www.iFourWinns.com

Ok, I was towing my vista home on Monday from a mediocre Holiday weekend and we were about 10 minutes from my inlaws house. Cruising down the road at 60 mph when all of a sudden BOOM!!! Right rear tire blew out. The boat starting fish tailing violently, and the tire locked up because the tread had wedged under the fender preventing the wheel from spinning. White smoke was everywhere.

Fortunately I was able to pull off the road safely and I carry a spare tire so it could have been worse. I took the tire to the tire dealer yesterday and he said I didn't hit anything but it just merely blew out. Essentially the tread seperated from the tire.

We looked at the date on the tire and it was the original tires that came with the boat back in 2001. In speaking with him, he said that trailer tires typically only last about 4-5 years and then they do exactly what mine did, tread seperation. This is because they don't get used as much as they should and begin to breakdown and dry rot. I never even began to think about tire condition other than checking tread and tire pressure, which were both in good shape.

So in the name of safety and preventing something much much worse, I ordered 4 new tires and they are getting put on today. So if anyone hasn't replaced their tires or bought a used boat and don't know the age of their tires, you should talk to a tire dealer and for $350, get new tires. A dealer will be able to look at your tires and tell you the date they were manufactured.

Long story short, better to be safe than sorry.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

Glad to hear everyone is safe and that the boat didn't take any damage. Probably a good thing with two sets of tires. I only have a single so a blow out would drop the trailer. Don't even want to think about that.

But again, glad to hear everything is okay...well except the inside of the boat

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2007 200 Horizon- 4.3GXi/SX 225hp
2007 Tahoe LT

Glad to hear it worked out okay!

I'm not sure the tread seperation is something you can visually detect in all cases, is it? It's probably a good idea to replace your tires at regular intervals, as you suggest, regardless of visual inspection.

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SOLD! 2006 30th Anniversary Vista 278
"Conch'd Out!"

http://vista278.com

Just got back from the tire dealer. After further inspection of all the tires, the 3 remaining tires were all beginning to seperate. If you look close enough, you could see cracking on the edges of the tire. They said I was very very close to having another blow out. I am SOOOO glad I decided to replace all the tires after further inspection.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

Carlisles no doubt.

Still, your dealer's right - if you got 5 years out of them, that's all you can expect (and no, you can't tell anything from looking at them). But something other than Carlisles would probably have given you a little more "headroom" on the replacements. The first thing I did after taking delivery on our boat was to swap the tires out for real ones.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

What tires did you end up using. I've been searching for tires and i hear a lot of pros and cons on all of them.
thanks
Matt

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2005 Horizon 200 LE - Volvo Penta 5.0GXi 270

Goodyear Marathons. You'll find horror stories on any of them if you look for them, but it's my opinion that there are more trailer boaters having better luck with Marathons than any other tire.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I went with the Carlisle tires again. They SUPPOSEDLY have made some changes to them. They were about $85 per tire and the good years were something like $140 per tire.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

Cheap OEM tires just another way to save money on an already crappy trailer. Then brainwash everyone into thinking they got the best trailer on the road. Glad your boat stayed upright, many dont.

Same cheap, crappy OEM tires used on the majority of boat trailers.

TX, I gotta ask, why did you buy a Four Winns? You sure don't seem to think much of them.

Woggy, $140 seems high. I think I paid $105 apiece at a GY independent franchise. They gave me credit for one tire in exchange for the new Carlisles I was taking off, so I only paid for 4 tires.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I like the boat, the trailer is crap. Fact is Four Winns is a boat company not a trailer company. I've owned a few boat and Four Winns is a nice one. I dont believe in sugar coating the facts just because I own something. If I think its crappy I will tell you. If I would have researched the trailer like I did the boat I would have deleted it, and got one from a trailer manufacturer.

I have used the LoadStar bias plys made by Kenda. For trailer tires they have a good rep.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Over the long weekend I bought two new trailer tires for my old boat's trailer. A slow leak over winter storage spelled demise for one of the two tires. The tires on the Escort trailer were original, from 1988. Almost made it 20 years. The only kind of tires I could find locally that fit were Carlisles. What the heck, I'm selling the boat and the price wasn't too bad. Bet the Carlisles don't come close to lasting 20 years.

Lucky my flat didn't happen while cruising down the highway. Not over the long weekend, but the weekend before, I saw half a dozen boat trailers pulled off on the side with flat tires. I'm thinking they just don't make trailer tires the way they used to.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

OK. I agree about calling a spade a spade. I guess I've just had a different experience with my trailer. The only things I would have changed would have been to make the bunks about an inch longer, and to use better tires.

I've seen more than a few "custom" trailers that also came with Carlisles on them. They must be in bed with every trailer company on the planet.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

This thread makes me wonder why we even buy trailer type tires instead of a radial auto tire...now ive read the differance in construction etc but seems that the longevity you get form a radial auto would be a good trade.....

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Guns kill people like spoons make people fat.
2007 Horizon 190 Gxi
97 Pathfinder SE 4x4
73 International Scout II