Misson Tires Revisited - Montana Owners Club

Gumby56 · 09-21-2006, 07:23 AM

We will be picking up our new 319BHD Mountaineer next week and are very excited. One concern that we have is the Misson tires. My in laws do a lot of traveling in there RV and have heard from a couple of Montana owners that the tires are an issue and tend to blow out.

I did a search of previous MOC discussions but only came up with one hit. Simular situation to ours about a year ago.

Does anyone have any new feedback? I have called my RV dealor and hope to replace the tires but more actual examples would be helpful!

Thanks for the help!

The Sullivans

Mac · 09-21-2006, 01:16 PM

I've only had mine for a year but had no problem with either the Mission tires or aluminum wheels. They hold air between trips and I have no problems to report about either the tires or rims.

mac

Bill Frisbee · 09-21-2006, 02:01 PM

The "tire guru" on this forum for many of us is Glenn Adams (Glenn and Lorraine). In the time I have been following his comments re tires, his message has always seemed consistent to me: whether Mission, Tacoma (which we have), or some other brand, most tires installed on the Montanas will perform as advertised and wear well for a couple of years IF people make sure they are properly inflated and balanced, driven at reasonable speeds, and replaced at appropriate intervals. There will always be exceptions but Glenn's advice seems reasonable to me.

Bill

SKOOBDO · 09-21-2006, 02:08 PM

I had the same concerns before I took delivery of my unit. I pulled up all the complaints about mission tires and my concerns and e-mailed them to my dealer and contacted Mark Krol (keystone). I asked them to change the tires so I won't have any issues, however, Keystone was only using mission on the models made in February etc., and the dealer told me they haven't had any complaints so far with them. Mr. Krol did tell me that they had complaints with the previous tires they were installing (i forgot the name but wrote it down in my notes), and that they were going to start using mission 16" which was better than the other tires that were smaller and seem to have blow-outs. He told me that these tires are higher rated than the ones before and under normal conditions there should be no problems. I told him I that since they were put on notice, and if I had a tire problem, this situation would be revisited. I decided at the end not to get replace the tires and wait and see. So far, no problems, holds air...but I do have to torque them every so often of course. I figure if you don't run over pot-holes at 70mph often and run up on curbs etc or go 70-80 mph constantly heating up the tires, I figure they should last some time. With anything, if you take care of it, it will take care of you. That's how I look at everything in my unit, because things are just not made like they use to be. So you have to be careful...most things are made of plastic and fiberglass which will not stand up like metal and solid wood like the good ole days. New cars are no exception....mainly fiberglass and plastic. Happy Travels! Allison

mobilrvn · 09-21-2006, 03:32 PM

Our Tacomas had tread seperation at 16K and we had to replace them.

Glenn and Lorraine · 09-21-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Gumby56

We will be picking up our new 319BHD Mountaineer next week and are very excited. One concern that we have is the Mission tires. My in laws do a lot of traveling in there RV and have heard from a couple of Montana owners that the tires are an issue and tend to blow out.

I did a search of previous MOC discussions but only came up with one hit. Similar situation to ours about a year ago.

Does anyone have any new feedback? I have called my RV dealer and hope to replace the tires but more actual examples would be helpful!

Thanks for the help!

The Sullivans

First of all I would like to say that I have many many years in the tire industry in wholesale and retail sales and as a serviceman, service manager, general manager and co-owner. Co-owner of the same tire shop my partner/brother continues to operate to this day. So I am drawing from all those years of experience.

Sorry but new feed back is no different than the old feed back that we have discounted over and over again in the past 6 to 8 weeks. Mission Tires are no more prone to blow outs than a Goodyear, a Firestone, a Michelin or any other brand. No offense meant but your statement "My in laws do a lot of traveling in there RV and have heard from a couple of Montana owners that the tires are an issue and tend to blow out." is totally meaningless to me. As they would say in a court of law it is "strictly hearsay" and holds no water. The only issue is that there is just too many people on the Internet saying, my brother's sister-in-law's cousin's uncle's neighbor's ex-wife's father said. There is absolutely no credibility to such statements and they must be considered very suspect.
Most all blow outs are caused due to driver error rather than manufacturer's defect. More often than not the "BLOW OUT" is caused by underinflated tires or in other words "driver error". Also many tires are totally destroyed and can provide little or no evidence as to the true reason for the failure and yet the average driver would rather blame the tire manufacturer than his own negligence.
By mid January I hope to be ordering a new Monty and the brand of tire that is on that Monty is of little concern to me.

To make a log story short, When comparing apples to apples Mission tires are no worse nor better than most every other brand on the market.
Your statement "I have called my RV dealer and hope to replace the tires but more actual examples would be helpful!"If I was an RV dealer or manufacturer and someone came in to me to have their tires replaced due to something that was said on the Internet I am afraid I would have to show them the door.

I am sorry if this is not the kind of information you were looking for but these are the facts and not just hearsay.

Wrenchtraveller · 09-21-2006, 04:12 PM

Well my Missions are just fine so far.

MAMalody · 09-21-2006, 06:24 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by mobilrvn

Our Tacomas had tread seperation at 16K and we had to replace them.

I have Tacomas and I don't really know about the tire. Last year coming through Nebraska, at the border eastbound I blew the curb side leading tire. The air started that morning at 80#s and the wheels were properly torqued. About 12k miles on the tires. No big deal. Called out ERS, they changed to my spare and I was off. I did notice that the stem was missing from the wheel.

Two hours later the trailing streetside tire went flat. Caught this one before it blew. Pulled off..hooked up the compressor. Pulled the compressor hose off to double check the pressure and the stem came out of the wheel in my hand. Needless to say I didn't go very far because I had no spare. A good samaritan came along with a tire I could limp in on (boy was that tire in bad shape...but better than my flat tire).

When I went to the tire store to get a new tire, I found a bulge on the flat tire when reinflated and had to replace it also. The tire guy checked the other two Tacomas and said the stems were also bad. The only good stem, according to him was the spare.

I keep my tires covered when they are not on the road.

I don't know what this means except that I was out two tires and laid up for six weeks for the repairs required by the blowout.

The other two Tacomas have been okay with the new stems. I will probably replace them this year because they were made in 4202 which I think is October of 02 or so. I may wait one more year, not sure yet.

Montana Sky · 09-21-2006, 07:30 PM

I have had good luck with my Tacoma tires. I dont think it matters what brand tires you have on your coach, they all can have trouble. The only thing we can do is make sure the tire pressure is correct, their not overloaded and keep them covered to protect them from the sun. The rest is out of your hands.

Glenn and Lorraine · 09-22-2006, 01:27 AM

Thank you Mike, I am glad you brought up the valve stem.
If anything the valve stem is the weakest link. As I pointed out above most any tire properly inflated will not cause any problems. Most any of our wheels will not cause a problem. BUT valve stems are a different story. Any reputable tire shop will always install new valve stems whenever they install new tires. It is pretty much known that a valve stem will crack and weaken by the time you have worn out a tire and it should be replaced with the new tires.
Now consider the fact that we replace our vehicle tires every couple years and that's about the same life span of a typical valve stem. Our trailer tires however are rarely replaced within 5, 6 or even 7 years and while the tread and sidewalls may look fine that little old forgotten valve stem is getting older everyday. The cracking is actually only noticable if you actually get down there and twist that stem around, otherwise they look fine.
So when you're down there checking the air pressure with your tire gage you should also be taking a close look at those stems. If you find one out of the four cracked replace all four ASAP. To replace a valve stem the tires bead must be broken away from the rim and the new stem installed from the inside making this a rather expensive changeover but this is also a great oppurtunity to closely inspect the tires, balance and rotate them. It is also a great time to check the brakes and maybe hand back the bearings. Oh yeah, guess who is typically at fault for a failed valve stem? Sorry to say it but again it is driver error. No not the tire manufacturer, not the rim manufacturer, surely not Keystone's fault and NO not even the valve stem manufacturer but driver error for lake of maintenance.

Mike the bulge was ply seperation and typically this is a manufacturers defect and should be covered by the tire manufacturers warranty. Problem is trying to find a Tacoma dealer which I have "heard" is not going to happen as Tacoma is no longer in business. I say "heard" and therefore I am not 100% sure. This is why in a previous thread I recommended the major tire manufacturers when buying new tires. It may be difficult finding a Tacoma dealer but the majors are everywhere.
One last thing tire seperation in one tire does not mean the same will happen in the other 3.

Fire5er · 09-22-2006, 04:57 AM

So Glenn, what is your position on replacing the valve stem with metal valve stems? Is this a benefit, or just a waste of money?
Karl

Gumby56 · 09-22-2006, 05:45 AM

All,

Thanks for the feedback!!! I feel a lot better about this issue now. Going from a 19' Hybrid to a 5th wheel is very exciting but making us a little anxious.

I will make sure we stay on top of the maintenance and regularly inspect the stems to ensure there is no cracking.

Thank you all, particularly Glen for the detailed response!!

ols1932 · 09-22-2006, 04:28 PM

I'm with Glenn. Keep your tires properly inflated for the load you are carrying and you will get long life out of them, regardless of brand.

Orv

Cat320 · 09-23-2006, 09:24 AM

The word on the RV forum is that the newer model rigs have 'upgraded' Mission tires.

richfaa · 09-23-2006, 09:59 AM

No problem with the mission tirs in 5 monhs of ownership.However we did have valve stem failure and lost air if we had not checked tire pressure we would have had a tire problem. I would suggest replacing all the valve stems with the metal ones. MY tire guy (not Glenn) also says that mission tires are no better no worse than any other tire and with proper maint will be ok..

Gumby56 · 09-23-2006, 03:28 PM

Thank you all for the input! Makes us feel much better about the situation.

anker · 09-23-2006, 06:37 PM

This doesn't have to do with Tacoma or Mission tires, but I would like to relate my experience with Cooper Tire Company. I was heading east on I-80 in Wyoming when the tread came off my right rear pickup tire. The tire had about 34K on it but was in good shape. It felt like I had a flat tire but when I had pulled over on the side of the road I discovered the tread was gone. Even at that the tire had not gone flat. The tread had flopped around quite a bit and did damage to the pickup and the front of the camper by the pin and front basement door. After talking with Cooper I shipped the damaged tire to them (at their expense) for their inspection. It took close to two months to finally get it settled, but Cooper paid me for the damages I had repaired on the pickup and RV and bought me a new tire. All told the money was around $2350. I was very impressed

Glenn and Lorraine · 09-24-2006, 02:01 AM

Welcome anker to the MOC family.

Your problem is called PLY SEPERATION and is considered a manufacturer's defect. I, for one, am not surprised that Cooper stood behind their product and did what was right by you.

Cat320 · 09-24-2006, 02:39 PM

I looked at my valve stems today, and they are metal.

rickfox · 09-25-2006, 12:28 PM

I might have been the one who originally used the term "upgraded" in reference to the tires. When I used that term, I was referring to the fact that previous to the Mission tires, Montana tires were E-rated but to only 3042# per tire at 80 psi.

The mission tires, which are a slightly different size, are also e-rated, but to 3500# max load at 80 psi. In this sense, they have been "upgraded" to a higher load capacity than the OEM tires previously installed.

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