# Tires



## kwmjd (Feb 28, 2008)

I have had my Outback for about 3 years. The tires that came with the trailer are Mission 205 75r14. I have noticed that the sidewalls on the tires are starting to crack and split. Is this common on a tire that is a few seasons old? Also if I have to replace them could i step up to a 215 75/14 with out doing an axle flip? Finally, are there any recommendations for a replacement? Thanks for your help as always! Keith


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

Yes, it's fairly normal for sidewall cracking due to both age and sunlight breaking down the rubber. IMHO, you're due for new shoes for baby!

In the future, you might want to get wheel covers (they run ~$70 for the set of two covers). Put these on when in long storage (i.e. over the winter) etc. If you have brutal sun in the summer, you might want to cover them then, too. Fabric covers are a bit of a pain to install and remove, so for summer temporary short-term covers I just use two pieces of plywood cut to fit and lean them up against the tops of the tires, with a rock or two at the bottom to keep the wind from blowing the plywood around.

Size: the 205 vs the 215 should not require an axle flip--the difference is small. BUT to go to 15" diameter tires certainly would require you looking at doing that to get the clearances. (Plus you have to buy five new rims; gotta replace the rim for the spare tire...) Others on the forum will comment on sizes.

I haven't needed to replace my tires yet (they're only a year old) so I can't advise on brand, but others have and will comment.

Good luck!


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Keith, Definitely need new tires. Once they start to split, you're setting yourself up for a blowout(s) or an accident. Replace now!

If you have the $$$, you may want to go with a 15' tire. More weight capacity per tire=greater safety. I've hade 15' tires on mine for several thousand miles now and I haven't done the axle flip.

If you're looking for a good brand, lots of people are using Maxxis tires. I've had mine for a little over a year now and they look pretty good still.


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

I would say at 3 years and you are starting to see cracks then replace the tires. I get about two years out of a set of tires before I replace them due to cracking. I do a lot of beach runs where I run the tires down at 12psi.....yes I said 12psi. I am actually going on my third year with the same tire you have, the Missions are actually a Goodyear Marathon knockoff. They are the same tire, just a different name. I will be going up to the 215's as well.


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## RIOutbacker (Jun 5, 2009)

kwmjd said:


> I have had my Outback for about 3 years. The tires that came with the trailer are Mission 205 75r14. I have noticed that the sidewalls on the tires are starting to crack and split. Is this common on a tire that is a few seasons old? Also if I have to replace them could i step up to a 215 75/14 with out doing an axle flip? Finally, are there any recommendations for a replacement? Thanks for your help as always! Keith


I also have 14" tires. When I replace them, which will be very shortly, I'll be buying Kumho Radial 857's. There the only 'D' rated 14" tire I can find. I want to move up from C rated to D rated. I've never had Kumho but have heard good things about them. Something to think about.


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

RIOutbacker said:


> I have had my Outback for about 3 years. The tires that came with the trailer are Mission 205 75r14. I have noticed that the sidewalls on the tires are starting to crack and split. Is this common on a tire that is a few seasons old? Also if I have to replace them could i step up to a 215 75/14 with out doing an axle flip? Finally, are there any recommendations for a replacement? Thanks for your help as always! Keith


I also have 14" tires. When I replace them, which will be very shortly, I'll be buying Kumho Radial 857's. There the only 'D' rated 14" tire I can find. I want to move up from C rated to D rated. I've never had Kumho but have heard good things about them. Something to think about.
[/quote]

I have the Kumho's and yes they are the only D rated tire for 14" rims. The weight capacity is almost 400 pounds per tire 
more than C rated tires. Gives me a about 1600 pounds more capacity than my old tires. Saved me from upgrading to 15" rims.

Very happy with the Kuhmos and the Tirerack carrys them also.

Mark


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## brownsr4 (May 19, 2010)

KWMJD, do you know if you are overloaded? Does not sound like it, if you have not had any blow outs. I would not spend too much more on tires if you not having issues beyond the dry rot. Just step up a bit in quality and get the tire covers mentioned above. That's my 2 cents.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Actually, I've had good luck with the Duros that are on my 2007 Outback, which we bought new in August of 2006. I just finished inspecting mine after or recent 2500 mile trip to the Black Hills and 600 mile trip to Wisconsin Dells. The tread and the sidewalls all look good.

I keep my tires covered when I am not using the trailer. I always keep pressure up to 50 psi. I put boards beneath the tires when I put the trailer to bed for its 5-6 month winter nap.

I had great luck with two sets of Duros on my Coleman popup (8 seasons and about 35000 miles). And Duros three seasons on the popup before that. No problems, ever.

I go to their website and find a tire and dealer. Last time, the dealer shipped them to my door for less than buying another brand locally. I just paid a local independent garage to mount and balance them - about $8 per wheel.

There are other good tires, too, but Duros have been "veddy, veddy good to me."

(And remember, if you go up in tire size, it's more than just buying four tires and wheels. There's also a spare tire. And I carry a "spare" spare, in the bed of my truck.)

Mike


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## Tyvekcat (Aug 28, 2007)

Yes ! Exactly what Mike said! Boards underneath them when parked, and 50PSI. Gonna take them out again next week. They have been good, but I also have the spare 'spare' in the bed of the truck.









When its time to change, I might look at the kumho's since they are D rated. I don't think the 21RS is that heavy, even when loaded, so I haven't thought about upgrading to 15inch. Not really needed.

I think staying off the white line and rumble strips on the Super-Slab help tires last. No telling what you pick up on the edges.
Have a good one !


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## GSJ (May 20, 2008)

Scoutr2 said:


> Actually, I've had good luck with the Duros that are on my 2007 Outback, which we bought new in August of 2006. I just finished inspecting mine after or recent 2500 mile trip to the Black Hills and 600 mile trip to Wisconsin Dells. The tread and the sidewalls all look good.
> 
> I keep my tires covered when I am not using the trailer. I always keep pressure up to 50 psi. I put boards beneath the tires when I put the trailer to bed for its 5-6 month winter nap.
> 
> ...


I just did a 4000KM trip and blew ANOTHER Duros. Both times I've been on long trips and both times they have de-treaded. This one not so bad. There was a really loud buzzing noise, and the tire monitor I had, was not alarming. After pulling over to look, nothing was obvious, I had to feel the treads with hands and found the back side of the tread was coming off. The kicker...these tire are the replacements for the premature sidewall cracking I got last season from Duros. So both the tires I have blown were "brand new" from Duros. Food for thought!


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

i had a problem with my original duros on a disney trip two years ago, lost half the tread on 95 coming home, though the good thing was i did not get a blow out. used spare and when i got home bought 4 new cairile radial tires and up to E rate instead of D and they have been great for the past 2 years.


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

Physical inspection of the tires doesn't always guarantee their problems (or lack of).

Since a blowout on my 6000 mile trip last summer, I check my tires religiously after every time I stop. This summer after my 12,000 mile trip once around the U.S., I was 265 miles from home and had checked the tires at a fuel stop just 12 miles earlier, it looked perfect, but the second tire on this trip blew a tread, although this one did some serious damage when it let go - over $1900 worth according to my insurance company.










I hope those 14" Kuhmo's will do the trick, since I'm now sick and tired of trailer tires. I just hope the LT tires are robust enough to support the weight of my OB.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

Your tires are at least 3 years old and maybe even much more than that. The 215 75/14 will fit with no problems and will give you enough capacity but if you want more the Kuhmos are the only way to get more in the 14 inch size. Upgrading to the 15 inch will give you even more capacity if you pick the right ones. I just went with the 14 inch Maxxis tires to replace the previous Maxxis that had reached 5 years and had some small cracks. I never had a problem with the Maxxis and I would recommend them as a good choice. The Kuhmos seem to be pretty good as well from what I've read here. Whatever you get make sure they are really new. Tires start slowly deteriorating after they're made and have a useful life of about 5 or 6 years regardless of mileage or tread wear. This is especially true for trailer tires. Tire stores will often try and sell you what they've got in stock and since most don't go through trailer tires that much they can be fairly old. When I was shopping a few months ago I was offered tires that were well over 2 years old when I checked the manufacture dates on the sidewalls. I ended up having the ones I wanted special ordered and I told them I wouldn't take them if they were more than 1 year old. The ones I got were about 7 months old which wasn't too bad. The date code is a 4 digit number, usually at the end of the serial number. The first 2 digits are the week they were made and the last 2 is the year. For example 3209 would be the 32nd week of 2009.

I know there's a temptation when buying tires to try and save a few $$ but anything you save on cheap tires can easily get used up paying for the damage caused by a blown tire. That doesn't even begin to add in the time and hassle of dealing with a blowout on the side of the road.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

raynardo said:


> Physical inspection of the tires doesn't always guarantee their problems (or lack of).
> 
> Since a blowout on my 6000 mile trip last summer, I check my tires religiously after every time I stop. This summer after my 12,000 mile trip once around the U.S., I was 265 miles from home and had checked the tires at a fuel stop just 12 miles earlier, it looked perfect, but the second tire on this trip blew a tread, although this one did some serious damage when it let go - over $1900 worth according to my insurance company.
> 
> ...


I agree that physical inspection doesn't always guarantee there will be no problems, but the alternative is even worse. I, too, inspect my tires at each fuel and rest stop. But realistically, there is no way, other than physical inspection, to tell if your tires may be deficient - but they can fool you. Trailer manufacturers usually put tires on that are just sufficient enough to handle the load. If you add up the maximum load capacity of all four tires, you will come up with a number that exactly matches the GVWR listed on your trailer. The tires are the weakest link.

One thing I did not mention in my earlier post is overloading the tires. A lot of people unwittingly do this without realizing it. If your trailer is not perfectly level when traveling down the road, it is highly probable that two of your tires may be overloaded. If the tongue sits a couple inches lower than the rear bumper, more weight is transferred to the front two tires and less to the rear two. If your trailer rides unlevel, and you are close to your trailer's GVWR, it's a good bet that the front tires are overloaded. If that is the case, the hitch setup needs to be adjusted to make the trailer ride more level. (My tongue is 3/4" lower than the rear of the frame. If you can get it perfect, you're lucky! And if you have to be a bit unlevel, like me, err on the side of "tongue low" to help keep sway to a minimum. There are a lot of things to consider when setting up your hitch!)

Also - pay attention to how your gear is loaded in the trailer. Try to distribute the load evenly. We have some things that travel at the rear of the trailer, then get put up front for usage when we get to our destination. Too much weight fore or aft can create a similar situation to the unlevel trailer.

But the best way to avoid blowouts and tread loss is to increase the tire weight bearing capacity - that is, moving from a Load Range "C" tire to a "D" or an "E" rated tire. If you can find these in a 14" tire, that's the way to go. Moving up to 15" tires is costly - five new tires and rims, as well as flipping the axles to gain the necessary clearance in the wheel wells in order to accomodate the taller tires.

Hope this helps some folks.

Mike


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## Tangooutback (Apr 16, 2010)

I think keeping speed under 60 miles/hr and stop more frequently....once every three hours...would help prevent tire blow out. 
I always carry an infrared thermometer to measure tire temperature every time I stop at rest areas or gas stations.


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## kwmjd (Feb 28, 2008)

Now I'm really thinking about stepping up to 15" tires. I found a guy to do flip for about $350. Now I'm wondering if a 225 75r/15 will fit after the flip. That is the only size tire I can find in a d load range. On the other hand, where did everybody find the kuhmo tires in stock. I can't find them anywhere. Thanks for everyone's input. Keith


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

Fanatical1 said:


> I have had my Outback for about 3 years. The tires that came with the trailer are Mission 205 75r14. I have noticed that the sidewalls on the tires are starting to crack and split. Is this common on a tire that is a few seasons old? Also if I have to replace them could i step up to a 215 75/14 with out doing an axle flip? Finally, are there any recommendations for a replacement? Thanks for your help as always! Keith


I also have 14" tires. When I replace them, which will be very shortly, I'll be buying Kumho Radial 857's. There the only 'D' rated 14" tire I can find. I want to move up from C rated to D rated. I've never had Kumho but have heard good things about them. Something to think about.
[/quote]

I have the Kumho's and yes they are the only D rated tire for 14" rims. The weight capacity is almost 400 pounds per tire 
more than C rated tires. Gives me a about 1600 pounds more capacity than my old tires. Saved me from upgrading to 15" rims.

Very happy with the Kuhmos and the Tirerack carrys them also.

Mark
[/quote]

Tirerack has them. I paid about $110.00/tire delivered to my door a few months ago.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Radial+857&sidewall=&partnum=0R4857&tab=Specs


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## brownsr4 (May 19, 2010)

Tangooutback said:


> I think keeping speed under 60 miles/hr and stop more frequently....once every three hours...would help prevent tire blow out.
> I always carry an infrared thermometer to measure tire temperature every time I stop at rest areas or gas stations.


What sidewall temperatures do you find alarming? I have an IR thermometer but I have not used it for that yet?

Shane


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## Piecemaker (Nov 15, 2007)

I just replaced all our tt tires with Carlisle tires. I stayed with the original size. Supposedly they are the only tire still U.S. made.

Brian


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