[Festus2]

Maxxis trailer tires have been highly recommended on this and other forums and one of the best tires out there. I just recently ordered a set of these and in speaking with the Service Manager at Discount Tire in WA, I found out some rather interesting things about this tire as well as trailer tires in general. According to him -----

Maxxis tires is not an American company and their tires are manufactured in a number of countries including Canada, Japan, Thailand, China and other off shore places. If they are made in China or some other Asian country, would it not be fair to include them in the infamous "China Bombs" category along with the other non-Maxxis China Bombs?

RV units when they come off the assembly line, are equipped with trailer tires that have been purchased in bulk and may be 2, 3 or 4 years old having been sitting in the warehouse for that long. Your unit may have been equipped with tires that were already "old". So when you have a blow out during the first or second year of the tire, that tire may be 4 or 5 years old and suffering from dry rot for a good portion of that time.

All tires, regardless of where they are made have to meet DOT regulations. He said that some "no name" off shore tires, although they meet these regulations, are borderline, while others may have exceeded the requirements and standards set by DOT.

All tires, regardless of wear, should be replaced after 7 years. They can be sitting on the shelf, unused, for 7 years and should be discarded. Anyone who buys tires should check the date of manufacture and the DOT code on the tire to see when and where it was made.

He stated that, just because it is made in China, doesn't necessarily mean that the tire is no good or is one of the dreaded "China Bombs". What was the real cause of your blowout? Old tires? Under inflation? Excessive speed and heat? Or was it those cheap China Bombs?

In my case, I am buying Maxxis based on my own previous positive experience with them as well as the feedback from members on this and other forums. These Maxxis tires I am getting could be made in China and on that basis should I not get them? And what about the trailer tires on your RV? Do you really know for certain where they are made?

Perhaps this "China Bomb" thing is more fiction than fact.