Buying "G" tires

[RollsRoyce]

Be sure you change the wheels too as the E rated wheels and Grated are different and the wheels for the E are rated at 80 PSI where the G's are rated at 110 PSI and the wheel itself is rated to carry more wieght

[Buddy Wallace]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Not sure I would have went with the ST with several LT tires in that size available, and I don't think you will like the "made in-" part on the sidewall for those Hercules.

Mike at Trailer Tire and Wheels said they beat the H rated Good Year tires and are 75 MPH tires. Michelin he said are only 65 MPG. He recommended them and had no problems with any of his many customers. What is made in the USA. My brother in law was in the union #198 pipe fitters his hat for the union was made in China. lol

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Buddy Wallace

Mike at Trailer Tire and Wheels said they beat the H rated Good Year tires and are 75 MPH tires. Michelin he said are only 65 MPG. He recommended them and had no problems with any of his many customers. What is made in the USA. My brother in law was in the union #198 pipe fitters his hat for the union was made in China. lol

Good luck.

[COLJDM]

We just had 4 Goodyear G614s with 9200 miles on them replaced due to excessive wear on the inside tread of all tires (down to the steel belt). We were in Page, AZ. Replaced them with H rated Hercules tires as the tire store did not have goodyear and recommended these tires due to the volume sold to local cattle farmers who had very good experiences with their performance. Goodyear has provided a credit to me as long as I purchase a goodyear product so we will use that letter of credit when we need a new set of tires. Whatever it is worth, this is the 4th set of tires on our coach. We recently installed MorRyde suspension with disc brakes and hopefully that will solve our tire problems. As for the wheels we purchased Sendel T04 wheels rated at 3750lbs each. Sendel T03 wheels were the model of the original wheels that came with our coach and were not weight rated for the tire rating of 3750lbs and that is why we replaced the wheels.

[travelin' texans]

I wore 1 G614 out from Texas to the rally last year, service center sent me to an alignment place & found both axles out of camber & castor, they stated that Lippert is way to liberal with their specs & all of them should be checked.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by COLJDM

We just had 4 Goodyear G614s with 9200 miles on them replaced due to excessive wear on the inside tread of all tires (down to the steel belt). We were in Page, AZ. Replaced them with H rated Hercules tires as the tire store did not have goodyear and recommended these tires due to the volume sold to local cattle farmers who had very good experiences with their performance. Goodyear has provided a credit to me as long as I purchase a goodyear product so we will use that letter of credit when we need a new set of tires. Whatever it is worth, this is the 4th set of tires on our coach. We recently installed MorRyde suspension with disc brakes and hopefully that will solve our tire problems. As for the wheels we purchased Sendel T04 wheels rated at 3750lbs each. Sendel T03 wheels were the model of the original wheels that came with our coach and were not weight rated for the tire rating of 3750lbs and that is why we replaced the wheels.

I'm confused,
did you replace the wheels for the Hercules tires? If so are you sure you had the G614s before or Marathon? Goodyear gave you a credit for bad alignment?

[Diesel chaser]

Noticed in pictures from the rally it looks like Redwood is using Westlake tires now. Don't know if it is on all 3 RW lines or the 2 new lines but that was the lablel on the tire. They don't get much cheaper than Westlake.

[Buddy Wallace]

I was over HVAC Maintenance for 29 state buildings and had many employees over the years. Jose Galindo which wasn't from the U.S. was my best employee. I'm don't know how the Chinese work, but they must be smart, they own us. As for US workers, really.

[Buddy Wallace]

Originally Posted by COLJDM

We just had 4 Goodyear G614s with 9200 miles on them replaced due to excessive wear on the inside tread of all tires (down to the steel belt). We were in Page, AZ. Replaced them with H rated Hercules tires as the tire store did not have goodyear and recommended these tires due to the volume sold to local cattle farmers who had very good experiences with their performance. Goodyear has provided a credit to me as long as I purchase a goodyear product so we will use that letter of credit when we need a new set of tires. Whatever it is worth, this is the 4th set of tires on our coach. We recently installed MorRyde suspension with disc brakes and hopefully that will solve our tire problems. As for the wheels we purchased Sendel T04 wheels rated at 3750lbs each. Sendel T03 wheels were the model of the original wheels that came with our coach and were not weight rated for the tire rating of 3750lbs and that is why we replaced the wheels.

Thanks for the info about the Hercules tires and rims, they ride tall and smooth. Plus I have a good warranty from Trailer tires and wheels. They shipped them to a place close to the campground I was staying at. They were balanced and had 120 lbs of air. Mike is his name if anyone changes to 17.5" tires and rims.

[Oregonbound]

Hi all. A few simple questions -

What does "SOB" stand for (in the RV sense of course)?
Is there a way to confirm the axle rating somewhere on the axle? I think we have 7,000 lbs axles but want to be sure.
If we DO have 7,000 lbs axles, if our RW's GVW (loaded) is above 14,000 lbs, I assume this is a problem correct?

Thanks

[johnboytoo]

Some Other Brand


No --- with your 16500 gvwr only about 12k are on axles when hooked up ---
remember your pin wgt is transferred to the tow vehicle...

[Buddy Wallace]

Originally Posted by Oregonbound

Hi all. A few simple questions -

What does "SOB" stand for (in the RV sense of course)?
Is there a way to confirm the axle rating somewhere on the axle? I think we have 7,000 lbs axles but want to be sure.
If we DO have 7,000 lbs axles, if our RW's GVW (loaded) is above 14,000 lbs, I assume this is a problem correct?

Thanks

All the 14,000 plus pounds are not on the axles, when hooked to the truck it takes a few thousand pounds off and not hooked to the truck the front landing gear takes it. I level mine in my driveway to take the weight off the tires.

[Buddy Wallace]

Originally Posted by Buddy Wallace

All the 14,000 plus pounds are not on the axles, when hooked to the truck it takes a few thousand pounds off and not hooked to the truck the front landing gear takes it. I level mine in my driveway to take the weight off the tires.

Most of the weight in the cargo hole goes on the truck.

[Oregonbound]

Originally Posted by RifRaff

I read all posted this last summer about 'G rated', bout how it increased the load ability of the tires. So I bought "H" 4805 lbs per tire. Now I still have 7k axles, which is a problem. Fixing this issue this year 4800 x 4 =19320. Spare is the same. Now where can I get 9k axles? New rims and tires $2700.00 delivered to DALLAS, CAN YOU BEAT THIS price?
.

What is the problem with having "H" rated tires and 7K axles? Thx

[Oregonbound]

After 15 pages on intel on tires, axles, wheels, TPMS systems and warranty issues, I thought it would be a good time to summarize for posterity. So here goes - with many needed edits from the community I'm sure:

Tires

The Goodyear Marathon tires that came as OEM (Original Manufacture's Equipment) are of poor quality ("suck") and should be replaced as soon as possible and, if not, keep speeds at less than 65 MPH.

As far as replacements, many have gone to Goodyear's "G" rated G614s. They seem like a good, dependable tire although some have experience problems (including tread separation) with them.
Others have gone with Sailun (sp?) S637 "G" rated tires or Michelin XPS Rib (which may be more prone to sun damage)
Apparently, Michelin does not make a "G" rated tire.

Still others, if you can afford it and want extra security, suggest going to 17.5" wheels and "H" rated tires such as:
Goodyear G114s, Geo Star G574 14 Ply HWY, or ST215/75R17.5 Hercules H-902 Radial Trailer Tire LR H (the Hercules is apparently rated for 75 MPH whereas same class Michelins are only rated at 65 MPH)

There was some debate re" ST vs LT tires. Here is a link to a helpful article that was posted earlier: http://rvingwithmarkpolk.com/2012/11...s-vs-lt-tires/

Goodyear appears to be easy to work with if/when you have tire problems.

For Goodyear property damage claims (damage caused to trailer due to tire malfunction):

Property Damage Claims Team (damage to rv from tire failure)
Attention Dept. 805
200 Innovation Way
Akron, OH 44316
800-322-4682 (phone)
888-307-1920 (fax)
pdct@goodyear.com (email)

It's a good idea to always check your RV's alignment to increase tire life and avoid problems.

Wheels

From Atom Ant's photos, RWs have typically come with T03 (5 spokes) or T09 (8 spokes). If you are upgrading to "G" tires, you need to make sure that the wheel is also rated for the tires load and pressure.

Apparently the T09s can accommodate "G" rated tires like the G614s

Also according to one poster who spoke to Tredit (wheel manufacturer), the G614s can even go on the T03s as long as you have steel stems put on the tires.

Sendel T04 wheels are rated for 3750 lbs which would allow "G" rated tires.

TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring systems)

These systems monitor individual tire pressures and temps on the trailer, tow vehicle or both and could be helpful in avoiding tire problems resulting from high or low pressure or high temps.
There was at least one poster who believes that these systems will not be of any help in a situation where tread separation occurs.

Truck System Technologies, Inc (Model TST 507) seems to be highly regarded - one model with standard sensors and one with "flow through" sensors (allowing you to add/remove air without removing the sensor)
Apparently Camping world also has a system of their own (?)

There was some discussion of suspensions (Mor/Ryde Independent Suspension, internal wheel balancing and nitrogen but I'm then in novel length territory.

Bottom Line (from my perspective)

With an $80,000+ investment riding on your tires/wheels, this is one of the most important areas to address to help ensure safe and happy travel. Invest in the best tires and rims that you can afford (consensus seems to lean towards US makers). Make sure that the wheels are rated at or above the weight and pressure rating of the tires (wheels can fail too!). Check your tire pressure on trailer and TV before each long trip. Keep under the speed rating of the tires you have. Check for signs of uneven wear often. If you can afford it, invest in a Tire Pressure (and temp if possible) Monitoring System. It is no guarantee but may help you notice a problem before a catastrophic failure occurs.

[rob_fla]

Originally Posted by Oregonbound

Hi all. A few simple questions -

What does "SOB" stand for (in the RV sense of course)?
Is there a way to confirm the axle rating somewhere on the axle? I think we have 7,000 lbs axles but want to be sure.
If we DO have 7,000 lbs axles, if our RW's GVW (loaded) is above 14,000 lbs, I assume this is a problem correct?

Thanks

SOB = Some Other Brand
Usually referring to a previous different brand RV

If you have 7,000 lb. axles like we do and a GVW of 16,500 lbs. like we do, the calculation assumes at least 2,500 lbs. of the weight is on the pin box / truck bed and not on the axles.

So it would be 14,000 lbs. on the axles and 2,500 lbs. on the Pin Box for a total of 16,500 lbs. but most of our Pin Box weights are really closer to 3,500 lbs. plus, so only approx. 13,000 lbs. or less is actually on axles.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Buddy Wallace

I was over HVAC Maintenance for 29 state buildings and had many employees over the years. Jose Galindo which wasn't from the U.S. was my best employee. I'm don't know how the Chinese work, but they must be smart, they own us. As for US workers, really.

Bingo-now you know why they own us! We sell ourselves to them for short term gain.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Oregonbound

Tires

Others have gone with Sailun (sp?) S637 "G" rated tires or Michelin XPS Rib (which may be more prone to sun damage)
Apparently, Michelin does not make a "G" rated tire.

Great summary Oregonbound!

I might add above, the Michelin XPS Rib is rated for 3,040 lbs, so they is only suitable for up to a 6K axle. Although the Rib has a good history, I don't believe they have a place on the Redwood line.

[lwg]

I can't believe this thread made it up to 16 pages!

[Oriana]

Ian - thanks for writing the summary for this topic