Blowout/Tire Separation

[Axeman]

On our way to Colorado last month for a 2 ½ week camping trip we experienced our first blowout. It wasn’t worst case scenario, but close. I-40 just west of Amarillo, semi traffic extremely heavy rolling by at 75 mph, temp in the mid-30s, raining and 25+ mph wind. We couldn’t make it to an exit and it was muddy, wet and miserable on the side of the road. If the blowout had been the street side, I would have considered it worst case. Fortunately, it was on the curbside.

I was aware that blowouts are fairly common on TTs and thought I was prepared. I check the pressure frequently. We were equipped with a TPMS, portable compressor/inflator, bottle jack, decent lug wrench, tarp, etc. and had done a dry run of retrieving the spare, jacking up the trailer, and removing the fender skirt. Unfortunately, I stopped short of actually removing the tire during the dry run. When we had the blowout, I found that 2 of the lug nuts were overtightened and couldn’t be removed. After an hour of effort, I contacted roadside assistance (which I should have done in the first place, but incorrectly thought I could handle it quicker). Another 90 minutes and they arrived and got the tire changed with the assistance of a pneumatic impact wrench.

The issue was caused by the center of the tread separating from the tire (1st photo). The tires were stock from the factory (GlobalTrax), about 2 years old. As you’d expect, the TPMS didn’t alert us until the tire failed as there wasn’t a significant loss of pressure prior to that. However, it did make us aware that the “noise” we heard was a serious tire issue and we needed to get off the road. Otherwise, we likely would have trashed the rim. The separated tread damaged the underside of the trailer immediately behind the tire (see the tread imbedded through the TM skin in 2nd photo), caused some damage to the side of the trailer (3rd photo), took out the fender skirt and trim on the bottom edge of the TM body.

Obviously, not a great start to our trip. Discount Tire in Amarillo only had one brand of the correct size (Hartland), which was not want I wanted, but calls to other shops didn’t turn up anything better. It was getting late, so we went with it so we could be on our way in the morning. It turned out to be a great trip with a really ugly start.

Current activities include:

Shopping for a new set of tires (leaning towards Maxxis, but possibly GY Endurance). Thinking of purchasing 2 and using the Hartland as the spare. Any opinions on that approach?

Preparing to install the new factory plumbing guard and fender skirt that arrived from TM over the weekend.

Considering whether to make a trip to the factory for repairs and some minor warranty work or trust the work to a new TM dealer much closer to home. Anyone have any experience with repairs at the factory?

Considering installing diamond plate on the underside of the TM directly behind the curbside tire after the skin is repaired.

Thanks,
Todd

 

[FlyboyTR]

Axeman,

Sorry to hear about the incident and the damage caused. It is amazing how much force a piece of tire can have while spinning. Crazy stuff. I personally would have no issue in keeping the new tire for a spare. I know nothing about that brand...but am a big believer/user of the Goodyear Endurance.

I also run a TPMS on my trailer...scary to think about the tire coming apart with no advance warning of temp increase or pressure drop.

In the end...glad you got it worked out and enjoyed the rest of your trip!

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

I second the Goodyear Endurance. I think many of have switched over as we needed new tires.

 

[Shane826]

Sorry to hear about your blowout. But if you go with Goodyear tires, go to www.goodyear.com to order them and use promo code VKR25. It will get you 25% off a set of 4 with mounting and balancing and free shipping to a local installer. I know your TM only has 3 tires including the spare but this gets you an extra spare tire at no additional cost in case you have another issue.

 

[Axeman]

Thanks to all for the feedback, I appreciate it.

With regards to the factory plumbing guard, unfortunately I've found that it doesn't fit the plumbing configuration on our 2019 2720QD. We're scheduled to visit the factory next week to get the blowout damage repaired and some warranty work done. I've asked them to see if they have any ideas to get the guard to fit while we're there. If the blowout had been on the street side, the damage to the plumbing would have been significant.

Thanks again.

 

[Bill]

Please be sure to post what you find. I am poised to buy one of the guards for my 2020 TM.

Bill

 

[Axeman]

Please be sure to post what you find. I am poised to buy one of the guards for my 2020 TM.

Bill

I will do that. I'm thinking it would be best to post it in the "factory plumbing outlet protector cage" thread started by rickst29 rather than here in the Tire section.


Had Goodyear Endurance tires installed today at Discount Tire. I originally put a deposit on a set of Maxxis, which they had to have shipped from a store in Oklahoma. When they arrived, they had a date code of 0120. Not horrible, but older than I wanted. Based on the replies above and reading several other positive posts, I went with the GY's instead. Mid-August 2020 manufacture date. Thanks for the feedback! The salesman at DT said the Maxxis M8008 have been discontinued, which is why they're hard to find. Not sure if that's accurate since Maxxis is still marketing them on their website. But they are a bit difficult to locate.

 

[TM Pilot]

...The salesman at DT said the Maxxis M8008 have been discontinued, which is why they're hard to find. Not sure if that's accurate since Maxxis is still marketing them on their website. But they are a bit difficult to locate.

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showpost.php?p=150885&postcount=33

 

[Mr G]

Hello all,

I am new to TT ownership, (I purchased a used TM 2003 2720 with GY tires, but I do not know what specific style of tire model; I will pick it up on Saturday) and I would like to confirm that blowouts are primarily due to over psi and going faster than the manufactures recommendations?

If going at or below the recommended tire speed, would temps rise enough to increase psi to the blowout point?

 

[Bill]

Tire failures seem to be overwhelmingly due to under-pressure. At low pressure, the tire flexes more as it rolls, and flexing causes heat, which causes failure.

On your 2003 TM, you most likely have 14-inch tires, probably something like ST205-75R14. The "ST" prefix means "Special Trailer", and ST tires are "rated" at 65 mph. I've never seen a real explanation of what "rated" means, or why ST tires are rated at 65 mph, even from the tire experts. Bottom line, though, you probably shouldn't exceed 65 or so for long periods.

These tires are adequate, but don't have a lot of load-bearing margin. So you need to be conscious of weight as you pack. A lot of folks have changed to 15-inch tires to increase the margin. The central important point is to air up your 14-inch tires to 50 psi before you drive in the morning (this is referred to as "cold inflation" pressure), and then don't change it. Pressure will increase as you drive, and that is accounted for in the tire design. Do not let air out of the tires! This will result in under-pressure, and failure.

As long as you air up to 50 psi cold, and not more, over-pressure is not a problem.

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[Mr G]

Tire failures seem to be overwhelmingly due to under-pressure. ...

These tires are adequate, but don't have a lot of load-bearing margin. So you need to be conscious of weight as you pack. A lot of folks have changed to 15-inch tires to increase the margin. ....

Hope this helps

Bill

Yes, that helps, thank you. What is all involved to change to 15 in. tires, is it just a tire change or a bigger job, such as change in axel, brakes, etc.?

The TT is at the dealer and now would be a good time to have them do any installs and major modifications.

 

[rickst29]

Yes, that helps, thank you. What is all involved to change to 15 in. tires, is it just a tire change or a bigger job, such as change in axel, brakes, etc.?

The TT is at the dealer and now would be a good time to have them do any installs and major modifications.

Unfortunately, the change to 15" wheels/tires also requires that the "lift kit" be installed, so that the tire tread does not contact the wheel well during bumps. Installing the lift kit is pretty easy, but the part must be ordered from the factory.

Goodyear, IIRC, also offers their tire in a "Load Range D" 65 PSI version for 14" rims, that's another alternative to consider. But you might want to upgrade those rims anyway (even if staying at 14"), for better load capacity than the OEM rims provided.

And new rims might look better, too

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Your trailer may already have a lift kit installed. Mine already had the lift kit so upgrading to 15" wheels was super easy.

(oh yeah, don't forget to upgrade the spare!)

 

[Bill]

If you change tire sizes, you will need a new 15" wheel with the same lug pattern, of course. The pattern is called "5 on 4-1/2", and it is very common. Be sure it is rated for at least 65 psi.

For lift kit installation, check out Bill Miller's article in the TM Tech Library

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12132

Strictly speaking, if you are upgrading the tire size, you don't have to upgrade the spare. If you have a flat and need to put on the spare, you probably won't be traveling very far before you want to fix the flat. Driving without a spare is unnerving, to me anyway. The TM has no problem with mixed tire sizes, so if you have a good 14-inch tire and wheel, you can save the cost of replacing them. One other advantage? Although a 15 inch spare will fit on the rack intended for a 14 incher, it is quite difficult to lift the rack into place.

Bill

 

[Mr G]

Here is an update, I have ST215/75R14 tires and they look in very good condition, but I need to confirm the year of manufacture.

Also the TM has a lift kit already installed.

 

[Bill]

The manufacturing date is molded into the sidewall of the tire. Look for the letters "DOT" followed by a sequence of 10 or 12 numbers. The last four numbers in this sequence are the date code - two digit week, followed by two digit year.

Bill

 

[Shane826]

To add to what Bill said about the tire date… The 4 digit code will also be in a separate oval from the rest of the DOT, and it may only be stamped on one side depending on the tire manufacturer. So you may have to crawl under the trailer to find the tire date.

 

[commodor47]

Tire Code

Check the thumbnail for my tire; code 2820 means week 28 of the year 2020.
Dick

 

[Mr G]

To add to what Bill said about the tire date… The 4 digit code will also be in a separate oval from the rest of the DOT, and it may only be stamped on one side depending on the tire manufacturer. So you may have to crawl under the trailer to find the tire date.

Thanks, I found it. My tires were made in 2016. They appear to be in very good shape, with little wear, they look almost new, but they are 5 years old.

 

[Bill]

Conventional wisdom - including from tire experts - says that 5 years is about all you can expect from trailer tires. Appearance is not a good incidcator, and it is common for good-looking tires to fail. Just ask me - I have done it several times.

I would suggest that you rummage around the Internet for info specific to trailer tires. Roger Marble is a good source, since he has no ax to grind. By contrast, tire manufacturers will either tell you that their tires last a long time, or they may avoid the issue entirely - they want you to buy their tires. And tire shops may overhype the problem, for the same reason - they want you to buy new tires from them.

So take my comments with a grain of salt - but do your own research to confirm or deny it.

Bill