Stock 2021 400 Boondock Tires Cracking

manyman297

I'll chalk some of this up to owner neglect as I should've had the tires covered but what are your opinions on this cracking that's happening on the sidewalls? It's about the same or less on the insides of the tires. I'd say the cracks are <1/32" wide at most.

I'll likely swap the tires out before a planned longer trip later this summer but just wanted to gather some opinions on how bad the cracking is at this point.

kottum

If they're cracked on the inside (not in the direct sunlight), then covering has nothing to do with it.  You might ask a dealer about warranty coverage.

I don't like wasting money.  If they were my tires, I would go ahead with the trip and keep an eye on them.  Two year old tires should still be structurally sound.

manyman297

@kottum Good point about the insides cracking. Didn't think about that. 

manyman297

Quick update on this. I submitted a claim to Tredit (the parent company that produces the Rainier Apex tire) and they quickly responded and are reimbursing me the full retail value of each tire ($137). Pretty painless so far. It's a two-year warranty so I barely made the cutoff date by 2 days.

bergger

Great news.  What tires are you going to replace them with?  We have the same tires on our 2021 400 and no cracking.  I do cover them for the 7 months it is in storage.  Get yourself some inexpensive tire covers for the new ones.  

manyman297

@bergger Not sure. I may go with Goodyear Endurance depending on the cost. I know Carlisle makes a decent tire and Hankook has a new trailer tire out as well. 

I do like the looks of the stock tire and my guess is you get a bit of lateral (side to side) support with the tread but we don’t tend to take the trailer on roads that put the trailer up on an angle where it could slide back down. 

The other advantage of getting a new tire is now I can get a slightly narrower 225 (vs. the stock 235) tire that clears the fender. And without the knobs on the sides that get in the way as well. 

Lastly, my guess is the stock tire isn’t helping much with MPGs. A smoother tire should offer less resistance.

And yes…definitely getting tire covers. Of all of the cheap insurance I could’be had, tire covers were a no brainer. But as @kottum stated, since the inside-facing sidewalls we’re cracking too, it probably was a combo of issues at play. But still, tire covers make total sense.

Mickerly

Do keep tires in the shade when stored. In your case, that is a failure in the casing. Sun doesn't reach that part. I'm surprised that 2 year old tires still had all the strings. We are due for tires this fall. We are looking at two tires. Carlisle Radial HD, great tire unfortunately manufactured in china. The other choice and Hercules Strong Guard. Hercules and Cooper are both in Indiana and owned by an American company. Much of their manufacturing is in the U.S. but the light trailer tires are manufactured in Thailand. We're currently rolling on Hercules Power STs. They work great. A farm and ranch tire, at home in the dirt and the road. They work really well in the rain. Strong Guard is the new model of their light trailer tires.

manyman297

lI thought I'd post an update. After hours of research I ended up just going  with the Hankook Vantra Trailer Tire. Specs are pretty much identical to the GY Endurance for this size. $118/each on Amazon vs. $170ish for Goodyear Endurance. Came in maybe three days. Date codes on tires show they're about 6 months old so not terrible. 

I haven't pulled it yet but the BIGGEST benefit so far is being able to more easily get the tire on and off and clear the fenders. It's not perfect but it's much better than the stock 235 width. It's also slightly shorter (3/4") but you can't tell. From behind they're a little pizza-cutter looking but that's fine. 

Here I was fretting about the styling and didn't want to lose the off-road look but honestly I don't think I really care now that these are on. They're boring trailer tires but when I do maintenance or get a flat it'll be a lot easier taking the wheel off.

As I mentioned before, Tredit (the manufacturer of the Rainier Apex ST) really stepped up and offered $274 back with no questions asked. Great experience. 

We don't travel nearly as much as many of you do so I felt the Hankooks were a good balance of budget/use. There wasn't a ton out there on these tires as they're relatively new but the reviews I did find were positive. I'll report anything good/bad here as we use them. 

Aubrey

We got the GY Endurance 205/75 and I did not need to pull the fender.