More Carlisle ST Tires problems

[GradyBob]

Greetings:<br />A few months ago Tallman5281 posted a question about Carlisle ST tires. I have a tandem axel trailer equipped with disc brakes for my Grady White 192. Yestderday I was towing the trailer home from getting the seats re-upholstered and one of the tires blew out. Today within 20 minutes of picking a spare along the way with the family to hit the water, a second tire blew out. These are all Carlisle 205-75 14D load range C tires. We keep the trailer fairly well maintained. Over the past 18 months, we have driven the boat on 4 major trips ranging from 500 to 1,400 mile round trips and the tires are not holding up - the tread is wearing down. The ones that failed did have worn tread, but the tread did separate. We live in Central Florida and frequent both coasts as well. I was in bind today and my lovley bride was insistent we replace all the tires - today. So went to a local trailer dealer and did so, but not where we purchased the boat& trailer.<br /><br />On that post from Tallman, somebody mentioned contacting the original dealer and Carlisle about this. I plan on doing this. I have scoured the board here and some people indicated their tires should last years. These tires were new 18 months ago and I am going to replace all of them as they are not lasting and they are wearing out fast. Any suggestions here????<br />Will a radial tire make a difference in how long they last?<br />Thanks for any ideas

 

[DJ]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

Radials will defeinetely run cooler. Not a bad choice in Florida.<br /><br />Make sure you stick with a trailer ST type tire. Don't let anyone talk you into car/truck/SUV tires, for your trailer.<br /><br />Goodyear makes an excellent trailer tire.

 

[bomar76]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

Carlise tires are absolute junk.<br />There are scads of posts on other groups I frequent about Carlisle tire failure.<br />I put 4 Goodyear Marathon radials on my trailer this spring.......no way I want a Carlisle tossing a tread and beating holes in my hull (as has happened to friends).<br /><br />How Carlise gets away with selling that trash is beyond me....

 

[ThomWV]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

I find this interesting because I've been using Carslile tires (225 75 15) for about 6~7 years now and I've never had any problem with them. I'm on my second set but what has been killing mine has been simple side-wall cracking from a couple of years of sun (I used to live in Dade county so I understand Florida sun) kills them. Of course it does the same thing to every other tire too so that part doesn't bother me. I haven't had any wear problems at all, no tread separation problems either. Our load is right at 8,000 pounds (tandem axle trailer by Long Trailers of Tarboro, NC) when we are making the short trips (15~50 miles one way) during the summer and then more like 7,000 pounds when we make the long trip (550 miles) each spring and fall. Most of our towing is at highway speeds on good roads.<br /><br />Thom

 

[jlinder]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

I agree with Carslile tires being junk. I just had a 300 mile trip. Checked my tires (225 75 15) before starting out. Tread was good, but I found the tread starting to separate on one of the tires. <br /><br />Replaced it before the trip only to have the other one blow out on the trip (big time blow out). Replace the other one.<br /><br />Checked the gov. site for complaints ( http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/ ) and found 100 complaints about Carslile tire. Most seem to talk about blowouts or tread separation.<br /><br /><br />Limped on the old one till I got to a tire store

 

[bomar76]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

A google search on Carlise will find scads of hits on their crappy tires.

 

[BinLurkin]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

I never had any problems with the boat trailer tires but on the old 1978 motorhome the tires started flying apart, tread separation, every time out. After the third of six tires came apart I replaced the rest too. They told me that they come apart because they set around to long between trips & develope weak spots on the bottom where the tires flat spot is on the road or parking lot in this case. Does this make any sense & if so wouldn't it be the same for our boat trailers with relatively infrequent use too. None of my tires are or were Carlisle. They were 2 different brands & I forgot what they were.

 

[ThomWV]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

This may interest you all. There is a similar discussion going on right now on the Florida Sportsman message board and almost the exact same comments are being made there - except they are talking about Good Year Marathon tires.<br /><br />Thom

 

[bluewater19]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

I just lost the second carlisle tire on my 2003 trailer. 205/75/14 radials. Thank god for spares.<br />this is the second tire in 2 trips. I replaced them with 1 load range better les scwab brand trailer tires. I hope these last longer than 1 season.

 

[GradyBob]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

Hi Everyone:<br /><br />Thanks for the input. Two things, I thought I had my settings on the board to notify me when people replied to my posts, but I guess I don't. <br /><br />Anyway, we did some more research on this over the NET and like many of you indicate Carlisle does not make a great product. I went to the Goodyear dealer and purchased 4 Marathons to replace all my tires. I kept one of the newer tires as a spare. <br /><br />The Goodyear dealer indicated for a single axel application the Carlisle can work fine, but in a tandem application, the tandem axels tend set up the tires for more scuffing on the inside edge and the Carlisle being a harder compound and a bias ply design do not take scuffing well at all.<br /><br />He said the 6 ply steel belted radial Marathons are not as hard and where the sidewall meets the tread is tougher, yet flexible enough to deal with scuffing.<br /><br />Again thanks for the input.

 

[snowshoe]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

I have Carlisles on the boat trailer and the last travel trailer(25')and they have functioned satisfactorily. I am quiet fussy aboat the tires and make sure they are inflated up the max pressure indicated by the sidewall label. <br />There is only 1 thing that kills tires ---HEAT!<br />Heat build up is the result of low pressures, excess loads, and high speed. I Florida, ambient temps add to the heat factor. Keep these factors in check and your tire problems well be reduced.

 

[ThomWV]

Re: More Carlisle ST Tires problems

You know, its kind of interesting when I think about it. Carlisle tires really aren't considered some cheap low perfomring tire. In fact it seems to me that they make about the top of the line - in bias ply trailer tires. In fact I think there are only one or two (Armstrong Tires and Who else?) other companys still in the market for bias ply trailer tires, hasn't everyone else gone over to radials? It could be more a matter of our expectations from a trailer tire has gone up since the introduction and now common usage of radials for trailers. Newer technology has given rise to greater performance demands from the consumer. Carlisles may not have got any worse and might be the best bias ply tires you can buy, its just that you can buy better if you buy radial. Could be, I dunno ....<br /><br />Thom