Towmax by Power King – Facts

[Miltp920]

Tireman, what tire is on your RV?

Tireman, just installed my TireTraker on my Towmax tires until I figure out which way to go onnreplacement. IF you were asked your opinion on your top three replacements foe OEM, you would say?

 

[simsfmly]

I was all ready to post on here once I got back to Ohio from Texas that if you keep your rig under weight, drive it no higher than 60 mph and constantly check the psi, you'll be fine. Did all that on the way back and TowMax shredded outside of Louisville, KY. No damage thankfully, but I've had enough. Had 9,101 miles on it.

Lost my first TowMax on the way to Texas last October (80 miles after sitting most of the summer) at 6600 miles. While changing it to a different brand, noticed the other one had a screw in it. Kept the pax side TowMax's, but wish I wouldn't have been so optimistic.

Did everything I said I would do and it was still literally a time bomb.

 

[Miltp920]

Sorry to hear of your trouble. Based on what I have read from all who have had trouble, 3-5 years and or 3000 to 5000 miles and these Towmax are DONE. I actually think 2000 miles is about the limit before the risk factor multiplies every 1000 miles of use. IF you got 6000 to 9000 miles out of a Towmax, you probably did pretty good. I just saw the damage from two drivers side fronts of a Big Country tonight. He had two go within 1000 miles of each other. 2013 5er. Maybe 4000 miles total. Mine get replaced in the next 7 days, then I will still strive to follow all the great guidance read in this forum.

 

[tireman9]

I was all ready to post on here once I got back to Ohio from Texas that if you keep your rig under weight, drive it no higher than 60 mph and constantly check the psi, you'll be fine. Did all that on the way back and TowMax shredded outside of Louisville, KY. No damage thankfully, but I've had enough. Had 9,101 miles on it.

Lost my first TowMax on the way to Texas last October (80 miles after sitting most of the summer) at 6600 miles. While changing it to a different brand, noticed the other one had a screw in it. Kept the pax side TowMax's, but wish I wouldn't have been so optimistic.

Did everything I said I would do and it was still literally a time bomb.

Sorry to hear about your problems. Could you share with the rest of us: What is your normal cold tire pressure? and Didn't your TPMS warn you of the punctures?

 

[simsfmly]

Sorry to hear about your problems. Could you share with the rest of us: What is your normal cold tire pressure? and Didn't your TPMS warn you of the punctures?

82 psi cold.

Have innotech TPMS. Was actually a bit of humor. Going by my texts to my wife (who was in Ohio), failure happened at 10:15a. At 11:37a, while sitting in the truck, alarm went off to say that psi was 0.0 on that tire. Sensor had been in my pocket for over an hour and within 5 feet of the monitor. Was funny at the time, but 2nd time I had a failure and TPMS was just staring at me saying pressure and temperature was fine. Not much trust at the moment in these guys.

 

[DW_Gray]

82 psi cold.

Have innotech TPMS. Was actually a bit of humor. Going by my texts to my wife (who was in Ohio), failure happened at 10:15a. At 11:37a, while sitting in the truck, alarm went off to say that psi was 0.0 on that tire. Sensor had been in my pocket for over an hour and within 5 feet of the monitor. Was funny at the time, but 2nd time I had a failure and TPMS was just staring at me saying pressure and temperature was fine. Not much trust at the moment in these guys.

Has anyone else had problems with Innotech?

Has anyone ever come across a good article review on various TPMSs?

 

[tireman9]

Dave, Only direct comparison I am aware of is one I ran comparing an old Hella internal passenger system with a newer TireTraker system.

Unless someone was to modify a wheel to accept two valves and run a direct comparison or do as I did with an internal and external comparison I would be suspect of any results. Conditions can change while running the test which could mask any measurable difference.

RE systems not warning or how long it takes to issue a warning. This would be easy to do and I am willing to establish a test protocol for others to use so we could accumulate the results.

So here is the offer; If you have a TPM system and have a digital pressure gauge and access to air to re-inflate your tires, I will collect and publish the results.

PM me w/email contact and I will forward a test procedure to be followed. I will collect the data and after getting data from 5 to 7 different brands I will assemble the data and publish with names of individuals deleted but brand names published.

 

[TravelTiger]

Dave, Only direct comparison I am aware of is one I ran comparing an old Hella internal passenger system with a newer TireTraker system.

Unless someone was to modify a wheel to accept two valves and run a direct comparison or do as I did with an internal and external comparison I would be suspect of any results. Conditions can change while running the test which could mask any measurable difference.

RE systems not warning or how long it takes to issue a warning. This would be easy to do and I am willing to establish a test protocol for others to use so we could accumulate the results.

So here is the offer; If you have a TPM system and have a digital pressure gauge and access to air to re-inflate your tires, I will collect and publish the results.

PM me w/email contact and I will forward a test procedure to be followed. I will collect the data and after getting data from 5 to 7 different brands I will assemble the data and publish with names of individuals deleted but brand names published.

If you all decide to do this, I'd also like to publish it in the Heartland Highlights Newsletter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DW_Gray]

Dave, Only direct comparison I am aware of is one I ran comparing an old Hella internal passenger system with a newer TireTraker system.

Unless someone was to modify a wheel to accept two valves and run a direct comparison or do as I did with an internal and external comparison I would be suspect of any results. Conditions can change while running the test which could mask any measurable difference.

Roger, I'm going to make some phone calls today and inquire about sponsorship to conduct a good controlled study. I'll contact you by email later today and let you in on my plan and maybe we can collaborate.

 

[otisjnet]

My husband built tires at Goodyear for forty years. He also said they were built wrong. We have had two with air bubbles, and are now removing all the Towmax. They have less than 2400 miles on them. 2014 Cycone.

 

[tireman9]

My husband built tires at Goodyear for forty years. He also said they were built wrong. We have had two with air bubbles, and are now removing all the Towmax. They have less than 2400 miles on them. 2014 Cycone.

Yep bubbles, usually in sidewall is a sign of come contamination between sidewall and body ply skim rubber. Sometimes it is as minor as the tire builder using non-approved hand moisturizer.

 

[tracks]

I can tell you exactly what causes the big air bubbles on the sidewalls. It is from overheating that occurs after under inflation while traveling down the highway.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

Dave, I know you’re compiling stats on the TowMax tires so I want to share my experience with you. While attending the Virginia Heartland Rally at Cape Hatteras, NC, Gus Funderburg noticed what appeared to be a small bubble on the inside of the right side front tire and brought it to my attention. Upon closer examination Gus was absolutely right. There was a bubble approximately 2” in height, 3” in width and ½” in depth where the tread and side wall meet. Thanks to Gus’s eagle eye, what could have been a potential catastrophe was averted!! With the help of Gus and the Level-up system replacing the defective tire with the spare was quick and easy.

Once home, I called Heartland Service who put me in touch with the manufacturer claims representative who then suggested I take the tire to a local tire center for examination. The examination revealed the tire was out of round indicating ply separations and found four separate inter liner separations. Each one was approximately the width of my hand. It was so bad that when I rolled the tire across my concrete driveway, it was literally bouncing. This tire, size 235/80R16, was original equipment on our 2013 Bighorn. The claims representative is going to refund 80% of the original $125.00 tire price but only for one tire.

While the 80% refund for one tire is helpful, the only acceptable solution for me was to go ahead and replace all four tires and rims with Goodyear G114 215/78R17.5. My wife and I are grateful to Gus for his help at Cape Hatteras and are looking forward to the National Rally next week.

 

[jbeletti]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

Kirk,

Sorry to hear you had to replace your tires. Did you use the Trailer Tires and Wheels special on the upgrade to the 17.5?

See you next week!

 

[tracks]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

Jim, that's exactly right, I received the tires and rims on time and they looked great. I’m hoping they’re as safe as they look and last a long time.

 

[jbeletti]

Re: Towmax by Power King – Facts

Jim, that's exactly right, I received the tires and rims on time and they looked great. I’m hoping they’re as safe as they look and last a long time.

Great news Kirk. Happy to hear people are able to take advantage of the specials.

 

[JohnD]

I just recently had my trailer tires (BlowMax Power Kings) balanced and it was discovered that one of my wheels was bent.

I should have shot a video of it on the tire balancer.

I've never hit anything with it . . .

Wonder how long those are covered under warranty . . . considering it seems to have come that way from the manufacturer.

 

[DW_Gray]

Tracks, thanks for the photos. I had a couple of old Mission tires do the same thing. Roger (Tireman) discussed about these bubbles just above your post.

 

[DW_Gray]

Wonder how long those are covered under warranty . . . considering it seems to have come that way from the manufacturer.

You need to contact Tredit. The wheels/rims may have a lifetime warranty.

 

[tireman9]

Kirk
Glad someone noticed the problem.

Couple of comments. I have suggested a "Free Spin" runout be part of the annual, or more often tire inspection. These types of failures do not happen overnight.

Second. You will do the RV community a great service if you file a complaint with NHTSA. This can be a quick 10 min or less process once you have the info assembled. We cannot always depend on the tire dealer or distributor to report failures to NHTSA.
You will need "Complete" tire size, Brand Name & Design info
Full DOT serial including the date code portion
Vehicle VIN#

Too often people do not make this effort so as Dave has pointed out there are no numbers of complaints on file to justify any further action by NHTSA Engineers. Complaints posted on forums or to others while sitting around a campfire may make people feel better buy that does nothing to put pressure on tire companies and RV MFG to provide better tires with more load capacity.

 

[boatto5er]

Dave, I know you’re compiling stats on the TowMax tires so I want to share my experience with you. While attending the Virginia Heartland Rally at Cape Hatteras, NC, Gus Funderburg noticed what appeared to be a small bubble on the inside of the right side front tire and brought it to my attention. Upon closer examination Gus was absolutely right. There was a bubble approximately 2” in height, 3” in width and ½” in depth where the tread and side wall meet. Thanks to Gus’s eagle eye, what could have been a potential catastrophe was averted!! With the help of Gus and the Level-up system replacing the defective tire with the spare was quick and easy.

Once home, I called Heartland Service who put me in touch with the manufacturer claims representative who then suggested I take the tire to a local tire center for examination. The examination revealed the tire was out of round indicating ply separations and found four separate inter liner separations. Each one was approximately the width of my hand. It was so bad that when I rolled the tire across my concrete driveway, it was literally bouncing. This tire, size 235/80R16, was original equipment on our 2013 Bighorn. The claims representative is going to refund 80% of the original $125.00 tire price but only for one tire.

While the 80% refund for one tire is helpful, the only acceptable solution for me was to go ahead and replace all four tires and rims with Goodyear G114 215/78R17.5. My wife and I are grateful to Gus for his help at Cape Hatteras and are looking forward to the National Rally next week.


View attachment 30054View attachment 30055View attachment 30056



View attachment 30057View attachment 30059

Thanks for the kind words Kirk! Glad I saw that bubble. It's always difficult to give someone bad news, but my philosophy is "We RVer's have to help look out for each other". I actually left my flagpole up one time at the Fredericksburg, VA, KOA and thankfully Roger Beasley saw it and warned me before I could drive off and do some serious damage. By the way, those 17.5 wheels are awesome. Looking forward to seeing you and Cathy again in Urbanna!