Need new tires

[charliej]

I'm in the market for new tires for my 16 foot Scamp. The ones on it look great, lots of tread and no cracks, but, I did notice they were made in February of 2004.

Anyone got any opinions about tires? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask.....(aren't I a trouble-maker!!!).

[Tom Trostel]

What size tires do you have?

[charliej]

What size tires do you have?

175/80 x 13 ST

[Tom Trostel]

In that size, the best tire is the Maxxis M8008. Discount Tire can order them for you or you can order on line from unsertire.com. Unser charges $75 and ships quickly. I bought 3 for my Compact Jr.

[Alf S.]

Hi: charliej... Remember to check the tire date code on any tires you buy. Be sure they're not past their "best before" date!!! 4 digit code (week+year) molded into every tire.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Joe Z]

I'm in the market for new tires for my 16 foot Scamp. The ones on it look great, lots of tread and no cracks, but, I did notice they were made in February of 2004.

Anyone got any opinions about tires? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask.....(aren't I a trouble-maker!!!).

Charlie....
As you know by the date code they are six years old and that's the age they say to change them out whether you used them, covered them or just sat on a shelf.
Joe

[floyd]

I'm in the market for new tires for my 16 foot Scamp. The ones on it look great, lots of tread and no cracks, but, I did notice they were made in February of 2004.

Anyone got any opinions about tires? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask.....(aren't I a trouble-maker!!!).

Without addressing the "day old bread method" for tire replacement, I recommend this tire in the appropriate size....

http://tinyurl.com/yzrnpvo

Regards; Floyd

[charliej]

Thank you Floyd, Joe, Alf, and Tom for your input.

So, to review. I have great looking tires on the Scamp. Lots of tread and no cracks. But, by the date code on the tires say they were made in February of 2004. Conventional wisdom tells me I should replace them. I am not thrilled about changing the tire on the side of the freeway at 0h-dark-thirty. I also do not want to deal with repairs to the trailer should a blowout occur. Guess it's time to replace correct?

Recommendations for new tires are Maxxis and Carlisie. I didn't hear anything about Goodyear Marathons. Thoughts on those?

Thanks again !

[floyd]

Thank you Floyd, Joe, Alf, and Tom for your input.

So, to review. I have great looking tires on the Scamp. Lots of tread and no cracks. But, by the date code on the tires say they were made in February of 2004. Conventional wisdom tells me I should replace them. I am not thrilled about changing the tire on the side of the freeway at 0h-dark-thirty. I also do not want to deal with repairs to the trailer should a blowout occur. Guess it's time to replace correct?

Recommendations for new tires are Maxxis and Carlisie. I didn't hear anything about Goodyear Marathons. Thoughts on those?

Thanks again !

I had Marathons on my 13 from the factory and ran them 25000 miles without incident.
They were load range B and I ran them at 5lbs over sidewall rating [at] 40LBs.
What ever tire you choose , be sure and run them at an appropriate pressure and check it often. Low pressure is far and away the #1 cause of trailer tire failure.
Personally, I would recommend a radial, one size up if available, and load range C for your 16.

[Donna D.]

It appears on the CasitaForum Kuhmo tires are the overwhelming choice of the members.
http://www.kumhousa.com/Tires, with metal stems too!

I have 15" Marathons on my Scamp. No problemo.

[Joe Z]

Thank you Floyd, Joe, Alf, and Tom for your input.

So, to review. I have great looking tires on the Scamp. Lots of tread and no cracks. But, by the date code on the tires say they were made in February of 2004. Conventional wisdom tells me I should replace them. I am not thrilled about changing the tire on the side of the freeway at 0h-dark-thirty. I also do not want to deal with repairs to the trailer should a blowout occur. Guess it's time to replace correct?

Recommendations for new tires are Maxxis and Carlisie. I didn't hear anything about Goodyear Marathons. Thoughts on those?

Thanks again !

Charlie..... by the date code alone me personally i would buy new ones and ask to see the date code on the new ones which typically shouldn't be more than a year old.
Most of the blowouts i am hearing are on the 17' casita's as they are heavier than your 16'. I haven't heard any blowouts on the 16's yet not saying there aren't any. So now with the lighter trailer you need to pick a good tire which you can find thru a tire search on the forum.
I am using Kumho tires which are a LT (light truck tire) which is a load range "D" Not saying they are any better than the others....... it's just what i am using and i have heard of a few blowouts with them on the 17' casita's.
Get rid of them old tires and whatever tire you get try to get good metal valve stems and keep them aired up.
Joe

[Dana T]

CharlieJ says he has 13" wheels, and as far as I can determine Kumho doesn't make any LT tires that small.

[Donna D.]

CharlieJ says he has 13" wheels, and as far as I can determine Kumho doesn't make any LT tires that small.

Missed that part. I'd be looking to see if 14" would fit too since it's a 16 footer...

[charliej]

Thanks everyone for your opinions.

I'm still not sure what to do. I've got quotes on Goodyear Marathons, Greenball, Carlisle, Sctong and Hi Run. I think I've narrowed it down to the Goodyear or Carlisle. The price is about the same. For 3 marathons $279 and for 3 Carlisiles $273 installed (balanced and with metal stems). The spare looks like an original tire. It's a marathon. The two on the road are Denman.

Suppose I'll go with the Goodyears, since that was probably original. I'll check the date on them too. Wish me luck !!

[Donna D.]

Charlie, you made an interesting statement about the original spare. I have a different mind set when it comes to buying trailer tires. I prefer to buy TWO of the very best tires I can afford, and spend as little as possible on the spare. This only works if you don't rotate the three tires, but you can still rotate two. After all, a spare's job... in my mind, is to only get me to the tire store. As long as it's the same size, holds air and is round... that's its job. I wonder how many members have an original spare or a spare that's never touched the asphalt. Probably most. I buy tires for my tug the same way. The spare has only been used once in 10 years, and that was to go about 15 miles to the tire store. I have better uses for my money than a tire that will rot before it ever gets used.

I learned this at my father's knee... a true car guy. He only purchased four tires at a time ... the best tire he took off always became the spare.

YMMV

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... The only reason I bought 3 new tires for our former Boler was changing from bias ply to radials!!! It's what Donna D said... a spare is a spare...so my vote is for two matching Goodyear Marathons and keep them properly inflated.
"Our Escape Hatch" is running 15" Marathons and our former Boler had 13" Marathons on it!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie p.s. A spare tire cover can't hurt either!!!

[charliej]

Well.....now we are getting somewhere. This is the kind of help I'm looking for. So, if I only get two new tires, should I keep one of the Denman's (currently on the ground)or keep the current marathon spare (which looks new, it's been covered). I couldn't see the date on the spare, it's on the back side, but I imagine it is close to the year of the trailer ...2002.

Donna, I agree, I always put the best tire as my spare when replacing car tires. But, my concern with trailer tires is that a new tire may not be readily available when traveling. Trust me, saving money is a priority...but, I don't want to get hung up somewhere for a couple days waiting for a tire, and maybe pay through the nose. Of course, it may never happen either........

I sure do appreciate everyones thoughts on this..... I always believe that 2 heads, or 3 or 5 are better than one..... as long as I have the final say !!! LOL. My work experience showed me the power of committees....if you don't want to ever make a decision, form a committee. Of course, I worked for the government.

[charliej]

Donna and Alf....... I forgot to mention. I also have a Coleman tent trailer. It's a 2002. I bought it 5 years ago from the original owner, who only used it 2-3 times. It was garage kept, and since I've had it, it's been in my garage. Anyway, last year I noticed the tires starting to crack. I have probably put 3-4,000 miles on the trailer, but the tread still looked new. I looked at the spare, which has always been covered as well as in the garage, and it too had cracks !! Go figure. I replaced all three. Perhaps I wasted my money......Dang, I hate that when it happens. LOL

[Donna D.]

Charlie when I last purchased tires for my Scamp, I bought two fresh 15" Marathons, then went down to Les Schwab (Oregon Tire Guy!) and bought the brand new spare there... at less than half the cost of a Marathon. I used the money I saved to buy two new fancy wheels for the trailer

Your point is well to be observed about maybe being stranded. But, I think unless you're buying some really strange size and hard to get tire, you'd be okay. It really doesn't hurt the trailer to travel on two mismatched tires for a while... not permanently tho! So, if the treads are different, that should still get you down the road to a different town. That may be a different concern if traveling alot of unimproved roads or going to Alaska however. As they say, you make your decision and live with the conseqences. And this is one decision only you can make for yourself.

[charliej]

Thanks Donna...... it has become clear as I re-read my post and yours. Whether a old spare or new, I will need to get a new tire....spare or otherwise as soon as possible in any case....I'm not going anywhere without a spare. So, I may or may not have to hang out somewhere. Hey, and if I do, I have a place to sleep, and I'll just explore a new town a little more in depth!!

2 new marathons it is. I'm going to keep the current spare, since it's always been covered, never on the ground, and doesn't have any visible cracks.

Thanks for talking me through this.