Sunny 17 got new shoes today

EMD_Driver · 01-23-2010, 04:43 PM

After reading the horror stories about Carlisle tires, I decided that we'd be better off getting something better. I did a lot of research on Maxxis LT tires and decided to go with them. I know they are chinese tires, but the people I asked, said they weren't too awful bad.

On my way home from work yesterday, I called the dealer that we bought the 311 from. Our salesman said he would check and get back to me. He called back, less than 15 minutes later and asked when we wanted to do the swap! I told him we could be there this morning and he said they opened at 9.

I woke Kitty up way too early and we got the 311 all hitched up. Made it to the dealer around 9:30 and they immediately got to work. While the guy was mounting the first tire, I asked about balancing them. He gave the standard response: "We don't usually balance trailer tires." When I voiced my concerns, he understood and agreed to balance them for me.

It was a good thing, that I asked... The very first tire that was mounted, needed a total of 8.75 ounces!!

The more he fiddled with that tire, the more he was unsure about his balancing machine. He then finished mounting the remaining three tires and decided to take them to a truck shop and have them properly balanced. The truck shop has the proper equipment, to balance RV trailer tires. When he brought them back, he said that the tire he tried to balance did need more weight than the other three. We got them on and even got the Dometic recall done, while there... Curtis, the tech that did the work, did a really fine job for us! He even torqued the lug nuts properly!

With the LT tires on and properly inflated, the ride home was 100% better than the trip there! When we picked the 311 up in December, I found that the other tech had only inflated the tires to 65psi. They were at the recommended sidewall pressure, when we took it back! Still, the difference between the ST and LT tires was night and day!

Here's the 311, up on jack stands...

Edit: I forgot to even mention what the new tires are... They are Maxxis Bravo Commercial LT LT235/85R16's.

kanyonkitty · 01-23-2010, 05:12 PM

AND, we got a new "scare" light to replace that nasty black looking one.

**JohnB** · 01-24-2010, 08:25 PM

Hi Gary

The balancing machine, the one that worked, did they use a hub on the spin balancer to go into the lug stud holes? The tire spins on the bolt circle on trailer tires verses a machined hub on autos.

The ST to LT difference, it was better. Can you describe better? Less flex left to right, ride quality, bounce in the truck etc.

The rim stamps. Yes some do some don’t. Here is the stamp off the T320SR. It lists max loads. The T2499 listed max PSI.

Putting a sticker on the inside of the rim where the tire is????? Your one lucky guy to even have the sticker stay on…. I suppose when the wheels are brand new and someone buy them off the shelf the sticker is OK. But it does not help one trying to sort this out once the tire is mounted.

Good luck with your new shoes.

John

PS Ok what is a "scare" light? The big 6" dome light on the top front of the camper?

**Sunline Fan** · 01-24-2010, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnB

PS Ok what is a "scare" light? The big 6" dome light on the top front of the camper?

Yup, that's the scare light. It's also known as a security light or flood light or light that drives me crazy when someone on the next site leaves it on all night long...

Jon

kanyonkitty · 01-25-2010, 04:13 AM

Yes, that is the scare light, up on the front R side of the rig, and it has had water in it, so it's dis-colored.

Jon, you don't have to worry about us leaving the light on all night and keeping you awake at Buttonwood, as we are on the site on the street side of JohnB so we can keep him awake all night

Just kidding.

Kitty

**JohnB** · 01-25-2010, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanyonkitty

Jon, you don't have to worry about us leaving the light on all night and keeping you awake at Buttonwood, as we are on the site on the street side of JohnB so we can keep him awake all night

Just kidding.

Kitty

Oh we don't worry about a little light. Got that covered. Cindy made double heavy lined curtains to keep the light out.

Here see:

Here is the street side. Close them up and nothing is getting thru.

In fact it gets so dark I have to put a night light on so I do not break my neck on the way to the potty in the middle of the night. I guess at Buttonwood this year I can just crack the bath window shade and let the Kitty scare light shine over Sunline Fans camper....

John

EMD_Driver · 01-25-2010, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnB

Putting a sticker on the inside of the rim where the tire is????? Your one lucky guy to even have the sticker stay on…. I suppose when the wheels are brand new and someone buy them off the shelf the sticker is OK. But it does not help one trying to sort this out once the tire is mounted.

Good luck with your new shoes.

John

Hi John,

It was a yellow sticker and in the valley of the rim, between the bead seats. Before I found it, the tech said that they are sometimes there. Had we not gotten new shoes on the 311, I never would have found out.

Also, the truck shop where he took the tires, had the proper equipment to balance trailer tires. Using the lug holes....

EMD_Driver · 01-25-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnB

The ST to LT difference, it was better. Can you describe better? Less flex left to right, ride quality, bounce in the truck etc.

This question deserved a response of it's own...

The difference between the ST tires at 80psi and the LT tires at 80psi was night and day! The Carlisles did not have near the stability, that the LT's did. The trailer did not bounce the way it did before (Not that it bounced a whole lot, to begin with.) The ride was much smoother and the chucking was a third what it was before. When we first towed the thing home and back to the dealer, I thought it was going to rattle one of my kidneys loose. After having the LT's put on, I did not have to have a death grip on the steering wheel.

The 5th wheel (To me) tows much better than a TT. With these new shoes, it's even better!

**JohnB** · 01-25-2010, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EMD_Driver

The difference between the ST tires at 80psi and the LT tires at 80psi was night and day! The Carlisles did not have near the stability, that the LT's did. The trailer did not bounce the way it did before (Not that it bounced a whole lot, to begin with.) The ride was much smoother and the chucking was a third what it was before. When we first towed the thing home and back to the dealer, I thought it was going to rattle one of my kidneys loose. After having the LT's put on, I did not have to have a death grip on the steering wheel.

The 5th wheel (To me) tows much better than a TT. With these new shoes, it's even better!

WOW!!! Ok keep us posted on how this holds up.

OK you said

Quote:

and the chucking was a third what it was before.

What is chucking? I can read into that a few different ways.

Glad this worked out.

On the tire balancing, yeh when I got mine last spring I told the guy do you have a hub? Oh yeh we do. Well no they did not. I said no hub, don't balace them. He said why? I said the hole in the center is rough punched it does not run true to anything. He looked at me stunned. His guy balanced them anyway and I saw 8 weights in one spot and all on the same side.... I said, I'm not paying for the balance with out the hub. He took them off. I have to find a truck place I guess.

8 weigths on one side??? My step dad use to have an auto garage and as a teen I worked in the garage at times. Back then all they had was a bubble balance. I remember him telling me, if you have to add more then 2 weights, put some on the inside and some on the outside. Don't put them all in one spot. And if it is really bad, take the tire off, rotate it and remount, it changes the balance point to being better some times.

Live and learn...

John

ihsolutions · 01-31-2010, 07:55 AM

John,

"Chucking" is the motion that is created when the fifth wheel pushes up/down on the bed of the truck. I'm not sure how to explain the circumstances that cause it, but it does happen, especially on some stretches of highway in michigan where there are evenly spaced areas in the concrete where they have cut out and replaced sections, but it's a little higher or lower than the surrounding surface.

If you're going the right speed it seems to create a harmonic motion that is quite unpleasant, and short of installing an air ride pin box or other measure there isn't much you can do about it.

**JohnB** · 01-31-2010, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihsolutions

John,

"Chucking" is the motion that is created when the fifth wheel pushes up/down on the bed of the truck. I'm not sure how to explain the circumstances that cause it, but it does happen, especially on some stretches of highway in michigan where there are evenly spaced areas in the concrete where they have cut out and replaced sections, but it's a little higher or lower than the surrounding surface.

If you're going the right speed it seems to create a harmonic motion that is quite unpleasant, and short of installing an air ride pin box or other measure there isn't much you can do about it.

Thanks Jeff

H’mm, sort of like “purposing” of a TV with a TT when the WD is not set up right. I wonder if air bags or Timbrens would help dampen some of this with the unique things a 5er does to the truck. Basically sort of like the TV suspension is into and up/down harmonic until it settles out. The 5er world is all new to me and will still be for some time (I hope….) so I’ll just keep picking up little tid bits of info along the way when the day finally comes if it comes.

John