Tire blow outs

[Andrew Roberts 17]

We have had the topic of tire blow outs before. I know I started at least one. My issue is a larger heavy Fifth Wheel on only two axles and temp. 

My Question is if any fiends have tried nitrogen in their camper tires. I bought a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) for the 5er. I installed the receiver and display in the truck. Now I need to have a tire service install the new valve stems on the 5er's tires.

Might as well have then refiled with nitrogen at that time 

anyone have any experience pro or con

 

Thanks

Andy

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

Don't have a lot to offer other than my small TT did have nitrogen filled tires. Never had any problems with them. 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Supposedly tires filled with nitrogen will run at a cooler temp, they stay dryer then with air and are not supposed to loose pressure as tires with regular air, now a lot of the newer rv's are coming equipped with it just seems harder to find places with nitrogen for replacement tires, have heard Costco'  as a national tire dealer does sell nitrogen.

[keith_h 420]

This is one of those areas where you will find most folks are one side or the other with no one in the middle. Snake oil as far as I'm concerned when used in everyday vehicles. Keep in mind that the atmosphere is already 78% nitrogen and the stuff they put in tires is 95%. Nitrogen is used in aircraft and race vehicles as they are under a lot higher loads and heat levels. Add to that aircraft going from balmy temps to frigid and back to balmy over short period and the lower temperature related deflation has makes sense.  You don't see, or shouldn't see, any of these extreme conditions with your average TV and TT.  

My trailer came with nitrogen filled tires from the factory. If it didn't arrive that way I would not have paid extra to have nitrogen put in. I still have to check and fill them just like air filled tires. If you are going to stay with 95% nitrogen this means you have to find a facility that can fill your tires.  You also have to pay a premium for the nitrogen. If you can't find nitrogen you end up diluting the mixture in the tire with air anyway. I save the cost and frustration and use the compressor in my garage or the small portable one we take camping when I need to add air.

Keep in mind most blowouts even with the China bombs are the result of overloading, under inflation, road hazards or some combination of these. Nitrogen won't fix any of these. So in the end it really a personal decision on whether pay the extra money or not. If it gives you peace of mind and you don't care about the cost then I say go for it, otherwise don't.

[jayco1 15]

Consider a 75% nitrogen fill, it is free and available everywhere. 

[ftwildernessguy 778]

The most critical factors in blowouts are weight, pressure and speed.  Keep your speed down, don't overload and keep the inflation up.  The TPMS you have installed will do more as far as blowout prevention than what gas the tire is filled with.

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

I have 13k over 2 axles. Nitrogen is a gimmick. It does build less pressure with heat, but heat is a function of side wall flex, tarmac temps, etc. Moisture in compressed air causes difference in psi between a hot and cold but that isn't a problem. Tire manufacturers take this into account with the cold psi rating. 

Buy all steel tires and blowouts will cease for the most part. I run goodyear G614's and never had a failure. I replace them at 5 year intervals regardless of miles. I may try some sailuns next. They are much cheaper and have a proven record on heavy rigs.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

I have been following a guys youtube channel recently,  Big truck Big RV. He has really done his research and has loads of information on tires and rig and tow suze, trucks etc. I highly recommend checking his channel out. If your rims are 15", so most bummer pulls, he suggested a Goodyear cargo g26 tire 225 / 70R15c. I know the topic us about Nitrogen fills but wanted to put this out there for anyone interested. 

[DinDavie 37]

RV tires rarely wear out.  The sun and weather will age the sides of a tire and that is what causes blowouts.  Under inflation and overweight can cause a blow out.  None of these conditions can be prevented by nitrogen inflation.  Just keep your tires properly inflated, keep the weight of the cargo in your trailer evenly distributed and inspect the tires for age and cracking on the sidewalls.  If your tires are more than 6-7 years old start saving up to replace them as a set.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

WWLD?

[PGHFiend 140]

Buy the new Goodyear made in USA endurance tires. They are now a forced option on many new RVs. 

As far as nitrogen, seems like a good idea if you can can always replace with more of the same. Otherwise regular air should do the trick as it has. 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

On 9/3/2017 at 8:37 AM, ImDownWithDisney said:

I have 13k over 2 axles. Nitrogen is a gimmick. It does build less pressure with heat, but heat is a function of side wall flex, tarmac temps, etc. Moisture in compressed air causes difference in psi between a hot and cold but that isn't a problem. Tire manufacturers take this into account with the cold psi rating. 

Buy all steel tires and blowouts will cease for the most part. I run goodyear G614's and never had a failure. I replace them at 5 year intervals regardless of miles. I may try some sailuns next. They are much cheaper and have a proven record on heavy rigs.

We had Sailuns installed on our rig, before we took it home from the dealership.  So far, I'm happy with them.  We've put around 7k miles on the rig, since driving it off the lot the last weekend in April.  Our rig is also 13k loaded.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

21 hours ago, ftwildernessguy said:

WWLD?

We don't have enough server space for his answer do we?  

[Andrew Roberts 17]

On 9/3/2017 at 9:37 AM, ImDownWithDisney said:

I have 13k over 2 axles. Nitrogen is a gimmick. It does build less pressure with heat, but heat is a function of side wall flex, tarmac temps, etc. Moisture in compressed air causes difference in psi between a hot and cold but that isn't a problem. Tire manufacturers take this into account with the cold psi rating. 

Buy all steel tires and blowouts will cease for the most part. I run goodyear G614's and never had a failure. I replace them at 5 year intervals regardless of miles. I may try some sailuns next. They are much cheaper and have a proven record on heavy rigs.

I changed them to the G614's two years ago and still had a blow out at 65 mph   Thanks for all the other advice already in the same mindset as most of the above at was just courous of the nitrogen 

[Andrew Roberts 17]

On 9/2/2017 at 2:47 PM, ftwildernessguy said:

The most critical factors in blowouts are weight, pressure and speed.  Keep your speed down, don't overload and keep the inflation up.  The TPMS you have installed will do more as far as blowout prevention than what gas the tire is filled with.

The TPMS I agree should do the trick just have to get the valve stems installed yet.  But it tells me the psi and temp 

I see a lot of the larger fifth wheels on the side off the road with blow out so I know it's not unique to me.   Also have noticed that it is almost always the passenger side rear.  As we're all three I have blown 

[mmfancipher 31]

We had 2 blow outs in 4 months on the TT.  Also, had other issues with it so the Insurance  company totaled it.  Bought a new TT and it came with the nitrogen filled tires, so I guess we'll see.  We also bought a tire pressure monitoring system for the tires.  With all of the issues we had this year with the TT I almost gave up on RVing.  Had to take a step back and take a deep breath.  All is well now. (Hopefully)

 

[PghBob 31]

5 hours ago, Andrew Roberts said:

I see a lot of the larger fifth wheels on the side off the road with blow out so I know it's not unique to me.   Also have noticed that it is almost always the passenger side rear.  As we're all three I have blown 

Andrew, my understanding is that this IS the most likely tire to blow.  There are two reasons mainly, but one does not apply to towed rigs.  First, the rear passenger side tire often leaves the pavement, picking up damage from the berm of the road.  Second, in motorhomes, especially Class C types built on the Ford E450 chassis, the hot exhaust pipe is very near the in-board rear tire, heating it more than the others, thereby weakening it.  I'm not a tire guy, so I don't know for sure, but this is what I heard from knowledgeable folks.

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

3 hours ago, Andrew Roberts said:

I changed them to the G614's two years ago and still had a blow out at 65 mph   Thanks for all the other advice already in the same mindset as most of the above at was just courous of the nitrogen 

When did you buy them? I know there was a run of tires that were experiencing blowouts.

 

I do run a TPMS too. It tracks psi and temp. Its amazing how much hotter the tires on the sunny side can run on a summer day.

[weekender 5]

2 hours ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

When did you buy them? I know there was a run of tires that were experiencing blowouts.

As others have said there are many factors that contribute to the tires "blowing", but to be specific if you have TowMax tires on your trailer or 5th wheel I highly suggest getting rid of them ASAP.  It is not a matter of if they will blow, but when.  This is known and discussed on several of the RV forums. 

The Goodyear and the Saliun are much better options.  We have over 7000 miles on our Saliun's and so far so good, but I check them before and during each trip.  After 5 years they will get replaced regardless of how much tread may or may not be left.  

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

1 hour ago, weekender said:

As others have said there are many factors that contribute to the tires "blowing", but to be specific if you have TowMax tires on your trailer or 5th wheel I highly suggest getting rid of them ASAP.  It is not a matter of if they will blow, but when.  This is known and discussed on several of the RV forums. 

The Goodyear and the Saliun are much better options.  We have over 7000 miles on our Saliun's and so far so good, but I check them before and during each trip.  After 5 years they will get replaced regardless of how much tread may or may not be left.  

Nope. I have G614's. I have about 13.5k on 2 axles and 17k overall. I would not move it in the driveway with towmax's. I do plan on buying sailuns next though. They are about half the price of the GY's.

[Andrew Roberts 17]

11 hours ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

When did you buy them? I know there was a run of tires that were experiencing blowouts.

 

I do run a TPMS too. It tracks psi and temp. Its amazing how much hotter the tires on the sunny side can run on a summer day.

I bought this camper new in 2013 at the time it had Goodyear marathons on it  I blew two of them one in Ocala driving home the other on 429    2 mile away from the fort.  Both time it was hot and sunny.   I took all four rims to the Goodyear commercial store in Orlando and switch them all to the G614's and run them st 100 psi.    The G614 then blew on mount eagle hill on the down side near Chattanooga. This one blew at midnight about 50 degrees out. I really think this one may have run flat but not enough left of it to know.

The marathons were less then two years old and the G6 was around a year old   By date code not purchased date 

 I really think the TPMS will really fix my issue  I bought s Dill system so it is as good as they come 

I was just wondering if the nitrogen was worth it

right now I use a heat tracer to check the tires and they run around 115 during the day and 95 degrees at night 

 

[ftwildernessguy 778]

I think the most disturbing thing to me when I put the TPMS on was how hot these tires run.   When I first ran it, I was asking what temp is a problem and found there really is no answer, since it varies with the ambient temp and road conditions.  The thing to watch with temps is a rapid increase and/or a significant difference between temps of one tire vs another.  I, too, have noticed a significantly higher incidence of blowouts on 5ers.  When I have checked tires, I see a lot of them running the same tire as I do on my TT, despite a significantly larger unit.   I strongly suspect they are overloaded.  I have also noticed many more 5ers passing me.  Now I know I am an old guy in no hurry so I tend to keep the speed down, but ST tires are only rated at 65 mph, I believe.  As a side, I have run TowMax tires many thousands of miles without incident, changing them out after 6 years by the manufacture date.  I am running Marathons now.  Another piece of advice I would offer is to cover the tires when the trailer is sitting idle.  Tire covers aren't all that much and are good insurance.

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

9 hours ago, Andrew Roberts said:

I bought this camper new in 2013 at the time it had Goodyear marathons on it  I blew two of them one in Ocala driving home the other on 429    2 mile away from the fort.  Both time it was hot and sunny.   I took all four rims to the Goodyear commercial store in Orlando and switch them all to the G614's and run them st 100 psi.    The G614 then blew on mount eagle hill on the down side near Chattanooga. This one blew at midnight about 50 degrees out. I really think this one may have run flat but not enough left of it to know.

The marathons were less then two years old and the G6 was around a year old   By date code not purchased date 

 I really think the TPMS will really fix my issue  I bought s Dill system so it is as good as they come 

I was just wondering if the nitrogen was worth it

right now I use a heat tracer to check the tires and they run around 115 during the day and 95 degrees at night 

 

You may want to find a place to weigh each tire load independently. I have seen posts from those who are underweight on the axles in total, but overweight on individual tires due to weight distribution.

I would also suggest running at max cold pressure unless you notice the tire wearing in the center more. On a 614 you lose 200lbs load capacity by lowering the psi from 110 to 100.

TPMS is the way to go. I like how it takes my mind off of the tires. I used to constantly check my mirrors for tire shards after battling Chinese tires on our old TT.

[Andrew Roberts 17]

59 minutes ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

You may want to find a place to weigh each tire load independently. I have seen posts from those who are underweight on the axles in total, but overweight on individual tires due to weight distribution.

I would also suggest running at max cold pressure unless you notice the tire wearing in the center more. On a 614 you lose 200lbs load capacity by lowering the psi from 110 to 100.

TPMS is the way to go. I like how it takes my mind off of the tires. I used to constantly check my mirrors for tire shards after battling Chinese tires on our old TT.

I total agree with you on weighing each wheel.  I have done it by axle and hitch and they are close to max. If I ever buy another fifth wheel this big it will be a tri axle

I will run them up at 110.  That could also help 

the China blow was the first run and man its hard to see at night  if no one is behind you

[geoffdaddy 33]

I know a lot of folks have pointed fingers at cheap chinese tires. I am not discounting that as a possibility, but if it were me and this had happened multiple times to me the first thing I'd do is weight the rig and/or check the load index of the tire to make sure it's adequate.. A lot of people seem to have no idea how much their rig weighs apart from what the weight rating sticker says on the side of the camper.