# Sticky  Milestar Tires....please Check Yours Now!!!!



## jetjane

My DH just phoned me after talking to our dealer about the Milestar Tires on our new 07 31FQBHS. They went and checked every trailer on the lot that has these tires (Keystone Cougars, Outbacks, and Passports) and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them are no good...very cracked and very dangerous. None of them are able to leave the lot now. On a Cougar that had the tire sitting in the sun for a few months, they could insert a key into the crack 1/4"!!! My dealer is now going to talk to Keystone to see what is going to be done. I will keep everyone updated as I get new info. PLEASE check your Milestar tires NOW!























Post 22 here has info for calling the manufacturer.........Also pinned, May 3. 2007


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## wolfwood

*OH MAN!!! * Does this ever sound familiar!!! 
Did Keystone replace the junk NANCOs with junk MILESTARs???


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## skippershe

wolfwood said:


> Did Keystone replace the junk NANCOs with junk MILESTARs???


Sounds like it








I'll be curious to see how this plays out...

Thanks for the warning jetjane


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## battalionchief3

Is it me or are these tires " off " brands? I buy tires like goodyear and firestone and Perelli. Does goodyear or any " name brand " make a trailer tire? This sounds like the other tire threads about craked side walls, this is important but are these lowbid tires or what????


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## wolfwood

battalionchief3 said:


> Is it me or are these tires " off " brands? I buy tires like goodyear and firestone and Perelli. Does goodyear or any " name brand " make a trailer tire? This sounds like the other tire threads about craked side walls, this is important but are these lowbid tires or what????


When we buy our tires, we do the same. However, our TT _arrived_ with cracked/dry-rotted tires on it(Nancos ...one of the "other tire threads")....and it sounds like jetjane's did too (tho' with MileStars). TT manufacturers "should" - but don't and are unlikely to ever - put the kinds of tires on their inventory which I think we would all choose (and, with adequate resources, DO choose) to have.


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## daslobo777

jetjane said:


> My DH just phoned me after talking to our dealer about the Milestar Tires on our new 07 31FQBHS. They went and checked every trailer on the lot that has these tires (Keystone Cougars, Outbacks, and Passports) and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them are no good...very cracked and very dangerous. None of them are able to leave the lot now. On a Cougar that had the tire sitting in the sun for a few months, they could insert a key into the crack 1/4"!!! My dealer is now going to talk to Keystone to see what is going to be done. I will keep everyone updated as I get new info. PLEASE check your Milestar tires NOW!


ME TOO!!!

I just received my brand new 07 23RS with Milestone tires. The tires looked 'five years old' with severe sidewall and tread cracks. I called my dealer - Lakeshore - and stated I will not take this TT anywhere until new tires are provided. The "date code" on the tires was 4806 (Nov. '06) and the tires look completely shot!! Recommend everyone with Milestar's check into this problem.


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## Mgonzo2u

Just late last year they replaced my original faulty tires with MILESTAR's.

They seem to be fine at the moment but now I am concerned.


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## skippershe

Mgonzo2u said:


> Just late last year they replaced my original faulty tires with MILESTAR's.


Oopsie!


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## jetjane

daslobo777 said:


> Just late last year they replaced my original faulty tires with MILESTAR's.
> 
> They seem to be fine at the moment but now I am concerned.


Go take a close look at them and make sure. What is the date code on your tires?


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## johnp

My Milestar's are not going to last very long they all have vertical crack from the rim to the tread the treads have deep cracks in between. This is after going from Gilligan's Island (IN) to MI to RI and then Florida and back.Take a good look at them after driving for a few hours thier scary.

Date codes

27/06---spare no problem
31/06---veritcal cracks LF
31/06---verical cracks LR
35/06---tread cracks & vert RF
35/06---major tread cracks & vert RR This one I expected to blow going to Florida

Dot 5YHH

I think these are worse than the Nanco's I had on the 27

I hate trailer tires and may just go with load E truck tires

John


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## skippershe

johnp2000 said:


> Take a good look at them after driving for a few hours thier scary.


Didn't you get the memo that you are supposed to check the pressure every half hour?


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## outbackinMT

We've only been out twice in our trailer and already the front tires are worn. We just had the OB in for some warranty work, and the service center took a picture of the tires and is trying to get us some new ones. Not sure what brand are on ours, but I'll check with DH.

Brenda


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## NAturedog2

skippershe said:


> Take a good look at them after driving for a few hours thier scary.


Didn't you get the memo that you are supposed to check the pressure every half hour?















[/quote]

You know I was thinking about this... Why would you check the tires Warm??? do they expect that every half hour you should stop and wait for them to cool off???


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## kjuhnke

Wow...









I'm going to have to take a closer look at mine.

They looked great when I left the lot at Lakeshore last week, but not sure how they look after the 500 mile drive home.

Pretty sure mine are Milestar, will have to check the manufacture dates.


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## LarryTheOutback

battalionchief3 said:


> Is it me or are these tires " off " brands? I buy tires like goodyear and firestone and Perelli. Does goodyear or any " name brand " make a trailer tire?


Goodyear Marathon.

Ed


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## skippershe

Here's all I could find as far as contacting customer service for Milestar Tires

TireCo.

If you click on Trailer/RV tires, then you'll see tire models that begin with the letter "M" for Milestone.
It says that they are the exclusive distributor of NanKang made products in North America


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## Brad1

I just went out and looked at out '07 23RS and we have *Dano* tires. I think they still look fine... only two real trips.


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## N7OQ

battalionchief3 said:


> Is it me or are these tires " off " brands? I buy tires like goodyear and firestone and Perelli. Does goodyear or any " name brand " make a trailer tire? This sounds like the other tire threads about craked side walls, this is important but are these lowbid tires or what????


X2

where do they come up with these off brand tires


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## johnp

LarryTheOutback said:


> Is it me or are these tires " off " brands? I buy tires like goodyear and firestone and Perelli. Does goodyear or any " name brand " make a trailer tire?


Goodyear Marathon.

Ed
[/quote]

I read over on the dark side that the Goodyear Marathon is now made in China also









John


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## rms0726ea

Maxis or denmans trailer tires have had great customer feedback on quite a few of the diesel forums.









Every trailer manufacturer seems to take the cheap way when it come to tires.







It should be one of the most important factors since a tire failure can be very dangerous. Once again the focus is on the almighty dollar!

I never want a chinese tire again - between Nanco, carlisle & Milestone - I've had nothing but problems.


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## Sluggo54

Don't assume a name brand is necessarily a lot better.

My fiver got a set of Kumho Road Venture HT 824 in 235/85R16E, from Discount Tire in Corpus Christi. I had a family emergency, and had to leave TX early - in the preflight, I found two of the Goodyear Marathon ST 235/80R16D had cracks. One had deep cracks, to the fabric, running from wheel to tread cap. The other had a bulge in the sidewall, and the rubber on the bulge was cracked and so soft I could plow it with my fingernails. Disappointing on a trailer I'd had less than a year - however the build date on the tires was 4002, the 40th week of 2002. The warranty was essentially worthless. Didn't want more of these, anyway. I have had Kumhos previously with very good results, so the relative lack of choices didn't bother me.

I was planning on tires for the TV, too, but not until summer. Best laid plans... I hit an electrical gang box and dug a chunk out of the right front. The next day, April 13, we had to take Maggie to Kansas City from Columbia. It was her final ride, and there wasn't a lot of time to shop. That morning the TV got a new set of Firestone Transforce HT's, LT245/75R16E. Just this morning, I went to the Strafford, MO Cross-Midwest Tire Co. I had bought the 'stones from their shop in Columbia, MO. The balance was NOT good. The original installer had done some funny things in the process, but I had not been able to keep a good eye on the process. The shop had a van full of state prisoners in it, and I was keeping an eye on them, and feeling very conspicuous in my Manassas City, Virginia Police hat.
This morning's tech ran them up with the weights still on them; it was enough to make you cry. They were off up to 5.5 oz...

If there is a moral in this tale, it is to keep a very vigilant eye on your tires, the same eye on anyone who touches them, keep the pressure where it should be, and when you buy something, check the date on the tires and don't accept them if they are more than a year older than what you are buying.

I be tire poor... Thankfully, the Kendas on my bicycle are holding up ok.

Sluggo


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## daslobo777

Ok people - I got some info here that may be helpful.

All of my brand new tires on my 1-week old 23RS are Milestar's with a DOT code of '5YKC' and a date code of '4806' (Nov. 06). They look like 5-year old worn crap tires. I am goin' on a trip in two weeks and need to fix this cuz' I am not taking my family out on a trip with tires like this.

I contacted my cross-country dealer today - Lakeshore - at they steered me to a 1-800-227-8925 number to work the tire issue. I thought 'oh no - passing the buck ###'. Actually - I received good information (I hope). The number is to a 'TireCo' and they seemed pretty helpful. Seems that they are having problems with Milestar tires of certain DOT codes - 5YKC is one of them. BTW - 5YKC means "Tianjin Wanda Tyre Group Co., Tianjin, China". Go figure.

Anyway here were the options I was given. First you need to supply pics of all tires, DOT codes, date codes, date and location of TT purchase. Then here are the options I was given:
1) They will ship to you new same tires free of change (not!)
2) They will ship you different brand tires (same size) free of charge
3) They will allow you to purchase your own tires (same size / any brand) for a 100% cost replacement
4) They will allow you to purchase your own tires (upgraded size / any brand) for a 80% cost replacement.
[Note: In all cases you either get your dealer to install them under warranty or you pay yourown installation)

I am opting for #3. Good luck.

My last passing note - NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS RV TIRE CRAP WHEN PURCHASING A BRAND NEW RV. THIS INDUSTRY NEEDS TO GET ITS COLLECTIVE "A**" IN GEAR AND FIX THIS BULL****.


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## jetjane

Thanks Daslobo for info! I will pass it on to my dealer. How does your spare look? Will they replace ones that look ok too? My spare looks fine but we don't want it. It has the same code as some of the other ones on mine that are bad. What kind of tires are you going to replace the Milestars with? We were thinking of the Marathons but then it was mentioned that they are now made in China too so I am not sure now.


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## skippershe

daslobo777 said:


> I contacted my cross-country dealer today - Lakeshore - at they steered me to a 1-800-227-8925 number to work the tire issue. The number is to a 'TireCo' and they seemed pretty helpful.


There must be an echo in here...see my post #16 above


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## MaeJae

The people that shop for, and allow these faulty tires... Do they sleep at night?

Also, another issue...I can't believe that they put the same tires on the 
21' as the 27' & 28' TT







... that I just don't get???









MaeJae


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## johnp

This sounds all to familiar oh yeh I went through the same thing with the Nanco's

John


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## hatcityhosehauler

Remember, Keystone's, as well as any other low end manufacturer (by low end, I mean lower consumer cost) is going to do everything they can to keep production costs down...if the tire maker from China is offering tires at a lower cost then the tire maker in Ohio, guess where the factory is going to buy from. It's simple economics. You want better tires, then your going to pay for them in the sticker price.

I'm not saying it's right, only that it's simple economics in a free enterprise system.

Tim

P.S. I do think the RV manufacturer's should make good on this, whether the tire manufacturer has a separate warranty or not, but that is only my opinion. What does the Keystone warranty read specifically about the tires, there may be an exclusion hidden in the fine print that they are hanging their hat on, if not, then there is your angle.


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## outbackgeorgia

Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis (8008 Radials).
Can buy direct from the distributor in GA.
My experience as well as others is great!

Dave


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## daslobo777

skippershe said:


> I contacted my cross-country dealer today - Lakeshore - at they steered me to a 1-800-227-8925 number to work the tire issue. The number is to a 'TireCo' and they seemed pretty helpful.


There must be an echo in here...see my post #16 above








[/quote]

Yes - Skippershe - you got me on this one. I noticed AFTER I sent my post last night that you were already all over TireCo. I was hopping nobody would notice







. I owe you one.









Jetjane -

I am replacing mine with Maxxis tires. I tried to research all the forums (OK - yes I looked outside of OB.com














) I am no expert on tires, but my research has lead me to Maxxis or Goodyear Marathons. Keep in mind that these are both radial tires (more discussion on radial vs. bias-ply elswhere). And yes those of you whom are paying attention will note my comment above and the fact the these tires are both made in Asia







. With all this in mind most opinions are of that Maxxis tire are OK tires and should have good luck with them. Maxxis are not as easy to find though, I have to special order mine through my local Discount Tire Co. dealer. Good luck in your search.


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## NAturedog2

Well I have some good news. Got ahold of milstar and they are going to replace the tires. I wanted to get new marathons and upgrade to 15" which they said they would reumburse after they recieved the tires and inspected them. I was a little weary of this and if I would ever see any money. and then they would pay 80%. They offered to send me new tires from a different manufacture in the 15" D rating for free and then I can send them the old tires. so I opted for this route. hopefully these will be ok tires. Just didn't like the idea of shelling out money and hoping for reimbursement.. Probably will regret not doing that but oh well. Thanks for the info about contacting milestare.

Russ


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## skippershe

NAturedog2 said:


> Well I have some good news. Got ahold of milstar and they are going to replace the tires. I wanted to get new marathons and upgrade to 15" which they said they would reumburse after they recieved the tires and inspected them. I was a little weary of this and if I would ever see any money. and then they would pay 80%. They offered to send me new tires from a different manufacture in the 15" D rating for free and then I can send them the old tires. so I opted for this route. hopefully these will be ok tires. Just didn't like the idea of shelling out money and hoping for reimbursement.. Probably will regret not doing that but oh well. Thanks for the info about contacting milestare.
> 
> Russ


That's great to hear Russ,
Sorry you're having to go through this process, but we sure have learned alot from it...
Please let us know when you receive the new tires. 
Which ones did you go with and are they paying for the shipping both ways??


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## wolfwood

That's great news, Russ! Its good to hear that the manufacturer stood behind their product. That's really all that can be asked for. Would have been nice to upgrade...but that's not really their obligation. At least you'll have 4 (5?) new tires for the TT. You can always choose to upgrade on your own later!

For what its worth, my Nancos were replaced in much the same manner and (so far) I haven't had any issue with the 1 yr old "new" ones. That's not to say, however, that I won't be replacing them, eventually, with better tires of our own choosing!


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## jetjane

Russ, I'd be weary too. Did they say which tires they are sending you or will it be a surprise? (hopefully a pleasant one) I printed off a copy of your other post and sent it with my DH because he was going to stop in at the dealer today to see how they are making out. We prefer to go through the dealer and then they can worry about getting reimbursed, not me....plus they have more leverage with Keystone than I do anyway since they have been selling their products for a few years now. I also think this is Keystone's problem and they should handle it..afterall, they did buy the cheapest POS to put on their campers and shouldn't get away with it.


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## wolfwood

jetjane said:


> Russ, I'd be weary too. Did they say which tires they are sending you or will it be a surprise? (hopefully a pleasant one) I printed off a copy of your other post and sent it with my DH because he was going to stop in at the dealer today to see how they are making out. We prefer to go through the dealer and then they can worry about getting reimbursed, not me....plus they have more leverage with Keystone than I do anyway since they have been selling their products for a few years now. I also think this is Keystone's problem and they should handle it..afterall, they did buy the cheapest POS to put on their campers and shouldn't get away with it.


I understand what you're saying (I was in the exact same place - with a hard deadline - just 1 year ago). BUT - keep in mind that, if you have a schedule to meet, you want reliable tires to allow you to go on THAT trip. Don't add to your frustration & anger by also missing a planned trip because of a principle. Russ got his tire issue taken care of by contacting the Tire Co. directly. Many others have done the same.

Principals are VERY good things - but they can also be VERY expensive (and THAT cost is direct to you....with no 'pain' felt by Keystone, a dealer, a tire co., or anyone else in the chain of events.)

Just my .02


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## map guy

In reading the options given to NAturedog2 I would tend to assume that the "other brand" tire will have a different name but still be a tire manufactured by Nankang -the DOT code is the only real way to know.......what factory produced the tire.

Remember the Milestar tire is not the only Nankang brand with problems. Remember Nanco?

I am with all of you on the principal issue -both Keystone and the tire producer... but to rid yourself of the long term problem it appears the 80% reimbursment option is the way to go if the cash flow is available.

Just my thoughts on the issue for what it is worth or not.

Map Guy


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## NAturedog2

skippershe said:


> Russ, I'd be weary too. Did they say which tires they are sending you or will it be a surprise? (hopefully a pleasant one) I printed off a copy of your other post and sent it with my DH because he was going to stop in at the dealer today to see how they are making out. We prefer to go through the dealer and then they can worry about getting reimbursed, not me....plus they have more leverage with Keystone than I do anyway since they have been selling their products for a few years now. I also think this is Keystone's problem and they should handle it..afterall, they did buy the cheapest POS to put on their campers and shouldn't get away with it.


I agree Jetjane I think Keystone is shruging the problem off, They picked this tire co. they have more leverage to get them replaced than I do. Since I bought mine out of state (GEneral RV in MI) I took it to the closest dealer that services keystone, They have only been selling keystones for wix months and They seems to be doing a good job fixing the small thing fast but they didn't think they could do anything with the tires. I think if I was close to Gereral RV and could take it to them they might have better luck . If your dealer will I would have him put a name brand tire on and have them collect from Milestar, My wife really didn't want to spent $500 for tires and hope they paid us back I think mostly because it was a new trailer and she thought they should just send us new tires, If they turn out to be junk she will call and get them replaced. The brand is FReestar and I have not heard anythign about the brand they are sending.


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## johnp

Gee thats funny mine are 255/75/15 load D I don't think they can upgrade me.

John


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## NAturedog2

wolfwood said:


> That's great news, Russ! Its good to hear that the manufacturer stood behind their product. That's really all that can be asked for. Would have been nice to upgrade...but that's not really their obligation. At least you'll have 4 (5?) new tires for the TT. You can always choose to upgrade on your own later!
> 
> For what its worth, my Nancos were replaced in much the same manner and (so far) I haven't had any issue with the 1 yr old "new" ones. That's not to say, however, that I won't be replacing them, eventually, with better tires of our own choosing!


If I wasn't clear they are sending me (5) 15" tires to replace the 14" ones that I am sending them back. They were really nice on the phone didn't need pictures or manufacture dates. they will send a ups prepaid label with the tires to send the old ones back. My plan is see how they work and if need be I will be back on the phone with them. I am relieved that the end if hopefully in sight.


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## johnp

Well they came though again. She said they would send out new ones that are an upgrade after taking pics they didn't even ask for them. She also claimed there is no recall (but they sure know its a problem)

John


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## skippershe

johnp2000 said:


> Well they came though again. She said they would send out new ones that are an upgrade after taking pics they didn't even ask for them. She also claimed there is no recall (but they sure know its a problem)
> 
> John


That's great news John! Good for you









I think this topic needs to be pinned for future reference...


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## jetjane

Last night, we were curious as to how our spare looked because we hadn't actually looked at it yet. It was fine with no sign of anything wrong. We left the cover off and it sat in the southern exposure with a partly cloudy sky all day today. Well guess what...it has hundreds of small cracks forming on it now, mainly between the treads. Scary!!


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## skippershe

jetjane said:


> Last night, we were curious as to how our spare looked because we hadn't actually looked at it yet. It was fine with no sign of anything wrong. We left the cover off and it sat in the southern exposure with a partly cloudy sky all day today. Well guess what...it has hundreds of small cracks forming on it now, mainly between the treads. Scary!!


Are you serious???
Yikes!!


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## daslobo777

To clarify my earlier post - I am purchasing my own tires from my Discount Tire Store and will get the 100% cost reimbursement for all five tires becuase I am getting the same size tire and not upgrading to a larger size. TireCo has given me a claim number to use for the reimbursement of the tire cost. I do have to pay my own installation cost, but to me that is no problem. The 80% reimbursement only applies if you are upgrading to a larger size tire, otherwise you get 100% reimbursement. Maybe that was clear, maybe not. They have provided me all the paperwork I need to ship the five Milestar tires back to them at full cost to TireCo. My new Maxxis tires are on order so we will see how this progresses from here.


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## Jambalaya

NHTSA


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## NAturedog2

daslobo777 said:


> To clarify my earlier post - I am purchasing my own tires from my Discount Tire Store and will get the 100% cost reimbursement for all five tires becuase I am getting the same size tire and not upgrading to a larger size. TireCo has given me a claim number to use for the reimbursement of the tire cost. I do have to pay my own installation cost, but to me that is no problem. The 80% reimbursement only applies if you are upgrading to a larger size tire, otherwise you get 100% reimbursement. Maybe that was clear, maybe not. They have provided me all the paperwork I need to ship the five Milestar tires back to them at full cost to TireCo. My new Maxxis tires are on order so we will see how this progresses from here.


Let me know how this goes, (getting reimbursed from Milstar) I thought really hard about going this same route but chose the other route. (having milstar send me new replacement tires) by the way I think you went the best route.

Russ


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## daslobo777

I got the 5 Milestars replaced with 5 Maxxis tires today (only took one day for Discount Tire to get them shipped to Mesa, AZ from Las Vegas). While I was at D/T, I opted to purchase the Certs on all five tires. Good choice? - only time will tell. Basically, with all the issues I have seen/read on RV tires, I think that $70 for a lifetime free replacement on any tire issue (road hazard, dry rot, premature wear, etc, all included - I verified this with D/T) is a fair price to pay for furture non-worries. Total cost of new tires: $77 per tire + $13 per (cert) + $30 per (install/balance) = $120 x 5 = $600 - $385 (TireCo Refund) = $215 = End of Tire Worries for Life of TT.

Now I need to see how Part 2 goes with getting a refund from TireCo and shipping back the Milestars - I will report back.


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## the5ofus

wolfwood said:


> *OH MAN!!! * Does this ever sound familiar!!!
> Did Keystone replace the junk NANCOs with junk MILESTARs???


My TT (25rss) I pick-uped tuesday the 2 n/d had duro tires on it! has anyone heard any reports on theese?


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## johnp

I had the Duro's on a 2004 26rs and never had a problem with them.

John


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## the5ofus

Good to hear John, thanks for the info!


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## skippershe

Ours came with Duro tires one year ago and no problems so far (knock on wood)

Question though, is there a reason as to why they turn a brownish color?







I just put wheel covers on them.


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## NAturedog2

Well Got the tires yesterday, They look good, well see how they hold up taking a 300mile trip this weekend. I got the larger tire 15" they fit but only have 1" clearance on the slideout side. Looking into options as to raise the camper. Got rims from a local trailer shop for $42 ea and had wal-mart mount and bal them. Most people don't bal but thought it wouldn't hurt and might cut down on vabrations. When I took the old tires off they were worse then I knew. Two of them were missing sections of the tread and all of them were cracked real bad on the tread. There was a little bit of cracking on the sidewalls also but not as bad.

Russ



daslobo777 said:


> I got the 5 Milestars replaced with 5 Maxxis tires today (only took one day for Discount Tire to get them shipped to Mesa, AZ from Las Vegas). While I was at D/T, I opted to purchase the Certs on all five tires. Good choice? - only time will tell. Basically, with all the issues I have seen/read on RV tires, I think that $70 for a lifetime free replacement on any tire issue (road hazard, dry rot, premature wear, etc, all included - I verified this with D/T) is a fair price to pay for furture non-worries. Total cost of new tires: $77 per tire + $13 per (cert) + $30 per (install/balance) = $120 x 5 = $600 - $385 (TireCo Refund) = $215 = End of Tire Worries for Life of TT.
> 
> Now I need to see how Part 2 goes with getting a refund from TireCo and shipping back the Milestars - I will report back.


Sounds great, I am curious to see how the reimbursment goes. Hoping for the best for ya. LEt me know what happens.

Russ


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## jetjane

Daslobo...good to hear. Keep us updated as to how getting reimbursed goes. We looking into getting Maxxis tires too but we aren't sure if they have any dealers in Canada. We are waiting to hear from them after leaving a voicemail.







I think we will get the 10 ply load range E, if we can. Is this what you got or did you get the 8ply load range D ones? They are still 15" so we (or our dealer, not sure who yet) should be able to get fully reimbursed, right? We might go ahead and upgrade our rims too (out of our pocket) while we are at it...my Dh says some nice new aluminum rims might be nice.









Naturedog...I hope those replacements work out for you and yikes, those Milestars are even scarier than we thought, eh? Now you can relax and enjoy your trip!









I'll hopefully have an update on our situation today.


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## E9E1CEF

My 2007 27RSDS has Duro's on it. I checked them yesterday, they look fine, but they are starting to fade to brown on the sidewalls. I sent an e-mail to Duro Tire Company and asked about the brown on the sidewalls. Let you know what kind of response I get.









CEF


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## skippershe

E9E1CEF said:


> My 2007 27RSDS has Duro's on it. I checked them yesterday, they look fine, but they are starting to fade to brown on the sidewalls. I sent an e-mail to Duro Tire Company and asked about the brown on the sidewalls. Let you know what kind of response I get.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CEF


Thanks CEF!
I'll be watching for your response


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## ProEdge

daslobo777 said:


> Ok people - I got some info here that may be helpful.
> 
> All of my brand new tires on my 1-week old 23RS are Milestar's with a DOT code of '5YKC' and a date code of '4806' (Nov. 06). They look like 5-year old worn crap tires. I am goin' on a trip in two weeks and need to fix this cuz' I am not taking my family out on a trip with tires like this.
> 
> I contacted my cross-country dealer today - Lakeshore - at they steered me to a 1-800-227-8925 number to work the tire issue. I thought 'oh no - passing the buck ###'. Actually - I received good information (I hope). The number is to a 'TireCo' and they seemed pretty helpful. Seems that they are having problems with Milestar tires of certain DOT codes - 5YKC is one of them. BTW - 5YKC means "Tianjin Wanda Tyre Group Co., Tianjin, China". Go figure.
> 
> Anyway here were the options I was given. First you need to supply pics of all tires, DOT codes, date codes, date and location of TT purchase. Then here are the options I was given:
> 1) They will ship to you new same tires free of change (not!)
> 2) They will ship you different brand tires (same size) free of charge
> 3) They will allow you to purchase your own tires (same size / any brand) for a 100% cost replacement
> 4) They will allow you to purchase your own tires (upgraded size / any brand) for a 80% cost replacement.
> [Note: In all cases you either get your dealer to install them under warranty or you pay yourown installation)
> 
> I am opting for #3. Good luck.
> 
> My last passing note - NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS RV TIRE CRAP WHEN PURCHASING A BRAND NEW RV. THIS INDUSTRY NEEDS TO GET ITS COLLECTIVE "A**" IN GEAR AND FIX THIS BULL****.


I have the Milestar's on my 25rss.. 
DOT code of '5YKC' and a date code of '3106'..
Any word on these or do all Milestars need to be replaced immediatley..
Thanks..


----------



## alpack

After reading all of the posts, it sounds like all are bad. I had my Nanco s replaced when I read the thread here before I finally joined. I read here that Keystone reads the forum, I hope they see this. The savings cannot be worth the problems from the tires they purchase and put on at the factory.

George


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## albertaoutbacker

I am from alberta, canada and was wondering how I go about replacing these tires. I have one trip with my brand new 31rqs and after getting back i noticed the "cracking" on the sidewall of the Milestar tires. Any info would be greatly appreciated!!


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## wolfwood

albertaoutbacker said:


> I am from alberta, canada and was wondering how I go about replacing these tires. I have one trip with my brand new 31rqs and after getting back i noticed the "cracking" on the sidewall of the Milestar tires. Any info would be greatly appreciated!!


Some folks have had success going thru their dealers (for the NANCOs and these) others have dealt directly with Keystone, but I believe the best results (again, for NaNCOs and these) has been from contacting the Tire manufacturer directly. Skippershe posted some info on PG 2 of this thread about contacting Tire Co.:


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## jetjane

albertaoutbacker said:


> I am from alberta, canada and was wondering how I go about replacing these tires. I have one trip with my brand new 31rqs and after getting back i noticed the "cracking" on the sidewall of the Milestar tires. Any info would be greatly appreciated!!


Hello from Saskatoon here. You can try to go through your dealer...we did and had luck. Our dealer, Lardner's Trailer Sales, has handled everything from their end. The best part of this deal is then we don't have to wait to get reimbursed for our choice of tire from the tire manufacturer because Lardner's is footing the bill and not us. We are getting 5 new Maxxis tires. Lardner's is also replacing all their Milestars on their lot with Maxxis as well. If your dealer is close enough to you, then that is the route I would suggest. Besides, maybe they need a heads up as to what kind of tires are on their own lot. Good luck!


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## daslobo777

ProEdge -

Unfotunately with the '5YKC' DOT; you should get these replaced as soon as possible. Otherwise you are looking at potentially some serious tire issues - or maybe you will be lucky - but tires are not something to take a chance on. Good Luck.



jetjane said:


> Daslobo...good to hear. Keep us updated as to how getting reimbursed goes. We looking into getting Maxxis tires too but we aren't sure if they have any dealers in Canada. We are waiting to hear from them after leaving a voicemail.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think we will get the 10 ply load range E, if we can. Is this what you got or did you get the 8ply load range D ones? They are still 15" so we (or our dealer, not sure who yet) should be able to get fully reimbursed, right? We might go ahead and upgrade our rims too (out of our pocket) while we are at it...my Dh says some nice new aluminum rims might be nice.


Jetjane -

I opted for the OEM tire size of 205/75R-14 / LR-C, so I am getting the std 6-ply tire to fit my rims. I saw the recommendations to upgrade the tire size, but that lessened by refund from TireCo and I would have to buy new rims. Opted not to. Plus with my Discount Tire certs, if I get premature wear - I get free replacements.


----------



## jetjane

I forgot to say that the Maxxis tire we are getting are the 15" 8 ply ones. The 15" 10 ply ones that I saw on the Maxxis website aren't even in the tire dealer's (Kal Tire) catalogues. They even phoned their warehouse to see if they have any anyway, which they don't...they have never seen any 10 ply ones before. They had 1 in stock so my DH could look at it and he said they looked good. Hopefully, they will be worth all this trouble.


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## albertaoutbacker

thanks for the info, I will be getting a hold of Schwabs in Leduc today!!!


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## johnp

Well I came home today to five new tires in the driveway









BUT the upgraded tires they promised to send me are NANCO'S









I've decided to buy a tire mounting machine for the amount of times I'm going to go though this #$%%

As bad as my last Nanco's were they didn't look nearly as bad as the Milestars did after one trip.

John


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## tdvffjohn

The redesigned Nanco s are fine. I had 4000 miles on mine last season and no worries.

John


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## Ldeneau

My new 31KFW Has Duro Tires 
H78-15ST
8 ply, 2540 Lb load

No problem yet.


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## tx_roundman

My New 31-KFW has Milestar ST 225/75D-15 With less than 1500 miles I noticed several cracks. After a short trip last week I've ordered 5 new Maxxis 10 ply E rated. I've tried to post the pictures.



tx_roundman said:


> My New 31-KFW has Milestar ST 225/75D-15 With less than 1500 miles I noticed several cracks. After a short trip last week I've ordered 5 new Maxxis 10 ply E rated. I've tried to post the pictures.


The picture are on My Gallery..


----------



## Swany

White Buffalo said:


> Maxis or denmans trailer tires have had great customer feedback on quite a few of the diesel forums.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Every trailer manufacturer seems to take the cheap way when it come to tires.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It should be one of the most important factors since a tire failure can be very dangerous. Once again the focus is on the almighty dollar!
> 
> I never want a chinese tire again - between Nanco, carlisle & Milestone - I've had nothing but problems.


Add Taskmaster to your list too


----------



## jetjane

tx_roundman said:


> My New 31-KFW has Milestar ST 225/75D-15 With less than 1500 miles I noticed several cracks. After a short trip last week I've ordered 5 new Maxxis 10 ply E rated. I've tried to post the pictures.
> 
> The picture are on My Gallery..


OMG...those pics are scary!







Was there any damage to your trailer from all the rubber flying off? I am sure glad we caught the problems on our Milestars before we took any trips. They would have about 1500 miles on them too as that is how far Indiana (I think) is from here.

I wasn't able to get the 10 ply E rated Maxxis here so I hope the 8 ply D rated ones will be as good. We are getting them tomorrow, along with our new aluminum wheels.


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## Sierrab24r

Thanks to alert Outbackers and this forum, I was alerted to the problem with Nanco tires last year. The tire manufacturer was great about sending me replacement Nanco bias-ply tires. However, after thinking long and hard, I went to my local Les Schwab tire dealer and purchased 5 of their house brand radials. They gave me $20 credit for each of the new Nanco tires. I've had no problems with tires in over 2000 of towing and feel the $268 was money well spent. I'm more than a little leery of Chinese tires in much else than garden carts and wheel barrows, now!


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## MJRey

Milestar or Mission its the same company, TireCo, importing cheap and downright dangerous tires from China. Keystone saves a few dollars and doesn't care even a little bit about the problems they cause their customers. Keystone is hardly alone in the RV industry in doing this but its disappointing at how callous they are with such a critical part of the trailer. We had two of our Mission tires, by TireCo, go out on the same day and one of them only had 300 miles on it when it failed. Tireco changes the name of the tires often to make it harder for people to figure out they are bad tires. Most people, me included, just change out the tires so Tireco gets away with selling garbage and Keystone pockets a few extra bucks. Keystone probably saved about $100 over the cost of decent quality tires and that was more than enough for them to screw their customer. I was lucky and the tires didn't damage the trailer but it made for a very unpleasant and expensive day of traveling.

I went with the Maxxis tires and have been happy with them for over 2,000 miles so far.


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## NAturedog2

Just got back from our first trip with the new Freestar tires that they sent as replacement for the milstars. tires preformed flawless looks good after 600 miles so we will see how they hold up. I do need to do the axle flip as the low clearance on the slide side, there was some rubbing inthe wheel well. So that is on the list of mods to get done.


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## tgcan

Thanks to this forum, while we had our new trailer in for some warrenty work at Schwabs in Leduc, I asked them to check our tires because of the problems that I read about here( we have a 3 hour drive to go pick the trailer up, and a bit of foresite on both of our parts would save some problems later on.) Well imagine the suprise when we arrived to pick up the trailer, they had installled 5 new tires on our unit! No cost to us and they said that yes they were aware of the recall and the problems. No costs and no hassles at all.


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## jetjane

Good to hear Tgcan!

We finally changed ours the morning before our first trip out. My DH did it himself because he didn't feel safe driving back to town on those Milestars. After taking them off and getting a really good look at both sides, we are VERY glad we didn't. There was a crack on the inside sidewalls almost all the way around as well as many others around the treads that we hadn't seen before. The DH is quite sure we would have had a blow-out on the way to the lake..especially with the road conditions we had to drive on!







I am so glad to be part of a forum like this where people can voice their concerns/problems and make people, like myself, aware of potential dangerous situations. Thank you especially to the original posters of the Milestar tire problems!!


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## daslobo777

Just wanted to check in on this issue -

We have had our Maxxis tires installed now for a about a month and they are great tires. There is no 'radial sway' at all that I had read/heard about.

Received my reimbursement from TireCo - so all is happy.

Leaving this w/e for Kartchner Caverns in southern Arizona for a 5-day outting.

















1st test of the A/C in this Arizona heat is good - 105 day outside







- easy 78 inside - even the slider queen bed area is kept cool.


----------



## johnp

I just put on my new Nanco's they sent as replacements had to put on new rims of coarse








and while sitting in the sun one of the Milestars started to grow a bubble in between the treads. The tire is now deformed. What garbage.

John


----------



## Collinsfam_WY

As we were inspecting the TT last night (which included showing it off for Dad and Mom heh), my wife noticed that our spare tire was missing chunks of rubber. The tires on the TT all look ok.







Go figure. I called Keystone and asked the service rep about it and he said "we are replacing all Milestar tires, please get with your service rep and they will be replaced under warranty". Wow. Almost feel like we dodged a huge bullet coming back from Michigan on our first tow! Of the 5 tires on the trailer, the one that was bad was the spare. Talk about lucky...whew. I am calling our local Keystone service center today!

-CC


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## jetjane

Collinsfam...I bet upon closer inspection you will find that they are all bad. Glad you got them replaced before anything bad happened.


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## Collinsfam_WY

I did go inspect them and found that even though they are "new looking", they all have what I can only describe as "early dry rot" and there are some cracks. It was hard to see due to the new appearance of the tire, but it is there. Our local service center now has the tires on order from Keystone - hopefully they will be here and get installed before our scheduled trip next weekend. Funny enough, the service center, when I told them that Keystone said they were placing all such tires, said to me "nope, no recall, haven't seen it, would have heard of it blah blah". I told them to call Keystone since they referred me to them. The guy called and no less than 3 minutes later he had the pre-approval to get the tires on order.

Curtis


----------



## Bob556

I figured thst since my Kargaroo was new that I didn' have that problem. Upon inspection, 2 of my tires have deep cracks in between the treads and on the sidewall. Hey Keystone, What gives?? Put a call into Lakeshore to get it fixed.
Thanks all.


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## jetjane

I just read over on the "darkside" that there is going to be a recall by Keystone and that they will be sending out letters to owners and dealers soon. I wonder if it is true.









Milestar recall thread on Rv.net


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## Burnzy

"I figured thst since my Kargaroo was new that I didn' have that problem. Upon inspection, 2 of my tires have deep cracks in between the treads and on the sidewall. " - Bob556

Yep, I just went and checked mine as well. Three tires have cracks in the sidewalls. We have had our Kargaroo about 5 months now.










Where is that 800 # I saw in an earlier post....

Regards,
Scott


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## Outback Steve

hope we get a recall letter soon. we were just talking of replacing the tires because of the cracks.


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## Bob556

Update on tires.
First I called Keystone and they asked me for the last 6 digits of my Vin. That got the complaint logged. I then contacted Lakeshore. I was told to purchase 5 new tires locally and pay for them, and have the bill faxed to them. Then I was given a UPS code to have the tires shipped back to Keystone.
I recieved a check from Lakeshore within 3 days. Now I have 5 new tires. I purchased them at Discount Tire.


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## Burnzy

Burnzy said:


> "I figured thst since my Kargaroo was new that I didn' have that problem. Upon inspection, 2 of my tires have deep cracks in between the treads and on the sidewall. " - Bob556
> 
> Yep, I just went and checked mine as well. Three tires have cracks in the sidewalls. We have had our Kargaroo about 5 months now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where is that 800 # I saw in an earlier post....
> 
> Regards,
> Scott


Ok, I called that 800 # for Tireco today. 5 new tires are being sent UPS and should be her in about 4-5 days. They ask that the olde tires be sent back and to call them for UPS labels when ready.










Hopefully I can they arrive before this weekend and I can get them installed by Friday.


----------



## Burnzy

Burnzy said:


> "I figured thst since my Kargaroo was new that I didn' have that problem. Upon inspection, 2 of my tires have deep cracks in between the treads and on the sidewall. " - Bob556
> 
> Yep, I just went and checked mine as well. Three tires have cracks in the sidewalls. We have had our Kargaroo about 5 months now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where is that 800 # I saw in an earlier post....
> 
> Regards,
> Scott


Ok, I called that 800 # for Tireco today. 5 new tires are being sent UPS and should be her in about 4-5 days. They ask that the olde tires be sent back and to call them for UPS labels when ready.










Hopefully I can they arrive before this weekend and I can get them installed by Friday.
[/quote]

Update on tires...

Called Monday morning and they said they would ship out 5 new tires. today, Weds., 5 new Nanco tires have arrived...









I will be getting these mounted tomorrow, just in time for our trip this weekend.


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## Mgonzo2u

Bob556 said:


> Update on tires.
> First I called Keystone and they asked me for the last 6 digits of my Vin. That got the complaint logged. I then contacted Lakeshore. I was told to purchase 5 new tires locally and pay for them, and have the bill faxed to them. Then I was given a UPS code to have the tires shipped back to Keystone.
> I recieved a check from Lakeshore within 3 days. Now I have 5 new tires. I purchased them at Discount Tire.


If I may ask, what brand, size and price after mounting, balancing and taxes?


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## jstew03

Mgonzo2u said:


> Update on tires.
> First I called Keystone and they asked me for the last 6 digits of my Vin. That got the complaint logged. I then contacted Lakeshore. I was told to purchase 5 new tires locally and pay for them, and have the bill faxed to them. Then I was given a UPS code to have the tires shipped back to Keystone.
> I recieved a check from Lakeshore within 3 days. Now I have 5 new tires. I purchased them at Discount Tire.


If I may ask, what brand, size and price after mounting, balancing and taxes?
[/quote]
I got 5 Hercumiles 205/75 R14s for about $350 at the local Firestone. After some research and opine gathering I decided to go w/the radials over the bias ply. I thought they were going to be Towmasters, but the dealer swore by these. We'll see. I put 600 mi. on them last w/e and they still look good. Those piece of junk Milestars were falling apart after 300. I needed them for last week's trip - no way was I making that w/those Milestars on there, so I just paid for it. We'll see if I get anything from Tireco or Keystone for the old junkers. Buddy of mine just got his Kargoroo little over a week ago, I noticed they're putting Duros on them now.


----------



## Bob556

Sorry for the delay







I purchased 5 Carlisle radial trail ST205/75R-14/C1 Tires.The total bill was 366.75.


----------



## Raymond

Anybody have a good method for removing the black plastic lug nut caps on their tires? They seem to be a pain to get off.

Thanks!


----------



## daslobo777

Ray said:


> Anybody have a good method for removing the black plastic lug nut caps on their tires? They seem to be a pain to get off.
> 
> Thanks!


Most people take em' off and leave them off be cause they are a pain in the [email protected]@. Pliers or channel-locks work well to remove/install them. I leave mine on cuz' they make my OB look cool


----------



## timber

This is a little off subject but thought it something that others would like to know. This is my first travel trailer - actually it's my wifes! Anyway, from the first day I pulled it off the lot it pulled funny. Like it was 3 times as heavy as advertised. Checked the tire pressure/lugs/axles often. Then noticed some excessive wear on the tires on the front tandem - probably less than a 1,000 miles and the outside 1-1/2" tread was bald. I was thinking maybe an axle alignment problem. Kept an eye on them but still didn't notice. Decided after our last outing that I was going to take it to a friend at the local tire store to have him look at it. He figured it out just walking up to the trailer.... 2 bias ply tires on the front axle, 2 radial on the back!! Bought 4 good quality tires. Can't believe the difference in how it pulls now. He wasn't too impressed with condition of the Milestar tires for being new.


----------



## jetjane

Timber....I hope you took this up with your dealer as they are probably the ones who replaced the 2 bias ply with the radials. Also, those Milestars are smooth on outside tread but they do suffer excessive wear throughout. My dealer checked some on his lot and they were down to 5/32 from 8/32 tread depth new. That's nearly half worn out in the 1500 mile drive from the factory to here!


----------



## Paul and Amy

....


----------



## timber

jetjane said:


> Timber....I hope you took this up with your dealer as they are probably the ones who replaced the 2 bias ply with the radials. Also, those Milestars are smooth on outside tread but they do suffer excessive wear throughout. My dealer checked some on his lot and they were down to 5/32 from 8/32 tread depth new. That's nearly half worn out in the 1500 mile drive from the factory to here!


Well, I went in and talked with them and they checked the history from when it left the factory. Nothing reported. It's such a hardship for me to let them do the warranty work this time around that I replaced the tires with a brand I can trust from the local tire store. You wouldn't believe the difference in how the TT pulls now. Leaving this weekend for the coast and thinking that I might see some difference in my mpg and feel a lot more comfortable with the tire situation.

I think another 100 miles on these tires and the cords would of been exposed!! That bad on the outside treads.


----------



## tx_roundman

jetjane said:


> My DH just phoned me after talking to our dealer about the Milestar Tires on our new 07 31FQBHS. They went and checked every trailer on the lot that has these tires (Keystone Cougars, Outbacks, and Passports) and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them are no good...very cracked and very dangerous. None of them are able to leave the lot now. On a Cougar that had the tire sitting in the sun for a few months, they could insert a key into the crack 1/4"!!! My dealer is now going to talk to Keystone to see what is going to be done. I will keep everyone updated as I get new info. PLEASE check your Milestar tires NOW!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Post 22 here has info for calling the manufacturer.........Also pinned, May 3. 2007


I had a new 31 KFW just did make it home from IN. to Texas and had all 5 tires replaced. I called my dealer that put me in contact with Tireco and they sent me 5 new radial tires. I've posted pictures of the Milestar tires.


----------



## 1jeep

Not sure if this will help anyone with Milestar tires .....

Last night the wife and i went down to our dealer to finalize our paper work for the new sydney 32BHDS. One of my quiestions was going to be about the Milestar tires that i had previously noticed on all the outbacks. Well to much of my surprise my new trailer was there on jack stand with no tires not even a spare! I found a person in the service department and he informed me that Keystone has a recall on the milestars and they are puttting Goodyear Marathon's on. I am not sure if this is true or not, but i cant see the dealer taking it into their own hands to change 5 tires out of pocket.


----------



## Mgonzo2u

Interesting.

Maybe KEYSTONE got whiff of our intentions to start a Class Action lawsuit.

I will be calling Keystone soon.


----------



## bagzzaf

> Not sure if this will help anyone with Milestar tires .....
> 
> Last night the wife and i went down to our dealer to finalize our paper work for the new sydney 32BHDS. One of my quiestions was going to be about the Milestar tires that i had previously noticed on all the outbacks. Well to much of my surprise my new trailer was there on jack stand with no tires not even a spare! I found a person in the service department and he informed me that Keystone has a recall on the milestars and they are puttting Goodyear Marathon's on. I am not sure if this is true or not, but i cant see the dealer taking it into their own hands to change 5 tires out of pocket.


Jeep,

Thanks for sharing.
I just had all five of mine replaced with Goodyear Marathons and the improvement is amazing. I had to call Keystone direct and have an authorization done for another dealer, and generally had to do much of the legwork on my own. â€˜twas as bit of a hassle. Hopefully youâ€™re right and the dealers are replacing all Milestars due to a Mfg. recall. This will mean nobody will be at risk due to a potential danger that we all know about. When I was picking up the new tires the dealer told me that Keystone was calling it a â€œvoluntary recallâ€, but the dealer also had 2 of their 5 trailers ins stock wearing dry-rotted Chinese Milestars! So I donâ€™t know, maybe your dealer pressured Keystone into being proactive on their existing stock, while other dealers havenâ€™t been as aggressive. Since I was there, I took a bunch of photos of the two trailers that were wearing Milestars, the cracks in the treads and on the sides, and the serial #s of the trailers. Hopefully they will have the Milestars replaced before hitting the roads!

Bill


Mgonzo2u said:


> Interesting.
> 
> Maybe KEYSTONE got whiff of our intentions to start a Class Action lawsuit.
> 
> I will be calling Keystone soon.


I would think that Keystone would be monitoring what is discussed on a public forum specifically regarding their products. Bottom line: Hopefully there is a recall on the Milestars. If we had any part of that happening would be great and all, but whatâ€™s most important is that Keystone does the right thing and fixes the problem.

Now,
Whereâ€™s the marshmellows?
Bill


----------



## goneflyfishin

Since we too have Milestar tires on our TT, I've been very concerned. I called our dealer this morning & they were not aware of a "recall" but the service guy was out today. I called Keystone & they said they have a "campaign" going on to help people get their tires replaced, but it's not a recall.
She said the tires included in the campaign were: 22575 D15D - DOT 5YKC.
Our tires are: 20575 D14C - DOT 5YKC.
Therefore ours are NOT part of the campaign.
I obviously have mixed emotions, because I was hoping to get better tires! We'll keep an eye on them.

I apologize if I've repeated anyone's info. but I was still confused after reading this long thread. And I was starting to see cracks all over our tires! Thought this info. might help someone else.

Tammy


----------



## bagzzaf

goneflyfishin said:


> Since we too have Milestar tires on our TT, I've been very concerned. I called our dealer this morning & they were not aware of a "recall" but the service guy was out today. I called Keystone & they said they have a "campaign" going on to help people get their tires replaced, but it's not a recall.
> She said the tires included in the campaign were: 22575 D15D - DOT 5YKC.
> Our tires are: 20575 D14C - DOT 5YKC.
> Therefore ours are NOT part of the campaign.
> I obviously have mixed emotions, because I was hoping to get better tires! We'll keep an eye on them.
> 
> I apologize if I've repeated anyone's info. but I was still confused after reading this long thread. And I was starting to see cracks all over our tires! Thought this info. might help someone else.
> 
> Tammy


Tammy,
Are the tires wearing unevenly and/or have cracks between the treads or on the sidewalls at all? If any of this is happening, you need to tell Keystone or call the TireCo at 1-800-227-8925 and DEMAND (politely) that you have new tires, you've done your research, and that you are currently gathering information online about any and all problems with the Milestar tires. I'd bet, you'll get a more helpful response. Make sure you take plenty of digital photos of any and all cracks or odd wear on your current set of tires (and spare).

Good luck and keep us informed.
Bill


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## jetjane

Tammy, I had the 15" tires listed in the "campaign" as well as some 5YHH ones that were also bad. They were all replaced through my dealer. If I were you, I'd go after them (Keystone) for replacements as well. I'm sure there were others on this thread that had their 14" tires replaced as well. Good luck and don't back down!!


----------



## Paul and Amy

......


----------



## Bob G

LabbyCampers said:


> Today we received Freestar tires (made in China) as a replacement for the milestar tires received on our new camper last week. It was supposed to be certificates for 5 of our choice. The tires look okay, anyone have any knowledge of these new ones.


Last week I received 5 Freestar tires as replacements for the replacement Nanco's that were on our 5th wheel for 1 year (same issues as the original Nanco's) and just had them mounted and ballanced yesterday. The Freestar's look good but time will tell. They are supposed to be a heavy duty radial. I have not heard anything negitive about the Freestar's. 
Bob


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## jetjane

Hmm...there is plenty to read about Freestars on other forums. It seems they are the crap tire of choice for KZ brand trailers. Here are some quotes I found........

"I requested KZ to upgrade my tires to a better tire, they suggested the Milestar tire. However, the Freestar tire representative told me that the Milestar is the exact same tire, that they have it made to the exact same specs as the Freestar only by a different tire plant."

"I just want to warn you that the tires we have blown have shown absolutely no sign of wear. The whole tire just basically explodes. You would think that someone just shot at you."

Etc.

So basically, it sounds like the old saying of "_same sh*t, different pile_" will do nicely here.


----------



## Bob G

jetjane said:


> Hmm...there is plenty to read about Freestars on other forums. It seems they are the crap tire of choice for KZ brand trailers. Here are some quotes I found........
> 
> "I requested KZ to upgrade my tires to a better tire, they suggested the Milestar tire. However, the Freestar tire representative told me that the Milestar is the exact same tire, that they have it made to the exact same specs as the Freestar only by a different tire plant."
> 
> "I just want to warn you that the tires we have blown have shown absolutely no sign of wear. The whole tire just basically explodes. You would think that someone just shot at you."
> 
> Etc.
> 
> So basically, it sounds like the old saying of "_same sh*t, different pile_" will do nicely here.


What forums? I would like to read more. I did several searchesand found nothing.
Bob


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## jetjane

Bob G said:


> What forums? I would like to read more. I did several searchesand found nothing.
> Bob


Check out rv.net. There is plenty on there. I'm sure KZ owners forum has a bunch too...I think it is called GoinKZ. You may have to register to search in the KZ one though.


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## Paul and Amy

......


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## Sayonara

I skimmed through this as best as possible but wanted to ask. I picked up my 2008 32BHDS last night and obviousely cheked the tires. as i dont recall the size i do recal that they were nice looking Duro's. the dealer said this was built at the end of June and that it had corrected tires from the plant. 
Does this sound right to anyone? are Duros ok?
Thanks!
DT


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## Bob G

jetjane said:


> What forums? I would like to read more. I did several searchesand found nothing.
> Bob


Check out rv.net. There is plenty on there. I'm sure KZ owners forum has a bunch too...I think it is called GoinKZ. You may have to register to search in the KZ one though.
[/quote]

Thanks for the reply. Are the Milestar or Freestar tires that are having problems bias ply or radial ply tires?
Bob


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## jetjane

The Milestars are bias ply but I am not sure about the Freestars. It probably says somewhere in one of the posts on rv.net but I didn't read them all.


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## B&J_GAKampers

Just FYI on our recent experiece with Keystone and our Milstar tires. Knowing the problems you all have had DH has been checking our tires a little closer than normal. When we returned this past weekend from camping he noticed our tires are cupping. He emailed Keystone from their website about our tires, telling them he's done his research on Milstar tires, our tires are showing excessive wear and cupping on a 5 month old trailer with less than 700 miles on them and he was concerned about the safety of his family when towing the trailer. He asked Keystone what they intended to do about it. 2-3 hours after he sent the email he received a call from Keystone. He was told they would reimburse him $90.00 per tire for the tire of his choice, have the codes cut off the tires and sent to Keystone.

Not all of our tires have the full codes on them (humm...poor quality control)and if he is reading the year the tires were made correctly we have tires made in 03, 04, 05 and 2 in 07. Don't know if the years they were made makes any difference or not









We were pleased with the prompt response from Keystone. DH called several compaines to find out where their TT tires are made and found that most of them are made in China now, so that doesn't really give us a lot of options. We had GY Marathon's on our previous TT and never had any problems with them, and even though they are made in China that may be what we go with.

Juleen


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## Mgonzo2u

B&J_GAKampers said:


> Just FYI on our recent experiece with Keystone and our Milstar tires. Knowing the problems you all have had DH has been checking our tires a little closer than normal. When we returned this past weekend from camping he noticed our tires are cupping. He emailed Keystone from their website about our tires, telling them he's done his research on Milstar tires, our tires are showing excessive wear and cupping on a 5 month old trailer with less than 700 miles on them and he was concerned about the safety of his family when towing the trailer. He asked Keystone what they intended to do about it. 2-3 hours after he sent the email he received a call from Keystone. He was told they would reimburse him $90.00 per tire for the tire of his choice, have the codes cut off the tires and sent to Keystone.
> 
> Not all of our tires have the full codes on them (humm...poor quality control)and if he is reading the year the tires were made correctly we have tires made in 03, 04, 05 and 2 in 07. Don't know if the years they were made makes any difference or not
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We were pleased with the prompt response from Keystone. DH called several compaines to find out where their TT tires are made and found that most of them are made in China now, so that doesn't really give us a lot of options. We had GY Marathon's on our previous TT and never had any problems with them, and even though they are made in China that may be what we go with.
> 
> Juleen


I now recommend TOW MASTER (made in N. America) trailer tires to anyone who asks.

Do an internet search for a dealer near you.


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## waltandkelli

Thanks for the info. As a result, I contacted Keystone and our VIN falls under their "voluntary replacement" program for a new brand of 5 tires for our 31RQS. After the delivery guy experienced a blowout in route, it made me question these and I had previously read this forum and asked the dealer to check all of them prior to departing their lot! The dealer has to contact Keystone on our behalf and hopefully will do so. Thanks so much for the info!


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## willie226

I checked out my tires and the name on them are mission tires I don't know are they the standard ones that should be on and are good. I don't see any cracks or problems and the tt is 3 years old with original tires

Willie


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## wolfwood

fyi - Puff II was, apparently, born on May 9, 2007 with bad paws (yup - Milestars). BUT - our dealer said they had received a Service Notice of some sort from the company (not sure who actually makes the brand). As a result, all the TTs on the lot that had Milestars now have new Duros (of course, they missed our spare...which is being replaced today). Don't know what the S/N said - - - but there's at least 1 result - - - and I'm reasonably certain that the dealership, good as it is, didn't pay for all those new tires out of its own pocket


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## cedarchiro

OK, Just got off the phone with my dealer "Camparama" who told me that Keystone has issued a recall and that my local Goodyear Truck Tire Center is handleing all replacements. I called them and sure enough, they made me an appointment for five replacements. I take it over and they replace tires free of charge.

Yeah


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## garywies

spinter said:


> OK, Just got off the phone with my dealer "Camparama" who told me that Keystone has issued a recall and that my local Goodyear Truck Tire Center is handleing all replacements. I called them and sure enough, they made me an appointment for five replacements. I take it over and they replace tires free of charge.
> 
> Yeah


Good for you!

AS the newbie guy I want to ask about putting non-trailer specific tires on the trailer-ie, car or truck tires of the proper load and speed rating?
Why not?
Thanks for all this good info
G


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## johnp

I just received the letter from Keystone telling me about the "questionable tires" and to go to a local Goodyear dealer for free replacements.

John


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## tb7150

I'm lost!!!!!! I email Keystone, they tell me to call a company, in turn which tells me to call another company, they tell me that they will replace but don't know the name of the tire. Then I call my local Goodyear dealership and they said they have been replacing alot of the 225/75/15, but they didn't know about the 205/75/14 that I have on my 26KBRS.....But he just called me back and said he would order them for me???? I don't want to get stuck with a bill....Any suggestions??? So far the tires look fine after about 1200 miles......


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## johnp

Well I'm now the owner of five new Goodyear Marathon radials. I talked to the manager and told him I would bring him the wheels if he would mount the new ons on my alloy rims put the Nanco replacements on the factory rims and send back the Milestars (I still had) or I could bring the truck and trailer over and block 50' of his lot







He said no problem now I have a winter set or (trade in set) and a good set









This weekend will be a test run.

John


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## BenR

Milestar recall on 14" tires.

Thanks to Outbackers.com! You alerted me to the Milestar recall. I called the recall center about tires on my 23KRS. they looked ok at the begining of Oct. but we had several trips lined up (my wife's an artist and we use the RV as festival hauler and camper for her business) Anyway i was concerned about the recall and was told my tires were not involved... only 15"tires.









*Well, were they wrong!* every stop for gas i looked at the tires and they appeared to be aging before my eyes. We had a blowout in Houston and a FAILURE in the tunnel under Mobil Bay. We were routed back to a RV Center in AL. Told they had five tires (only 3 showed up)... anyway it took a day and half to get back on the road (but only 4 tires... counldn't find a fifth). Keystone did pay for the tires but we could have had a serious problem. My dealer told me that a letter went out on the 14" tire the day we left on our trip... we have never received it. This unit was bought in March!

PLEASE CHECK YOUR TIRE!


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## kibitzer

I am just buying a new 2007 Outback 26kbrs leftover from the dealer. It has the 205/75R14C tires. Outback and Milestar are saying that there is nothing wrong with these tires. (I looked at the treads and outsides, and don't see much.)

They say that the recalls were only on the 225 size tires. Is there anything in writing anywhere that lists the tire sizes, or are all of them suspect?

Some of the tires have 4806 codes on them, and have the DOT 5YKC markings.
Should I just replace them all with Maxxis 14" now, since they are already up to 2 years old?


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## johnp

Tell the dealer give me new tires or I walk.

John


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## kibitzer

I've seen that ultimatem suggestion on this forum before. 
But for $500 worth of tires, I am not giving up on the only larger Outback that :
a) fits our needs,







is not made anymore, and 
c) not available at this low price almost anywhere in the country.

The dealership is on my side, if the tires look bad. 
I just may change them out, as they are up to 3 years old now.


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## BeachHut

We are the latest victims of the Milestar tire ordeal. Had two blowouts on the way to Pismo Beach for the Memorial Day weekend and a 3rd ready to blow. DH checked the tires thoroughly before we left and at every stop on the way, checking for cracks, dry rot, excessively hot, etc...nothing and then out of the blue, in the middle of nowhere, we blew one and after replacing it with the spare and again going over all the other tires, we got back on the road and within 25 miles blew another one. When I say blew a tire, I mean totally and completely shredded. Fortunately the second time, we were near a town so we dropped the OB and DH headed to the tire shop for new tires.

Soooo, after reading this really long thread, I'm a little lost as to whether the best results come from contacting my dealer, Keystone directly, or the Tire Co. Any input is appreciated.


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## BeachHut

Just an update on the tire issue. Called the dealer and got passed off to Keystone, called Keystone and got passed off to Tireco. Had a very helpful gentleman named Albert help me at Tireco. Should receive 5 new non-milestar and non-nanco tires by Friday. Received a UPS shipping number to ship the 3 remaining tires and the remains of the blowouts back to Tireco. Also have a claim number to repair the fender flare that ripped off when the first tire blew.

Went relatively smooth so far...we'll see how the new tires look and if we really get them by friday like they said we would.


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## compass49

BeachHut said:


> Just an update on the tire issue. Called the dealer and got passed off to Keystone, called Keystone and got passed off to Tireco. Had a very helpful gentleman named Albert help me at Tireco. Should receive 5 new non-milestar and non-nanco tires by Friday. Received a UPS shipping number to ship the 3 remaining tires and the remains of the blowouts back to Tireco. Also have a claim number to repair the fender flare that ripped off when the first tire blew.
> 
> Went relatively smooth so far...we'll see how the new tires look and if we really get them by friday like they said we would.


Hi Gwen,

Just to let you know I started a claim with TireCo. back on April 1st. I opted to purchase my own tires instead of accepting more TireCo problems. Being in Canada we had to submit pictures of the tires and only mail in the D.O.T. codes off the side walls. The tires had very low mileage- Factory to Buffalo then the trip from Buffalo to Toronto. I picked the trailer up in February and by April there was significant cracking in the sidewalls and treads. Enough so that TireCo accepted the claim after the viewing the photos.

So far TireCo. has been accommodating. I hope that this continues and I receive our payment shortly. I called last week to find out the status of my refund check and was told that the claim had been approved and that the payment is in accounting for processing.

I'll post back once I have the check in hand.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.


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## tb7150

compass49 said:


> Just an update on the tire issue. Called the dealer and got passed off to Keystone, called Keystone and got passed off to Tireco. Had a very helpful gentleman named Albert help me at Tireco. Should receive 5 new non-milestar and non-nanco tires by Friday. Received a UPS shipping number to ship the 3 remaining tires and the remains of the blowouts back to Tireco. Also have a claim number to repair the fender flare that ripped off when the first tire blew.
> 
> Went relatively smooth so far...we'll see how the new tires look and if we really get them by friday like they said we would.


Hi Gwen,

Just to let you know I started a claim with TireCo. back on April 1st. I opted to purchase my own tires instead of accepting more TireCo problems. Being in Canada we had to submit pictures of the tires and only mail in the D.O.T. codes off the side walls. The tires had very low mileage- Factory to Buffalo then the trip from Buffalo to Toronto. I picked the trailer up in February and by April there was significant cracking in the sidewalls and treads. Enough so that TireCo accepted the claim after the viewing the photos.

So far TireCo. has been accommodating. I hope that this continues and I receive our payment shortly. I called last week to find out the status of my refund check and was told that the claim had been approved and that the payment is in accounting for processing.

I'll post back once I have the check in hand.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
[/quote]


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## Gary

albertaoutbacker said:


> I am from alberta, canada and was wondering how I go about replacing these tires. I have one trip with my brand new 31rqs and after getting back i noticed the "cracking" on the sidewall of the Milestar tires. Any info would be greatly appreciated!!


How are you doing with your tire replacement?
I bought a 23krs with the same tires and made one trip from North Dakota, one trip to Piegon lake, and one trip to Kaninasaki and I see a lot of wear on the inside and outside edges of the tires
Gary


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## Gary

compass49 said:


> Just an update on the tire issue. Called the dealer and got passed off to Keystone, called Keystone and got passed off to Tireco. Had a very helpful gentleman named Albert help me at Tireco. Should receive 5 new non-milestar and non-nanco tires by Friday. Received a UPS shipping number to ship the 3 remaining tires and the remains of the blowouts back to Tireco. Also have a claim number to repair the fender flare that ripped off when the first tire blew.
> 
> Went relatively smooth so far...we'll see how the new tires look and if we really get them by friday like they said we would.


Hi Gwen,

Just to let you know I started a claim with TireCo. back on April 1st. I opted to purchase my own tires instead of accepting more TireCo problems. Being in Canada we had to submit pictures of the tires and only mail in the D.O.T. codes off the side walls. The tires had very low mileage- Factory to Buffalo then the trip from Buffalo to Toronto. I picked the trailer up in February and by April there was significant cracking in the sidewalls and treads. Enough so that TireCo accepted the claim after the viewing the photos.

So far TireCo. has been accommodating. I hope that this continues and I receive our payment shortly. I called last week to find out the status of my refund check and was told that the claim had been approved and that the payment is in accounting for processing.

I'll post back once I have the check in hand.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
[/quote]
How are things going with tire replacement?
I bought a 23krs in North Dakota and live in Alberta. Just asking how your progressing with tire replacement
Gary


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## compass49

[/quote]
How are things going with tire replacement?
I bought a 23krs in North Dakota and live in Alberta. Just asking how your progressing with tire replacement
Gary
[/quote]

Hi Gary,

Well as I mentioned above it has been good so far. I should have a better idea in coming weeks.....as I'm waiting to receive a check from TireCo.

From what I've read in this thread, other members have successfully received payment from TireCo after purchasing their own replacement tires.

Let me know if you have any other questions.


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## Gary

Did you talk to Tireco in the U.S. or in Canada. I see that there are websites for both.
What details did they need to get the process under way?
Both the inside and outside are wearing down to the tread in just a couple of trips.
Has the right tire pressure.
These Milestar tires suck. Junk that should not be allowed to be sold.
Gary


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## Gary

First of all.
Have you changed out your milestar?

What brand name did you replace with?

How are they now (wear or blow outs) or are they good tires.

Thanks Gary


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## BeachHut

Received 5 new tires via UPS within 3 days of making the claim. Also made a claim for the tire fender that was damaged from the blowout. DH will install the new fender and they will reimburse us for all the materials. The gentleman that I talked to at TireCo said that the reimbursement could take up to 3-4 months to be reviewed, approved and paid out. That was why we opted for just taking the 5 new tires instead of waiting to get reimbursed for purchasing our own. DH is happy with the new tires...I don't recall the brand but I will look at them and report back.

Despite the frustration of having to deal with it all, the experience was rather painless and TireCo has been efficient. All I have to do now is call for the shipping pickup of the old tires and we will be good to go.

Now to get the refrigerator recall work done!


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## dfolk22

I just found this web site after doing some research on these Milestar tires. I have a 2007 Komfort Kampsite and everyone of my tires are cracked, and need to be replaced. Komfort has been great is replacing them under the warrant, and sent me Duro tires. Does anyone know anything about these? They look like a decent tire, but I havn't found anything on the internet about them except the company make a lot of ATV tires.


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## skippershe

dfolk22 said:


> I just found this web site after doing some research on these Milestar tires. I have a 2007 Komfort Kampsite and everyone of my tires are cracked, and need to be replaced. Komfort has been great is replacing them under the warrant, and sent me Duro tires. Does anyone know anything about these? They look like a decent tire, but I havn't found anything on the internet about them except the company make a lot of ATV tires.


Hi dfolk22 and Welcome to Outbackers









Our 2006 Outback came with Duro tires. They have been fine so far, but recently I did find a few small cracks along the edge of the tread of one of them. I would say though that anything is better than the Milestars. When our Duros do finally give out, we will upgrade to a set of Maxxi radials.


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## Fiver Roos

I am purchasing a used 07 31kfw with Milestar tires. They looked pretty good. They are ST225/75/D15 Date code 2906. I believe. Does anyone know if these are the recalled tires? I have looked online to try and see if I could figure out how to read the markings, but no luck so far. Will they replace them if you are the second owner?


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## Fiver Roos

I just talked to Tireco and they are sending me 5 new radials. They may not be the best tires they are sending but they have to be better than the old ones, and they are radials. Thanks to this forum I found out about the junk tires before I ever took delivery!

FYI my DOT code is 5YHH TCI 2906 & 5YHH TCI 3706.


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## DAR

I have the Milestar tires on my 07 25RSS and with less than 500 miles on them all four tires fell apart while on a trip to Yellowstone. Keep in mind we were only driving about 60 mph, had a very light load and were stopping about every two hours. They got very hot and fell apart causing a very dangerous situation. Keystone and Milestar has denied our claim so I am having to go after BlueCrick RV in Spokane WA to get a resolution. Please be careful with these tires and watch them closely.


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## Fiver Roos

We recieved our replacement Milestar's about a week and a half after I contacted Tireco. It was over a holiday weekend and were shipped from California to Florida, so not bad turn around. I got the local Firestone to Mount and Balance them, I took the fiver there and they took off old tires. Old tires had to be returned to Tireco via UPS at their expense.

We them left on a 2 hour drive and the new radials rode much better, and I had more peace of mind. I checked the date code on the new radials they sent and they were manufactured mid-2008, so they are new. I don't recall the brand but at least they are radials.


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## Nelson

We have a 2007 23rs we have put over 10,000 km on the Milestar tires. Our first problem was this summer, we had a sidewall separate. Luckily I noticed the "pimple" before we took off and changed it. I noticed some minor cracking, but I have been keeping up with the armour all. IT seems to keep the tire from cracking much further. The tread is nearly worn, especially the back tires. I rotated this summers, I can't getting more than one reason out of the though. NExt summer I will probable replace them all.

HAs anybody changed to passenger car or truck tires? Is there a noticeable difference?


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## outback loft

I dont think that there are really any good trailer tires around, goodyears seem to be the only ones that hold up. I have a set of load star bias tires on my old trailer that held up ok, they had to be put on to replace a set of duro tires that lasted less than a year. My outback has mission radials on it, I will see how these hold up. But I have some buddies who are switching the trailer tires to truck tires, and they are having some very good handling, and no weird treadwear, blowouts, or tire separation.


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## Holmes On The Road

Hello All,

Our 2008 Outback 30RLS that we purchased last August has Duro tires. I have read through this entire thread and see that a few people have questioned these tires, however there does not seem to be much information on them.

Yesterday as I was crawling around under the trailer I happened to look at the tread on the tire closest to me. To my surprise I noted severe cracking between the treads. As a result I then looked at the other 3 and they are all in the same condition. I forgot to look at the spare, however will do that today.

Has anyone else had an issue with these Duro tires?


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## Gary

Holmes On The Road said:


> Hello All,
> 
> Our 2008 Outback 30RLS that we purchased last August has Duro tires. I have read through this entire thread and see that a few people have questioned these tires, however there does not seem to be much information on them.
> 
> Yesterday as I was crawling around under the trailer I happened to look at the tread on the tire closest to me. To my surprise I noted severe cracking between the treads. As a result I then looked at the other 3 and they are all in the same condition. I forgot to look at the spare, however will do that today.
> 
> Has anyone else had an issue with these Duro tires?


Have your tires checked out buy a dealer you will have to see them for warranty.
Noticed the map of Canada and USA on your page, How did you add that on.
Thanks Gary


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## Compulynx

Just a reminder to all that age has a lot to do with tire failure. I had a set of Goodyears on a trailer, and when they got 5 years old hardly any wear) one of them just blew. No reason, just age is what the tire dealer told me. I was on a straight smooth road, did not hit anything. There was no hole in the tire from a nail. It just popped, when the tread separated.

A crack is not neccesarily an indicator of a bad tire, and no cracks does not mean they will not let loose. The Goodyears I had had no signs of cracking.

The Duro's on my TT so far look fine. But I alway carry 2 spares anywhere I go.

I read other forums (truck ,camper, boating) and believe me, ALL brands have issues. With a trailer which is used intermittently- environment, age, inflation, and axle alignment have more to do with failures than brand name.

C


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## charlesy

My 2005 21rs has maxxis m8008 tires (purchased by the original owner at discount tires). So far so good .


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## bowhunter2819

Has anyone had problems with their 10' 11' 0r 12' year trailers?


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## Mgonzo2u

bowhunter2819 said:


> Has anyone had problems with their 10' 11' 0r 12' year trailers?


Just a reminder, mfgs suggest replacing rec veh tires every 6 years regardless of mileage


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