROBS, PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED RICH AND SUE TINDELL

[8.1al]

shortrnd,
If you start out at 68psi you are seriously underinflated.Tires are designed to handle the increased pressure that occurs when they warm up. Just set them at 80 cold and you should be fine

[Dean A Van Peursem]

shortrnd,

When I had our 5 new replacement tires installed, the tire dealer told me that the original rubber stems that had been used with the original Mission Tires were not the right ones to use. I had them install the "High Pressure" metal stems. I also stongly agree with 8.1al that you should start out with the tire pressure at 80PSI "Cold" on all tires.

[shortrnd]

thanks all, will talk to tire rep in the am, definatley will have dealer install high pressure valves, will keep all of you informed thatnks shortrnd

[sreigle]

Shortrnd, 80 psi is the max pressure for a cold tire. It will naturally increase as the tire warms. That's fine, so long as it's not above 80 when cold.

Dean, I had the sizes and DOT number for all tires but Tireco only asked me for the DOT number off one of them. Strange but true. It doesn't hurt to have them all available just to avoid having to make a return call, in any case.

[Dean A Van Peursem]

Steve,

I checked all 5 of my tires and they all had the same DOT number. That particular number must be bad because they didn't hesitate at all about sending me 5 new tires. Somewhere here on the MOC Forum I've listed those DOT numbers. It would be interesting to check what the resulting temperature is on tires after running them for an hour or so if one started at 70 lbs vs 80 lbs. My dealer recommended 75 lbs but I think that was not a scientific recommendation. There must be a happy medium starting point somewhere to get the lowest resulting running temperature. I think I may have listed a different phone number for Tireco that is for returning the tires. The first number to call is: (800) 227-8925. I worked with Rose there. Very competent, knowledgeable and pleasant.

[skypilot]

shortrnd: As already mentioned -- start at 80 psi. Also, as the weather cools, the pressure will decrease some (I believe the ratio is 1 lb psi per 10 degrees Farenheit). Regardless, you don't want to be under inflated at all.

Also, as the day warms, the pressure will increase. Do NOT reduce your pressure if you have been driving -- if you do you will end up with an under inflated tire. As you read the forum(s), you will note the common theme of under inflated tires (whether on the trailer or the tow vehicle) being a finding in damages. Get a good tire pressure guage and then use your sensors as well.

Best to you and yours and may you have smooth travels.

[shortrnd]

just for your information, i talked to keystone yesterday, the rep was pleasant at first but when i stated my concerns, she seemed to get a little curt, said she was not aware of any problems with the missions and if i thought there was a problem, thagt i should contact tireco. after calling tireco, i was told in so many words that if i did not have a problem at the presant time, they could not replace the tires. and they also did not confirm or dene;y a problem. so that is where i stand in my quest to alleviate a problem.. also my dealer was not aware of the valve stem recall so i told him to look on the montana website and see for him self.. thanks all for the help. now i am going to research a generator for my mountaineer..