Rounded tire

[jejb]

Was loading my trailer for a long weekend of dirt bike camping/trail working yesterday. As I was checking my tire pressure, I noticed one of the tires was not flat across the face anymore, but had taken on a rounded profile with the center of the tread noticeably peaked. Air pressure was fine. Grabbed the floor jack, impact and torque wrench and swapped it for the spare.

These are Rainier brand tires that came stock on my 3 year Haulmark double axle 20x8.5 HD axle cargo trailer. I never have much load in the trailer, at least no where close to max. 6-7K loaded. I'm very good about keeping air pressure checked, and my truck has the trailer tire monitor system built in. Had been happy with the tires up until now. I'd say they have more than 1/2 the tread left.

So what would cause a tire to fail this way? I've seen belt separation across the face of tire perpendicularity, but never like this.

I already know what tires I'll be replacing them with, so not asking that question. And you can bet they won't be Rainier!

 

[Riccochet]

Cheap tires are cheap for a reason.

Replace them and be done with it.

 

[jejb]

Cheap tires are cheap for a reason.

Replace them and be done with it.

Oh, I will. But my question was what goes wrong in a tire to cause this? I need to get a picture of it and post it. Weird looking.

 

[crash68]

I'd lift the trailer up check the bearings, suspension and if the axles are parallel to each other.

 

[Daw14]

Maybe you ran over something that did the damage , broken belt ?

 

[Tulecreeper]

Can't really say without a picture, but it sounds like air got between the belt and the exterior rubber.

 

[mrack]

You say air pressure was fine, what air pressure are you airing them to? The door sticker or doing the chalk test to determine the proper pressure?

 

[jejb]

You say air pressure was fine, what air pressure are you airing them to? The door sticker or doing the chalk test to determine the proper pressure?

It's a trailer. Does not have a door sticker. Max on that tire is 75psi, which is what I run them at.

I'll try and get a picture of it to post.

 

[jejb]

Maybe you ran over something that did the damage , broken belt ?

Maybe. Being in the Ozarks and a dirt bike trailer, it does see some rocky roads.

 

[Riccochet]

I'm sticking with "cheap tires are cheap for a reason" and trying to determine why your cheap china bomb tires failed is futile at best.

Get some GY Endurance and move on with your life.

 

[Tulecreeper]

It's a trailer. Does not have a door sticker. Max on that tire is 75psi, which is what I run them at.

I'll try and get a picture of it to post.

There will be a sticker, probably on the tongue (unless it has worn off) that will tell you the original tire size and what PSI to keep them at. But, for most trailers the PSI should be kept at or close to the max listed on the sidewall - assuming you're using the original tire size listed on the sticker.

 

[Gondul]

It's a trailer. Does not have a door sticker. Max on that tire is 75psi, which is what I run them at.

I'll try and get a picture of it to post.

Tire manufacturer should be able to provide a Load/Inflation table for your use in determining the proper air pressure needed for the load you are running.

 

[Black-Wolf]

Rounding (wear) on the outside edges (even/symmetrical on both sides) of the tire is usually due to under-inflation. If it's in the center of the tire, it's usually due to over inflation. If you had an alignment issue, you'd get more wear on one side or the other (either camber is off, or toe in/out), or "skip marks" - spots where the tire has balder patches in spots along the edge or center, but other parts of the same edge or center, look fine. Here's an example of different tire wear patterns from https://carexamer.com/blog/6-types-of-tyre-wear-and-what-they-all-mean/

 

[Tulecreeper]

Tire manufacturer should be able to provide a Load/Inflation table for your use in determining the proper air pressure needed for the load you are running.

There is no load/inflation chart from any manufacturer regarding their trailer (ST) tires. ST are constructed differently than Passenger and LT tires, with a much stiffer sidewall that needs higher pressure to help maintain integrity and you can't treat them the same. That is why it is recommended to keep trailer tires inflated to maximum (or close to max) sidewall pressure.

Now, if you are using aftermarket Passenger or LT tires on a trailer - which isn't recommended, but I have heard of folks doing that - then you may have to go by a load/inflation chart. I have owned several different trailer types, and so have most guys I know, and I don't know of anyone who has put non-ST tires on a trailer so I have no experience with doing that.

 

[jejb]

Rounding (wear) on the outside edges (even/symmetrical on both sides) of the tire is usually due to under-inflation. If it's in the center of the tire, it's usually due to over inflation. If you had an alignment issue, you'd get more wear on one side or the other (either camber is off, or toe in/out), or "skip marks" - spots where the tire has balder patches in spots along the edge or center, but other parts of the same edge or center, look fine. Here's an example of different tire wear patterns from https://carexamer.com/blog/6-types-of-tyre-wear-and-what-they-all-mean/
View attachment 537293

Thanks. It is not more worn or cupped on the edges, or in the middle. I think I caught it before the crowned tire had time to do much tread damage. The tread was not deep on these tires even when new.

 

[BWL]

Belt seperation

 

[Marshall]

kind of looks like it to me , hard to tell, looks lumpy .
I would take it to a shop and spin it on a balancer, if it is going ,should show up
BWL your truck looks like the one the idiot from NY drove in the ocean on one of the posts .

 

[BWL]

kind of looks like it to me , hard to tell, looks lumpy .
I would take it to a shop and spin it on a balancer, if it is going ,should show up
BWL your truck looks like the one the idiot from NY drove in the ocean on one of the posts .

I hadn't noticed. Sounds like he at least has good taste in trucks.

 

[2003F350]

That's a common failure mode for trailer tires, and it's a type of belt/tread separation. They're not really safe to run like that.

I have seen it more often on cheap tires, but I've seen it on the more expensive trailer tires too, so it's not just 'because it's cheap Chinese junk.' I can't say for sure, but I think it has more to do with side-loading the tires when turning/backing tight.

 

[Scottly]

If something small...nail, screw, et...Punctured the tire, the air is no longer contained within the confines of the inner butyl liner. This allows air to escape and seep up between the tire plies, forcing them apart. This often occurs when a leaky tire is plugged and not patched.

Barring any punctures, the belts can also separate due to excessive heat build up from over-loading or under inflation.

Barring that, rusting steel belts will cause this as they expand. THAT is caused by improper curing temps during manufacture, most notably on cheap ching-chong tires.