I found this info over at the Workamper News forum. In no way is this an attempt to slam Goodyear. I've used their tires for years and have had nothing but great results.

I got permission from the author to post the pictures here. You can read the story at http://forums.workamper.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=6075

You can't view the photos without an account so here they are.

I wonder where these were made. I know their ST trailer tires were made in China for a while, but production was recently moved back here. Both are still in warehouses and being sold, I understand.

When I bought trailer tires, I bought Maxxis, after talking to a number of race car haulers. They go far and a little fast.

I didn't know until after posting but this was on a 5th wheel so I guess it isn't a tire we would be using on a our rigs. Still if you know anyone running with these tires it would be good to pass this info along.

After talking with this fella via emails, he said the had checked his tires not long before the failure and there was no indication there was a problem, heat or under inflation etc.

I wonder if a tire monitor would have shown some heat or high/low pressure before the blow out. One thing I've noticed about some folks using a TPMS, they don't inspect tires as they should. TPMS doesn't tell the whole story.

I plan on getting a TPMS. I'll be pulling a cargo trailer and those tires to just too far away from the driver seat to know what they're up to. For now I guess my hands, eyes and laser thermometer will have to do.

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I wonder if a tire monitor would have shown some heat or high/low pressure before the blow out.

Having had three flats on my tandem trailer coming back to New England from Florida this year, I would have really benefited from TPMs if only to know I HAD a flat! Twice I learned from cars coming up to me and honking then indicating I had a problem back there. The one time I felt it, I'm not sure I would have had I not already been on pins and needles from the earlier two flats.

I suppose it is possible that a closely monitored TPM could indicate higher pressure due to heat. It's too bad they don't have both pressure and heat. In any case, my failure were on two year old tires with 3-4000 total miles. Best guess is UV degradation.

I'm still puzzled by the things I learned about trailer tires. Apparently they are all intended to only go up to 65 MPH speeds. It is very hard to go that slow with a big diesel on some of the downhills without cooking the brakes. Sure enough all my tire failures were after a higher speed run for one reason or another. As far as I can tell, trailer tires cost twice as much to go half as fast and cause eight times the grief

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Originally posted by noble97monarch:

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I wonder if a tire monitor would have shown some heat or high/low pressure before the blow out.

Having had three flats on my tandem trailer coming back to New England from Florida this year, I would have really benefited from TPMs if only to know I HAD a flat!
I suppose it is possible that a closely monitored TPM could indicate higher pressure due to heat. It's too bad they don't have both pressure and heat.

Some TPM systems have heat indication in addition to pressure.

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Some TPM systems have heat indication in addition to pressure.

Any idea of brand? That's the one I'll be buying prior to journey back to Florida.

I've already invested in trailer tire covers to keep the UV off.

I don't have TPMS yet so this isn't an endorsement, Smartire is a system that does both heat and pressure.

It appears that the systems that monitor both heat and pressure have sensors that mount to the wheel, inside the tire. Pressure only systems usually have a sensor that screws onto the valve stem.