Posting this for newer members who may be searching for good tire information.
The two preferred brands for our Redwoods are Sailun S637 (G- or H-rated), Goodyear G614 (16” G-rated), or Goodyear G114 (17.5” H-rated).
If you have Westlakes, they usually provide adequate service for about 2 years from the manufacturing date, not the date you bought the trailer. They have a history of blowing out or throwing tread with no warning, regardless of mileage, pressure, care or use. It took between two and three years in service before Westlakes began having a lot of problems.
If you have Goodrides, they replaced the Westlakes on new Redwoods in 2019, so you are the guinea pigs. They have not been in use long enough to know if they will hold up but so far not looking promising. There is at least one that blew on a 2019 with less than 3,000 miles.
Of course, use a TPMS. But it will not help you on a Westlake (and probably Goodride) failure. It happens instantly with no warning.
Here is the difference between Sailun and Goodyear:
You will be hard-pressed to find any documented failure of a Sailun caused by the tire. They simply don’t exist, and the tire has been in use millions and millions of miles on thousands of heavy 5th wheels. Even those who experience a failure due to road hazard have found the casing usually stays in place, minimizing any damage.
Goodyear, on the other hand, has many documented blowouts of both the G614 and G114. But so far, Goodyear has been good about reimbursing owners for damage to the trailer sidewall.
All the above are facts.
My opinion is don't take your chances. Even on a brand new rig, one of the first things you should do is replace your tires with a proven brand and avoid the downtime, disappointment, and damage that a blowout will cause.
2015 Redwood 38RL
2016 Ford F-350 CC KR DRW 6.7 Powerstroke
Great information, I would agree with Paul's assessment.
I have had both brands mentioned, the 16" Saliun S637, the 16" Goodyear G614 and currently running the 17.5" Goodyear G6114, I have put many miles on both brands over the years and have never had any problems.
One thing I would like to add is the 5 year rule for any trailer tire, in most cases trailer tires will age out before they wear out. It is highly recommended that trailer tires be replaced every 5 years regardless of appearance or tread depth.
I will be coming up on the 5 year age mark next year and most likely will replace our current Goodyear G614 tires with the Sailun S637 tires.
Rob, I had the same thinking as you, to replace my GY G114 at 5 years, but we didn't make it. On the way to the 2019 Rally we had one Blow and take out the Fender Skirt. So while at the Rally we ordered the Sailuns from Trailer, Set, Go and they delivered right to the Campground. The GYs were 4 1/2 years old and had approx 40k miles, the Sailuns now have just over 10K and doing good. And price wise we could get a Sailun mounted, balanced, and on a new rim for less than the cost of a bear GY G114, so it was a no brainer for us.
Michelle & Ann
2018 Chevy 3500HD Crew Cab High Country DRW, D/A, 2016 RW39MB, Dual ACs, Auto Level, Auto Sat Dish, Stack W/D, King Sleep #, 17.5" Sailuns w/Disc, MORryde IS & Pin, Comfort Ride Hitch, 5.5 Onan, Res Fridge & Induction Cook Top
We always try and go by the 5 year rule as well... back in 2012 we had 4-3/4 years on our G614's with our SOB fiver and had 3 blow outs on 1 trip south. I upgraded to the Goodyear G114's after I got home....
When I got my 2020, I replaced the Goodrides with Goodyear 114's before I towed.. when I need to replace these I will be looking hard at the Sailuns as I cannot find any documented failures...
Last year I almost purchased Sailuns but the tire dealer I was at suggested Hercules J rated trailer tires which you can retread if you want, at the same price as sailings. I took a chance with Hercules and it has been great, even with the 125psi.....
@dpd1 Good to know. I'm pretty sure any J-rated tire won't have issues, but please keep us posted!
2015 Redwood 38RL
2016 Ford F-350 CC KR DRW 6.7 Powerstroke
So what was the name of the Hercules tire as I will be replacing tire in the next 2 months.
Bruce Simms
bruce@thesimms.us
Shiloh Illinois
Are you a good gambler?? If so get the Hercules and if not just go buy the Sailuns that have stellar track record.
Michelle & Ann
2018 Chevy 3500HD Crew Cab High Country DRW, D/A, 2016 RW39MB, Dual ACs, Auto Level, Auto Sat Dish, Stack W/D, King Sleep #, 17.5" Sailuns w/Disc, MORryde IS & Pin, Comfort Ride Hitch, 5.5 Onan, Res Fridge & Induction Cook Top
Michelle is right, although probably not gambling much with a J-rated tire. Not many Redwood owners have found a need to use J- rated tires when the Sailuns have a great price point with an excellent proven track record.
2015 Redwood 38RL
2016 Ford F-350 CC KR DRW 6.7 Powerstroke
My Goodyear 17.5 G114 tires are now over 5 years old and have about 40,000 miles on them so before our spring and summer travels we decided to go ahead and get new tires (sure do not want a tire failure on the road)
This time we decided to move to the Sailun 17.5 S637 tires. I went ahead and installed new brake pads (they were worn down between 2/3 and 3/4 of pad thickness), packed the bearings and replaced the seals.
I was able to purchase the new Sailun's through a wholesaler connection at a excellent price (much better than any price I could find locally or online).
Upon removing the wheels, I found two of the 8K Polymer dust caps broken and rolling around inside the aluminum rims center cap. The third cap is cracked but not broken yep and the fourth cap that was replaced last year due to being broken (it is still in very good shape) I have ordered 3 new Polymer Dust caps and I am going to leave the aluminum rim center caps off (my thought is less heat and the ability to monitor the condition of the Polymer caps as I have no idea how long they have been broken and rolling around inside the aluminum rims center cap)
Its been busy weekend doing other minor repairs besides the tires and brakes on our Redwood, I repaired a couple of loose interior trim pieces, replaced a Schwintek slide motor, walked the roof doing an inspection. Had to do some plumbing repairs last week, kitchen sink rim and sink drain basket seal was leaking and bathroom lavatory P Trap was leaking. Our first travel in 2021 will be to New Orleans with friends in a couple of weeks.
I was expecting to get 5 years out of my G114, but only made it 4 1/2 years before one exploded on the way to the 2019 Rally.
Put Sailuns on while at that Rally. Currently 10K on the Sailuns and they still look new.
Michelle & Ann
2018 Chevy 3500HD Crew Cab High Country DRW, D/A, 2016 RW39MB, Dual ACs, Auto Level, Auto Sat Dish, Stack W/D, King Sleep #, 17.5" Sailuns w/Disc, MORryde IS & Pin, Comfort Ride Hitch, 5.5 Onan, Res Fridge & Induction Cook Top
It was good seeing you at Tom Sawyer RV on the Mississippi River.
We head to New Orleans in a couple of weeks with our Redwood riding on our new Sailun Tires.
Received our new polymer center cabs yesterday for our hubs to replace the broken ones, hope we are good for a while.
Robert & Sheryl
Rob, sounds like you're keeping up with general maintenance. I think you will really appreciate the Sailun's. Seriously, I have so much confidence in the tire that I've considered turning off my TPMS. I won't, because I like the additional safety factor, but since I put the first set of Sailun's on in 2017 I don't even think about tire failure any more.
