Adding Protective Coating on the Wheel Wells

[Santiago]

On the tire pressure sensor, while I am hearing they are light the fact that there is some weight involved I would still want to balance the tires. Had planned to balance anyway, now will wait till the sensors are installed.

As we drive we don't feel any trailer imbalance but if it has been all along or start due to these changes the trailer structure and contents will take the brunt of it. I don't want my contents, including 2 and later 4 AGM batteries riding next to the wheel wells ( ground zero ) being shaken more than necessary.

Anyone know if these sensor manufacturers sell internal tire sensors ? Like cars and trucks have.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Santiago

On the tire pressure sensor, while I am hearing they are light the fact that there is some weight involved I would still want to balance the tires. Had planned to balance anyway, now will wait till the sensors are installed.

As we drive we don't feel any trailer imbalance but if it has been all along or start due to these changes the trailer structure and contents will take the brunt of it. I don't want my contents, including 2 and later 4 AGM batteries riding next to the wheel wells ( ground zero ) being shaken more than necessary.

Anyone know if these sensor manufacturers sell internal tire sensors ? Like cars and trucks have.

Hi Santiago . Yes they do sell internal sensors . We got the external though , much easier and I was assured fine ,for the rubber stems . They are not very big . The flow through are though . They are much taller , the reason I didn't go that way . Our Subaru will be looking to get tires in less then a year . It has the sensors internally . I am worried that when we get the new tires and I think they change the sensors too , everything works alright . I have read some have trouble . I am not looking for that to happen . But then I am a worry wart . If something happens to the internal , you can't fix it . You have to go get it fixed . Really the little screw on externals are pretty neat . I can change the battery or if I have a problem , take care of it . Call the manufacturers and talk to them to ease your mind or help decide which way or system to get . Hope this helps . Pat

[Santiago]

Hi Pat, thanks for the re-assurance. Yes being outside is a lot easier to deal with than inside. Being outside I also suspect the transmitted reception will be far stronger. Either way I will balance the trailer tires as originally planned but AFTER the sensors are screwed in.

Like you, I worry too. Thank you Pat.

[Brian B-P]

Apparently some automotive wheels have holes for dual valve stems. While this is done for reasons unrelated to tire pressure sensors, it would allow you leave lighter non-flow-through external sensors on one stem per wheel, while the other stem remains available with a normal valve to add air and to check with a gauge. Of course it's unlikely that any 15-inch "trailer" wheel has dual holes...

[tractors1]

I've run the external sensors on rubber stems for 5 years. I just change the batteries annually with other maintenance as they're cheap and I don't have to think about it. Life needs to be simple.

[Santiago]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Life needs to be simple.

Yes Charlie, life does need to be simple. That's why many of us think things through to avoid problems that take away simple living.

Appreciate your experience with these devices and that helps me have more confidence. Thank you.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Yes, I understand that the claims are by the manufacturer (or seller) of the product, and that you're passing their information on, Pat.

Hi Brian as I mentioned ,found a couple of pictures of our blow out Commercial truck 10 ply tire . Linda and I were working at apartments about 35 min away . We didn't know it but picked up that little screw which over 6 hours was slowly leaking air from tire . We were going home on freeway and heard the noise , pulled off to side of road . got spare on went home and next day replaced all tires . The reason we got the sensors for trailer is we can"t hear if a problem happens . The sensors besides telling you if the air is down or going down , reads tire temps. you get some kind of warnings, because you can't hear back there . The rim on truck was not damaged or any part of truck, because we were able to hear it and move to shoulder . That wouldn't be the case with trailer I fear. this is the reason for putting on trailer tire sensors . That tire is a Michelin . That is all we buy for the truck . Pat

[thoer]

What an Escape tire looks like after a blowout. The tire had been checked only about a hour or so before when we stopped for lunch. My only warning was a feeling like I drove over the warning ridges they put on the centerline of some road, and then seeing smoke coming out of the wheel well. Luckily I was in a place I could quickly pull off onto the shoulder AND I had put truck bed liner on the Escapes' wheel wells. I will be putting on the 21 when we get it home too.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by thoer

What an Escape tire looks like after a blowout. The tire had been checked only about a hour or so before when we stopped for lunch. My only warning was a feeling like I drove over the warning ridges they put on the centerline of some road, and then seeing smoke coming out of the wheel well. Luckily I was in a place I could quickly pull off onto the shoulder AND I had put truck bed liner on the Escapes' wheel wells. I will be putting on the 21 when we get it home too.

Wow Eric . And our Escape tires are only C. Sounds like a good idea putting the liner on the wheel wells for some added protection . What liner material did you get ? Do you have tire sensors also ? Pat

[Santiago]

Well, if you get the pressure sensors is there a need for blow out protection ?

[thoer]

Pat somewhere there is still a thread on how I did the wheel wells. Basically they have to be cleaned really well, then rubbed with acetone and lightly sanded to get any wax, etc remaining, then a plastic/fiberglass primer. I used a spray on Rustoleum brand, but on the 21 I might use one of the roll on brands as it may go on a bit thicker.

I preferred the look of the well black, rather than dirty white as they usually were. I plan on eventually getting some sensors for the 21 after we get it unless I decide on a brand/model to take along. It seems like the Bluetooth ones would be ideal for us as we already each have an iPhone always with us. But I am not comfortable with any yet as there are not enough reviews it seems.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by thoer

Pat somewhere there is still a thread on how I did the wheel wells. Basically they have to be cleaned really well, then rubbed with acetone and lightly sanded to get any wax, etc remaining, then a plastic/fiberglass primer. I used a spray on Rustoleum brand, but on the 21 I might use one of the roll on brands as it may go on a bit thicker.

I preferred the look of the well black, rather than dirty white as they usually were. I plan on eventually getting some sensors for the 21 after we get it unless I decide on a brand/model to take along. It seems like the Bluetooth ones would be ideal for us as we already each have an iPhone always with us. But I am not comfortable with any yet as there are not enough reviews it seems.

Thanks Eric . Looks like a extra layer of protection wouldn't hurt . In all the years of driving , never had a blow out before . Used to ride on bald tires on my 1964 Chevy, VW's whatever I owned , because I couldn't buy tires at the time . Not anymore see too many tire failures on the roads . Pat

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Santiago

Well, if you get the pressure sensors is there a need for blow out protection ?

Hi Santiago would' hurt . Pat

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Santiago

Well, if you get the pressure sensors is there a need for blow out protection ?

An interesting question.

If all blow-outs are the result of under-inflated tires but otherwise properly used tires failing due to the under-inflation, then diligent use of any effective tire pressure monitoring system would eliminate the risk of damage to the trailer resulting from a blow-out.

If blow-outs result from defective tires or damage not related to inflation, then a properly-inflated tire could still blow out, and the monitoring system would provide no warning; the risk would still exist. Some trailer owners who have had blow-outs insist that they had properly maintained tire pressures... but I think some are honestly mistaken, some had high tire pressure but excessive load, some bashed those tires against curbs and damaged them, and some are simply lying about the pressure to get the tire manufacturer to pay for replacements. Who knows what is really going on in all of those tire failure stories. Given the nature of the trailer tire industry, I can believe that some are simply defective.

I don't have blow-out protection material in the wheel wells of any vehicle. It's sad if a trailer requires this, although the relative vulnerability of fiberglass might be an argument for protection even there's no greater risk of tire failure in the trailer than in other vehicles.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by Santiago

Well, if you get the pressure sensors is there a need for blow out protection ?

Santiago, in my opinion, yes. I have no idea if that 4 year old low mileage Goodyear Marathon hit a nail or something (I couldn't find anything in the tread) and was slowly going down without my knowing it. Or if it experienced a catastrophic blowout due to a defect - not unknown in Marathon from what I have read.

Not sure if Brian is intentionally insinuating that I abused my tires, but as the actual person who used them, I know that they were never driven under or overinflated nor overloaded. They had been visually checked and thumped about an hour earlier when we stopped for lunch like I always do. There were chunks of melted rubber embedded in the bed liner. Whether or not the fiberglass would have been damaged without the liner in place, I cannot be sure. But as I said, I plan to do it again on the new 21. I like the way the wells look black, and it seems like quite inexpensive insurance.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by thoer

Not sure if Brian is intentionally insinuating that I abused my tires...

No, not at all!
There are a huge number of trailer tire failure stories - it seems far more than car or truck tires - and that leads to a general perception that trailer tires will routinely fail even if used properly, which is probably a bit unfair to the tires. The point is that those general observations cannot be applied to a specific failure.

So if a properly inflated, loaded, and operated tire can catastrophically fail (which it can), and a fiberglass wheel well is vulnerable to tire damage (which is it is), there is an argument for a protective layer. It's just a question of the extent of the risk.

[Santiago]

Hi Eric, no I don't think Brian was insinuating you abuse your tires. I took his comment as a general one. I know you are careful and appreciate equipment from reading all your posts over a long period of time. Having said that, there are some here that don't share your appreciation of mechanical things as much.

My first line of defense will be pressure monitoring. Having just gotten the trailer I have many higher priority mods, other than security and tire pressure sensors, waiting. So, protecting the wheel well will likely be done much later on as it does have value.

Stay warm, I know Wisconsin.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

An interesting question.

If all blow-outs are the result of under-inflated tires but otherwise properly used tires failing due to the under-inflation, then diligent use of any effective tire pressure monitoring system would eliminate the risk of damage to the trailer resulting from a blow-out.

If blow-outs result from defective tires or damage not related to inflation, then a properly-inflated tire could still blow out, and the monitoring system would provide no warning; the risk would still exist. Some trailer owners who have had blow-outs insist that they had properly maintained tire pressures... but I think some are honestly mistaken, some had high tire pressure but excessive load, some bashed those tires against curbs and damaged them, and some are simply lying about the pressure to get the tire manufacturer to pay for replacements. Who knows what is really going on in all of those tire failure stories. Given the nature of the trailer tire industry, I can believe that some are simply defective.

I don't have blow-out protection material in the wheel wells of any vehicle. It's sad if a trailer requires this, although the relative vulnerability of fiberglass might be an argument for protection even there's no greater risk of tire failure in the trailer than in other vehicles.

Hi Brian all good points . I lost my air because while sitting at the job , it was slowly leaking from little screw. Now I am suppose to have 80 lbs of air and I don't . going home on the freeway heat is building up because side walls are flexing, Boom . The sensors would of warned of the heat build up . You can even change from the factory setting if you want. So not only low air , they have temp warning also . Our tire I think because it was a E tire didn't disintegrate like the trailer tires usually C rated . I think also because of the fiberglass it would add another layer of protection to fiberglass . My truck sits up high being a F-250 with steel around and a heavy Commercial tire . If anything this might make some to be more aware . Pat