The Towmax Gremlin strikes again!

[cds1]

During a recent trip I noticed something unusual with the left rear tire on the trailer. I was only a couple of miles from the storage lot, going around 45 mph and was able to get off the road. Well it was a good size blister on the Towmax tire. I guess it was my lucky day as it did no damage to the fifth wheel.

Now I am searching for new tires and leaning toward the Sailun S637 however I am not having much luck finding a local dealer. Has anyone used Simple Tire and how was your experience? My other question, will these work on the rims on my unit? They are stamped T04/827 with 110 psi. Another tire I am interested in is the Michelin XPS Rib tire if it would work.

Thanks for any input.

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[danemayer]

Hi cds1,

That's quite a blister on the tire! Good thing you found it before it blew.

A lot of people have been buying Sailun S637s and I believe Heartland is shipping them on many of the larger rigs now.

I'm sure you'll get some comments soon about the wheel and which sellers are good to do business with.

 

[TravelTiger]

Sailuns are probably a good replacement, we have not seen any posts of failures on the forum that I can recall. However, those with Goodyear G614s, swear by them as well, and even with some failures of G614s reported here, Goodyear has stepped up to the plate and fixed rig damage caused by the failures.

To me, if I were considering a replacement, I would look at the cost but figure the Goodyear pricing reflects "additional insurance" to cover a potential failure, where Sailuns probably do not.

JMHO.

Erika

 

[ILH]

X2 for Goodyear!

 

[MCTalley]

X2 for Goodyear!

If I pulled my rig just a couple thousand miles a year, I'd probably get a set of Sailuns. If I pulled my rig 20,000 miles a year (and I do), I'd probably spring for the Goodyear G614s.

 

[codycarver]

Not to upset the apple cart here but we have over 20,000 miles on our Sailuns tires without any problems. We went out of our way to find our second set and wouldn't think twice about replacing these with a third.

 

[Jim.Allison]

My two cents

I overkilled the Towmax problem and I'm on the fence about the money I spent on the G114 and 17.5 inch HiSpec rims. If I had it to do over again I might go different, perhaps with the G614s. Having replaced the existing 16 inch rims I was able to sell all 5 tires and rims for $900 on craigslist. Its nice to recover some money, but it only minimally offsets the price I paid for the 114s and rims. The upside is that I do not own a Towmax tire, and I ride with very little concern over my trailer tires now. I'm have forgone recommending tires for the time being as there are so many options. I will say though that one should actively seek to replace TowMax tires with something respectable and buy a TPMS.

 

[cds1]

Thanks for the input. I have been reading some of the older threads about the tire issues so I will have time to do some more tire shopping (My favorite thing to do ). The good is that the unit itself has been great, no big problems other than the normal minor repairs. We have really enjoy it.


This is my first post however I have really learned a lot from the forum.

Thanks again..

 

[sengli]

I have the same exact rims you do on my Big Horn. I never had any issue's with my towmax's but I fall into the group that pulls maybe 2-3K miles per year. I tried to find the sailun tires locally and nobody ever heard of them, and they didnt seem thrilled to order them. Ended up with goodyear 614's on the stock rims. Holy crud that is a whopper of a blister!

 

[FiremanBill]

I have the same exact rims you do on my Big Horn. I never had any issue's with my towmax's but I fall into the group that pulls maybe 2-3K miles per year. I tried to find the sailun tires locally and nobody ever heard of them, and they didnt seem thrilled to order them. Ended up with goodyear 614's on the stock rims. Holy crud that is a whopper of a blister!

Yet...

 

[Heathcote4]

We got bit by the Towmax Gremlin as well.

The Road Warrior got 5000 miles in the first year and almost to the month the Towmax's started going down. Caught the first on visually, fought with the Wholesaler until she finally sent me a new tire, granted it was a Towmax. The second went down on the highway on the way to the Heartland rally in October, thank God for the TPMS. Both tires had signs of delamination at 5000 miles and one year of use, RIDICULOUS! I have been going round and round with the wholesaler and all they will do is a prorated warranty coverage based on wholesale pricing. We have lost a third tire and I suspect a fourth but have not had it inspected.

The Towmax issue is real and I am completely disappointed that these tires are performing and the lack of support from the manufacturer. It looks like an investment in G614's at bonus time. Good luck to all rolling with those time bombs under their rig. A TPMS is a must, mine has now paid for itself several time already.

Safe camping all.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Get them off and sell them on craigslist, some landscaper needs them. It will definitely offset some of your 614 cost.

We got bit by the Towmax Gremlin as well.

The Road Warrior got 5000 miles in the first year and almost to the month the Towmax's started going down. Caught the first on visually, fought with the Wholesaler until she finally sent me a new tire, granted it was a Towmax. The second went down on the highway on the way to the Heartland rally in October, thank God for the TPMS. Both tires had signs of delamination at 5000 miles and one year of use, RIDICULOUS! I have been going round and round with the wholesaler and all they will do is a prorated warranty coverage based on wholesale pricing. We have lost a third tire and I suspect a fourth but have not had it inspected.

The Towmax issue is real and I am completely disappointed that these tires are performing and the lack of support from the manufacturer. It looks like an investment in G614's at bonus time. Good luck to all rolling with those time bombs under their rig. A TPMS is a must, mine has now paid for itself several time already.

Safe camping all.

 

[RobP]

I drove directly from the dealer to my local tire shop (180 miles) and had the G614s put on. After reading all the issues on this forum, I wasn't taking any chances. I was amazed at how weak the sidewalls were on the Blowmax compared to the 614s. The tire shop bought the Blowmax for 60 bucks a tire to put on their flatbed trailer. I'm still a stickler for checking tire pressure each morning and at each stop we make but the G614s have been flawless!!
We've only pulled about 2000 miles so far but were headed to California next week and that's a 1400 mile trip!! Good luck to all those still playing Blowmax Roulette.

 

[chief916]

Just bought a 2013 4100 King from dealer in Raleigh NC on 7 Jan 2015. All the tires LOOKED brand new. I did'nt know blowmax from shineola. Took it home 60 miles to the house where it sat until yesterday 30 Jan 2015. due to cold and wet weather. During this time I would go through the coach and familierize myself with everything. Noticed that the dealer never ops checked the genny and I did'nt know enough to ask during pdi.....dummy me. Made appointment to take it back yesterday 30 jan 2015 in between bringing it home and taking it back...I educated myself on trailer tires and I have six blowmax that all looked great. So I did my preflight the day before and this included max air of 80 psi on trailer as well as TV. I voiced my concerns about blowmax to wife. She said they looked great and not to make trouble for myself. Yesterday morning did visual and thumping on tires then did visual and heat check on tires again before getting on interstate 15 miles later. Everything OK. never exeed 55-57 mph when towing. Noticed rig felt squirrly at speed. Thought it was the wind....slowed to 50 mph until arrival at dealership. Got out to check and 3 tires were all seperated. Left front was the worst and the right rear and center had chunks of tread missing and were rubbing against each other......rear axle was not inline. Talked to dealer about tire replacement and a little help with the cost of replacing all 6 blowmx tires. he has not called me back yet 31 Jan 2015. Warrenty will cover genny and trailer axle alignment but not sure about tires. I'm looking for recommendations for tire brand replacement.........cost of some of these tires is really scary for very good tires.......this could run over 2k for all six tires. Geez....less than 30 days from buying the coach and putting roughly 120 miles round trip.....and I have'nt even made the first payment yet. ****

 

[danemayer]

Hi chief916,

Check the stamp on the inside of the wheels. If it says 110 psi or 3750 lbs, you should be able to upgrade to Load Range G tires. Goodyear G614s run $350 - 400 mounted and balanced. A lot of people have upgraded to Sailun S637 at about $200 / tire. Make sure the installer puts in a high pressure valve stem rated at 110 psi. Load Range G tires will give you a good safety margin.

I don't think we've seen any posts about Sailun failures. Goodyear G614s have a good rep, but there have been failures here and there. I've had one fail where the tread came off, but the tire held air. The side of the trailer was damaged by the tread.

Is it worth the extra cost for Goodyear? When mine failed Goodyear paid for a new tire, including mobile service installation, along with 100% of the cost to repair body damage. Others have also been reimbursed for repair cost. As far as I know, Goodyear is the only company that does pay for repair costs when their tires fail - at least on the G614, but not necessarily on every GY tire. I don't know if Sailun has a similar policy, but considering the lower price, it seems unlikely.

 

[danemayer]

If you still have the tires that have failed, you can file a report with NHTSA that may help the next guy. You'll need the sidewall information from each tire including the DOT #.

 

[jeffdee]

My only recommendation is to go to an F-rated (12 ply) or a G-rated (14 ply) tire. Also include replacing the spare tire. You presently have E-rated, 10 ply tires. The higher capacity tires should give you more peace of mind as long as you maintain the proper tire pressure (95 psi or 110 psi). You more than likely can also fit a slightly taller tire ST235/85R16-F or ST235/85R16-G in place of the existing ST235/80R16-E.

I got with my trusted tire dealer of 25 plus years and weighed his recommendations. He is the one who will stand behind what he sells. There is a broad market of rv trailer tires out there with a very wide spectrum of pricing. What you really need to know is that more than 90% of the trailer tire manufacturers are offering tires that are in fact actually made in China. The Chinese can make a good tire if they are held to meeting high specs and quality controls. Depending upon what you are willing to spend, 7 new tires can cost you between $800 and $2400, depending on the brand that you select.

You can do a lot of shopping and review reading of trailer tires on the internet before you go visit a tire dealer you want to do business with. Here is a good link describing rv trailer tires: http://www.carlisletransportationpr...iginal/Trailer_Tires__Tips_Best_Practices.pdf

 

[Heathcote4]

Heartland put me in touch with PVC Wholesale. They are the distributor for Towmax. I have been dealing with them on the three failed tires. She has given me warranty on all two and shipped me a new tire on the first one.

561-383-3100 ask for Olga

It is an insulting warranty and they do prorate the amount based on tire wear. The amount is also calculated on wholesale prices of the tires, but if the tire is damaged and can't be sold it is something.

Good luck!

 

[chief916]

Heartland put me in touch with PVC Wholesale. They are the distributor for Towmax. I have been dealing with them on the three failed tires. She has given me warranty on all two and shipped me a new tire on the first one.

561-383-3100 ask for Olga

It is an insulting warranty and they do prorate the amount based on tire wear. The amount is also calculated on wholesale prices of the tires, but if the tire is damaged and can't be sold it is something.

Good luck!

thank you for this info....just got off the phone with my tire guy to confirm that he has six Sailun S637s waitng to be installed. I do not want anything more to do with blowmax.

 

[chief916]

thank you for this info....just got off the phone with my tire guy to confirm that he has six Sailun S637s waitng to be installed. I do not want anything more to do with blowmax.

Oh yeah almost forgot.....and to me and a lot of other people this is important....camping world called me and told me he could get me the Sailuns for $288.00 each....I told him I could get them for $157.00 each. He told me he couldnt beat that price so I ordered them on line and had them shipped to my installer. $990.00 total fright and military/vetern discount included.