ultrafarmer
Well-known member
After reading about the China bomb's that I have on my Cyclone I am afraid to go out of the state.
I am at home ,,,, afraid to go
- Thread starter ultrafarmer
- Start date
boatto5er
Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
I have over 6000 miles on my 2 year old "China Bombs". I keep them aired up to factory spec and check them everytime I stop. They still look new - no cracks, no bubbles, no wrinkles. Just keep them properly inflated and check them often. Keep your speed at 65 or under.
RoadJunkie
Well-known member
It's my opinion that one must be very careful about acting/reacting based on information on this or any other forum. There is probably nothing some one can say to sway your decision to stay at home--based on tire reliability--if you have already made that decision. I feel sad that you would sacrifice the joy of getting on the road, seeing the country and meeting new people because of uncertainty towards your tires. I would suggest you evaluate why you feel the tires are unsafe and correct your concerns so that your confidence is established. Good luck.
Jellystone
Well-known member
The best defense is to have a good offense. Before you tow with those "ticking time bombs", always make sure that the tires are inflated to the MAX Pressure (cold) which is labeled on the sidewall. Every time you stop for fuel,etc., visually inspect the "get bys" (tires) for excessive wear or problems. Keep the "fragile" grenades, I mean tires, covered when not in use so UV rays from the sun won't melt them.
All jokes aside, just practice proper tire care and you should be OK until you want to/need to replace them with a more dependable brand.
supernan1414
Active Member
I feel the same way. Ours are new on our Big Horn, only towed it to our seasonal site, approx. 60 miles. We are planning about a 400 mile round trip to a Pa. camping event in a couple weeks. I wish our dealer had told us we could upgrade to Goodyears and also heavier axles But that is water over the dam. The $750. the upgrade would have cost us will probably buy us new tires but the axles and springs are on there. I have also been reading horror stories about the springs. Should we get them replaced along with the tires??? It is under waranty for a year but I don't want the inconvenience off being broke down. Our rig is not overloaded as we are weekenders, will that make a difference and my husband always checks his tire pressure. I am interested in the replies to this tread.
It seems that the Mission tire of years ago was the real culprit when it comes to China Bombs. I am not saying the others are reliable or unreliable. We only read about the ones that blow up and never hear of the millions of miles that have been put on them in aggregate from all the RV manufacturers.
I had Unicorn Express on my last rig and never had a worry. I wanted to enjoy our rig not fret when using it. If I blow a tire I will get things fixed. Life goes on.
Peace
Dave
I had Unicorn Express on my last rig and never had a worry. I wanted to enjoy our rig not fret when using it. If I blow a tire I will get things fixed. Life goes on.
Peace
Dave
SouthernNights
Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Very sound advice.
This could mean anything from what others have suggested in the proper maintenance to changing out all the tires to GY or, Mich. or some other brand you have confidence in.
beasleyrl
Well-known member
I totally agree with this comment. Like you, I also have a Cyclone that originally had the China Bombs on it. I replaced them this year because I literally wore the tread off them with miles. I don't know how many actual miles I had on them, but I bought the truck to go with it about 6 months before I bought the trailer and it was used almost exclusively for pulling the Cyclone. I recently traded the truck with just over 50K miles. During almost 3 years I have pulled the Cyclone with that truck, I have never had a problem with the tires (leaf springs are another story...) Like boatto5er said, keep them aired up, check them in route, and watch your weight and you'll PROBABLY be just fine. However, only you can make that call. Oh, by the way, when I replaced the original trailer tires recently, I did by a different brand, but they were again made in China. I just couldn't justify the cost of some of the other tires (referenced here) at twice the price as I could the ones made in China because I had to buy 6 for the truck and 6 more for the trailer... Good luck with your decision!
truknutt
Committed Member
What size tire do you have & what is the weight you're carrying. You have to give us some useful information to work with in order to get educated responses.
The Cyclones of 2008 and earlier had 15" Missions on a unit with a GVW of 18,000 lbs. These were the Cyclone China Bombs most spoke about. 2009 saw the change to 16" and 6K axles on a platform with a 20,400 lb GVW. I have had no problems thus far. (That said I'll probably find a bubble now, thanks y'all!)
Vigilant maintenance coupled with visual inspections (backside of tires, too!) and responsible driving habits (speed, hitting curbs, etc.) should reward you with many miles of comfortable driving.
bill40
Well-known member
This ouote is probably the best advice you are going to get. Just think about how many units are sold (all mfg) using the same tires and no problems. Just check your psi watch your weight and enjoy your rig. These forum's are good but they can drive you crazy if you let them. Take Care and have some fun this is a great time of the year for RVing.
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
It's easy to get overly concerned by reading some of the horror stories that have been posted. BTDT. But, as mentioned, keeping an eye on them and taking proper care will probably get you a long way. That's not to say that hitting some debris on the road won't tear up your tires, but that can happen to any brand, regardless of price. Without a pressure monitoring system, pick up a nail on the highway and you won't know it until you see bits of tire and trailer flying behind you.
On my rig, I've got Freestars (a Chinese tire) as original equipment. Their mold date is 5207. So far, they've probably got less than 2000 miles on them. That includes being hauled from Elkhart to the Michigan dealer we bought it from. But, I keep them at 110 psi and covered when parked on our seasonal site or at the storage yard over the winter. Just came back from our site this afternoon, 200 miles away, and when I check the tire temperatures at a rest stop at the half-way point, none of them were over 105 degrees. I was doing 65 mph all the way, too. No blisters on any of them, either.
On my rig, I've got Freestars (a Chinese tire) as original equipment. Their mold date is 5207. So far, they've probably got less than 2000 miles on them. That includes being hauled from Elkhart to the Michigan dealer we bought it from. But, I keep them at 110 psi and covered when parked on our seasonal site or at the storage yard over the winter. Just came back from our site this afternoon, 200 miles away, and when I check the tire temperatures at a rest stop at the half-way point, none of them were over 105 degrees. I was doing 65 mph all the way, too. No blisters on any of them, either.
ultrafarmer
Well-known member
I have the 16in. load range E bombs. I have about 6000 miles on them and have pulled it 75 mph for 1500 miles. I watch the pressure and I might be carrying a lot of weight, I should check that out.. Thanks all.
Netem
Well-known member
I had the 16 in 10 ply Missions on my Sundance and that should have been more than enough tire for that size trailer but I lost two this summer on a trip to Mi. I always run 80 lbs and had less than 3500 miles on them. I caught both tires before they blew , what I noticed was the tread was bulging in the middle. I have replaced all four with Maxxis tires so only time will tell if these tires are better.
slmayor
Founding California Northern Chapter Leader
If you're pulling at 75 mph, you need to switch to a truck tire. SLT tires are generally rated for a top speed of 65 mph. The extra 10 mph can really build some heat in the tire. Don't believe me, check the temps after pulling at both speeds. If you're carrying a lot of weight as well, it's just some added stress to the tire. Get the rig weighed so you know what you're dealing with. We thought we were overweight because I pack everything I can find, and when we weighed, we found we were lighter than we thought.
That being said, we had relatively good luck with our Freestars. Had a small bubble on one this summer, and wore out another with a bad alignment, so just replaced them with Goodyear. Because we were on the road, we checked them every time we chocked up at night and noticed the bubble while it was small.(still had to tow another 100 miles to a tire dealer, no issues at 55mph) We had quite a few miles on our Freestars in the 3 years they were on the trailer and they were an 06 build date. Tireco has been pleasant to deal with as well on the one we are sending back.
Bottom line is we don't tow above the rated speed of the tire, and we don't overly worry about one blowing out. That's what we have insurance for. We did however, have two blowouts with Michelin XPS tires on our Class A. You'll have to flip your own coin. If you don't feel safe, you need to fix what makes you feel that way or give up Rving. Just my own opinion and take it with a grain of salt, because we have hot rods and a boat so we live dangerously anyway.
Duramax1
Well-known member
Your post makes me nervous as I have the same trailer as you.
But I now have in excess of 17,000 miles on my tires and I do thorougly check them frequently for bulges etc.
I keep them pressured at 80 lbs and I usually travel at 58 miles/hour which is in the sweet range for my engine and trailer weight.
I hope that I have not jinxed myself by this post.
John Gaffney
Member
Ii at home I have about 6,000 miles on my 09 BH 3370, and have had no issues with the Mission tires. Make sure air pressire is good when you start every day. Also I put a hand on them when ever I stop. Do not go over 65 mph for any lengh of time.
So hit the road Jack!
So hit the road Jack!
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