Another great video, Ray!!!! I thought you covered the topic well without getting mired down in the tire wars. We have used a tire minder since 2010. Been very happy with there product and also there service. We had a incident happen in 2015 that may be of interest. We we traveling to Boone, N.C. for a family wedding from our home in Maryland. We stopped for the night about 100 miles short of our destination. I happened to brush my hand against the inside of my front trailer tire and got stabbed while setting up camp for the night. On closer inspection, I found that the tread had separated about 2 inches and what stuck me was the inner wire. No problem I thought. I got out the spare from under the camper that I had been airing up for the previous 4 year and got ready to mount it. Turned out that Jayco had put a 5 lug spare on our six lug axles. There was nothing anywhere close to do tire work. I got online and found a tire dealer 80 miles down the road in the direction of our destination. I was not at all sure the tire would hold together no matter what the speed. We held to 50 mph or less as we were off of the interstate. I monitored tire temps constantly. The damaged tire reached temps of 115 degrees while none of the other tires reached 90 degrees. We made it to the tire dealer and changed our spare tire on to a 6 lug wheel. Because we were there a couple days, I ordered 4 new tires. The tires that came off were in there 5th year. They were Goodyear marathons. We replaced them with Goodyears but like you we upgraded to E tires with 80 psi pressures. Moral of the story is that damaged tires WILL run hotter.
Do NOT rub your bare hand on a tire...anywhere. You were lucky not to get any "penetrations" from steel wire. And, an old man in Florida (my Dad) told me when I was growing up to never rub my hand on a tire, especially if it had just gone flat while going down the road or soon after. Of course I said: "Why, Daddy?". In his calm patient way he explained that sometimes snakes will lay on the road to get warm, especially at night, but sometimes on a cool day when the road is warmer. As you drive along, whether you see the snake or not, you may think you ran over a stick and not give it a second thought, until the tire loses air. Many times the snake will strike at the last second, leaving fangs in the tread for you to rub later with your hand when you're inspecting for damage. Bingo, you may get an unintentional injection of some residual venom.
Ray, this video has been very helpful, so thank you. We are "newbies" and I tell you that right up front. We are reading and watching RUclips videos every min we can while getting ready for our first camping run. I was sharing your info on tires with my husband , also named Ray, when he saw my screen and said "I am watching the same video!" It's a small world. Thanks for sharing!
I am a retired engineer BTW. One engineering principle is to avoid running anything at maximum capacity. If you look at any gauge you will see the readings are around 75 to 80% of the maximum reading of the gauge. This is what "duty cycle" refers to on many things> You CAN run things at maximum but they will not last as long. The tire does not actually carry the weight. The air inside does. As the load range goes up, the number of plies does. By the way, there are no "I" or "K" range because and I can be read as a 1 (ONE) and K is a common abbreviation for "kilo" or 1000. The speed raring has to do with the heat generated as the tire rolls. That is why tires that are run at speed over the rating 'explode' The tire pressure should be at the pressure the tire is rated for. Lower pressure increases the friction because the tire is "flatter" and exposes more of the tire to the road. The increased friction increases the temperature. See above about temperature. Faster = more friction = higher temperature Low pressure = flatter = more friction = higher temperature.
Great info Ray and timely. Our X Lite Cougar is in the shop now. Had a blowout on I 10 in Alabama. Tires are 3 years old and original equipment. They were called Trailer King brand. Good tread proper psi and covered while stored. Went to the tire store and purchased 5 new tires in Daphne, they had to order them for me. Made the rest of the rip without incident. Estimate from the shop $ 3500.00 damage to the unit. We will be on the road again to enjoy camping soon. My advice is replace your original tires after the first year, for peace of mind. Thank you for the video and take care.
our RV is a single axle. We went from 13" up to 14", and we went from D to an E rating. If you have only one axle, this is a great place to have overkill. Our load rating went up a whole bunch, but we will stick to the max load of the trailer.
Just a superb video, and thank you for your experience. I have owned 3 used bumper pulls, but never really traveled with them, just parked them on a site we owned. Now, with a new 33' Keystone Passport, I am learning all I can. Your video gave me a lot of information and will help me be "smart" when traveling. Thank you, Mike
Good video Ray. I agree two major things to watch is air pressure and speed. I'm thankful I have never had a blow out in 30 years of pulling a trailer. I now drive a Class C. A good TPMS is on my wish list.
The timing of this video is perfect! The upgrade from Load D to E and there running psi was a question I had being looking for an answer. Great info as usual! Thanks Ray.
On point video as always Ray. I just blew a tire on my 6 month old 5th wheel driving through Joshua Tree NP. Just lucky the weather was nice so I rolled down the window and heard a terrible noise coming from the trailer. Stopped on the shoulder to find one passenger side trailer tire turned to shrapnel. I never would have know had I not rolled down the window. I ordered Goodyear Endurance tires (like yours) to be delivered to Tire Pros in Twentynine Palms and will add a new EEZ Tire TPMS so I can keep an eye on them from the truck. Once again, your experience has been to my benefit. Thank you for taking the time to share what you have learned on the road. It makes it easy for noobs like me.
One thing I have learned from these vids is to obtain a Pressure and Temp monitoring device for the tires in event that I EVER decide to take the used fifth wheel on the road vs. parked. It seems to be a safety must.... One would not like to find out they have a blown tire ONLY after the second one on that same side also then blows out.... OMG... What a mess and danger that would be. Esp. in the remote places and very hot or cold places.
Thanks for sharing your exoerience Jeff. I know that stretch of road well, son in law was stationed in 29 Palms. Too bad its a bit of a drive from JT to pick up your tires, but glad to hear you could get them!
Thank you Ray. This video has been very helpful. The Tire Pressure Monitor System I'm planing on Getting this year is the "TST 507RV" 6 Sensor. I have been looking for a year on & off. This System has risen to the top for me. The company seems to understand and care about Tire maintenance. and they seem to be excited about their products. Like you said, This kind of product isn't cheap but I think its worth it.
Good tips. Fully agree with your suggestions. Good point about watching out if you hit a curb or pot hole. It happen to me where we hit a big pothole at low speed at a gas station and I didn't realize it at the time but one the tire that hit the hole was damaged (ripped inside wall). I was lucky to spot it later on before it blew on a trip. Without getting into the different camps about tire pressure what I understand is that unlike car and truck tires, trailer tires are designed to run at full pressure.
There's probably no problem with running at the tire max psi though if you set max psi cold and get 10-15 psi more from heat (running 60+ mph on a hot desert day) that just seems like a lot of pressure. Sure help mpg though. Also, if you download the manufacturer's tire pressure/load chart, it provides the recommended pressure for your given load. I have to think those charts have some engineering behind them. I do run a few psi above the chart, but am still well below max psi.
Never run over a curb or rub your tires along a curb. I drove transport for 25 years and when I had my own equipment I had one tire blow on me over 12 years running heavy loads all over Ontario and Quebec, which is up to 120,000 lbs. gross weight. People who rub their tires are asking for trouble. Great video Ray
I carry a cheap harbor freight IR thermometer with me in the truck door pouch. When ever I stop I hit the tires and the hubs and look for abnormal temperatures.
I picked up the eez rv TPMS last year for our trip out west. I was impressed with the unit. It has very sensitive temp and pressure sensors. Easy installation, and the monitor, like all monitors, comes with a suction cup. Its small enough to Velcro to the dash. I picked up the unit for eight tires because my truck doesn't have the TPMS built in. The sensors picked up the increase of pressure from the sun on the tires and elevation changes.
I went to a 16 in Lt because I would gain height and with adjustment on the trailer raise it up to pickup height. My tire dealer recommended Falken tires and no issues in 3 yrs, looks like they will go another 3. I put about 7000 to 7500 miles a yr on the pickup so the camper would be less. With the stiffer sidewalls less to worry about in the SW deserts boondocking. Enjoy your videos.
We bought the Goodyear Endurance tires. We found three baby sparrows in one of our heater exhaust pipes. Mother was long gone, since we left the storage lot and got onto the highway for our weekend getaway. I can only imagine her flying after the RV that was hauling north on I-81 at a 60 mph clip. We fed the babies meal worms and crickets, but they only survived another two days. The real reason for my response is to thank you for recommending an upgrade to an E rating. I got a mounting price from the local RV dealership of $780 for four Goodyear Endurance 15 inch tires to match my Cougar Xlite. A second estimate was from the local tire shop I go to for oil changes and truck tires and they quoted me $567.50 installed.
Wire when checking tread wear, check 4 areas/points around tire. Looking for any unusual tread wear. The least amount of tread measurement is the measurement for that tire. Look for tire separation. This would be any bulge in tire including sidewall and the treat surface. If you have a slow leak in one of the trailer tires, The first thing I would check is the metal stem itself. if it is leaking, get the right size wrench and tighten the nut next to the wheel. A rubber stem can leak as it gets older. Valve core can leak. Get a valve core remover for tightening/replacing. Yes, metal caps. Enjoy your videos!!!
In your video on TRAILER TIRES, you mentioned a TPMS for your camping trailer. I recently installed a TPMS on my tow vehicle, a Dodge Ram 3500 dually, and my 40' 5th wheel camper. The system I purchased was from TST - Truck Systems Technology, and it can monitor up to 22 tires. The set-up allows you to set up the truck and trailer, and the display has an overhead outline of a truck and trailer, and will sequence through all of the tires, giving about a 10 second display of the pressure and temperature of each tire in sequence. I would recommend PASS-THROUGH sensors for the truck, and standard sensors for the trailer. When you are not pulling the trailer, no pressure readings are displayed for the tires on the trailer, but the monitor does indicate that there are tires there. The system's default settings are for the standard 18-wheeler, but is easy to set up for smaller vehicles. It allows you to set low and high pressure warnings, and low and high pressure temperature warnings as well. The default settings for temperature warning is 170-200 degrees, and will sound an alarm at about 150 degrees, and another as the tires get hotter (Instructions indicate that the normal failure temperature is somewhere in the 170-200 degree range for a blow-out). You can set limits on the pressure to accommodate low and high pressure limits. I run my tires at the MAX pressure setting of 80psi, and set warning limits to 65 and 95 psi. The display is a compact unit that is battery powered, and easily removable for remote monitoring. The unit is shipped with two types of mounts, and a DC power cord that plugs into a cigarette lighter socket. It can also be set for automatic turn-off when not plugged in, and will shut down after a short period of time without movement of the truck. It automatically turns on when it senses a door being opened. The following is a quote from the TST website (www.tsttruck.com): "Welcome to Truck System Technologies We beat SmarTire, Pressure Pro, Tire Minder, Doran, and Bendix in price, quality, options, and durability....don't pay more for less....Our system will notify you in the event of a nail puncture or other gradual pressure loss, sudden tire temperature increases, or in the event of a rapid deflation in the tractor or the trailer tires. The system reports both temperature and PSI simultaneously!! Ice, snow, rain, extreme heat....we can take it! Let the system monitor your tires and avoid the manual effort." I hope this helps.Gary N - Tennessee
Good video Ray. Too many times I see people stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire and damaged trailer. Slow down and take care of the tires. Do that and they'll get you home safely. I've been using the Tireminder system for a while now and it has worked great. It tells you pressure and temperature and will give you warnings when something goes or is going wrong. You can also add extra sensors, incase you want to monitor your truck tires as well. Hope this helps. Safe travels!
Nice video. I have used the TST 507 but have recently switched to the Tire Tracker TT-500. I like the Tire Tracker better. It's much easier to configure and works well...presumably, since I have not had a tire problem yet. I hope to keep it that way.
Late to the comments but I used Tire Minder and it worked well but requires patience to initially set up. I didn't hear nitrogen mentioned. It was highly recommended to me by the owner of a trucking company. I ended up with 2 tires with air and 2 with nitrogen. The nitrogen tire ran 5F cooler and gained about 4 psi less than the air tires and held the temp and pressure steady after running for about an hour. The air tires fluctuated slightly but always ran hotter and at higher PSI. Very good videos.
Excellent video Ray. One thing I didn't hear you mention was the load rating of the rim. I went from LR C to LR D but my wheels are LR C so technically I'm still running LR C rating but I think of them as C+.
Thanks, I had the tire shop check the rims when I first upgraded from D to E and they said they could handle it, I believe they are rated for 80 PSI There are some numbers stamped into the backside of the rims.
Hi Ray. Thanks for another great video. I've been using the TST 507SE on my rig since I bought it June 2016. Monitors temperature and air pressure. Love it. Works great, easy to use and set up and great peace of mind. I used a velcro command strip to attach the monitor to my dash between the radio and a/c controls. Easy for either of us to see and out of the way. Hope this helps. Travel safe.
I also use the Tire Minder on my TT. I once had one of the tires blow out the sidewall and I didn't even notice it while towing. Another motorist was nice enough to point it out to us while driving on the freeway! The Tire Minder has two versions. One is for brass valve stems and the other for aluminum. Apparently brass is usually used on rubber stems and OEM vehicles that come with monitoring systems use aluminum.
Great video, as usual. Thank you for sharing your tips. Much appreciated. We bought the EEZ Tire EEZ-RV-TPMS4 TPMS system last year and have been very happy with it. It measures the pressure pretty accurately and temperature. Has an audio alarm and actually spells out what the problem is, should a problem occur. It is also pretty easy to set up the parameters by axle. We like it. Amazon has it for $270 for a 4-tire system. Batteries are user replaceable, although we have not had to replace any of ours yet.
I use the Tire SafeGuard tire monitor system and like it very much. I had the EEZ unit before that but found that it had a problem with losing data but not showing that it had lost the data. It would continue for up to an hour showing everything OK when in fact it wasn't getting any data transmission from a given tire. I understand that the data transmittal can have issues, but I have an issue with losing data for that long without a notification. I replaced that system with the Tire Safeguard. It has a much shorter window on tolerating bad data before sending out an alarm. We have a motor home and it has a mode for just the motorhome tires or those tires plus the tires on the Jeep we usually tow behind. I also like that the batteries are easily changeable with a standard battery type. A tip on that, though, use some silicone grease on the o-ring when replacing the battery. They are small and easily torn if they are dirty, which they will be. The grease makes the top go back on so much easier. Rally enjoy your videos. Keep them coming
Another great review Ray. That 303 Protectant is a great product. I Know that when I can finally retire and enjoy the road and travel I will have had some very good information.
I've had a STS system for five years and they have worked great. They are commercial grade and of good quality it might be a good idea to get enough sensors for your truck as well I believe my system can monitor up to 20+ tires.
Great video and the truck got a cameo. I have had 2 blow outs due to over inflation when my gauge failed and showed lower than actual pressure. I now carry 2 gauges and compare. I notice my truck tires were warmer than my trailer tires this trip.
hi ray....yes temperature and different environments has various change in tire inflation.. I have tire menders and seem to do my rig just fine....cheers
Service manager at Village RV showed me to keep and eye on the center of trailer tires because when the steel belts begin to loosen the middle of the tire will bulge and this is when a tire fails and explore doing damage to a trailer......way more blowouts happen due to under inflated tires which cause the tires to heat up.......
I just bought a new set of Carlisle last September. Wanted to go up a load range and asked for a quote but when they installed them recieved the previous load range. Not impressed and won't deal there again. I agree with your speed comments. Not only for tires but you have to be able to stop too. In the end Ray tires are like toilet paper, everyone has their favourite brand.
I am newbie, but regarding tire maintenance one does NOT havew to be an RVer.... My suggestion for anyone who will parke their unit for over a month at a time would be to buy two properly sized bottle jacks, four properly sized jack stands (and some short 2X10 wood pieces to place under stands) and take the weight OFF of the tires a bit and reduce the pressure, if you have ability to reinflate prior to leaving... this will relax the tires a bit rather than full PSI stress and weight on them. This should lengthen sidewall life (and avoid flat spotting) along with tire covers on sunny side. Just my former engineer opinion. Oh... and your trailer will be more stabilized and not rock on the tires this way. No sea sickness.
Great video, I agree with everything you said. It all made very logical sense. Thank you for also addressing the know-it-alls, I got a kick out of that. There is always at least one in the bunch isn't there? LOL. Your dog is just the cutest!
Thanks for another great video. I was talking to another rv (newbie) like myself at work and we were saying how good you tube is. I was asking him have you ever seen love your rv ray on there. He said I love that guys videos and Angie is a star. Lol. I agreed so now we just wait for your next video patiently. Thanks again.
Hello Ray!, great video...Thanks. Just curious about the logistics of getting new tires. Do you go to a tire shop or an RV dealer? Most tire shops near me barely have room for a car to turn around much less a 36 foot 5th wheel....Thanks.
I've always gone to tire shops. 3 of the 4 times I needed new tires the shops had big parking lots, used Les Schwab in Oregon and California. Last time I used a smaller shop so what I did was do 2 at a time. Jacked up one tire and put my spare on it, then jacked up the one next to it and left the jack in place. Took the pair of tires and had them changed for new then came back and did the same thing for the pair on the other side. I used a 20-ton jack right under the bottom of my unclamp close to the wheel, so only had to jack a few inches. Cheers, Ray
Long, Long, Honeymoon did a swap to LT tires on their Airstream trailer, and they had to go up to a 16" tire size...They did a good explanation about the switch...
Ray, thank you for another great technical video. I just changed my tires to the Goodyear Endurance brand after wearing out some Goodyear Marathons that only made it to 13,000 miles with our 32' travel trailer. Your video greatly helped us choose a new set of tires. I'm always diligent about constantly checking my tire pressure each time I stop. Perhaps this has helped since I've never experienced a blowout yet. I'll let you know how well these new tires hold up. Thanks again!!
Great video Ray! Thanks so much for your time and effort putting these vids together for us!!! I've had a couple of blowouts, but after talking to my tire guy, it is from the rv setting too long and not being used, I watch the pressure closely and the tread is always fine, so now, I think I'm just gonna have to use it more!! :) Thanks again!!! w.
I have a non-contact temperature gun in my glove compartment and using it often has saved me sone heartache on truck, RV, snd motorcycle tires. Purchased at Harbor Freight for $20.
Well thats why then, we get on the high way and want to go the speed limited but the tires are not up to it, we gut our sway bars on and all that safety stuff but its the speed that the tires can't take it, a lot of people don't know the speed think, good video, thank you.the manufacturers put week side wall tires on the trailers, but there steal being driven over the speed, that there ment to go.and check in at the scales to see whats the trailers weight is.
Thanks for sharing your tips! I have a Robbor tpms with ten sensors on my fiver & F250. I purchased it on eBay with a make offer option. This kit has a repeater as well. So far so good. 👍😎🇺🇸
I have a Bellacorp TPS got it on amazon works great. Have a 2016 cougar 35 ft 5 th wheel changed the cheep trailer king to a 14 ply Salune tire my trailer runs around 11000 lb new tires are much better strong sidewalk almost no flex run 80 lb cold get warmer while running
I purchased a new tire minder last year and discovered there is usually a 5 - 10 PSI difference between the tire minder monitor and my very reliable hand held tire pressure guage. There is also a notable difference between transmitters, i.e. using different transmitters on the same tire will result in totally different readings. My conclusion is the transmitters are not very accurate but are designed to detect rapid changes in pressure and temperature which I have not yet experienced, I am riding on China bombs which is why I bought the tire minder, I would have much rather spent the $400 on better tires which I will have to do anyway but hopefully the tire minder will give me some advance warning. Great job on your video.
If you read the sidewall you will see the actual number of sidewall ply. Bet that both the "LR-D" and the LR_E" have the same number. Reason for less sidewall bulge was the higher pressure, not any change in construction. "Load Range" is a reference to the max inflation level, not to be confused with "Load Capacity" which is the number of pounds a tire can support. It is important to not confuse these two different terms. Balancing load is important but only way to know for sure is to get on a truck scale unless you have a "calibrated eyeball" :-) Standard rubber valves are rated for a max of 65. Metal stems 200 psi. IMO any LR-D or higher should have bolt in metal valve stems. Yes metal valve caps are a bit of extra insurance if the valve core develops a slow leak. Sidewall circumferential failure is a real "blowout" or more correctly a Run Low Flex Failure when the sidewall flexes a lot while at highway speed which can even melt the body cord. This is different than a 'Belt Separation" when the belts and tread separate from the body of the tire. Separations are more likely to occur on older tires and tires that have been run hotter due to high load and high speed. You may find additional information, company neutral information on my RV tire blog. www.RVTire Safety.net I am a retired tire design and quality engineer with 40 years experience. Generally a good informative video.
Thanks for the info Roger, appreciated. Looking forward to reading through your blog, looks geat! The Towmaxx Es did have less bulge than the Ds even at the same 65 PSI, not sure why then maybe they redesigned the tire. I know they told me they had 2 more plys. When I bought the Goodyears the tire guy had me push down on the tire and compare to a cheaper brand and man what a difference in stiffness. Cheers! Ray
Diff. terms but VERY related.. The charts DO show load capacity limits for diff.Load Ranges.... and YES, the PSI is also different as a heavier load capacity REQUIRES a higher PSI for a given tire, regardless of loas range, due to temperature build-up.... in a car loaded with crap going on a trip down south, one should go to MAX pressure or a few lbs over recommended pressure... If the tire(s) are a few lbs. lower than recomm. then the tires will heat up (and wear out the outer treads faster) as frictio with the road WILL be higher. Load weight and Friction goes to temp.buildup in tire. Higher allowable pressure reduces this and less chance for blowout... but do not go banging into potholes and curbs, regardless. Sidewall or corner/edge-of-tread bruising will eventually bulge and pop like a zit.
@@LoveYourRV PLIES.... difference may be steel ply vs. nylon or kevlar ply.... Steel being stiffer. Some are combo... some are all steel ply and are HEAVY tires.
Do you always get the same spot at Thunderbird? Do you own it? It looks like you are always in the same spot. Any more trips planned for eastern North America ?? I'll be curious to see how you fair with the ENDURANCE tires. There has been a lot of positive talk on them. Keep us updated ! Re: TPMS. It looks like you'll need to find a system that incorporates all your needs. A screen that can toggle between BU cam, GPS and TPMS. Otherwise the cab of your truck will start looking like mission control with so many screens.
Yes, same spot last few years. We love it on the estuary, there are only about 8 sites with the view so we have to reserve in January. No plans in the foreseeable future, love the west. I plan to place the TPMS way down at the bottom of my dash next to my trans gauge. It will be visible but out of the way. I'll get one with an audio alert. Cheers Ray
I made the plunge and bought the eez rv tmps. It was steep, but, hope it worth it. Still don't have my 5ver yet, but, talked myself into buying all I could need 1st so the initial bill wont be so steep (looking forward to the RV seller saying "you will need this" GOT IT. " You will need that" GOT IT. Basically, most things you have advised, I purchased it already. Lol. Love your videos and cant wait for each new one. God Bless....Keith
I picked up the EEZRV TP515 system. More than sufficient range to the 5th wheel tires without a repeater and it'll do higher pressures. Plus it does report temperatures but I think that it is at best a guideline. At least you can see if one tire is warmer than the others. After seeing some of the damage caused by trailer tire failures, a TPMS seems to be a great idea.
I upgraded the tires on my travel trailer from the Load Range C installed by the factory to Load Range D (Maxxis M8008 tires) and keep them inflated at the max. 65 psi. I figure there should be much less stress on these LR D tires than a LR C tire that's closer to being maxed out.
Makes sense, that's what I did going from D to E and noticed a big difference in the stiffness of the sidewalls, the only thing to check is if the rims are rated for the higher PSI.
Thanks for the video lots of nice stuff here. In terms of the Tow Max tires, I got bit in the rear end only 3--4K on them 65MPH and I had one blow out would never recommend them quite a few reported issues with the Tow Max's. I replaced all my tires with Maxxies so far so good. Like the USA made Good Year's
As someone who works in the automotive industry, I hate the metal valve stems. They corrode over time and when putting air in a tire can become weak enough to break off. That being said, if you change your tires, and valve stems every 2 years or so you shouldn't see that corrosion issue. Good tire care info!
Thanks for the info, haven't heard that drawback. Could be, because where I live and travel I don't encounter snow and ice conditions, so don't see the road salts they lay down in some regions of the country. I remember when I traveled to the northeast folks were blown away that my 1994 truck didn't have body rust. Cheers, Ray
Ray, was reading about your adventures on your site. Question - Since you are full time, when your not traveling do you have a homebase such as a park in BC. We are planning on keeping our home atleast initially, If you have an article or video on the pro / con of keeping and/sell your home to fulltime rv we would appreciate it.
My new Jayco 5th wheel came with GoodYear Endurance tires from the factory, got about 1k miles on the do far, but have a trip to Florida coming up next to really test them.
Cool! I torture tested them on the way back from California to BC. The winter was super rainy this year so the roads had a ton of potholes and patch pavement areas. Cheers! Ray
My favorite trailer tire is the round black ones. Once I find a tire that's more or less round and pretty much blackish then I like to get in real close and get a real good sniff, it should smell like rubber. If it's round, black and smells like rubber then you know you've got a real tire and you can buy with confidence.
I bought a TST 507 with heat and pressure. The rising heat will usually give you an indication of a problem first (so I was told). They are more than $300 - around $500 I think, with 4 internal sensors for the trailer, anti-lock devices for the dully truck + a repeater.
Bought the tire minder at campersworld , had a choice of a monitor or you could use your iPhone , went with the first option. Which costs more.Have a new 2017 Forest River Cardinal 5th wheel ,You are right, it is expensive , but gives you a comfort zone. Warns you of slow or fast leaks, which can happen even with new tires. Accurate tire pressure. Spent most of my life (4,000,000) driving , seen too many wrecked trailers. Simply, it's hard to put a price tag on you an your families life. I personally think it's the best investment so far we have made .we are newbies as well .PS we in the trucking industry called the cap that came off a tire, ALLIGATOR
Hi Ray, excellent video. I don't know if you remember me or not but I recommended the Endurance tires to you after I got a set. I have about 4000 miles on them and so far so good. I have the TST monitoring system and so far it has been great, a real piece of mind thing. They are very light and haven't shown any wear on the stems. I have the same size rig that you have and the wireless works fine with that distance. model # TM-507RV/SG , it gives you press and temp. I wasn't cheap I think $340 or so, but at least they work. Oh and I have nitrogen filled in my tires, not sure if it makes a difference but they seem to run a little cooler, can't say for sure. Curious to see what you end up with. Thanks for the videos.
Yes, I remember. Thanks so much! When I saw them at the tire dealer, I remembered! Cheers! I used to run nitrogen but it's sometimes hard to find in the boonies so have gone back to plain air.
I highly recommend the TST 507 RV tire monitor system. Yes, it's about $300.00 US but it has save our butts 3 times that could have caused a blowout. The $300 is far less than my insurance deductable. LOL.
Hi Ray! Good job on your videos...love them! On a related subject to tires: leaf spring suspension system and equalizers. Have you done any videos on the subject? I'm about to redo mine but am trying to do my homework before install. Have you heard of any comparisons between the Dexter EZ Flex equalizer versus the MorRyde SRE4000 suspension system?
No haven't. I did get mine redone last fall. All new bushings, shackles, bolts and replaced the Trail Air Equa-Flex equalizers. No problems just worn out, we have a lot of miles on it. I took it to my dealer for the work though, not something I'd like to tackle especially in a campground. ;)
LT tire discussion... if you go bigger, do NOT go to an LT... they limit to LR E.... Bigger rigs need LR F or, better yet, LR G. And usually have good speed rating and tread life. They have stiffer side walls to last longer with all that trailer weight. Just my opinion from what Ihave learned in research. Bigger issue I am having problems finding info on is HOW to tell the max. rating for a Steel RIM..... If a higer PSI tire is going on, say with 95 to 100 PSI, will the RIM handle it or possibly blow out a rim (it can happen).... I have rims on my heavy used fifth wheel I bought, with just under 12000 unlaiden factory weight, and 14450 max load.... LR F could work, but they recomend LR G. About same money, two more plies. Some idiot had LT truck tires with LR E on the unit. 16 inch rim, I think they are DexStar rims. Only marking diff. from sise is a code "KA". I do not find what that means. I fear that someone may hbe totally switched out the factory rims with inferior tires ont ehm from a smaller unit. I fear the rims may not handle the 95 PSI for new LR G tires... I will get the steel valve stems though which also need a 110 PSI rating. If ONLY I could find out if the rims are safe. RV manufacturers appear to be the worst mfgrs of any rolling object out there, including tricicles. They under-engineer things so badly and poor construction I hear stories of and ALSO,,, Manuals with NO Electrical diagrams?? What kind of shoemakers are this bunch? How do they stay on the US Higways with such sub par mfg????? Units should be built to be as safe as required for at least 20 yrs. and roadworthy as such.
If your trailer is heavy enough to come equipped with 8-lug wheels, the only way to go is with Boar Wheel and Tire. Designed and engineered to go 80,000-100,000 miles without a blow-out. Research them yourselves. Not cheap, but it is your life you are dealing with in the long run. Very similar to semi-trailer wheels and tires. Watch the videos; it is easy to understand.
Thanks, Ray! I have Power King's on my toy hauler (orginal) and I've only had one issue. I had a sidewall bubble on one of them and thankfully, I was able to catch it before it failed. I will certainly look into the Goodyear tires as I need to replace all six tires on my rig this year. Anything Angie approved is good by me ;0) I also like the speed rating, as here in Utah, we have the crazy 80 mph speed limit. I don't have intentions of towing that fast, but the Goodyear would give me some flexibility. I also use an infrared digital laser thermometer when I stop, checking (confirming) temperatures on my rim / tires. Like many others who have commented, my TPMS does monitor temperature, which is really nice. And I also agree with the metal valve stem, Les hooked me up on that, too.
Hello. Is this video 2 years old? Meaning 2 years on the Goodyear tires? How do you like them. I put tire pressure monitors on mine. My tires vary 8 to 10 degrees while traveling. Up sizing to 16 inch allows you to increase ply rating to 14 from 10. Travel safe. Robert.
Yes, I actually just swapped out the tires for a fresh set, stuck with the same Goodyear Endurance. Was at the 2 1/2 year mark with about 25% tread left, but we travel a lot so usually wear out a set of tires every 2 years or so. I don't like to let the tread get too worn down. I'm happy with the Endurance tires, held air well, Made in the USA, 87 MPH speed rated and cost 138.50 each, so not too expensive. Cheers, Ray
Ah, you stole my thunder…. I was just gonna type, “towmax = china bombs”. Hah. Learned that lesson the hard way. After buying most recent rig, I drove it right down to the tire store and put on USA made Goodyears, G rated. No more blowouts.
One should use teh TIRE PSI recommended.... You switched to LR E.... should use 80 PSI. I suppose 72 would be OK, but worry of heat build up on long hauls would be a fear, I think. So, maybe up to 80 PSI on your long drives? Check tire wear... if sides are wearing, then you should have more PSI.. if center is wearing out first, then less PSI.
Most tire manufacturers publish load inflation tables as a guide to PSI - www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf I've been running mine around 72-75 PSI during this trip with no abnormal heat build up, I use a wireless TPMS with temperature readout and set the high temp alert on it just in case. After 2 years with this set of tires wear is pretty even except on drivers side rear (wears faster on the inside edge) but that has always been an issue with this trailer. Likely an axle alignment. Although I've talked to other owners and they get the same wear, one even had the axle aligned and same issue. Cheers, Ray
Hi Ray, noticed you have different rims on your rig from the original Sunraysia , was it a cosmetic change or upgrade to better rims?...Great Video Tip too
Ray, Check into the Maxxis 8008 series tire. I did a exhaustive study on tires before we went to Alaska. They did fine. I'd be interested in your opinion.
I'd heard really good things about the Maxxis and was considering them but tilted towards the new Endurance tires since they were being made in a new factory the USA and liked the 87 MPH speed rating. They've proved to be very good. I' ve been from SoCal to BC and back down to Arizona, zero problems. I haven't even added air since I left BC 3 months ago. Cheers, Ray
Ray, nice video again! We're wanting to take the 5th wheel through Canada from Vancouver over to the Maritimes this summer and wanted to know about boondocking up there. Did you do any videos on that trip? We also want to head down the US Eastern seaboard in the fall as the weather cools and across the bottom of the US like you did. Any helpful videos on that part of your travels? Thank you.
Thanks. :) Not much boondocking in the east as far as I saw unlike the west it's almost all privately held land. There are some national, state, county and provincial parks but they usually still cost money to camp at. It's a lot more expensive to travel and camp out east that's for sure. I wasn't doing videos or seriously blogging back then.
Nice job talking about the tires without getting into the debate saga over opinions, Ray, You talk from your experience and that holds more weight with me. I notice in the video you had a tire ramp, hoping you were going to mention it. Who is the maker and place to purchase and how well does it works? Thanks for the video, good timing on tire talk.
It's a trailer aid ramp - www.loveyourrv.com/trailer-aid-plus/ Works well, however, I did have to put and extra plank under it to get my tire up high enough. My suspension has quite a bit of sag due to the equalizer. I carry one to make a tire change along the freeway a little faster. So far haven't needed thankfully. Cheers! Ray
Another great video, Ray!!!! I thought you covered the topic well without getting mired down in the tire wars. We have used a tire minder since 2010. Been very happy with there product and also there service. We had a incident happen in 2015 that may be of interest. We we traveling to Boone, N.C. for a family wedding from our home in Maryland. We stopped for the night about 100 miles short of our destination. I happened to brush my hand against the inside of my front trailer tire and got stabbed while setting up camp for the night. On closer inspection, I found that the tread had separated about 2 inches and what stuck me was the inner wire. No problem I thought. I got out the spare from under the camper that I had been airing up for the previous 4 year and got ready to mount it. Turned out that Jayco had put a 5 lug spare on our six lug axles. There was nothing anywhere close to do tire work. I got online and found a tire dealer 80 miles down the road in the direction of our destination. I was not at all sure the tire would hold together no matter what the speed. We held to 50 mph or less as we were off of the interstate. I monitored tire temps constantly. The damaged tire reached temps of 115 degrees while none of the other tires reached 90 degrees. We made it to the tire dealer and changed our spare tire on to a 6 lug wheel. Because we were there a couple days, I ordered 4 new tires. The tires that came off were in there 5th year. They were Goodyear marathons. We replaced them with Goodyears but like you we upgraded to E tires with 80 psi pressures. Moral of the story is that damaged tires WILL run hotter.
Good to know, thank Eddie for sharing the info and story.
Cheers! Ray
Do NOT rub your bare hand on a tire...anywhere. You were lucky not to get any "penetrations" from steel wire. And, an old man in Florida (my Dad) told me when I was growing up to never rub my hand on a tire, especially if it had just gone flat while going down the road or soon after. Of course I said: "Why, Daddy?". In his calm patient way he explained that sometimes snakes will lay on the road to get warm, especially at night, but sometimes on a cool day when the road is warmer. As you drive along, whether you see the snake or not, you may think you ran over a stick and not give it a second thought, until the tire loses air. Many times the snake will strike at the last second, leaving fangs in the tread for you to rub later with your hand when you're inspecting for damage. Bingo, you may get an unintentional injection of some residual venom.
Ray, this video has been very helpful, so thank you. We are "newbies" and I tell you that right up front. We are reading and watching RUclips videos every min we can while getting ready for our first camping run. I was sharing your info on tires with my husband , also named Ray, when he saw my screen and said "I am watching the same video!" It's a small world. Thanks for sharing!
haha, you're welcome :) Wish RUclips was as big when I was a newbie, such a great resource.
Cheers! Ray
I am a retired engineer BTW.
One engineering principle is to avoid running anything at maximum capacity. If you look at any gauge you will see the readings are around 75 to 80% of the maximum reading of the gauge. This is what "duty cycle" refers to on many things> You CAN run things at maximum but they will not last as long.
The tire does not actually carry the weight. The air inside does. As the load range goes up, the number of plies does. By the way, there are no "I" or "K" range because and I can be read as a 1 (ONE) and K is a common abbreviation for "kilo" or 1000.
The speed raring has to do with the heat generated as the tire rolls. That is why tires that are run at speed over the rating 'explode'
The tire pressure should be at the pressure the tire is rated for. Lower pressure increases the friction because the tire is "flatter" and exposes more of the tire to the road. The increased friction increases the temperature. See above about temperature.
Faster = more friction = higher temperature
Low pressure = flatter = more friction = higher temperature.
Thanks for the info, good stuff. You do sound like an engineer. ;) Cheers, Ray
Great info Ray and timely. Our X Lite Cougar is in the shop now. Had a blowout on I 10 in Alabama. Tires are 3 years old and original equipment. They were called Trailer King brand. Good tread proper psi and covered while stored. Went to the tire store and purchased 5 new tires in Daphne, they had to order them for me. Made the rest of the rip without incident. Estimate from the shop $ 3500.00 damage to the unit. We will be on the road again to enjoy camping soon. My advice is replace your original tires after the first year, for peace of mind. Thank you for the video and take care.
Good advice, thanks for sharing a sorry about the nasty blowout. Ouch!
our RV is a single axle. We went from 13" up to 14", and we went from D to an E rating. If you have only one axle, this is a great place to have overkill. Our load rating went up a whole bunch, but we will stick to the max load of the trailer.
Just a superb video, and thank you for your experience. I have owned 3 used bumper pulls, but never really traveled with them, just parked them on a site we owned. Now, with a new 33' Keystone Passport, I am learning all I can. Your video gave me a lot of information and will help me be "smart" when traveling. Thank you, Mike
Thanks! Glad it was of use. Enjoy the new rig. Cheers! Ray
This was one of the best informational videos on tires I have viewed. 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Always enjoy your down to earth style, Ray. You can tell that you know what you are talking about.
Thank you. :)
Good video Ray. I agree two major things to watch is air pressure and speed. I'm thankful I have never had a blow out in 30 years of pulling a trailer. I now drive a Class C. A good TPMS is on my wish list.
The timing of this video is perfect! The upgrade from Load D to E and there running psi was a question I had being looking for an answer. Great info as usual! Thanks Ray.
On point video as always Ray. I just blew a tire on my 6 month old 5th wheel driving through Joshua Tree NP. Just lucky the weather was nice so I rolled down the window and heard a terrible noise coming from the trailer. Stopped on the shoulder to find one passenger side trailer tire turned to shrapnel. I never would have know had I not rolled down the window. I ordered Goodyear Endurance tires (like yours) to be delivered to Tire Pros in Twentynine Palms and will add a new EEZ Tire TPMS so I can keep an eye on them from the truck. Once again, your experience has been to my benefit. Thank you for taking the time to share what you have learned on the road. It makes it easy for noobs like me.
Thanks, Jeff. Sorry to hear about the blowout, hope there wasn't too much damage.
One thing I have learned from these vids is to obtain a Pressure and Temp monitoring device for the tires in event that I EVER decide to take the used fifth wheel on the road vs. parked. It seems to be a safety must.... One would not like to find out they have a blown tire ONLY after the second one on that same side also then blows out.... OMG... What a mess and danger that would be. Esp. in the remote places and very hot or cold places.
Thanks for sharing your exoerience Jeff. I know that stretch of road well, son in law was stationed in 29 Palms. Too bad its a bit of a drive from JT to pick up your tires, but glad to hear you could get them!
I have the EEZTIRE . I wouldn't run without it, Great video! You're the best.
Cool. Thanks!
Thank you Ray. This video has been very helpful.
The Tire Pressure Monitor System I'm planing on Getting this year is the
"TST 507RV" 6 Sensor.
I have been looking for a year on & off. This System has risen to the top for me. The company seems to understand and care about Tire maintenance. and they seem to be excited about their products. Like you said, This kind of product isn't cheap but I think its worth it.
Thanks, Terry. :)
The Goodyear Endurance has a 10-year warranty! I'm running them with no problem and they are smooth as silk. Thank you for a great video!
In Texas, we call the tire belts in the road-Road Gators-.
You put a lot of time and miles on your rv,.. ,...that in my book makes you an expert and better to give advice than most anyone.
You are doing everything right upgrading your tires are the right move I went from a 10 ply to a 14 go beefy or go home
Good tips. Fully agree with your suggestions. Good point about watching out if you hit a curb or pot hole. It happen to me where we hit a big pothole at low speed at a gas station and I didn't realize it at the time but one the tire that hit the hole was damaged (ripped inside wall). I was lucky to spot it later on before it blew on a trip. Without getting into the different camps about tire pressure what I understand is that unlike car and truck tires, trailer tires are designed to run at full pressure.
There's probably no problem with running at the tire max psi though if you set max psi cold and get 10-15 psi more from heat (running 60+ mph on a hot desert day) that just seems like a lot of pressure. Sure help mpg though. Also, if you download the manufacturer's tire pressure/load chart, it provides the recommended pressure for your given load. I have to think those charts have some engineering behind them. I do run a few psi above the chart, but am still well below max psi.
Awsome job on the info ... I'm a rv virgin and always looking to get educated. Thanks
Never run over a curb or rub your tires along a curb. I drove transport for 25 years and when I had my own equipment I had one tire blow on me over 12 years running heavy loads all over Ontario and Quebec, which is up to 120,000 lbs. gross weight. People who rub their tires are asking for trouble. Great video Ray
Good video, very good information. Just put Endurance tires on my trailer about two months ago and so far have been pretty happy with them.
Cool. :)
Helped confirm some of my thoughts, slow down up the load rating.
I carry a cheap harbor freight IR thermometer with me in the truck door pouch. When ever I stop I hit the tires and the hubs and look for abnormal temperatures.
That's a great idea, I have one of those too, thanks for the suggestion!
bc65925 that's a good idea I got one I'll be using now instead of my hand
I picked up the eez rv TPMS last year for our trip out west. I was impressed with the unit. It has very sensitive temp and pressure sensors. Easy installation, and the monitor, like all monitors, comes with a suction cup. Its small enough to Velcro to the dash. I picked up the unit for eight tires because my truck doesn't have the TPMS built in. The sensors picked up the increase of pressure from the sun on the tires and elevation changes.
Thanks!
I went to a 16 in Lt because I would gain height and with adjustment on the trailer raise it up to pickup height. My tire dealer recommended Falken tires and no issues in 3 yrs, looks like they will go another 3. I put about 7000 to 7500 miles a yr on the pickup so the camper would be less. With the stiffer sidewalls less to worry about in the SW deserts boondocking. Enjoy your videos.
Sounds great, thanks for the tip. Cheers! Ray
I like the tires are easy to read also, big letters help as we get older!
You bet! :)
Thank you Ray! I always enjoy your style. Very informative and worthwhile. So enjoy this site.
We bought the Goodyear Endurance tires.
We found three baby sparrows in one of our heater exhaust pipes. Mother was long gone, since we left the storage lot and got onto the highway for our weekend getaway. I can only imagine her flying after the RV that was hauling north on I-81 at a 60 mph clip. We fed the babies meal worms and crickets, but they only survived another two days.
The real reason for my response is to thank you for recommending an upgrade to an E rating. I got a mounting price from the local RV dealership of $780 for four Goodyear Endurance 15 inch tires to match my Cougar Xlite. A second estimate was from the local tire shop I go to for oil changes and truck tires and they quoted me $567.50 installed.
You're welcome, hope the tires serve you well. Poor little sparrows. :(
Wire when checking tread wear, check 4 areas/points around tire. Looking for any unusual tread wear. The least amount of tread measurement is the measurement for that tire. Look for tire separation. This would be any bulge in tire including sidewall and the treat surface.
If you have a slow leak in one of the trailer tires, The first thing I would check is the metal stem itself. if it is leaking, get the right size wrench and tighten the nut next to the wheel. A rubber stem can leak as it gets older. Valve core can leak. Get a valve core remover for tightening/replacing. Yes, metal caps.
Enjoy your videos!!!
Thanks for the advice. Cheers! Ray
In your video on TRAILER TIRES, you mentioned a TPMS for your camping trailer. I recently installed a TPMS on my tow vehicle, a Dodge Ram 3500 dually, and my 40' 5th wheel camper. The system I purchased was from TST - Truck Systems Technology, and it can monitor up to 22 tires. The set-up allows you to set up the truck and trailer, and the display has an overhead outline of a truck and trailer, and will sequence through all of the tires, giving about a 10 second display of the pressure and temperature of each tire in sequence. I would recommend PASS-THROUGH sensors for the truck, and standard sensors for the trailer. When you are not pulling the trailer, no pressure readings are displayed for the tires on the trailer, but the monitor does indicate that there are tires there.
The system's default settings are for the standard 18-wheeler, but is easy to set up for smaller vehicles. It allows you to set low and high pressure warnings, and low and high pressure temperature warnings as well. The default settings for temperature warning is 170-200 degrees, and will sound an alarm at about 150 degrees, and another as the tires get hotter (Instructions indicate that the normal failure temperature is somewhere in the 170-200 degree range for a blow-out). You can set limits on the pressure to accommodate low and high pressure limits. I run my tires at the MAX pressure setting of 80psi, and set warning limits to 65 and 95 psi.
The display is a compact unit that is battery powered, and easily removable for remote monitoring. The unit is shipped with two types of mounts, and a DC power cord that plugs into a cigarette lighter socket. It can also be set for automatic turn-off when not plugged in, and will shut down after a short period of time without movement of the truck. It automatically turns on when it senses a door being opened.
The following is a quote from the TST website (www.tsttruck.com):
"Welcome to Truck System Technologies
We beat SmarTire, Pressure Pro, Tire Minder, Doran, and Bendix in
price, quality, options, and durability....don't pay more for
less....Our system will notify you in the event of a nail puncture or
other gradual pressure loss, sudden tire temperature increases, or in
the event of a rapid deflation in the tractor or the trailer tires.
The system reports both temperature and PSI simultaneously!! Ice,
snow, rain, extreme heat....we can take it! Let the system monitor your
tires and avoid the manual effort."
I hope this helps.Gary N - Tennessee
Wow, thanks for this write-up. Looks like a quality unit.
Good video Ray. Too many times I see people stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire and damaged trailer. Slow down and take care of the tires. Do that and they'll get you home safely. I've been using the Tireminder system for a while now and it has worked great. It tells you pressure and temperature and will give you warnings when something goes or is going wrong. You can also add extra sensors, incase you want to monitor your truck tires as well. Hope this helps. Safe travels!
Thanks, Matt
Good lord, how many video's have I seen of people going too fast and flipping their trailer, likely from improperly balanced trailers.🙄
Nice video. I have used the TST 507 but have recently switched to the Tire Tracker TT-500. I like the Tire Tracker better. It's much easier to configure and works well...presumably, since I have not had a tire problem yet. I hope to keep it that way.
Thanks, wow I never realized there were so many different brands. Cheers! Ray
Late to the comments but I used Tire Minder and it worked well but requires patience to initially set up. I didn't hear nitrogen mentioned. It was highly recommended to me by the owner of a trucking company. I ended up with 2 tires with air and 2 with nitrogen. The nitrogen tire ran 5F cooler and gained about 4 psi less than the air tires and held the temp and pressure steady after running for about an hour. The air tires fluctuated slightly but always ran hotter and at higher PSI.
Very good videos.
Thanks for the info. Cheers! Ray
Excellent video Ray. One thing I didn't hear you mention was the load rating of the rim. I went from LR C to LR D but my wheels are LR C so technically I'm still running LR C rating but I think of them as C+.
Thanks, I had the tire shop check the rims when I first upgraded from D to E and they said they could handle it, I believe they are rated for 80 PSI There are some numbers stamped into the backside of the rims.
Hi Ray. Thanks for another great video. I've been using the TST 507SE on my rig since I bought it June 2016. Monitors temperature and air pressure. Love it. Works great, easy to use and set up and great peace of mind. I used a velcro command strip to attach the monitor to my dash between the radio and a/c controls. Easy for either of us to see and out of the way. Hope this helps. Travel safe.
Cool, good idea with the velcro, thanks!
I also use the Tire Minder on my TT. I once had one of the tires blow out the sidewall and I didn't even notice it while towing. Another motorist was nice enough to point it out to us while driving on the freeway! The Tire Minder has two versions. One is for brass valve stems and the other for aluminum. Apparently brass is usually used on rubber stems and OEM vehicles that come with monitoring systems use aluminum.
Thanks, good to know. Cheers!
Great in-depth, knowledgeable info. Many thanks! I've researched tires for my car, didn't realize how different the requirements are for trailers.
I always love your videos, you guys have inspired me to start my own RV help channel as well. Keep up the great work.
Take care and Safe Travels
Great video, as usual. Thank you for sharing your tips. Much appreciated. We bought the EEZ Tire EEZ-RV-TPMS4 TPMS system last year and have been very happy with it. It measures the pressure pretty accurately and temperature. Has an audio alarm and actually spells out what the problem is, should a problem occur. It is also pretty easy to set up the parameters by axle. We like it. Amazon has it for $270 for a 4-tire system. Batteries are user replaceable, although we have not had to replace any of ours yet.
Sounds great thanks for the feedback. Cheers! Ray
I use the Tire SafeGuard tire monitor system and like it very much. I had the EEZ unit before that but found that it had a problem with losing data but not showing that it had lost the data. It would continue for up to an hour showing everything OK when in fact it wasn't getting any data transmission from a given tire. I understand that the data transmittal can have issues, but I have an issue with losing data for that long without a notification. I replaced that system with the Tire Safeguard. It has a much shorter window on tolerating bad data before sending out an alarm. We have a motor home and it has a mode for just the motorhome tires or those tires plus the tires on the Jeep we usually tow behind. I also like that the batteries are easily changeable with a standard battery type. A tip on that, though, use some silicone grease on the o-ring when replacing the battery. They are small and easily torn if they are dirty, which they will be. The grease makes the top go back on so much easier.
Rally enjoy your videos. Keep them coming
Thanks, Jim! Good tips there.
Another great review Ray. That 303 Protectant is a great product. I Know that when I can finally retire and enjoy the road and travel I will have had some very good information.
Thanks!
I've had a STS system for five years and they have worked great. They are commercial grade and of good quality it might be a good idea to get enough sensors for your truck as well I believe my system can monitor up to 20+ tires.
Great video and the truck got a cameo. I have had 2 blow outs due to over inflation when my gauge failed and showed lower than actual pressure. I now carry 2 gauges and compare. I notice my truck tires were warmer than my trailer tires this trip.
Wow, thanks for the tip, a good thing to keep in mind. You don't think about overinflation too much.
Your videos are so organized and helpful. Thank you so much.
hi ray....yes temperature and different environments has various change in tire inflation.. I have tire menders and seem to do my rig just fine....cheers
Service manager at Village RV showed me to keep and eye on the center of trailer tires because when the steel belts begin to loosen the middle of the tire will bulge and this is when a tire fails and explore doing damage to a trailer......way more blowouts happen due to under inflated tires which cause the tires to heat up.......
Thanks for the tip, good info to know, Cheers, Ray
I just bought a new set of Carlisle last September. Wanted to go up a load range and asked for a quote but when they installed them recieved the previous load range. Not impressed and won't deal there again. I agree with your speed comments. Not only for tires but you have to be able to stop too. In the end Ray tires are like toilet paper, everyone has their favourite brand.
Thanks Ray! I may do a lot more work on my rv now because of your videos. Save me some money! Thanks!
I am newbie, but regarding tire maintenance one does NOT havew to be an RVer.... My suggestion for anyone who will parke their unit for over a month at a time would be to buy two properly sized bottle jacks, four properly sized jack stands (and some short 2X10 wood pieces to place under stands) and take the weight OFF of the tires a bit and reduce the pressure, if you have ability to reinflate prior to leaving... this will relax the tires a bit rather than full PSI stress and weight on them. This should lengthen sidewall life (and avoid flat spotting) along with tire covers on sunny side. Just my former engineer opinion. Oh... and your trailer will be more stabilized and not rock on the tires this way. No sea sickness.
Great video, I agree with everything you said. It all made very logical sense. Thank you for also addressing the know-it-alls, I got a kick out of that. There is always at least one in the bunch isn't there? LOL. Your dog is just the cutest!
Thanks, Cheers! Ray
great overall general information for everyone. thanks Ray.
Thanks for another great video. I was talking to another rv (newbie) like myself at work and we were saying how good you tube is. I was asking him have you ever seen love your rv ray on there. He said I love that guys videos and Angie is a star. Lol. I agreed so now we just wait for your next video patiently. Thanks again.
Awesome, haha!
Hello Ray!, great video...Thanks. Just curious about the logistics of getting new tires. Do you go to a tire shop or an RV dealer? Most tire shops near me barely have room for a car to turn around much less a 36 foot 5th wheel....Thanks.
I've always gone to tire shops. 3 of the 4 times I needed new tires the shops had big parking lots, used Les Schwab in Oregon and California. Last time I used a smaller shop so what I did was do 2 at a time. Jacked up one tire and put my spare on it, then jacked up the one next to it and left the jack in place. Took the pair of tires and had them changed for new then came back and did the same thing for the pair on the other side. I used a 20-ton jack right under the bottom of my unclamp close to the wheel, so only had to jack a few inches. Cheers, Ray
Long, Long, Honeymoon did a swap to LT tires on their Airstream trailer, and they had to go up to a 16" tire size...They did a good explanation about the switch...
I'll have to check it out, thanks!
Ray, thank you for another great technical video. I just changed my tires to the Goodyear Endurance brand after wearing out some Goodyear Marathons that only made it to 13,000 miles with our 32' travel trailer. Your video greatly helped us choose a new set of tires. I'm always diligent about constantly checking my tire pressure each time I stop. Perhaps this has helped since I've never experienced a blowout yet. I'll let you know how well these new tires hold up. Thanks again!!
You're welcome, Tim. Safe travels. :) Ray
Great video Ray! Thanks so much for your time and effort putting these vids together for us!!! I've had a couple of blowouts, but after talking to my tire guy, it is from the rv setting too long and not being used, I watch the pressure closely and the tread is always fine, so now, I think I'm just gonna have to use it more!! :) Thanks again!!! w.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment.
I have a non-contact temperature gun in my glove compartment and using it often has saved me sone heartache on truck, RV, snd motorcycle tires. Purchased at Harbor Freight for $20.
Thanks Ray, I've been looking forward to this one :)
Well thats why then, we get on the high way and want to go the speed limited but the tires are not up to it, we gut our sway bars on and all that safety stuff but its the speed that the tires can't take it, a lot of people don't know the speed think, good video, thank you.the manufacturers put week side wall tires on the trailers, but there steal being driven over the speed, that there ment to go.and check in at the scales to see whats the trailers weight is.
Thanks for sharing your tips! I have a Robbor tpms with ten sensors on my fiver & F250. I purchased it on eBay with a make offer option. This kit has a repeater as well. So far so good. 👍😎🇺🇸
I have a Bellacorp TPS got it on amazon works great. Have a 2016 cougar 35 ft 5 th wheel changed the cheep trailer king to a 14 ply Salune tire my trailer runs around 11000 lb new tires are much better strong sidewalk almost no flex run 80 lb cold get warmer while running
I purchased a new tire minder last year and discovered there is usually a 5 - 10 PSI difference between the tire minder monitor and my very reliable hand held tire pressure guage. There is also a notable difference between transmitters, i.e. using different transmitters on the same tire will result in totally different readings. My conclusion is the transmitters are not very accurate but are designed to detect rapid changes in pressure and temperature which I have not yet experienced, I am riding on China bombs which is why I bought the tire minder, I would have much rather spent the $400 on better tires which I will have to do anyway but hopefully the tire minder will give me some advance warning. Great job on your video.
Thanks for the feedback Bob, 5 -10 is a lot!
Pretty much nailed it there . Good video!
Glad our Canadian friends like to buy American. 🇺🇸 Keep it in the family.
Great video, very informative.
For sure! :)
Try the Tom's system 507f2f I use it with the transmitter in the back of my truck. Works great and cheaper than the other brands.
If you read the sidewall you will see the actual number of sidewall ply. Bet that both the "LR-D" and the LR_E" have the same number. Reason for less sidewall bulge was the higher pressure, not any change in construction. "Load Range" is a reference to the max inflation level, not to be confused with "Load Capacity" which is the number of pounds a tire can support. It is important to not confuse these two different terms. Balancing load is important but only way to know for sure is to get on a truck scale unless you have a "calibrated eyeball" :-) Standard rubber valves are rated for a max of 65. Metal stems 200 psi. IMO any LR-D or higher should have bolt in metal valve stems. Yes metal valve caps are a bit of extra insurance if the valve core develops a slow leak.
Sidewall circumferential failure is a real "blowout" or more correctly a Run Low Flex Failure when the sidewall flexes a lot while at highway speed which can even melt the body cord. This is different than a 'Belt Separation" when the belts and tread separate from the body of the tire. Separations are more likely to occur on older tires and tires that have been run hotter due to high load and high speed.
You may find additional information, company neutral information on my RV tire blog. www.RVTire Safety.net
I am a retired tire design and quality engineer with 40 years experience.
Generally a good informative video.
Thanks for the info Roger, appreciated. Looking forward to reading through your blog, looks geat!
The Towmaxx Es did have less bulge than the Ds even at the same 65 PSI, not sure why then maybe they redesigned the tire. I know they told me they had 2 more plys.
When I bought the Goodyears the tire guy had me push down on the tire and compare to a cheaper brand and man what a difference in stiffness. Cheers! Ray
Diff. terms but VERY related.. The charts DO show load capacity limits for diff.Load Ranges.... and YES, the PSI is also different as a heavier load capacity REQUIRES a higher PSI for a given tire, regardless of loas range, due to temperature build-up.... in a car loaded with crap going on a trip down south, one should go to MAX pressure or a few lbs over recommended pressure... If the tire(s) are a few lbs. lower than recomm. then the tires will heat up (and wear out the outer treads faster) as frictio with the road WILL be higher. Load weight and Friction goes to temp.buildup in tire. Higher allowable pressure reduces this and less chance for blowout... but do not go banging into potholes and curbs, regardless. Sidewall or corner/edge-of-tread bruising will eventually bulge and pop like a zit.
@@LoveYourRV PLIES.... difference may be steel ply vs. nylon or kevlar ply.... Steel being stiffer. Some are combo... some are all steel ply and are HEAVY tires.
Do you always get the same spot at Thunderbird? Do you own it? It looks like you are always in the same spot. Any more trips planned for eastern North America ?? I'll be curious to see how you fair with the ENDURANCE tires. There has been a lot of positive talk on them. Keep us updated ! Re: TPMS. It looks like you'll need to find a system that incorporates all your needs. A screen that can toggle between BU cam, GPS and TPMS. Otherwise the cab of your truck will start looking like mission control with so many screens.
Yes, same spot last few years. We love it on the estuary, there are only about 8 sites with the view so we have to reserve in January. No plans in the foreseeable future, love the west. I plan to place the TPMS way down at the bottom of my dash next to my trans gauge. It will be visible but out of the way. I'll get one with an audio alert. Cheers Ray
Good info. But love your old hound dog. Looks like a good girl.
Yup, 14 now. She's a great dog.
I made the plunge and bought the eez rv tmps. It was steep, but, hope it worth it. Still don't have my 5ver yet, but, talked myself into buying all I could need 1st so the initial bill wont be so steep (looking forward to the RV seller saying "you will need this" GOT IT. " You will need that" GOT IT. Basically, most things you have advised, I purchased it already. Lol. Love your videos and cant wait for each new one. God Bless....Keith
haha, good idea, I'm still buying stuff 6 years later.
Thanks Keith
I picked up the EEZRV TP515 system. More than sufficient range to the 5th wheel tires without a repeater and it'll do higher pressures. Plus it does report temperatures but I think that it is at best a guideline. At least you can see if one tire is warmer than the others. After seeing some of the damage caused by trailer tire failures, a TPMS seems to be a great idea.
Good to hear, thanks.
I upgraded the tires on my travel trailer from the Load Range C installed by the factory to Load Range D (Maxxis M8008 tires) and keep them inflated at the max. 65 psi. I figure there should be much less stress on these LR D tires than a LR C tire that's closer to being maxed out.
Makes sense, that's what I did going from D to E and noticed a big difference in the stiffness of the sidewalls, the only thing to check is if the rims are rated for the higher PSI.
Thanks for the video lots of nice stuff here. In terms of the Tow Max tires, I got bit in the rear end only 3--4K on them 65MPH and I had one blow out would never recommend them quite a few reported issues with the Tow Max's. I replaced all my tires with Maxxies so far so good. Like the USA made Good Year's
Thanks for the comment. Feeling more peace of mind now with the Goodyears. Cheers! Ray
As someone who works in the automotive industry, I hate the metal valve stems. They corrode over time and when putting air in a tire can become weak enough to break off. That being said, if you change your tires, and valve stems every 2 years or so you shouldn't see that corrosion issue. Good tire care info!
Thanks for the info, haven't heard that drawback. Could be, because where I live and travel I don't encounter snow and ice conditions, so don't see the road salts they lay down in some regions of the country. I remember when I traveled to the northeast folks were blown away that my 1994 truck didn't have body rust. Cheers, Ray
thx for the video. we just got our 1st trailer
You bet, Congrats!
Ray, was reading about your adventures on your site. Question - Since you are full time, when your not traveling do you have a homebase such as a park in BC. We are planning on keeping our home atleast initially, If you have an article or video on the pro / con of keeping and/sell your home to fulltime rv we would appreciate it.
My new Jayco 5th wheel came with GoodYear Endurance tires from the factory, got about 1k miles on the do far, but have a trip to Florida coming up next to really test them.
Cool! I torture tested them on the way back from California to BC. The winter was super rainy this year so the roads had a ton of potholes and patch pavement areas. Cheers! Ray
Wonder Whats Next Is your 5th wheel a half ton tow?
My favorite trailer tire is the round black ones. Once I find a tire that's more or less round and pretty much blackish then I like to get in real close and get a real good sniff, it should smell like rubber. If it's round, black and smells like rubber then you know you've got a real tire and you can buy with confidence.
Good tips. :)
Terry Pullen LOL....
Very informative.
The odds of your tire stems being aligned on the same side are astronomical, go buy a lottery ticket today. As usual, another great video.
haha, never noticed. :)
I bought a TST 507 with heat and pressure. The rising heat will usually give you an indication of a problem first (so I was told). They are more than $300 - around $500 I think, with 4 internal sensors for the trailer, anti-lock devices for the dully truck + a repeater.
Nice, I like that they flow thru.
Bought the tire minder at campersworld , had a choice of a monitor or you could use your iPhone , went with the first option. Which costs more.Have a new 2017 Forest River Cardinal 5th wheel ,You are right, it is expensive , but gives you a comfort zone. Warns you of slow or fast leaks, which can happen even with new tires. Accurate tire pressure. Spent most of my life (4,000,000) driving , seen too many wrecked trailers. Simply, it's hard to put a price tag on you an your families life. I personally think it's the best investment so far we have made .we are newbies as well .PS we in the trucking industry called the cap that came off a tire, ALLIGATOR
Good advice thanks!
I guess my northern Canadian roots are showing, no gators up there my grandfather always called them Beaver Pelts. :)
For info on TPMS also what is better a "flow through" or just replace the cap system, pros/cons.
Hi Ray, excellent video. I don't know if you remember me or not but I recommended the Endurance tires to you after I got a set. I have about 4000 miles on them and so far so good. I have the TST monitoring system and so far it has been great, a real piece of mind thing. They are very light and haven't shown any wear on the stems. I have the same size rig that you have and the wireless works fine with that distance. model # TM-507RV/SG , it gives you press and temp. I wasn't cheap I think $340 or so, but at least they work. Oh and I have nitrogen filled in my tires, not sure if it makes a difference but they seem to run a little cooler, can't say for sure. Curious to see what you end up with. Thanks for the videos.
Yes, I remember. Thanks so much! When I saw them at the tire dealer, I remembered! Cheers!
I used to run nitrogen but it's sometimes hard to find in the boonies so have gone back to plain air.
Thank you for this video! Very helpful and informative! : )
You bet, cheers! Ray
I highly recommend the TST 507 RV tire monitor system. Yes, it's about $300.00 US but it has save our butts 3 times that could have caused a blowout. The $300 is far less than my insurance deductable. LOL.
Thanks, I went with the EEZRV TPMS, had it about a year now, no complaints. Cheers, Ray
I also support the EEZ RV TPMS. Just remember they don' work on rubber air valves, but I think you mentioned having metal ones.
Thanks, that's good to know. Cheers! Ray
Hi Ray! Good job on your videos...love them! On a related subject to tires: leaf spring suspension system and equalizers. Have you done any videos on the subject? I'm about to redo mine but am trying to do my homework before install. Have you heard of any comparisons between the Dexter EZ Flex equalizer versus the MorRyde SRE4000 suspension system?
No haven't. I did get mine redone last fall. All new bushings, shackles, bolts and replaced the Trail Air Equa-Flex equalizers. No problems just worn out, we have a lot of miles on it.
I took it to my dealer for the work though, not something I'd like to tackle especially in a campground. ;)
Has you heard of Road Armor equalizer ass., check into them look impressive.??🤔🐴🙂🇨🇦Big Ben .
LT tire discussion... if you go bigger, do NOT go to an LT... they limit to LR E.... Bigger rigs need LR F or, better yet, LR G. And usually have good speed rating and tread life. They have stiffer side walls to last longer with all that trailer weight. Just my opinion from what Ihave learned in research. Bigger issue I am having problems finding info on is HOW to tell the max. rating for a Steel RIM..... If a higer PSI tire is going on, say with 95 to 100 PSI, will the RIM handle it or possibly blow out a rim (it can happen).... I have rims on my heavy used fifth wheel I bought, with just under 12000 unlaiden factory weight, and 14450 max load.... LR F could work, but they recomend LR G. About same money, two more plies. Some idiot had LT truck tires with LR E on the unit. 16 inch rim, I think they are DexStar rims. Only marking diff. from sise is a code "KA". I do not find what that means. I fear that someone may hbe totally switched out the factory rims with inferior tires ont ehm from a smaller unit. I fear the rims may not handle the 95 PSI for new LR G tires... I will get the steel valve stems though which also need a 110 PSI rating. If ONLY I could find out if the rims are safe. RV manufacturers appear to be the worst mfgrs of any rolling object out there, including tricicles. They under-engineer things so badly and poor construction I hear stories of and ALSO,,, Manuals with NO Electrical diagrams?? What kind of shoemakers are this bunch? How do they stay on the US Higways with such sub par mfg????? Units should be built to be as safe as required for at least 20 yrs. and roadworthy as such.
If your trailer is heavy enough to come equipped with 8-lug wheels, the only way to go is with Boar Wheel and Tire. Designed and engineered to go 80,000-100,000 miles without a blow-out. Research them yourselves. Not cheap, but it is your life you are dealing with in the long run. Very similar to semi-trailer wheels and tires. Watch the videos; it is easy to understand.
Thanks, looks like a good option, mine are 6 lug wheels 10,000 lb GVWR trailer
Thanks, Ray! I have Power King's on my toy hauler (orginal) and I've only had one issue. I had a sidewall bubble on one of them and thankfully, I was able to catch it before it failed. I will certainly look into the Goodyear tires as I need to replace all six tires on my rig this year. Anything Angie approved is good by me ;0) I also like the speed rating, as here in Utah, we have the crazy 80 mph speed limit. I don't have intentions of towing that fast, but the Goodyear would give me some flexibility. I also use an infrared digital laser thermometer when I stop, checking (confirming) temperatures on my rim / tires. Like many others who have commented, my TPMS does monitor temperature, which is really nice. And I also agree with the metal valve stem, Les hooked me up on that, too.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment and feedback on the Power Kings, glad you caught it!
Hello. Is this video 2 years old? Meaning 2 years on the Goodyear tires? How do you like them. I put tire pressure monitors on mine. My tires vary 8 to 10 degrees while traveling. Up sizing to 16 inch allows you to increase ply rating to 14 from 10. Travel safe. Robert.
Yes, I actually just swapped out the tires for a fresh set, stuck with the same Goodyear Endurance. Was at the 2 1/2 year mark with about 25% tread left, but we travel a lot so usually wear out a set of tires every 2 years or so. I don't like to let the tread get too worn down.
I'm happy with the Endurance tires, held air well, Made in the USA, 87 MPH speed rated and cost 138.50 each, so not too expensive. Cheers, Ray
Great vlog!!! Thanks for sharing.
Very nicely done!! Thanks!
Ah, you stole my thunder…. I was just gonna type, “towmax = china bombs”. Hah. Learned that lesson the hard way. After buying most recent rig, I drove it right down to the tire store and put on USA made Goodyears, G rated. No more blowouts.
Angie is so adorable, I want that Hound Dog 🐶
One should use teh TIRE PSI recommended.... You switched to LR E.... should use 80 PSI. I suppose 72 would be OK, but worry of heat build up on long hauls would be a fear, I think. So, maybe up to 80 PSI on your long drives? Check tire wear... if sides are wearing, then you should have more PSI.. if center is wearing out first, then less PSI.
Most tire manufacturers publish load inflation tables as a guide to PSI - www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf I've been running mine around 72-75 PSI during this trip with no abnormal heat build up, I use a wireless TPMS with temperature readout and set the high temp alert on it just in case. After 2 years with this set of tires wear is pretty even except on drivers side rear (wears faster on the inside edge) but that has always been an issue with this trailer. Likely an axle alignment. Although I've talked to other owners and they get the same wear, one even had the axle aligned and same issue. Cheers, Ray
Hi Ray, noticed you have different rims on your rig from the original Sunraysia , was it a cosmetic change or upgrade to better rims?...Great Video Tip too
These are the rims that came on it when I bought it new in 2011
Thanks, Ray
Great tire review. Thanks.
Ray, Check into the Maxxis 8008 series tire. I did a exhaustive study on tires before we went to Alaska. They did fine. I'd be interested in your opinion.
I'd heard really good things about the Maxxis and was considering them but tilted towards the new Endurance tires since they were being made in a new factory the USA and liked the 87 MPH speed rating. They've proved to be very good. I' ve been from SoCal to BC and back down to Arizona, zero problems. I haven't even added air since I left BC 3 months ago. Cheers, Ray
Ray, nice video again! We're wanting to take the 5th wheel through Canada from Vancouver over to the Maritimes this summer and wanted to know about boondocking up there. Did you do any videos on that trip? We also want to head down the US Eastern seaboard in the fall as the weather cools and across the bottom of the US like you did. Any helpful videos on that part of your travels? Thank you.
Thanks. :) Not much boondocking in the east as far as I saw unlike the west it's almost all privately held land. There are some national, state, county and provincial parks but they usually still cost money to camp at. It's a lot more expensive to travel and camp out east that's for sure. I wasn't doing videos or seriously blogging back then.
Www.boondockerswelcome.com
Nice job talking about the tires without getting into the debate saga over opinions, Ray, You talk from your experience and that holds more weight with me. I notice in the video you had a tire ramp, hoping you were going to mention it. Who is the maker and place to purchase and how well does it works? Thanks for the video, good timing on tire talk.
It's a trailer aid ramp - www.loveyourrv.com/trailer-aid-plus/ Works well, however, I did have to put and extra plank under it to get my tire up high enough. My suspension has quite a bit of sag due to the equalizer. I carry one to make a tire change along the freeway a little faster. So far haven't needed thankfully. Cheers! Ray