Rainier Tires lasted about 3000 miles then exploded

[Newbeejohn]

Well folks, i read all the postings on tires and i thought i could get a few miles on the original factory tires, was i wrong?? On my 3rd trip, about 3000 miles or less on the tires and one blew at about 70 mph. Did some damage to the underbody of the 331RL, and i am now trying to find a shop that will do the repairs. As i was traveling in West Texas on I10, on my way to Big Bend, i turned north to Odessa, added 6 hrs to my days traveling and purchased 4 new Goodyear Endurance 23580R16, hoping they will do the trick. Thoughts??

[Carl n Susan]

AFAIK, the Endurance tires are load range E and are insufficient for your Montana.

[Brian S]

Originally Posted by Carl n Susan

AFAIK, the Endurance tires are load range E and are insufficient for your Montana.

I almost had the same problem. Went to a local tire dealer, said I wanted new, better tires, yadda yadda, they suggested GY endurance, I heard good things about Endutance, yadda yadda, make an appointment, get home, do research, cancel appointment! I figured they would know but they are dumb. Went with a new set of properly rated Sailun’s and looking forward to a long, safe summer travel season.

[Bad Moon]

Originally Posted by Carl n Susan

AFAIK, the Endurance tires are load range E and are insufficient for your Montana.

I believe his Montana is a High Country. It has a GVWR of just a tad over 14k. E-rated tires are NOT “insufficient”. They are what comes from the factory. G-rated are a nice improvement, but not essential.

Also, if he upgrades to the same 235/16 Endurance tire, but with the 85 aspect ratio instead of the 80, he will increase the tires load -carrying capacity by a few hundred pounds.

[Carl n Susan]

Originally Posted by Bad Moon

I believe his Montana is a High Country. It has a GVWR of just a tad over 14k. E-rated tires are NOT “insufficient”. They are what comes from the factory. .

It is a HC 331 and it comes with Ranier F rated tires from the factory. If an E rated tire was "adequate" according to RVIA rules, I am sure they would have found an inexpensive E rated tire.

[Bad Moon]

Originally Posted by Carl n Susan

It is a HC 331 and it comes with Ranier F rated tires from the factory. If an E rated tire was "adequate" according to RVIA rules, I am sure they would have found an inexpensive E rated tire.

You are correct that the factory tire on the current HC331RL is F rated. Funny that previous models of the HC with the same GVWR were equipped from the factory with load range E tires. :-)

[Carl n Susan]

Originally Posted by Bad Moon

You are correct that the factory tire on the current HC331RL is F rated. Funny that previous models of the HC with the same GVWR were equipped from the factory with load range E tires. :-)

I suspect it is due to the fairly recent RVIA 10% reserve capacity requirement.

[rjdreyer]

The trailer should have at least "F" rated tires per the latest specs on the website for this trailer series.

[mlh]

As we have seen time and time again if you have this type of ST tires on your camper get them off. We here in MOC call them China Bombs for a reason.
They will not only break your heart but ruin your day and destroy your camper.
Lynwood

[Newbeejohn]

Thanks for pointing out the load rating on the new tires, i missed that they were E, well back i go to Discount Tire and see if i can work a deal with them. At the very least, i will have some very nice trailer tires for my 16 ft dual axle utility trailer when they are due for change.

[Creeker]

I put a little over 10K miles on our factory Raniers before changing them out this past Feb. Never had a problem and they actually still looked like new. I hated to take them off but knew I was pushing my luck.

Those Goodyear Endurance come factory on all Jayco 5ers and have a very good reputation. I was all set to put them on our rig when I discovered a local dealer with very good pricing on Sailuns.

[Carl n Susan]

Don't mess around. Install Sailuns and you will be fine. And likely cheaper than the GY's.

[CalandLinda]

Originally Posted by Newbeejohn

Well folks, i read all the postings on tires and i thought i could get a few miles on the original factory tires, was i wrong?? On my 3rd trip, about 3000 miles or less on the tires and one blew at about 70 mph. Did some damage to the underbody of the 331RL, and i am now trying to find a shop that will do the repairs. As i was traveling in West Texas on I10, on my way to Big Bend, i turned north to Odessa, added 6 hrs to my days traveling and purchased 4 new Goodyear Endurance 23580R16, hoping they will do the trick. Thoughts??

Am I correct in assuming your Rainier ties were OE and sized ST235/80R16 LRE? And you replaced them with GY Endurance ST235/80R16 LRE.?

The ST235/80R16 LRE is a preocular tire. It is manufactured by different manufacturers that have built them with three different load capacities. All with a load range letter "E" but having different maximum load capacities at 80 PSI. The Rainier has a 3520# maximum load capacity at 80 PSI. The GY Endurance same size and load range provides 3420# of load capacity at 80 PSI.

The first rule for replacement tires is; they MUST provide a load capacity equal to or greater than what the OE tires provided.

REF: USTMA

[Newbeejohn]

The Ranier's were Load Range F, and the Endurance are Load Range E. I messed up, educated myself after the purchase, thought Discount Tire would install the equivalent tire, they got the size correct, but not the Load Range. The Ranier F is rated at 3860 lbs and the Goodyear Endurance E is 3420 lbs. More money will solve the problem......bummer!

[phillyg]

Unless you absolutely insisted on the inadequate E-rated replacements, doesn't the tire dealer also have some responsibility to look at the RV sticker before installing them? I'd at least try for some shared compensation. I'd also check the wheels for a 110psi rating and use Sailuns over anything else in that size.

[432bartman]

Sorry to hear about this John & Karen. We went through that about 15 years ago when one rear tire on our Jazz 5th wheel exploded. It caused $3,500.00 in damage. In addition to good quality tires, I don't know if you have one, but get a Tire Pressure Monitoring System. We use the TST 507 system and it already saved us with a puncture on one of our Sailuns. I hope you're back on the road soon.

[DutchmenSport]

I had one blow out after 6 months. Not sure how many miles I put on them, but it could not have been more than 1500 miles.













Because of our location and circumstances at the time, I ended up getting Hercules - 14 ply. I've not had any problems with these tires since. And now, I do have THOUSANDS of miles on them.

On Edit:

Current Trailer Tires
Hercules H-901
All Steel Radial
DOT 1YC 2ARHHE
Made in Thailand
Regroovable
All Steel
ST235/80RR16
128/124L
Rim 6.50
Tubeless

*Tire failure due to underinflation / overloading or misapplication – follow tire placard instructions in vehicle
Check inflation pressure frequently with an accurate guage
*Explosion of tire / rim assembly due to improper mounting – only specially trained persons should mount tires
When mounting use safety cage and clip-on extension air hose to inflate

L.R.G
14PR
Plies: Tread Steel 4 sidewall steel 1
Max. load single 3970 LBS (1800 kg) at 105 PSI (725 KPC) Cold
Max. load dual 3525 LBS (1600 kg) at 105 PSI (725 KPC) Cold

[Newbeejohn]

I called my local Discount Tire today and explained the situation (bought Goodyear in West Texas). My local Discount tire guy said he could offer to switch to the Heartland ST235/R16 G with no cost to me. I realize Heartland is their house brand, but it seems like it could be an improvement over the 235/R16 E Goodyear Endurance i just purchased. Thoughts??

[phillyg]

It's nice that DT offered to replace them at no charge. I automatically default to recommending Sailuns as they have proven, anecdotally, to be superior in that size. I read all tire posts on this and three other forums, and can't recall many comments about Hartland. I did some quick research and see they are all steel, 14 ply, and weigh 60lbs, about like Sailuns. I couldn't find a load table for them, but if they're rated around 4400lbs at max 110psi, they would seem comparable, on paper. If you choose them, make sure DT double-checks that your wheels are also 110psi-rated.

[Bad Moon]

Somewhat off-topic: Recently went to Discount tire to have both my rear tires replaced. I parked the rig and walked back to check on the guy throwing the jack under the driver's side, not realizing another guy was on the passenger side already jacking up that side of the trailer WITH THE JACK UNDER THE AXLE!!! I hollered at him to stop, as did the driver's side jack man, but too late; he already bent the axle. I went right in and filed a claim. To their credit, Discount Tire claims insurance made it all good. Having the axle replaced right now, and will have the alignment checked (which should fix the premature rear tire wear).

Morale of the story: Keep your eye on the tire changers!