New Redwood with Factory Running Gear

[Nedshred]

Hi - I'm looking at a new 3041 and do plan on towing a fair amount. I am trying to find out owners' opinions of whether the factory installed equipment will be adequate (no failures) or whether upgrades are required

Tires:
I notice it comes with H rated "Goodride" tires with a J speed rating of 62 mph. The Goodride tires look to be made by the same company that makes the Westlake brand and they even have the same model name (CR960A). I know there was a joke made on another recent post of fooling people into thinking they are getting goodyear tires, but I'm trying to understand whether I will be able to get some kind of normal life out of these tires (5 years?) or whether people think they should be replaced right away. I can't find any Goodride blowout stories and I cant find very many Westlake H failures either.

Suspension:
I notice there are no shocks but the 8k axles are equipped with the MorRyde LRE 4100 equalizers with MorRyde heavy duty shackles and wet bolts. The hanger does look very beefy and the X-brace is installed. Will this arrangement last or is MorRyde IS a foregone conclusion. I think the LRE has been offered since 2017 models and I have not read of any suspension failures yet.

Brakes:
The drum brakes are still standard. Any idea how many miles these would last? Again is disc brakes in your opinion mandatory? Other than the overwhelming positive opinion of people who have installed them, the only data I have seen shows:
"In stopping distance from 60 mph, 595 ft with Kodiak hydraulic disc verses 1457 ft with electric drum just using trailer brakes alone. Then adding truck brakes to the trailer brakes produced stopping at 231 ft. with Kodiak verses 270 ft electric drum." https://mrtrailer.com/kodiak_hydraulic_disc_brakes.htm
The combined stopping distance being shorter by only 15% surprises me as most opinions make it seems like "night and day".

Thanks for any and all comments/opinions

https://www.redwoodowners.com/forums...1&d=1583207326

https://www.redwoodowners.com/forums...1&d=1583207326

[XCMARK]

If your going to tow it , I would suggest adding shock but your still only dealing with 3" travel. I have 7000 lb axels that proved to be to light for our trailer and gear. I did the Morryde IS upgrade to 8000lb with disk brakes. Its now much more stable over bridges and it stops very well. Not sure about "goodride" tires , I am running sailun 17.5" tires now

[mhs4771]

With the Bean Counters of Thor, just about everything that comes out of any of their factories is using the cheapest parts or lowest bidder they can. I had to laugh when I first saw the "GoodRide Tires".
Our '16 39MB had MORryde IS and Disc Brakes installed before it was ever delivered to the Dealer we were purchasing from.
In my opinion if you plan to put many miles on one of these I wouldn't do it without the IS, Disc Brakes, and good tires.
With three Fifthwheels all running that combo we've put just over 100K between them, including Alaska and Canadian Maritime including Newfoundland and have had no suspension failures.

[wintertree]

The "CR960A" is definitely a Westlake number....They must have re-badged their 14 ply tire to sell it to people that think they are getting Goodyears....I am never impressed with "monkey " business like that....shows that the company can't stand on a good reputation of their tires alone..
If you are doing quite a bit of towing....and running heavy (like most do) ...messing around with tires that may fail and cause such heart breaking damage to your rig (especially if you have full body paint) would have to be a personal choice...The Westlake tires do not compare in side wall strength like a couple of other brands available...

Remember..its bean counters than run the North American "RV show"....save a buck here or there #1 goal....and the Westlakes may last three years without an issue.....by then you are on your own. I just took my Westlakes off and swapped them.they are 5 years old but only have about 4000 miles on them. They were always protected and aired up properly but i did not trust them.
In regards to running gear....I think the brakes are by far the weakest link in the system....The drum brakes are not nearly as predictable as the disc replacements...sure stopping distances can be close between the two systems...but get the drums hot...or slightly worn ..or out of adjustment and the disc units will really out perform standard trailer brakes. Also What are you using for a tow rig ? Our big Dually really does help getting things stopped if the need arrises. A lesser truck....needs better brakes on the trailer.
Things to consider. But it all comes down to how much you plan the move around and how much $$ you are willing to part with.

Wes

2015 38RL 2016 F-450

[Striper05]

Like others have said, change out the tires, brakes and get the IS system if you are planning on towing lots of miles. It makes a HUGE difference