We bought two Cooper Discoverer A/T3, E rated, 10 ply tires for the rear of the F-350 truck. We're carrying a Host 9.5 Rainier camper.
We set off from Portland, Oregon and got as far as Globe, AZ before we had a problem. The left rear (Passenger) tire got a bulge in it and was replaced under warranty by Cooper.
Yesterday, the replacement got a bulge in it when we were in Oneida,SD. Again, it's the left rear tire. That's the side that has the fridge and slide on it. Customer Service at Cooper has been pretty darn good, responding to my phone calls and emails very quickly.
The roads have either been under construction or NEEDING to be under construction this whole trip. We've gone just over 6,500 miles. Texas Interstate going east of Dallas, TX was horrible. Construction around Chicago was more horrible because the detours were so rough. Taking Hwy 20 west of Rockford IL was a good choice but taking Hwy 50 north from I90 was a disaster (Alternating stretches of pavement and gravel) but very scenic. So these tires took a beating. Even though we drove slow when needed and didn't take any "big" hits, they took a beating.
I'm thinking that Cooper will replace the tire under warranty again.
I've got less than 3,000 miles to do on this trip and a replacement Cooper will probably get me home. But should I dump the Coopers and go with two new rear tires from someone else??? And which brand would be more reliable???
I've already thought about putting G rated tires on the back of the pickup but no one carries G rated tires for F-350 trucks. They are special order and take a long time to get.
BTW: We've been going as light as possible (not carrying extra fresh/gray/black water) since we left Yosemite... We've got extra strong leaf springs, good rear shocks and have reinforced the air bags on the back. Is there something else we should do???
That sounds crappy, I was thinking about the AT3 for my next set of tires for towing the fifth wheel ,but having a fair amount of pin weight I may rethink the coopers. Currently running the Goodrich TA's ,and have run a few sets without issue. Thought I would try a little less aggressive tread pattern, but do not want tire problems. May just stick with the goodrich tire. The price of the coopers are much less then the ones I am running. Another good tire is the Michelin AT2. An option for you would be going to a Rickson 19.5 wheel, and 19.5 tires a lot of people go to them when hauling a big camper on a pickup.
rhagfo wrote: I would not think a 9.5" camper would be too much load on the rear axle, but have you weighed the truck with the camper loaded?
The max load on a "E" rated tire is 3,417# or so, that would be 6,834 which is a lot of weight.
Right. The rear tires should carry around 6,500 lbs just fine.
Reading the label on the frame of the F-350
The front GAWR is 4250
The rear GAWR is 6210
The GYWR is 9900 lbs
The Host Camper is just under 3,000 (I suppose that's dry weight)
Fresh Water holds 60 gals (We never carry more than 1/2 that with us.)
Gray holds about 45 gals (We dump before we roll the wheels.)
Black holds 35 gals (We dump that when we roll the wheels.)
Figure 8 lbs/gal... 100 gals = 800 lbs of water
4 passengers = 1,000 lbs (there just the 2 of us tho)
This truck has the smaller engine. The 5.4
and holds about 40 gals of gas... so figure 400 lbs of fuel
I can't possibly be overload but we're going to the scales soon just for my own peace of mind.
Am I missing something in my calculations?? I should be fine with an E rated tire.
rhagfo wrote: I would not think a 9.5" camper would be too much load on the rear axle, but have you weighed the truck with the camper loaded?
The max load on a "E" rated tire is 3,417# or so, that would be 6,834 which is a lot of weight.
Max load on my E rated tires is 3640 total 7280 assuming the op's are the same, here is pretty close to what they have , the truck around 3300 on the rear wheels , mine ( Ford Superduty 350 CC SB ) is just over 3300 with a fifth wheel hitch, and a full tank. From what I can find their camper is around 3400 dry weight. That puts around 6700 on the rear axle of their truck without even a gallon of milk in the fridge. Leaves around 500-600 lbs of cargo, propane ,water ,clothes etc. Not much to get to the max weight of those tires assuming they are rated for 3640 same as mine, some E rated are rated lower, some a bit higher . Pretty iffy on an E rated tire regardless of brand, and IMO Michelin is not a secret formula, granted they might be the better tire, but according to consumer guide for whatever it is worth the Cooper AT3 was rated #1 the Michelin AT2 was rated #2. Still IMO they would be better served going 19.5 with the miles they are traveling.
rhagfo wrote: I would not think a 9.5" camper would be too much load on the rear axle, but have you weighed the truck with the camper loaded?
The max load on a "E" rated tire is 3,417# or so, that would be 6,834 which is a lot of weight.
Right. The rear tires should carry around 6,500 lbs just fine.
Reading the label on the frame of the F-350
The front GAWR is 4250
The rear GAWR is 6210
The GYWR is 9900 lbs
The Host Camper is just under 3,000 (I suppose that's dry weight)
Fresh Water holds 60 gals (We never carry more than 1/2 that with us.)
Gray holds about 45 gals (We dump before we roll the wheels.)
Black holds 35 gals (We dump that when we roll the wheels.)
Figure 8 lbs/gal... 100 gals = 800 lbs of water
4 passengers = 1,000 lbs (there just the 2 of us tho)
This truck has the smaller engine. The 5.4
and holds about 40 gals of gas... so figure 400 lbs of fuel
I can't possibly be overload but we're going to the scales soon just for my own peace of mind.
Am I missing something in my calculations?? I should be fine with an E rated tire.
What is the rear weight of your truck empty, it is simple math, weight of truck ,weight of camper loaded ,weight rating of tires . if it less you should be okay , if it is near max running down these freeways in this heat this summer you could get some tire separation .
I assume you are running max tire pressure, which is probably 80 psi. most E rated tires are.
My truck is 3300 on the rear axle ,pin weight of fifth wheel 2420 last weigh in. Total 5720 lbs sitting on my rear tires. That leaves me 1560 under my max rating of the tires. No worry there. I don't get to concerned with axle rating, I am much more concerned with TIRE RATING .
You are right by getting it weighed, but I would guess if you are having that kind of tire problems , with those tires, which are supposed to be a quality tire you are heavier then you think, most people are. Things add up in a hurry , a frying pan here ,a couple tools there.
* This post was
edited 07/07/12 06:40pm by up2nogood *
If you NEED G rated tires then you're already WAY overloading your truck. Your call about brands (I've always had very good luck with Cooper but didn't like that they have no nationwide warranty). Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
And I think that you will find that you will need to do what I did: Go to Rickson 19.5" wheels with "G" tires.
Frank
2011 Palomino Maverick 1000SLLB on a 2004 Dodge Quadcab CTD Ram3500 SRW long bed equipped with Timbren springs, Stable Load bump stops, Rickson 19.5" wheels/"G" range tires and a Helwig "Big Wig" rear anti sway bar.
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