Valve Stems

I just finished putting some Amorall on my tires and I thought I would mention here that I always wipe a little on the valve stems too. Maybe this helps them from becoming cracked.

I put metal stems on mine.

You should have metal stems on yours to Pickle. If their not metal you've got the wrong one's on there.
You should be running 65lbs of air cold, which goes up to 70lbs at road temp, rubber stems are gonna blow. That maybe what happened to your new chinese tire they put on there. It may have lost air going down the road. when that happens the tire really heats up bad , and Blows like a balloon, BAM>>>>

I've been from Ohio to Ga, from Ga to orlando FL, and a few side trips, no flats yet on china tires.

I bought my camper used, and the previous owner went from coast to coast when he first bought it, had one flat but that was because a big screw stuck in the side wall and he replaced it with the spare and I inturn bought a new "tow King" to replace it.

Yea, I think american made is a thing of the past for tires. Which is sad --but to true.
Now another note about Armoral. A lot of people say do not use it on your tires that it will make them crack. I've never seen a tire crack from armorall myself, but a lot of people will argue with you on that.
I use 303 on my seals and tires and anything rubber/vinyl.

Yes Admin regular Armoral can dryrot and crack tires. One of the things
used in Armoral is petrolium. And gas can eat rubber. Their is much better stuff on the
market that doesn't use gas in their product.
In fact Armoral makes stuff just for tires that doesn't have gas in it.
Read the bottle and see whats in it.
I sell tires- and there are tires made in the US.
In fact Yokahama and Toyo make alot of there tires right here in the US. I know they are both foreign companys but they make
alot of tires here. But as far as trailer tires go I've yet to see one
made in the US. I sell alot of trailer king -good tires.

So thats whats wrong with the Yokahama's. their made here in the US.

Do you get many complaints out of the Yokahama's ? .

pacat1 wrote:Yes Admin regular Armoral can dryrot and crack tires. One of the things
used in Armoral is petrolium. And gas can eat rubber. Their is much better stuff on the
market that doesn't use gas in their product.
In fact Armoral makes stuff just for tires that doesn't have gas in it.
Read the bottle and see whats in it.
I sell tires- and there are tires made in the US.
In fact Yokahama and Toyo make alot of there tires right here in the US. I know they are both foreign companys but they make
alot of tires here. But as far as trailer tires go I've yet to see one
made in the US. I sell alot of trailer king -good tires.

The Armorall website does not corroborate your statement; here, quoted from their website:
"Can I use Armor All® Protectant Products on my tires; including whitewall, motorcycle and bicycle?
Armor All® Protectant Products are ideal for protecting, shining and cleaning your car tires. Just spray onto surface, let penetrate and wipe off for a great shine and long-lasting protection. However, these products should not be used on cycle tires due to slipperiness.
What are the ingredients? Do they contain silicone, alcohol or petroleum distillates?
Armor All® Wheel Cleaner contains surfactants and sodium metasilicate. Armor All® Tire Foam® Protectant contains silicones and a propellant. Armor All® Extreme Tire Shine products contain silicone, petroleum solvent and a fragrance. Armor All® Detailers Advantage® Protectant contains silicones.

It appears that the only "petroleum" product in it is the propellant which is most likely propane or butane gas and dissipates before hitting the tire.

Pickle, reading this awhile back is what made me switch to 303. It made more sense after reading this from their website.

Reading the article below made me see why using armorall on sports car tires / truck tires would probably be Ok since your gonna wear them out a lot faster than an RV / boat trailer tire which if taken care of can last way past the 5yr mark. I'm sold on the 303 myself.



Heres a link to their website.

http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=378

WHY ARE TIRES BLACK?
The sidewalls of tires which are parked for extended periods dry, check and split. Annually, tire "dry-rot" is a multimillion dollar problem for RVers, trailer boaters and owners of classic cars. This engineering memorandum is a scientific examination of the whys of the process and explains in detail how 303 Protectant is an answer to the tire dry-rot problem.
Tire manufacturers blend into the tire polymer certain chemical ingredients which inhibit damage from ozone and ultraviolet light, the main environmental degradents of tires and all other types of synthetic and natural rubbers. Ozone is an odorless gas, but is commonly thought of as the "electric train smell". Though more severe in cities and manufacturing centers, ozone is part of the are we breathe everywhere on earth,. Hastened by the hazardous effects of UV light, ozone eventually causes rubber to dry and become brittle no matter the locale.

ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT: The need to protect rubber against UV damage is why tires are black. For this purpose a common type of UV stabilizer called a "competitive absorber" is used. Competitive absorbers work by capturing & absorbing harmful UV light wave energy (instead of the adjacent molecule of tire polymer. . .that's why it's called "competitive"). Competitive absorbers have the added ability to convert harmful UV light wave energy into heat so it can dissipate harmlessly. ALL tire manufacturers use the same competitive absorber, carbon black. . .an extremely inexpensive compound. All other UV stabilizers are prohibitively expensive. This is why tires are black and why tires are not available in designer colors. All UV stabilizers are sacrificial, meaning they are gradually used up to where they can no longer protect against UV damage. As carbon black loses the ability to do its job, it turns gray. This is why rubber grays as it ages.

OZONE: Tire manufacturers use waxes to protect against ozone. When tires are in use (regularly running up and down the road for example) they flex. Flexing causes the protective waxes to migrate to the surface where they form a physical barrier between the air (ozone and oxygen) and the tire polymer. This process ... the waxes migrating to the surface of the tire during flexing...is called "blooming". When tires are not regularly used (a parked RV, boat trailer or classic car, etc.), blooming does not occur. Ozone begins eating away the protective wax and before long reaches the tire polymer. Often by this time, the surface carbon black has lost its ability to protect against UV. With UV light and ozone working in concert, degradation starts. The tire dries, checks and will eventually crack.

OTHER DEGRADANTS: Petrochemicals and silicone oils can remove the protective waxes and increase the rate of degradation. Common automotive "protectants" and "tire dressings" are typically devoid of UV stabilizers of any type and contain petrochemicals and/or silicone oils which dissolve away the protective waxes and can actually aggress the sidewall. In the event of warranty sidewall failure, one of the first things tire manufacturers look for is evidence of the use of these types of products. When found, this is often cause for not warranting the sidewall failure.
303 FOR TIRES: 303 contains no petrochemicals or silicone oils and does not remove the protective waxes. 303 is actually absorbed into tires, delivering its unique set of powerful UV stabilizers into the tire polymer, supplementing and surpassing the UV protective action of the carbon black, and leaving a long-lasting, flexible protective finish that is water repellent, detergent resistant and will not attract dust. Ozone must eat through the 303 before it can get to the wax. 303 is an extremely effective anti-oxidant and anti-ozonant. 303 is the longest lasting, most powerful protective and beautifying treatment for tires and all other synthetic and natural rubber.

TIPS FOR TIRES: Tires treated with 303 Aerospace Protectant have the rich, waxy, almost vinyl-like, dark black look of new rubber. 303 tires look and feel like brand new, not greasy-new. FOR MAXIMUM TIRE BEAUTY: Spray 303 Aerospace Protectant directly on a clean & dry tire until the sidewall is thoroughly wet with 303. Without touching the rubber, easily wipe away any 303 overspray from the rim. Do each tire the same way. After 10 - 20 minutes, wipe around each tire once or twice with a dry rag to pick up any unabsorbed 303. Your tires will have the look and feel of fresh new rubber. FIRST TIME USE: On sidewalls that are excessively dried out, two treatments may be necessary the first time. To note: A) The regular use of 303 can entirely prevent the UV and ozone damage associated with parked tires. Reapply 303 every 20-30 days. B) 303 is 100% safe for all types of wheels, all alloys. Wheels regularly treated with 303 repel water, road grime and brake dust and clean up far easier than untreated wheels.