Tire Advice Needed

[Kingfish]

2016 19' and just noticed one of the tires is cupping and wearing out rapidly, mostly on the inside. Bald in spots. The other three are still like new. I adjusted the brakes about two weeks ago, and have driven about 2500 miles between Little Rock, AR and Chula Vista, CA. Could my brake adjustment have caused this? Any suggestions would be welcome.

Also, any local knowledge regarding a reputable tire dealer in Chula Vista would help. I am at the Chula Vista RV Park and will be here until the year end. Tires are Carlisle.

[rbryan4]

Cupping indicates a tire pressure problem (I'm assuming that's not the case here) or a suspension problem that is causing that tire to bounce. I doubt your brake adjustment had anything to do with it. I'd take it to a trailer shop - one that knows Torflex torsion suspensions - and have them check that axle. If that wheel is way out of balance, that could cause the cupping as well, but it's not as likely since those were balanced when installed.

[War Eagle]

A quick google search, that might make sense for just one tire showing such wear, suggests tire imbalance or less than fully functional shock absorption for that wheel. Just a google guess....

[Rossue]

Is that tire the passenger front? That looks like a flat spot like we had on that tire from the wheel locking up. Several things can cause it, however the most common is the brakes not adjusted properly.

[Eggscape]

Drive slowly on some loose gravel then slowly apply the trailer brakes by hand while someone is watch all four wheels. I bet they will see that one lock up before the other 3.
This is a great real world test that my wife and are in a habit of doing when on long trips. She operates the electric trailer brake while I observe to make sure every tire is doing their share of the work...and nothing more.
You can also in a safe paved area bring your vehicle to a stop just using the trailer electric hand brake. Put the vehicle in park, then get out and being careful not to burn your fingers...touch each brake drum. They should all be the same temperature. Anyone that is hotter than the other is doing more work. Maybe this one is.
Also a lot of very tight right hand turns can scuff off one of the passenger side tires. Not so much with this type of suspension but common on trailers with leaf springs which generally have a larger space between the wheels.

[Eggscape]

Also if you find that this wheel has been doing most of the braking...of course you will want to back it off. However if it has cause this much tire ware you should replace that wheel bearing as the grease has been toasted and most likely the bearing is soon to go.
On our cross country trip this year with our brother in law who also had his trailer...I did not know he was not doing the finger heat check every day. A week into the trip the wheel that was doing all the braking welded itself to the drum. $700 later he was on the road again only to find out that RV place did not properly tighten the backing plate bolts. One fell into the drum and would lock up the wheel. The next RV place had to replace the same parts. This time it only cost $400. Now he was really PO...not only did the first place screw up but they charged him another $300 for the same parts and service.
I forgot to mention that he had the brakes checked at an RV center before he left on the trip. A simple finger heat check and he would have known before we even left that there was a problem.
If you don’t like using your finger there are cheap laser temperature gauges you can buy that give you a digital reading when you point the unit at the drum. I am sure this has been talked about many times but it is well worth mentioning again.

[padlin]

If the tire was fine when adjusted 2 weeks ago, I'd have it rechecked.

Looks like there are no less then 10 tire dealers on Broadway in Chula Vista. If you put any faith in reviews Hernandez and Courtney look great, both on Broadway. You'd have to call and ask about the trailer but Courtney says they do brakes on their web site, the other doesn't mention brakes.

[escape artist]

Hi: Kingfish... Looks like it's time to swap out your spare, and keep a sharp eye on it's performance. A brake lock up situation could cause extreme tire wear. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by Kingfish

2016 19' and just noticed one of the tires is cupping and wearing out rapidly, mostly on the inside. Bald in spots. The other three are still like new. I adjusted the brakes about two weeks ago, and have driven about 2500 miles between Little Rock, AR and Chula Vista, CA. Could my brake adjustment have caused this? Any suggestions would be welcome.

Also, any local knowledge regarding a reputable tire dealer in Chula Vista would help. I am at the Chula Vista RV Park and will be here until the year end. Tires are Carlisle.

When you were adjusting the brakes did you try moving the tire to see if the bearings are loose? Loose bearings can cause tire wear to the inside.

[cpaharley2008]

As a side note you may want to update your avatar to show your Escape....

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Kingfish

2016 19' and just noticed one of the tires is cupping and wearing out rapidly, mostly on the inside. Bald in spots. The other three are still like new. I adjusted the brakes about two weeks ago, and have driven about 2500 miles between Little Rock, AR and Chula Vista, CA. Could my brake adjustment have caused this? Any suggestions would be welcome.



Also, any local knowledge regarding a reputable tire dealer in Chula Vista would help. I am at the Chula Vista RV Park and will be here until the year end. Tires are Carlisle.

In a former life I worked in a spring and front end shop. Cupping can be caused by everything stated, suspension,pressure,balance and loose bearings. Pressure related is usually in the center of tire not edge. Since you don’t have shocks I think the axle would have to be really loose. I’d put my money on either balance or bearings.


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[Kingfish]

All good advice!! Thanks. After looking a little closer at the other three, the two on the drivers side are showing quite a bit of wear, especially on the inside. Looks like its time to get new ones all the way around. I'll do a search and see what the forum consensus is as far as brand, load rating, etc. My guess is they have 15-20,000 miles on them.

[rbryan4]

That level of wear, and the cupping, is unusual for that many miles. My 2015 Carlisles have about 14K miles on them with very little wear and even treads. I'd still check balance, bearings and suspension when you get new tires.

[steve dunham]

We have Carlisle tires that are 3 years,old and have 20,000 miles on them and they look nothing like the OP's photo.
Buying new tires will only mask the true problem for a short period of time. I tend to agree with rbryan there is something else wrong that needs to be ad.dressed .

[Kingfish]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We have Carlisle tires that are 3 years,old and have 20,000 miles on them and they look nothing like the OP's photo.
Buying new tires will only mask the true problem for a short period of time. I tend to agree with rbryan there is something else wrong that needs to be ad.dressed .

Agreed. I can't help but think the really bad cupped one resulted from the brake adjustment I performed before I left Little Rock. Could just be a coincidence however. I'm pretty good at that kind of stuff tho, and followed directions to a tee.

I bought the trailer in Aug. 2016 from someone who only had it a few months so I suspect warranty might be a problem. It was built in May, 2016.

I'm still wondering about a trustworthy place to take it here in Chula Vista, CA. Leaving here in a week to head north and then wind up eventually at Quartzsite in February. Here and now is no doubt the best place and time to take care of it.

I'm not sure that a run-of-the-mill auto tire store would have someone capable of checking alignment, bearings, etc. Maybe an RV center (except Camping World of course) would be the best option? I would welcome any opinions or experience regarding this.

Maybe I should just re-adjust the brake on that wheel and put the spare on and see what happens?

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Chotch

In a former life I worked in a spring and front end shop. Cupping can be caused by everything stated, suspension,pressure,balance and loose bearings. Pressure related is usually in the center of tire not edge. Since you don’t have shocks I think the axle would have to be really loose. I’d put my money on either balance or bearings.


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I like your analysis. I would jack the rig up and flex on the wheel to see if there’s any wobble in it. Loose bearing ( inner) my guess. I’d spin the wheel and make sure the brakes are adjusted evenly. I would get the tires balanced and make sure the inflation is within about three pounds of the maximum. And finally I would get measurements on the axle to make sure nothing is bent or loose including the backing plate on the brakes (11/16 flat wrench.)
A rape measure is your friend here on everything being square. Finally I would check my size to side loading to make sure it’s even in weight.
Iowa Dave

[Kingfish]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I like your analysis. I would jack the rig up and flex on the wheel to see if there’s any wobble in it. Loose bearing ( inner) my guess. I’d spin the wheel and make sure the brakes are adjusted evenly. I would get the tires balanced and make sure the inflation is within about three pounds of the maximum. And finally I would get measurements on the axle to make sure nothing is bent or loose including the backing plate on the brakes (11/16 flat wrench.)
A rape measure is your friend here on everything being square. Finally I would check my size to side loading to make sure it’s even in weight.
Iowa Dave

Good advice no doubt. No problem on feeling for bearing play but not sure about how to do the measurements? I have a tape measure with me.

[Iowa Dave]

Using your tape measure the distance from the top inside edge of the tire to the fiberglass wheel well flat wall. It should be the same on both sides of the trailer and on each wheel. Meaurure as high up as you can on the front and back of each tire under the trailer to the other side. These numbers should be the same. Use logic to determine as many points as you can that should have like dimensions. I was wondering if you checked the hub tightness where the inch and a half nut holds down on the outer bearing? You wheel spindle nut is suppose to be a little tighter than finger tight. If someone was turning that nut down by hand and hit a burr on the spindle threads and did not actually bottom the nut it could be too loose also. You could tighten it down with a wrench and see if it will move very much and then once seated , the bearings would both be seated and you could back the nut off and then finger or lightly tighten it. I don’t think you’ve got a cotter key to hold the nut but rather the new style spring clip. Make sure it’s snapped on right on each nut/ spindle. You will figure it out. The inflation pressure and wheel balance could be your problem too so don’t overthink this. Some things you might not be able to fix but at least if you familiarize yourself with the (setup concepts) you should be able to understand the repairman or at least keep him from taking you to the cleaners. Best of luck
Iowa Dave

[Jeff and Karen]

I had this exact problem. I worked with Dexter Axle, and eventually we determined the balancing weights had fallen off the wheel. Got it balanced, problem went away.

[Kingfish]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Using your tape measure the distance from the top inside edge of the tire to the fiberglass wheel well flat wall. It should be the same on both sides of the trailer and on each wheel. Meaurure as high up as you can on the front and back of each tire under the trailer to the other side. These numbers should be the same. Use logic to determine as many points as you can that should have like dimensions. I was wondering if you checked the hub tightness where the inch and a half nut holds down on the outer bearing? You wheel spindle nut is suppose to be a little tighter than finger tight. If someone was turning that nut down by hand and hit a burr on the spindle threads and did not actually bottom the nut it could be too loose also. You could tighten it down with a wrench and see if it will move very much and then once seated , the bearings would both be seated and you could back the nut off and then finger or lightly tighten it. I don’t think you’ve got a cotter key to hold the nut but rather the new style spring clip. Make sure it’s snapped on right on each nut/ spindle. You will figure it out. The inflation pressure and wheel balance could be your problem too so don’t overthink this. Some things you might not be able to fix but at least if you familiarize yourself with the (setup concepts) you should be able to understand the repairman or at least keep him from taking you to the cleaners. Best of luck
Iowa Dave

Thanks for your clarification. Looks like I am going to have a full day tomorrow!!!