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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / March 2006Coleman Mesa Tire Questions (long post)
We purchased a new 2002 Coleman Mesa in July of '01. We have towed it on several long trips of 3000 miles or more and now need a third set of tires. The original tires were "Duro" ST185/80 D13's. I believe they have a load capacity of 1670 pounds and the trailer GVRW is around 3500. In May of 2004 after two 3000+ mile trips plus several smaller trips for about 10,000 miles total, I noticed that the tires were heavily scalloped and worn on the inside edge of both tires. Some of the scalloped areas were very smooth but only in a couple of places around the tire, the rest of the inside edges were heavily worn. I tried to locate some tires that had the same "D" load range of 1670 lbs but could not find any either locally or via web until I contacted Duro Tire who referred me to J.C. Whitney. J. C. Whitney had them in stock and shipped them to me in 3 days cheaper than I could have bought a "C" tire locally. However, after two three more trips these tires are also worn the same way and need replacement. Yes, the tires were balanced and properly inflated. Unfortunately, J.C. Whitney no longer carries this tire. Goodyear Marathon trailer tires are only rated "C" which I think is around 1100 lbs. If you have a Mesa or similar sized 14 foot Coleman/Fleetwood trailer, what tires are on your trailer and are they original? Have you replaced them and if so with what? Do you think that a load range "C' is good enough for a 3500 GVRW trailer? What brand would you buy to replace your current set? > The original tires were "Duro" ST185/80 D13's. > Duro Tire who referred me to J.C. Whitney...shipped them to me in > 3 days cheaper than I could have bought a "C" tire locally. However, > after two three more trips these tires are also > worn the same way and need replacement. Several thoughts... J.C. Whitney and Duro, to me at least, are synonmous with CHEAP. I believe you have proven it. Get a pair of Goodyear Marathon radials and I'll bet your troubles are over. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Goodyear&model=Marathon+Radial I used them on my popup with NO trouble. It was every bit as heavy as your camper. Another thing: Weigh your camper, fully loaded and ready to camp. You may then decide to leave your anvil and rock collection home. <big grin>  Signature:) JR > > The original tires were "Duro" ST185/80 D13's. > > Duro Tire who referred me to J.C. Whitney...shipped them to me in [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > J.C. Whitney and Duro, to me at least, are synonmous with CHEAP. I believe > you have proven it. Not my experience at all, at least with Duro. > Another thing: Weigh your camper, fully loaded and ready to camp. You may > then decide to leave your anvil and rock collection home. <big grin> This was my first reaction...wear on the inside of both tires is likely an overloaded trailer or a bent axle. Austin > We purchased a new 2002 Coleman Mesa in July of '01. We have towed it on > several long trips of 3000 miles or more and now need a third set of [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > enough for a 3500 GVRW trailer? What brand would you buy to replace your > current set? You could have the alignment checked too... john Has anyone in this group ever had the alignment checked on a pop-up? If so where do you take such a thing to get that done? I would not trust a tire dealer to do it. >> We purchased a new 2002 Coleman Mesa in July of '01. We have towed it on >> several long trips of 3000 miles or more and now need a third set of [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > john >Has anyone in this group ever had the alignment checked on a pop-up? If so >where do you take such a thing to get that done? I would not trust a tire >dealer to do it. Seeing as tire dealers are probably the most numerous alignment machine users, who would you suggest? SignatureFrank Tabor >> Has anyone in this group ever had the alignment checked on a pop-up? >> If so where do you take such a thing to get that done? I would not >> trust a tire dealer to do it. > Seeing as tire dealers are probably the most numerous alignment machine > users, who would you suggest? An RV repair facility? I expect that virtually all tire dealers would laugh you out of the store if you brought in a pop-up, or any other towable, for alignment. On the other hand, they would probably do what they usually do: Wipe the dirt off the wheels, loosen and (hopefully) retighten a few lug nuts, sit on the thing for an hour or six then charge you for an alignment. What? Me cynical? Signature:\ JR >I expect that virtually all tire dealers would laugh you out of the store if >you brought in a pop-up, or any other towable, for alignment. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >What? Me cynical? Yeah--you are cynical <vbg> I know that my tire dealer would do it. He also doubles as my trusted auto mechanic and is as honest as the day is long. But you are right--most tires shops wouldn't know what to do--or care about how they did it. Mark Filice 2004 Homestead Settler 255RS 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 SignatureNewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth >>I expect that virtually all tire dealers would laugh you out of the store if >>you brought in a pop-up, or any other towable, for alignment. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > 2004 Homestead Settler 255RS > 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 I would look in the yellow pages for a shop that builds and repairs trailers. They should be able to align a trailer axle. > Has anyone in this group ever had the alignment checked on a pop-up? If > so where do you take such a thing to get that done? I would not trust a > tire dealer to do it. Take it to a 'spring shop' A shop that can repair leaf springs and such on trucks. Pick one that can work on BIG trucks, semis and such and they can fix you right up. they can check the alignment and toe and all those other terms.... john I have found that most single axle pop-ups have tires whose load range just barely covers the weight of the trailer, unloaded. (Of course, the tounge weight, strictly speaking, does not rest on the tires, but on the tow vehicle). One option to consider is to change to a 14 inch tire, and a wider one - IF it will fit in the wheelwell. A good tire store should be able to figure this out for you. You would need new rims as well for the wider tire. However, the load range would be higher, and there would be less tread wear, as the tire has something like an 8% longer tread (circumference). Tire cupping is caused by various things on trailers. It is usually from bouncing during rotation, which in turn can be caused by loose wheel bearings, misalgnment, out of balance tires, poor shocks, etc. Have you had your wheel bearings replaced during or after all these long trips? HTH "tobe" < > Tire cupping is caused by various things on trailers. It is usually from > bouncing during rotation, which in turn can be caused by loose wheel > bearings, misalgnment, out of balance tires, poor shocks, etc. Have you > had your wheel bearings replaced during or after all these long trips? > > HTH It's basically the same bearing as in a car so why would they need replaced because of a few long trips? Sitting over winter and for a few months 'will' degrade the grease which will lead to a shortened bearing life....... john The bearings have been packed before each season with a very high quality marine grade wheel bearing grease and are in very good condition. Never had a loose wheel. I went to the Dexter Axle web site and they had a tire wear chart. The tire condition most like mine indicated that the axle is overloaded or bent. Since this has occurred since the trailer was brand new. I will assume that the trailer is overloaded. However, I am still not sure what caused the heavy scalloping or cupping effect on the worn edges. The trailer pulls like a dream, no sway, bounce or vibrations. I usually do not carry water even in the hot water heater. This is what makes me perplexed and why I am asking questions of others to see if anyone else has had the same experiences. Next step is to get the trailer weighed at a scale. I have found Loadstar ST185/80 D13 tires at http://www.sturdybuiltonline.com/pages20_29.pdf and will most likely get them although the shipping charges are astronomical. Thanks for all who have put their 2 cents worth in. I appreciate the feedback. > "tobe" < >> Tire cupping is caused by various things on trailers. It is usually from [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > john "Gorilla85" **snip** . The tire > condition most like mine indicated that the axle is overloaded or bent. > Since this has occurred since the trailer was brand new. I will assume > that the trailer is overloaded. Don't be too sure about the overloaded part.... Although the axles can take great loads and such, it is surprising how little it takes to bend one when force is applied in an unplanned direction. I bent the axle on my hybrid - first trip out - by running over a parking block. They will check all of that stuff when you get the alignment done. By caparison it is a small investment and it would be the first thing I would do - because if it IS the alignment, you'll ruin your new tires. If it Is the alignment, you may not need those fancy tires that you have to pay shipping on.... ...kind of like checking for termite damage 'before' you have the roof replaced...if you catch my meaning. hope it all works out.... john > We purchased a new 2002 Coleman Mesa in July of '01. We have towed it on > several long trips of 3000 miles or more and now need a third set of tires. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > if so with what? Do you think that a load range "C' is good enough for a > 3500 GVRW trailer? What brand would you buy to replace your current set? Have you actually weighed your trailer, cupping as you described is usually caused by being overloaded or your axle losing its arch. Duro are normally considered top tier tires for pop-ups, I was going to suggest you check out Titan ties after checking your weight and confirming your axle is ok. But it appears that Duro is the only mfg-er with D load range in a 13 inch Tire. The new Fleetwood are coming with towmasters, I think, which does have an 13in D range tire. |
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