Severe Tire Wear

[RWR4]

More on the subject of tire wear - explanations, solutions sought, please. The original bias ply Carlisles have maybe 5000 miles on them. Everything was fine until a trip this spring during which severe cupping began suddenly on both edges of all four tires, some worse than others. Before starting the trip I had set cold pressure at 45 - maybe should have gone for recommended max of 50. Axle alignment, wheel bearings, etc. checked OK by dealer. What's going on? Could improper tuning of brake controller cause this? A local tire dealer has cautioned that upgrading to radials might adversely affect handling. Any opinions on that?

Thanks, Richard

[RWR4]

More on the subject of tire wear - explanations, solutions sought, please. The original bias ply Carlisles have maybe 5000 miles on them. Everything was fine until a trip this spring during which severe cupping began suddenly on both edges of all four tires, some worse than others. Before starting the trip I had set cold pressure at 45 - maybe should have gone for recommended max of 50. Axle alignment, wheel bearings, etc. checked OK by dealer. What's going on? Could improper tuning of brake controller cause this? A local tire dealer has cautioned that upgrading to radials might adversely affect handling. Any opinions on that?

Thanks, Richard

[ParTheCourse]

RWR4,

Welcome to IRV2.

I have found THIS site helpful re: tire wear.

Hope it helps, keep us posted on how you make out.

[Workshop]

If you have had the axle and bearings checked, what about the shocks, if equiped and the balance on the tires/rims. Can't see the air pressure being the problem with the wear your reporting even though wear on both outside edges would indicate that. The 5 psi wouldn't have caused the cupping without something else possbily happening. Have you had your trailer weighed. Likewise with the brake controller. If set to low, can't stop. If to high, smoking the tires leaving those nasty flat spots.

I have been running radials on two 5th wheels and a 14ft construction trailer and haven't had a problem. Important thing is to match the load range and correct size to your trailer.

[Ray,IN]

You might want to read the Carlisle Tire Warranty closely. It says if their tires are not inflated to sidewall maximum the warranty is voided.

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

Though you say the dealer checked the alignment, with cupping on all 4 tires, I'd still suspect the trailer is out of alignment. (I didn't think very many RV dealers had the equipment to do trailer alignment).

I'd take it to a shop that specializes in trailers and have them check it.

[RWR4]

Thanks for the replies. I need to take the trailer to the dealer where I bought it for a water leak around the AC. While there I will get a weight and a second alignment check and some opinions from them. I had read the Carlisle papers after-the-fact and saw the instruction to run at max pres. This was not intuitive from my experience with other types of vehicles.

Something else I noticed after-the-fact in rereading the brake controller manual was a caution to not jack a trailer on an axle. Interesting that the trailer manufacturer did not give this same warning. Another thing of possible significance was the thirty or so miles we drove between Baton Rouge and Houston on I-10 where there was continuous construction and terrible road condition. It just beat the crap out of the trailer. Things left where I was sure they would stay put were all over the floor. However, there was no visible sign of damage to the running gear.

The one alignment check I could make myself was to measure the distance between the two axles at either end. The spacing was equal to within a hair's breadth. I guess you could bend an axle in such a way that it would pass the spacing test but nevertheless have wheels not all parallel. But to create a toein or toeout you would have to bend the axle in the forward or rearward direction, not the direction a jack would bend.

Maybe this was just a quirk of circumstances never to be repeated. On the other hand, a friend often said, "Problems that go away by themselves tend to come back by themselves".

Thanks again, Richard

[Ray,IN]

Richard, this may not be connected to your tire issue, but this Goodyear RV tire care pdf says all RV tires should be balanced.