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Old 08-09-2018, 10:45 AM   #1
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Age of Tires - Cause for concern?

Hello folks,

As I write this its Aug of 2018, I’m purchasing a TH from a dealer and the rig is in very good shape for it’s age (2014 model). My one concern is the tires. They’re marked 3715 which would indicate the 37th week of year 2015. That would be 3 years old.

Is this considered old to you all? Even if the tread looks good, is this old and suspect? Just wondering if I should negotiate with the dealer to comp some tires for me. They really are fair people from what I’ve determined thus far and intend on speaking well of them after the deal, but I feel like with a 35k purchase, requesting new tires is not that extreme. Or is this just something that we camper buyers deal with.

What are your thoughts?

Thank you!
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Old 08-09-2018, 10:50 AM   #2
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JMHO: TH's are famous for tire failures , usually due to overloading by a previous owner, and marginal load rating from the factory. Negotiate for better tires ( higher load rated ) and metal valves if the rims don't already have them.
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Old 08-09-2018, 10:54 AM   #3
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JMHO: TH's are famous for tire failures , usually due to overloading by a previous owner, and marginal load rating from the factory. Negotiate for better tires ( higher load rated ) and metal valves if the rims don't already have them.
Thank you for the input. That’s what I was thinking as well. What load rating would you recommend?
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Old 08-09-2018, 11:12 AM   #4
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Industry standard is 10 years for vehicles and they are pushing towards 7 now. The only issue I have found on trailer tires is they tend to get flat spots from sitting all the time and the weights of the trailers. 3 years to me wouldn't be an issue as long as they pass a visual inspection but if they are "China Bombs" I would swap them even if they were manufactured today.
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Old 08-09-2018, 12:58 PM   #5
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Thank you for the input. That’s what I was thinking as well. What load rating would you recommend?
From your first post , saying the TH was a 2014 and the tires 2015; looks like the original owner had tire issues early in the trailers life ( OEM tires would probably have been 2013) . Assuming all the current tires have a similar date code.
Find the weight sticker on the RV , that will give you the factory tire's size and rating ( eg. 215/75R/15 load range D ) once you have that rating ( eg D ) you want replacement tires of an " E " rating.
If the current tires are already of a higher rating , than the OEM sticker indicates , the original owner probably did the upgrade when he replaced tires and you could stick with that rating.
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Old 08-09-2018, 01:06 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by 24shofast View Post
Industry standard is 10 years for vehicles and they are pushing towards 7 now. The only issue I have found on trailer tires is they tend to get flat spots from sitting all the time and the weights of the trailers. 3 years to me wouldn't be an issue as long as they pass a visual inspection but if they are "China Bombs" I would swap them even if they were manufactured today.
Industry standard for vehicles , may be 10 years , but for trailer tires , I believe it's 5.
I had 4; 5ers before my current coach , and replaced tires on all of them , due to pending failure, bulges or separation , on or before their 5th birthdays.

BTW: I always balanced my trailer tires , if it rotates ... balance it!
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Old 08-09-2018, 03:39 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 24shofast View Post
Industry standard is 10 years for vehicles and they are pushing towards 7 now. The only issue I have found on trailer tires is they tend to get flat spots from sitting all the time and the weights of the trailers. 3 years to me wouldn't be an issue as long as they pass a visual inspection but if they are "China Bombs" I would swap them even if they were manufactured today.
That’s good info, wow. I didn’t think even well taken care of camper tires would last 7 years. Good to know. As far as the China bombs, as a newbie, yes I’ve heard about these and I’ll definitely do some research to find the names of these to stay away from. If you have any quality brands that you’ve had success with, I’d love to hear them. Thanks!
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Old 08-09-2018, 03:42 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip426 View Post
From your first post , saying the TH was a 2014 and the tires 2015; looks like the original owner had tire issues early in the trailers life ( OEM tires would probably have been 2013) . Assuming all the current tires have a similar date code.
Find the weight sticker on the RV , that will give you the factory tire's size and rating ( eg. 215/75R/15 load range D ) once you have that rating ( eg D ) you want replacement tires of an " E " rating.
If the current tires are already of a higher rating , than the OEM sticker indicates , the original owner probably did the upgrade when he replaced tires and you could stick with that rating.
You know, I had thought the same thing about the year tire being newer than the camper. I figured the orginal owner must have swapped them out as well. I guess I’ll have to see what brand tire they are. I’ll contact sales. From other posts, it seems that 3 years may not be that bad if a visual inspection looks good and they are of a quality brand. Thanks!
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Old 08-09-2018, 03:45 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip426 View Post
Industry standard for vehicles , may be 10 years , but for trailer tires , I believe it's 5.
I had 4; 5ers before my current coach , and replaced tires on all of them , due to pending failure, bulges or separation , on or before their 5th birthdays.

BTW: I always balanced my trailer tires , if it rotates ... balance it!
Good points Skip, thanks. And yes balancing seems like a good idea. Next I’ll research TPS systems and I’ve heard a lot of folks suggest temperature monitoring as well. We’re excited to finially get our own rig! Been renting for almost 3 years
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Old 08-10-2018, 10:54 AM   #10
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Looks like ST 235/80R 16 - Samson load range G’s on there now. Do ya’ll like the Samson’s? Some light research says they’re made in China but evidently a lot of tires are now. Are these considered junk tires in your opinion ?
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Old 08-11-2018, 04:17 PM   #11
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Looks like ST 235/80R 16 - Samson load range G’s on there now. Do ya’ll like the Samson’s? Some light research says they’re made in China but evidently a lot of tires are now. Are these considered junk tires in your opinion ?

Not too sure the old term “China Bomb” is appropriate these days. Quality control and testing is more important than where the factory is located. Sure, there is junk made in China but there’s junk made in the U.S. too.

You mention load range G; Make sure the “Load Index” of the tire within that G range meets or exceeds your axle capacity. If you have #8,000 axles, a tire on the low end of the G range may not have the capacity to meet or exceed your axle capacity.

A sales guy tried selling me a Goodyear load range G tire. I went back to the shop to look at it with him and the tire capacity was only 3,750lbs at 110 psi. That would have been 500lbs shy per axle for my #8,000 axles. I went with a load range G tire that had a load index of 129 which means it has a load capacity of 4080lbs at 110 psi.
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Old 08-11-2018, 04:29 PM   #12
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Love it when posters cite industry sources on tire life but don't provide links or cites to the info to back it up.
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Old 08-12-2018, 09:14 AM   #13
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Not too sure the old term “China Bomb” is appropriate these days. Quality control and testing is more important than where the factory is located. Sure, there is junk made in China but there’s junk made in the U.S. too.

You mention load range G; Make sure the “Load Index” of the tire within that G range meets or exceeds your axle capacity. If you have #8,000 axles, a tire on the low end of the G range may not have the capacity to meet or exceed your axle capacity.

A sales guy tried selling me a Goodyear load range G tire. I went back to the shop to look at it with him and the tire capacity was only 3,750lbs at 110 psi. That would have been 500lbs shy per axle for my #8,000 axles. I went with a load range G tire that had a load index of 129 which means it has a load capacity of 4080lbs at 110 psi.
Thanks Joe. I didn’t realize that there were load choices within the G. I’m guessing that to be safe, each tire should at least be load indexed to match or exceed the weight capacity of the axel. So if you have a 3500# axel, the tire should be load range G and with at least an index of 3500#. Think I understand now and thanks!
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Old 08-12-2018, 09:16 AM   #14
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Love it when posters cite industry sources on tire life but don't provide links or cites to the info to back it up.
I called the manufacturer of the tires that came on my 5vr. The person who answered the call stated 7 years under “perfect” conditions, 5 years under “imperfect” conditions. I suppose the tire owner can define those terms for themselves.
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