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Thread: Westlake tires?

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabhoyt View Post
    I just purchased a 297rsts travel trailer. I am still unaware of all the issues with the Westlake Tires. My dealership denies they have had any issues, but they have only been in business representing Grand Design one year. Should I be concerned? Should I worry about what grade the tire is for the travel trailer? There seems to be some issue with putting the wrong grade tires on certain rvs? I am very concerned, but the dealer says that we are paranoid and to stop reading all the posts on the internet. They think people are purposely trying to scare others. I told them these people own Grand Design products and are happy with them but do have issues that get posted. I am very concerned with the dealers attitude, but it is the only one within 2 hours of us. Any comments?
    I wouldn't be overly concerned. Its not like its a given that they will fail, just that westlakes don't have a great rep. But they are/were one of the most used tires for rv's so your going to see more complaints. I personally used mine for about 2 years and the first time one had an issue I swapped them out (nail in the tire, not the tires fault). Keep an eye on them make sure they stay properly inflated and your most likely going to be fine. The dealer isn't going to do anything if there is nothing specifically wrong with your tires. If you want greater piece of mind then replace them with Goodyear endurance or Sailun's. Either is a good choice IMO depending on the weight of your trailer. Be aware though that doesn't mean you'll be immune from issues. I know of at least one Endurance that blew out a side wall. Who knows why, most tire issues are the result of road hazards, not the tires.
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  2. #22
    Seasoned Camper Calnca's Avatar
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    We purchased our Momentum 376th in November 2018. Since then we have put on 8,538 miles on the Westlakes.....including running across AZ/CA desert in 115 degree temps. I run a TPMS that includes temp so I can monitor both.

    Knock on wood, we have not had any tire related issues, but I'm a bit anal when it comes to making sure pressures are where they are supposed to be. So far no wear issues.....but have to tell you watching the back tire (third axle) lean when making a 90 degree backing movement is alarming.
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  3. #23
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    We had a blowout on Westlake load e on our 29RS last week
    Pressure was correct. Les than 4000 miles

    I replaced them all with endurance

  4. #24
    Seasoned Camper Calnca's Avatar
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    Thankfully don't hear as many bad stories about the G rated tires........
    Cal, Marsha and Bear the Labradoodle
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  5. #25
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    I believe that a lot of the problems that happen with the Westlake trires is from them being used too close to the upper end of their specs. Lions Head told GD they would be fine doing this so GD ran with them even though they were pushing their limits. Problem is a lot of people don't even know what their weights are and end up overloading the trailers. Now those tires that were running near their upper end specs are actually over the specs. With any tire you might have it is good to know what they are capable of. Then get your equipment weighed when it is fully loaded so you know where you are at with the weights. One other thing and probably the biggest reason for having a problem with your tires is driving faster than what the tires are rated at. The tires have the speed rating stamped on the side of the tire and don't go over that rating. If you do you are asking to have problems. Couldn't tell you how many times I've seen someone blow by us obviously going way to fast. Then seeing some of them down the road with a flat. I then think to myself yep that will be another person on some board complaining about those cheap tires the manufacturer put on.
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  6. #26
    Site Sponsor BeerBrewer's Avatar
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    Does the load rating matter? Meaning are the Westlake E rated tires more prone to fail than their G rated tires?
    Last edited by BeerBrewer; 07-18-2019 at 06:54 PM.

  7. #27
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    I would say it’s more dependent upon which trailer you might be talking about. For example, Load range E on something like the 2150RB is probably fine. But those same load range E on a Solitude would definitely be testing the load range max on that tire at best, and potentially going over it significantly at worst.

    Tire failures are most often attributed to heat, and overloading. And the two are directly related to each other. Which is why I don’t do more than 60mph when I’m towing. Why risk the investment in the trailer for a few extra miles an hour is my philosophy.

    Just my 2 cents

  8. #28
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BeerBrewer View Post
    Does the load rating matter? Meaning are the Westlake E rated tires more prone to fail than their G rated tires?
    I believe they are if they are mounted on too heavy of a trailer like a Solitude or Momentum. On the lighter trailers they should be fine. I have no data to back up anything that I have printed but based my beliefs from reading reports from others here on the forum and our own personal experience. We had the E-rated Westlakes and ran them for 3years and many miles. We have a Reflection 303. I do have to say after 3 years of running on them we did have a separation on one of them. We didn't have it inspected as it was out of warranty. The damage could have been a bad tire or it could have been caused by some kind of impact during our travels. With everything being said when we replaced them we did go to the Sailun's. Part of that decision was they have a higher speed rating our Westlake were E-rated and only rated for 65mph. The G-rated Westlakes have been in use for a little while now by GD and we are not hearing of people having problems with them. At the Ind. rally Lionshead had the G-rated Westlake on display net to the Goodyear Marathon. I could not tell any difference between them. Same specs with # of belts. Even the weight of them was the same.
    Marcy & Gary
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  9. #29
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    I bought a used 2016 337rls with Westlakes E rated on it and have not had a problem so far. It appears the trailer had hardly any miles on it and I always make sure I have at least 74 lbs of air pressure in them before traveling. They say 80psi cold. I stay at recommended speeds and so far so good.

  10. #30
    Big Traveler Calbar's Avatar
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    I have E-Rated Westlakes on my 297 RSTS but the weight on my axles is only 8800 lbs and at 16" tires I have nearly 14,000 lbs of capacity. Came like this right from GD so I was very happy about that and see no reason to switch tires until they age out.

    I did have issues on my last trailer where the LRC tires had a total capacity of 7000 lbs and GVWR was 7800 lbs. I know they talk about tongue weight but that was just way to close for comfort and I did have issues with tires and bearings because everything was marginal.

    Rob
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