Sunday, March 20, 2016

Do NOT Put Hi-Run Tires on Your Trailer!!!

Just when I thought the trailer drama was over...  Remember our blowout on the Georgia to New Jersey haul? 

 
 Brand new load range e tire.  Awesome.

Remember how I said ALL of my trailer tires are new??  I just bought five last summer.  They are all Hi-Run tires which are a standard trailer tire.  They were what my regular tire place ordered for trailer tires so I didn't think much about it.  I got them in load range e too, which are 10 ply tires.  I also know that most tires are made in China now, despite some of the companies being American owned, just like millions of other things.  Do I want Chinese stuff?  No. But when the majority of them are made there and it is something mass produced from a mold, how hard can it be, right?  These are not a super cheap tire either.  I wouldn't knowingly put some crap like that on my horse trailer of all things.  My Scion?  Probably.  My truck and horse trailer, absolutely not.

The Other Half checked the birthday on these tires too when they showed up to make sure they hadn't been sitting for years in a warehouse somewhere.  So, obviously I was slightly pissed off when I had a blowout on the way to New Jersey from Georgia.  I thought I just had that unlucky number to have a brand new tire come apart. 

Yesterday Klein and I went xc schooling.  I came home and as soon as I got out of my truck to unload Klein I heard hissing.  I yelled at The Other Half to come and listen and unloaded Klein.  Sure enough...a belt was separating in the left rear axle tire.  Are you f'ing serious?  I JUST BOUGHT THESE TIRES.  Now, I'm pissed.  This is completely unacceptable.  It's pretty hard to be too upset though knowing that I was THAT close to a belt separating and had just been on the highway.  Part of the trip yesterday was going over the Delaware Memorial Bridge too.  It's a big bridge with no break down lane.  Yeah, that would have been probably the most un-fun thing in my life if something were to happen going up or down that bridge.

The Delaware Memorial Bridge that we had to cross to and from our schooling yesterday.  How not fun would it be to have an issue on this??  The traffic is always the same as the picture too.  Sometimes they are working on it and have a lane shut down, which makes it even more fun.

I'm calling my tire place in Georgia tomorrow.  This is complete bs.  However, I don't want them to warranty replace these pieces of shit.  Now I get the fun chore of replacing all six (four on the trailer and two spares) tires, five of which I JUST BOUGHT.  Fml.  We are xc schooling next weekend too, so I need them on my trailer like, tomorrow.  These two going down just took out my two spares and there's no way I'm going somewhere without at least one.  I have been driving around with one spare since the blowout on the trip up here, because I've been a slacker on putting a new tire on my second spare rim only because I haven't had to haul far to anything here, now I'm glad I was.  I would have been in the same mindset of "oh it was just terrible luck" that the one came apart and replaced it with another Hi-Run to keep all my tires the same.  

I double checked and Carlisles ARE still produced in the U.S.  I ordered two today and they will be here this week.  Both spares will be back in business and we'll be rolling out to another great xc school this weekend.  F you Hi-Run.  Never again. And to all my horse friends, DO NOT EVER BUY HI-RUN TIRES!  Not even for a pedal bike (if they make them that small, still, don't do it).

11 comments:

  1. That sucks! I don't even know the brand of tires on my horse trailer, now I have to go look since I leave on my 10 hour trip on FRIDAY

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  2. That sucks. Thank goodness you were home when you discovered the issue. I wonder if maybe they sold you re-treads without telling you...? The insurance company I work for used to write policies for companies using re-treads, but when the tires started unraveling a few years ago, we stopped insuring them, but some of those tires are still out there.

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  3. I'm 99% sure they were not. I called the place I bought them from today and they checked again. Retreads have a specific code stamped on them too, or they are SUPPOSED to!

    I actually had a couple people message me with their own horror stories about Hi-Runs, so I guess this is not an unheard of issue, unfortunately. The place asked me today if I wanted them replaced under warranty, um, maybe so I could shoot them for fun or something, but damn sure not to put on my trailer!

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    Replies
    1. Trailer tires will get you every time. Trick is 10 ply tire, not estimated 10, (10 ply) stamped on the sidewall. You'll have some trouble finding, but thats what you want on your livestock trailer..Overkill??...NOT ON YOUR LIFE. And on a hot day, 60+mph, they wont
      goose egg or de-laminate.

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    2. Almost forgot.. Your horses are like family,
      have those 10 plies filled with nitrogen in
      summer months.

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  4. Driving over the Delaware Memorial Bridge always makes me nervous and I drive a compact car! That is a scary situation with the tires of your trailer. I am glad that you discovered it before something bad happened to you while driving. I hope that you got it all straightened out with the company!

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  5. I had a blow out on one of my trailer tire on a Sunday. The shop that I found open in Ashfork AZ carried the Hi-Run and they charged me $228.00 for one tire. The only reason I purchased the tire is because when I removed the one that was blown I saw a screw in the 2nd of 2 tires on that side.
    Now I'm storing at Discount Tire having one of my truck tires repaired since I ended up with a screw in it as well. I got a quote from them to replace the others on my trailer but they don't carry them. Now I know why.
    I went on line to see about getting more of the Hi-Run tires and found that I can order the same from pep-boys for about $79.00.
    Two things here. 1st, thank you for your post and 2nd, I'm looking for Carlisle Tires all the way around form my RV

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