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While cleaning the wheels and armor all'ing the tires on the trailer last week I found 3 of the 4 tires with long cracks in the sidewalls. It looked more like they had been run flat and the sidewall was cracking about 1" from the bead, the cracking was very small in most spots and really hard to see until I put the armor all on them, the 2 that were the worst are the ones that are next to the garage wall and get zero direct sunlight. Of course we were pulling out to go to the dunes for the weekend and I wasnt going to chance peeling the side off the trailer so.... a trip to Discount tire and 4 tires and 24 new lugnuts later (the cheap lugs had covers on them that were already deforming making it hard to get the socket on them) I am lighter by $600 and on my way. I had a sneaking suspicion that these tires were P.O.S. cheapies but I had hope to get more than 3 1/2 yrs out of them. Date code showed they were made in late 07 just before the trailer was built. I hate China and really try hard to not buy goods from there. this is the perfect example of why.

these were the stock MISSION tires from the Outback factory.

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I hate Chinese tires too. I just dropped a little over $1200 for a set of G rated Goodyear's for our toyhauler. There is no way I would run a Chinese tire on any heavy camper.

Goodyear makes tires all over the world, including China.

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My G rated tires are US made.

I could write a book on Chinese ST failures. We used to run them on our 14K gooseneck work trailer. Our tires were never run over 65 MPH, overloaded, or underinflated, and we experienced a high rate of failures. One or two failures a month during high mileage times were not uncommon. I finally invested in some all steel commercial Goodyear G614, and the failures stopped. We have had the same set now for a little over 2 years. I don't think there could be a better example of how Chinese ST tires are just not up to the task of hauling at or near their max load rating, especially in hot weather.

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  • 2 months later...

It seems like all trailers (RV and utility) are coming with ST Chinese bombs on them these days. Unfortunate as all I've heard is bad things about them. I'm in the process of getting a tow dolly and the first thing I intend to do is remove the Carlisle tires that come on them and replace them with better LT tires from a domestic manufacturer.

One note, however, Armor All is one of the worst things you can put on a tire. It contains petroleum products which hastens the drying out of the rubber compounds. I never use it for anything. Instead, the best product I've found is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It is good for tires, dash, slide gaskets, anything plastic or rubber, and it can also be used to prevent UV damage to the fiberglass exterior of your RV. I buy it by the gallon at Camping World, or whoever has the best price when I need some.

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It seems like all trailers (RV and utility) are coming with ST Chinese bombs on them these days. Unfortunate as all I've heard is bad things about them. I'm in the process of getting a tow dolly and the first thing I intend to do is remove the Carlisle tires that come on them and replace them with better LT tires from a domestic manufacturer.

One note, however, Armor All is one of the worst things you can put on a tire. It contains petroleum products which hastens the drying out of the rubber compounds. I never use it for anything. Instead, the best product I've found is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It is good for tires, dash, slide gaskets, anything plastic or rubber, and it can also be used to prevent UV damage to the fiberglass exterior of your RV. I buy it by the gallon at Camping World, or whoever has the best price when I need some.

I've used the 303 as well and like it. It turns plastic trim into like new. One thing I noticed though is it does dry out. Not sure if that's good or not.

I think from previous posts everyone knows my feelings on chinese junk. Write your congressman and tell him to cut taxes on manufacturers so they can make products and jobs at home. The manufacturers also need to quit looking at big profits as well and make the product where it's used and the employees work.

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When 303 dries, it leaves a film that acts like a sunscreen and contamination deterrent. It also helps prevent outgassing from plastics and extends their life. I use it all over my coach instead of wax. Makes dirt and bugs a lot easier to remove.

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Well, I'm tire poor today. Got new Michelins on the truck. Got a great deal through believe it or not the Ford dealer. Between Ford Owner's Advantage and Michelin and Ford rebates, dropped it down from 1100 to 850.

Those Chrome 18 wheels seemed like a good idea when I bought the truck :-), but BOY do they add to the price of the tires

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Well, I'm tire poor today. Got new Michelins on the truck. Got a great deal through believe it or not the Ford dealer. Between Ford Owner's Advantage and Michelin and Ford rebates, dropped it down from 1100 to 850.

Those Chrome 18 wheels seemed like a good idea when I bought the truck :-), but BOY do they add to the price of the tires

I have often wondered if people who buy the vehicles with the big wheels actually realize the cost whent hey go to replace them. Dodge did that for a while on their 1500 Rams with a 20" wheel, they are crazy expensive.

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