Three blowouts on one trip!

[Hoopy Frood]

Most of the issues with the Westlake are with the smaller diameter, or lesser load range. The Westlake "G" tires seem to perform better with fewer problems.

 

[Canadiansteelman]

Most of the issues with the Westlake are with the smaller diameter, or lesser load range. The Westlake "G" tires seem to perform better with fewer problems.

We have 20,000 km on our Westlakes and no problems. My brother had Goodyears on his 2021 GD 1/2 ton fifth wheel and he had a blow out last week with less than 2,000 miles. Luck of the draw maybe.

 

[Jwalthall]

I blew out a Westlake on my 2021 Imagine (probably had less than 10,000 miles on it) in August. After hearing all the problems with the Westlake tires I went to Discount Tire and replaced all four (at about $160 each) with the Goodyear equivalent. Peace of mind, at least! I need to add that Discount Tire said that they used to handle Westlake but their failure rate had forced them to drop the line.

Jay - Edna, Texas
2021 Imagine 2600RB
Ford F250 SD 6.7 Diesel

 

[safron]

I’ve had two sets of Westlake g’s, never had a problem with any of them. I believe the key is to replace them in that 4-5 year range (from date stamp on tire).

 

[deerislandbrew]

One a 300 mile round trip we had three blowouts on the Westlakes. They are the original tires (2016) that came on it and I know that I should have changed them earlier.
I have the TST tire monitor. On the first blowout, not a peep out of the monitor until after the tire blew, then of course it gave me a low pressure warning. That wiped out my fender flare and bent the sheet metal. I was doing 70 mph.
This was 20 miles from home. Made it the rest of the 120 miles without issue.
On the way back driving 65 I had a second blowout. This wiped out the fender flare on the other side. I had placed aluminum plate underneath the wheel wheels back in '16 when I bought it. Glad I did. One piece got bend and halfway ripped out. Once again, no indication from the TPMS until after the blowout. This was on a Sunday afternoon at 2:30. We found a tire shop open and took both tires. He only had two used tires in that size so we bought them. Headed out again this time at 60 mph. 20 minutes later a third Westlake blew! I installed my last spare and we continued on at 55 mph. 4 hours later made it home.

All three of those Westlakes failed the same. A complete failure. They blew like a bomb. In all three instances the tpms system didn't do me any good. None were losing pressures or getting hot. I also have a 2017 Alumna flatbed with Westlakes. Coming home three months ago one of those blew the same way. I was also monitoring with the tpms. Same thing happened- no warning. That blow out completely destroyed my aluminum fender.

I put GY Endurance on the Alumna trailer and wonder if I should do the same for the 29RS? Thoughts?

So what I learned from this is:
1. TPMS doesn't do much good unless you have a slow leak- not sure I will buy another
2. Change tires after 5-6 years. Tires had less than 6000 miles and were kept in the barn or covered up with covers.
3. Never buy Westlakes as what's the chance of three blowing on one short 300 mile trip??? It's like they had a built in expiration and were rigged to blow after a certain time. LOL

Thats why they call them Westlake bombs. I heard about this right after buying my rls 303 in Laughlin NV. I finished my winter stay in AZ, went home to Oregon and replaced them with sailuns. I probably didn't have 2k miles on them. I've had blowouts on other trailers. I sure didn't want to risk it with known Westlake failure reputation. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

 

[north channel novels]

We had 3 almost new tires (Chinese made but don't remember what brand) go bad in two seasons on our first fifth wheel but have had really good luck (maybe just luck) with the Westlake load rating "E" tires that came with our 230RL. Finished this summer's 12,000 kilometre run (7500 miles), including through super-hot conditions in the US southwest, and our 5 year old tires now have 44,000 kilometres (27,000 miles) on them. Plenty of tread left for local trips but will replace them before going east next year.
I'm thinking that the main reason for such longevity, besides running them at the manufacture's recommended max pressure of 80 psi, is my driving speed ... 55 to 58 mph. Thankyou my polite and kind American friends for allowing me to dawdle along in front of you. We were delighted with how you folks (except Californians) stay at or below speed limits most of the time. And of course, on multi-lanes we just stayed out of the way in the driving lane.

 

[fez111]

One a 300 mile round trip we had three blowouts on the Westlakes. They are the original tires (2016) that came on it and I know that I should have changed them earlier.
I have the TST tire monitor. On the first blowout, not a peep out of the monitor until after the tire blew, then of course it gave me a low pressure warning. That wiped out my fender flare and bent the sheet metal. I was doing 70 mph.
This was 20 miles from home. Made it the rest of the 120 miles without issue.
On the way back driving 65 I had a second blowout. This wiped out the fender flare on the other side. I had placed aluminum plate underneath the wheel wheels back in '16 when I bought it. Glad I did. One piece got bend and halfway ripped out. Once again, no indication from the TPMS until after the blowout. This was on a Sunday afternoon at 2:30. We found a tire shop open and took both tires. He only had two used tires in that size so we bought them. Headed out again this time at 60 mph. 20 minutes later a third Westlake blew! I installed my last spare and we continued on at 55 mph. 4 hours later made it home.

All three of those Westlakes failed the same. A complete failure. They blew like a bomb. In all three instances the tpms system didn't do me any good. None were losing pressures or getting hot. I also have a 2017 Alumna flatbed with Westlakes. Coming home three months ago one of those blew the same way. I was also monitoring with the tpms. Same thing happened- no warning. That blow out completely destroyed my aluminum fender.

I put GY Endurance on the Alumna trailer and wonder if I should do the same for the 29RS? Thoughts?

So what I learned from this is:
1. TPMS doesn't do much good unless you have a slow leak- not sure I will buy another
2. Change tires after 5-6 years. Tires had less than 6000 miles and were kept in the barn or covered up with covers.
3. Never buy Westlakes as what's the chance of three blowing on one short 300 mile trip??? It's like they had a built in expiration and were rigged to blow after a certain time. LOL

I apologize in advance, but I disagree with your statement that the tire monitor system is no good. A lot of people on here will disagree just about everything I am about to say, but please here me out...I also had a 2016 Westlake tire take out the side of my wheel well ($1750 insurance claim) and that was the last time I followed the advise on here about tire pressures.

We have a 2016 Solitude 370FL. I used to run the tires a little under rated max pressure until I read on here that the max pressure should ALWAYS be used as Gospel. The morning of the insurance claim I set all four tires to exactly 80 PSI at 70 degrees temp. 90 minutes later I had the same explosion you had and we travel only 62 Mph. On a previous trailer I had two blowouts by setting to the max pressure.

Depending on which way the wind is blowing you will read several ways on here to set your tire pressure. Here's what I did about 3 years or so ago...

First, I researched and purchased the EEZ Tire system with 10 sensors and a repeater (Our 2006 F250 Super Duty has no TPMS sensors). My brother had those and liked them.

Second, I bought 4-Carlisle 14-ply Load Range "G" trailer tires. We had same four Carlisle tires on our 39 foot travel trailer for 20 of the 25 years we pulled it. I checked the back-side of my Solitude rims and discovered that they were rated for max 110 Lbs tire pressure, as are the new Carlisle tires.

Third, I set all of my sensor MAX pressures to the max cold pressures on the tires. I then set all of the tires to that max pressure.

Here's what happened...We got 15 miles down the road and all of my tires had to have air let out because the pressures went up, which I expected. However, this went on for a long time until the pressure finally stopped increasing.

Here's what I learned from this... My trailer tires gain 30-35 Lbs each while running down the freeway at 62 Mph with the tires in the sun being 5-10 Lbs higher than the shade side. That would put them way over the maximum rim pressure rating had I not set them lower to start with.

I started experimenting... My truck tires are rated 80 PSI max cold. I start out with the front truck tires at about 72 Psi, and the dually's at about 70 because they feel the engine heat more. If it is a hot day I start my trailer tires about 83 Lbs and about 88 on a cooler day.

Prognosis: My tires are showing almost no wear and they stop increasing pressure after about an hour to 90 minutes on the road. If I set them correctly, one or two of the trailer tires might actually hit the 110 max pressure but they stop there. Peace of mind while pulling all that machinery down the freeway is priceless compared to the cost of the sensors.

I know this is not what is being advised by most on this forum, but this really works for us. The tire temps never get more than a few degrees over ambient temperature, but I don't really trust that measurement because it is taken outside of the tires in the airflow passing by. Setting the tire pressures after hooking up is the last thing before winding up the power cord for us. Please buy the Carlisle tires (they cost $100 less than the tires for my Taurus)!

PM me if you care to discuss further...

 

[Keebler]

My Bridgestone Duravis tires were Tennessee made, and they were freshly built (date wise) when I ordered them thru Costco.

What is the load rating on those?

Regarding Westlakes; I also had no issues for 4 seasons on the Westlake G's. I store my trailer outdoors in full sun; after 4 seasons I had visible signs of cracking in the side walls, so replaced all four tires.

 

[Strider711]

We had a blowout on our 2020 Imagine with E rated Westlakes, tires had less than 3000 miles. I replaced them with Goodyear Endurance tires and so far they have been fine. We seem to be getting 1 mpg better mileage as well.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Had a set of Goodyears on my Arctic Fox 5th a few years back. Blew a right rear (in my Avatar). Put on a set of LT Coopers & had no problem with them till I sold it. Don't think GY are as bullet proof as a lot of people think.
Had WL on my Solitude, put on Sailuns after a year with no problems in the past three. Sold the WL for $200

Which GY? The Old Marathon or the Endurance?

 

[HappyCampersJandT]

I am just kinda wondering. Our tire threw a tread and never went flat. We finished our trip and returned on the spare. When we took the rv in for replacement tires the treadless one still was good on pressure. It almost seems like the trailer tires are just retreads. Original tires lasted 4 years. This was going to be the last trip on them.... and so it was.

 

[IBEW Sparky]

[MENTION=1328]johndeerefarmer[/MENTION]

Sorry for your bad luck with your tires.
We had one of our Westlake tires blow back at the end of July...one week before my appointment for new Goodyear Endurance tires to be installed. I do feel your pain. Even though I was able to pull over almost immediately it still did over $2000 worth of damages. All the tires had about 20K miles on them and the remaining tires all had 75% of their tread remaining. Had 5 new GY Insurance tires installed and I'm hoping for better luck with them.

 

[WhittleBurner]

Something a lot of people forget is that when you have a tire go down the tire on the other side is then carrying all the weight that axle has on it. That's one reason why you hear of people having multiple blowout's. That tire carrying all that weight is going to overheat causing damage.

 

[Ra&Ta350]

Too many people forget that trailer tires are often times not rated to travel 70 miles an hour. You have to check your tire speed rating to ensure that you don’t exceed it. Tires that are rated for less than the speed you’re going generally will last about 20 miles before the carcass self-destructs if you’re exceeding the speed rating. When the carcass self-destructs because you’re exceeding the speed rating there’s generally not a loss and pressure until it explodes nor is there a rise in temperature.

 

[Maximus216]

One a 300 mile round trip we had three blowouts on the Westlakes. They are the original tires (2016) that came on it and I know that I should have changed them earlier.
I have the TST tire monitor. On the first blowout, not a peep out of the monitor until after the tire blew, then of course it gave me a low pressure warning. That wiped out my fender flare and bent the sheet metal. I was doing 70 mph.
This was 20 miles from home. Made it the rest of the 120 miles without issue.
On the way back driving 65 I had a second blowout. This wiped out the fender flare on the other side. I had placed aluminum plate underneath the wheel wheels back in '16 when I bought it. Glad I did. One piece got bend and halfway ripped out. Once again, no indication from the TPMS until after the blowout. This was on a Sunday afternoon at 2:30. We found a tire shop open and took both tires. He only had two used tires in that size so we bought them. Headed out again this time at 60 mph. 20 minutes later a third Westlake blew! I installed my last spare and we continued on at 55 mph. 4 hours later made it home.

All three of those Westlakes failed the same. A complete failure. They blew like a bomb. In all three instances the tpms system didn't do me any good. None were losing pressures or getting hot. I also have a 2017 Alumna flatbed with Westlakes. Coming home three months ago one of those blew the same way. I was also monitoring with the tpms. Same thing happened- no warning. That blow out completely destroyed my aluminum fender.

I put GY Endurance on the Alumna trailer and wonder if I should do the same for the 29RS? Thoughts?

So what I learned from this is:
1. TPMS doesn't do much good unless you have a slow leak- not sure I will buy another
2. Change tires after 5-6 years. Tires had less than 6000 miles and were kept in the barn or covered up with covers.
3. Never buy Westlakes as what's the chance of three blowing on one short 300 mile trip??? It's like they had a built in expiration and were rigged to blow after a certain time. LOL

Feel your pain. I tried to get one more season out of my Westlakes, and it was a big mistake. I had one blow out going to my destination and two on the way back. My spare, which was a Westlake also blew. Luckily, I carry two spare tires with me. The BAL spare tire holder has been a very good investment. The first blow out caused the most damage, over $2000. It blew out the leveler behind the tire and the trim above the tire. I've been told it doesn't matter the mileage on trailer tires, they need to be changed out every 3 to 4 years.

 

[Canadiansteelman]

Feel your pain. I tried to get one more season out of my Westlakes, and it was a big mistake. I had one blow out going to my destination and two on the way back. My spare, which was a Westlake also blew. Luckily, I carry two spare tires with me. The BAL spare tire holder has been a very good investment. The first blow out caused the most damage, over $2000. It blew out the leveler behind the tire and the trim above the tire. I've been told it doesn't matter the mileage on trailer tires, they need to be changed out every 3 to 4 years.

How many miles did you have on the Westlakes? Our 2018 303 has Westlakes with about 15,000 miles and never have had any problems. I have monitors on them and often run 70 mph hour. They run cool according to the monitors. Did a 8500 mile trip this summer to west coast in hot weather with no issues. My brother replaced his Westlakes with Goodyears and had a GY blowout after 500 miles.

 

[WhittleBurner]

How many miles did you have on the Westlakes? Our 2018 303 has Westlakes with about 15,000 miles and never have had any problems. I have monitors on them and often run 70 mph hour. They run cool according to the monitors. Did a 8500 mile trip this summer to west coast in hot weather with no issues. My brother replaced his Westlakes with Goodyears and had a GY blowout after 500 miles.

Most trailer tires are replacedmore from age than miles on them. Trailer tires are recommended to be replaced every 5 to 6 years regardless of how many miles are on them. What you want to watch for on a trailer tire rather than tread is cracking in the sidewalls. If you see any cracking starting replace them.

 

[TMitt70]

For all those who are running 16” tires on their 5’ers… I moved to the 19.5” Boar Wheels and Michelin XZE (245/70R19.5 LRH) on my 2021 Solitude 380FL. These massive commercial tires put an end to my tire reliability concerns. I’ve run them for about 12K miles now (all over North America) and they’ve been fantastic (picked up about 1.5 MPG as well). Everybody tells me it’s overkill (and it probably is), but I have zero concerns for tire problems now. They run better mpg, lower temps and better wear….Super happy with the decision.

 

[SilentService]

Had a set of Goodyears on my Arctic Fox 5th a few years back. Blew a right rear (in my Avatar). Put on a set of LT Coopers & had no problem with them till I sold it. Don't think GY are as bullet proof as a lot of people think.
Had WL on my Solitude, put on Sailuns after a year with no problems in the past three. Sold the WL for $200

Had 4 years on our Westlakes with ZERO issues. Changed all 5 to Goodyear Endurance (sized up to 85's) early this year for a big trip. So far I've had to replace two. First was only two days after install and noticed it was not holding air. Took it back to the tire store for inspection prior to the trip. Turns out the rubber lining was separating allowing air to leak out. Less than 5 miles on that one. Second one started to develop a bubble on the side after 4000 miles (could have been caused by a pothole but who knows.) That's two out of five tires within 30 days. Time will tell how well the others hold up.

 

[Gpo1958]

For those who read this thread hereafter, the Westlake load range E tires on [MENTION=1328]johndeerefarmer[/MENTION]'s 2016 29RS are a different animal from the Westlake load range G tires coming on the newer Solitudes and Momentums. The LREs had (and still have, as far as I know) a reputation for failure. The LRGs are building a better track record.

Rob

I fully concor with Rob. I've put 15,000 miles on my original equipment Westlake load range G tires (made in 2019) in the last 18 months with no problems. Looking to replace them over the winter, due to their age, but not quite sure about what to replace them with. What's the current thinking on Load Range G tires?