I think you are getting some good advice here, although they may not fully address the issue with Dynatrac tires.  It is fairly well known on at least three different RV forums that I participate with that Chinese tires really need to be avoided, even if it is to avoid the damage to the coach itself from a tire having a blowout.  Since most DRV tires tend to range from 100 to 125 psi pressure (generally 125 on the newer 17.5" tires), a blowout will have a LOT of force with which to destroy parts of the coaches slide bottoms and sides of the coach.

Keep in mind that tires are the last (meaning bottom) component of what I call the foundation of the RV.  Those components are the frame, suspension, wheels and tires.  Those are the areas where I would be unlikely to scrimp on paying the price.  That is, unless one is simply a part-time RV'er.

Terry

Hey Dick,

Personal opinion only.  There just isn't enough data on the Dynatrac ST990s as used in heavy fifth wheel applications for me.  I don't like the fact they are made in China by a Chinese manufacturer as we have personally seen (in our limited experience weighing RVs) more frequency of blowouts in the less expensive Chinese manufactured products.  That's simply a personal observation and I have no statistical evidence on that.  Of course, it may that there are simply more of those cheap tires on fifth wheels and they can be easily overloaded.

One other point.  Knowing RV manufacturers try to keep tire costs down, I wonder why none of them I know use these tires on motorhomes.  Could it be they are unproven or too risky from a liability standpoint?  Just a thought.

The Goodyear G114s are LT "light truck" tires.  Light truck tires are often used in heavier fifth wheel applications because they have higher load capacities than the same-sized ST tires.  We have the G114s and I'm very, very pleased with them (and I know other members of this Forum are as well).

I would choose the G114s over the Dynatrac every time because they are a known commodity and they are the foundation of our home on wheels.  But again, that's just my opinion.

Also, you may want to check pricing with TrailerTiresAndWheels.com.  They have the 215/75R17.5 tires in Goodyear, Michelin, and several other brands.  You can call them at  (419) 272-2277.

P.S.  All major American tire manufacturers have plants in China, so just because a tire is made there doesn't automatically mean it's poor quality.

Dick,

Over in the Montana Owners Forum and other forums the general consensus is that the Chinese makes are the time bomb waiting to happen. Even Goodyears Marathons which are made in China are known as Marabombs! I believe the big difference is that a lot of the Chinese tires have steel belts in the tread and are bias ply on the sidewalls and this is where the failures occur thru separation. The G614's are steel belted treads and steel sidewalls. The reason this is so important is that when you make turns with the trailer including backing up you put a tremendous amount of stress on the sidewalls of the tire. Next time you have your trailer backing up and turned at almost a 75 deg angle get out and take a look at how the tires are stressed out.

Here is how I looked at it, for the difference between the cost for the two types (about $800 more for the G614's), if we have a tire failure on the highway and the tire shreads my trailers side, etc. and causes thousands of dollars of damage the extra $800 is worth every penny.

Now that is not to say that the G614's cannot have issues. You still need to monitor the tires, checking for pressure, wear, rot, sidewall damage, etc.

Every manufacturer has it's issues but I still will put my money when I can in the American made products.

Good Luck!

Les

The Bear II wrote:

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I decided to use Michelins after several months of research on the internet. I saw fewer problems with Michelins plus many folks indicated the tires lasted longer than other brands...less treadwear.

I know they are more expensive but I've had two other good brand tires with several tread separations.

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 Yup. You get what you pay for.

'Michelins' last forever!

....cheaper in the long run!

mesa48 wrote:

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How about Hankook tires. The HH that we just bought has fairly new Hankook tires on it. I have never had this brand of tire before. I was told that they are good tires but I do not want to blow a tire and damage my HH. I have had that happen before on another trailer causing some major damage twice.

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Hankook is actually a pretty good tire brand.  They are a reputable South Korean company based in Seoul, so they aren't an unknown Chinese manufacturer putting American-sounding names on cheap tires.  As long as they have proper capacity for your load and you keep them properly inflated and maintained, you should be .... knock on wood .... fine.

mesa48 wrote:

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How about Hankook tires. The HH that we just bought has fairly new Hankook tires on it. I have never had this brand of tire before. I was told that they are good tires but I do not want to blow a tire and damage my HH. I have had that happen before on another trailer causing some major damage twice.

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According “the Internet” search: “They have plants in China, Korea, Japan, and Eastern Europe.”

The problem with most of these “less expensive trailer tires” is the side wall strength, which is what “blows out” even if properly inflated.  If you compare some of the “G” and “E” tires to the Goodyear “H” G114 tires it is quite obvious the difference in the amount of strength.  Just look at the thickness of the side wall for one and compare, or pickup one of the G114’s vs. a “G” tire – even the Goodyear “G” G614 tire.  There is just so much more “rubber” there to protect you.  The G114 is just a completely different product and that is why it costs more.

Bill

mesa48 wrote:

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How about Hankook tires. The HH that we just bought has fairly new Hankook tires on it. I have never had this brand of tire before. I was told that they are good tires but I do not want to blow a tire and damage my HH. I have had that happen before on another trailer causing some major damage twice.

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 I hate to be blunt about the choice of tires, why not quit looking around to find different (read that as cheap) tires and go with the ones that have been recommended here?  Howard is running Goodyear, several others have recommended Michelin and nowhere have we seen the off-brand tires being spoken well of.  The safety of you and your tires rests in the selection of a known quality tire and stays well away from the maypop tires.  Remember, if you gotta count 'em instead of kick 'em, you ain't saving anything.

I bought Michelins for our 5er 5 years ago when the chinese maypops had minor tread separation and have been happy.  I just hate I am now approaching the time where I need to buy new ones (but they will be Michelins) and not chinese or other off-brands.

I’ll comment because I truly believe this is an important point:  Many think about “Goodyear” or “Michelin” or “Firestone,” etc. as being the focal point of tire quality, or safety for that manner.  Like all thing, “it depends” on the specific product as well as the name.

For example, I have brand “M” on my truck.  An excellent truck tire, well rated for the service intended – on a truck.  However, trailer brand “M” tires don’t meet that same safety level by specification.  My trailer had brand “G” on it from the factory.  But I replaced those OEM tires with a much more capable same brand “G” tire because the OEM tires didn’t have the robustness and were known to blow out.  The tires I put on the trailer were commercial grade tires specifically designed for trailer service.  More expensive, oh yes, but much safer and will run twice or more the miles of the OEM brand “G” tires.  Same brand, completely different results.  I have written data to back that up over many years of service and enough miles to have validity.  (We travel a lot of miles.)

All I am saying is you can’t evaluate a tire by the brand name alone.  Take a close look at all the specifications for the specific tire and look at the tires physically as to how really robust they are, especially in the side wall areas.  Pure “bulk” counts a lot in this area as trailer service is much harsher than truck service even if the tires are lightly loaded on a trailer.

My 2 cents

Bill

Mark,

Yes, my Montana came with the Marabombs. We had the dealer swap them out for the G614's we had just put on the SOB we traded in which only had 1,000 miles on them. Thankfully I logged onto the MOC forum before we bought to get some inside scoop before we purchased and were able to get a heads up on the issues with the Chinese tires.

X2 on Dianeandsteve....replace them now!