Tire change or wheel maintenance

[cwall59]

Originally Posted by Burrington

I totally disagree with anyone that says you don't need to balance trailer tires. Not only do they last longer when they are balanced, but they run smoother, create less wear and stress on the bearings, hubs, springs, shocks, frame and dishes. The low end manufacturers all look for ways to save every dollar of cost, but NH should NOT be delivering high end trailers with unbalanced tires. If your trailer tires have not been balanced, get them done. The cost is minor compared to the cost of prematurely replacing tires and suspension components.

I just this week had one tire indicate high pressure on the monitor. I used my thermal imager and found it was running hotter than the other 5. I used the Bigfoot jacks to raise the trailer and gave it a spin to check the bearings. Nice and smooth, but I noticed the tire had some wear spots typical of being out of balance. They are Goodyear "H" G114's. In order to determine that the heat was from the tire and not the bearings, I replaced it with my spare. After that, it ran normal pressure and temperature same as the rest, proving that the tire itself was causing enough heat to raise it's pressure 5 psi more than the others. These tires were originally balanced, but have not been rebalanced for a long time. In my mind, this proves to me that balancing is also important to keep tires running cooler.

Bottom line: get them balanced and keep them balanced.

I had three of my tires balanced on passenger side . One took very little weight, one a small amount of weight but the third took al lot to get it balanced. I will will pull the other side next week. I also have the same tires as you do . Not seeing much wear on them . I also rotated front to back , so all moved a spot .

[Burrington]

Originally Posted by jmadren

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, nothing wrong with that.

Sorry, I didn't mean to attack you. I've heard numerous people say that you don't need to balance trailer tires because nobody is riding in the trailer to feel the vibration. There are many more reasons to balance tires than just ride comfort.

Originally Posted by jmadren

You didn't say, but I'm curious to know if you got the "unbalanced" tire balanced and if it then stopped running hot.

I didn't explain myself very well. The warm tire now has two flat spots, maybe an 1/8" deep. Those will cause the tire to flex more than normal as they rotate over the flat spots, and the extra flexing creates heat. At least that's my working theory. What I also learned is that I need to raise the trailer and spin the tire looking for tread variations more often than I have been, because the flat spots showed up in only about 4,000 miles.

The tires are now 9 years old with 51,000 miles and although there is about
70% tread remaining and no signs of cracking or other problems, I'm going to replace them based on age.

[jmadren]

Originally Posted by Burrington

At least that's my working theory. What I also learned is that I need to raise the trailer and spin the tire looking for tread variations more often than I have been, because the flat spots showed up in only about 4,000 miles.

That's what I'm getting at. I know that unbalanced tires can wear faster, but I haven't seen where it causes enough wear to force a tire change before they age out (on a trailer).

The fact that yours developed flat spots severve enough to cause heating/pressure issues within 4000 miles indicates that the tire has deterioated or has been damaged (locked-up breaking?).

Originally Posted by Burrington

The tires are now 9 years old...I'm going to replace them based on age.

Smart move. At that age they are ticking bombs, even if you don't see any cracking.

[Burrington]

Originally Posted by jmadren

I know that unbalanced tires can wear faster, but I haven't seen where it causes enough wear to force a tire change before they age out (on a trailer).

I suppose that depends on how many miles you put on your trailer. If you only use it for short weekend trips, you probably don't get enough miles to matter if they are balanced.

Originally Posted by jmadren

The fact that yours developed flat spots severve enough to cause heating/pressure issues within 4000 miles indicates that the tire has deterioated or has been damaged (locked-up breaking?).

When I do my lift and spin, I've always focused on the bearings, rather than looking at the spinning tread. So its possible the flat spots have been building up for some time and I just hadn't noticed them on my last couple spins. I have not had any panic stops that would have made a flat spot, so I attribute it to unbalance. My lift and spin process will include a better tread inspection from now on.

I still believe that the reduced wear and tear on the whole suspension system and trailer contents is well worth the small cost to have the tires balanced when they are installed. The balancing cost is so small compared to the cost of the tires I don't know why anyone wouldn't do it...