Marathon Goodyear tires ST 235 80 r16 defective?

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Ronsimmons

Because I heard it blow.

Road hazards (curb strikes and trash) can break a belt strand. This can take many miles (maybe hundreds) to work its way to the surface and cause the blow out. UV checking and cracking can also cause blowouts when the cracks work their way through to the core. My "new" OEM tires (14 months old at new unit delivery) were seriously cracked between the treads when I replaced them all from a blowout at 13 months of use.

Coming home from a trip to D.C, the tire blew on the beltway. Consensus from the Goodyear dealer who installed my Marathons was the blowout was a result of a curb strike leaving the house pulling onto a local and busy road a week and 175 miles previously.

OBTW, not sure about today, but in 2010 Goodyear Marathon ST tires were made in the Gadsden, Alabama plant (DoT code "MD").

[dburek78]

Originally Posted by Ronsimmons

I think most campers, 10,000 lbs or more come with under sized or low quality tires. Marathon Goodyear is good example. I am changing all of mine to a 10 ply Michelin truck tire. Really shame on Forest River for installing cheap tires.

A "10 ply" Michelin won't have the load carrying capacity of an ST trailer tire. Also, they aren't made handle the heat and movement that an ST trailer can. Yes, they are all made in China, but if they are taken care of properly they will last.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by dburek78

A "10 ply" Michelin won't have the load carrying capacity of an ST trailer tire. Also, they aren't made handle the heat and movement that an ST trailer can. Yes, they are all made in China, but if they are taken care of properly they will last.

X2...soon I'll be shopping new tires, read the tons of editorial info on LT vs ST tires and once you watched your camper tires flexing as you back into site or turn very sharply, you'll see why an ST tire would be the route to go, IMO...LT's just not designed for that type of flexing & twisting.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Would be nice if we could remember to log any pot holes, etc we hit and see how long it takes for a problem to present itself. Have thought about it several times, but never do it.

In my tire seminars I sometimes tell the story of a couple of tire failures my then fiancee had when we were dating.

+++
One day before we were married I get a call that she has a flat but can't get the lug nut off. She was about 8 miles South of Akron at the CAK airport on her way to visit her mother. Being the hero I am, I load up some tools and rush out to rescue my damsel in distress. When I get to her car, I notice the tel-tail signs of impact damage to the right rear tire. While I changed the tire I asked her what she had hit. She said "nothing". I pointed to the damage and said yes, see right there. She incisted she had hit nothing. I may be a guy but I'm not completely dumb and know better than to argue with my fiancee.

About three weeks later I get another call. She has another flat. On the same right rear position and again is at the Airport exit. I know the lugs are not too tight but she said she is all dressed up for a bridal shower and didn't want to get all dirty.
So off I go. I again notice impact damage and again ask what she hit. She again said nothing. So of course I let it drop.

The next week I am visiting her apartment and we are going out in her car. She is driving. As we leave the parking lot there is a heavy bump and the car jolts as she dropped the right rear tire into a deep mud puddle where the parking lot joins the street. I ask is she has ever hit that hole before. She hesitates and says "m-m-maybe". I suggest that hitting the deep hole where the concrete street presents a sharp edge could very likely be the cause of the two tire failures with impact damage.

The key point is that it is over 20 miles from her apartment to the location where both tires went flat due to impact damage and sidewall flex to air loss. She admitted she didn't think the drop into the hole could be related to the tire failure so simply dismissed the hole as something she had "hit".

I didn't want to start a fight, so again let it drop but I think she now knew what had really caused the two failures and since the tire hadn't failed immediately she didn't associate the cause with the affect.
+++++
As they say... Now you know the rest of the story.

[jacknife]

Originally Posted by Randyman

I agree Old Coot, don't know what the transporter might have hit delivering it, but I know I hadn't hit anything. The other advantage is that these tires can be run above 65 mph. I like to run 70 on the interstate and was doing that prior to this tire failure, (maybe that was what caused it?). So glad it didn't come apart and damage the camper.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Randyman

I agree Old Coot, don't know what the transporter might have hit delivering it, but I know I hadn't hit anything. The other advantage is that these tires can be run above 65 mph. I like to run 70 on the interstate and was doing that prior to this tire failure, (maybe that was what caused it?). So glad it didn't come apart and damage the camper.

"I know I hadn't hit anything" Where do you drive? I have found pot holes and curbs all over the country be it city streets, gas stations or campground roads.

Don't mislead yourself into thinking that the failure always happens immediately after hitting the pothole. I have documented repeated failures that occurred 20 miles after the tire dropped into a pothole. The owner did not make the cause & effect connection.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by KDEL1970

What size tires are most of you running? The sticker on the corner of my TT shows 22575R15 as the tire size. After a recent blowout I realized that it came from the factory with 20575R15's. I was wondering why they diverted from the required size?

This sounds like a potential violation of Federal Regulations. I suggest you get something in writing from the RV company advising the correct tire size. When you ask for the info don't let on that they might have made a mistake.

If the tire size & Load Range do not match what is supposed to be on the RV then you need to file a complaint with NHTSA.

If the tire sticker/placard is wrong then the RV company needs to provide you with correct sticker/placard. This is NOT a warranty issue as there is no time limit to having the correct regulatory information on the vehicle as far as I know.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

None of the st trailer tires are built in the US, they are all made in either China or a Far East country so everyone should just quit bitching about them. None of the manufacturers are going to change mfg locations.

Have to wonder why some cars that are made in "Far East" have the best warranty in the industry i.e. 5/50,000 bumper to bumper and 10/100,000 power-train. While the vast majority of good ol' Made in USA RVs don't seem to be able to get past 1/12,000.

I will not claim that there are no "bad tires" made in China or the Far East but I have personally run tests on a number of sizes and they all passed the same tests required of made in USA tires do. It is just up to the company responsible for selling the tires to demand and ensure compliance with the DOT regulations.
Now if your business model directs you to just buy the lowest cost tires you can find in some warehouse and you know you can get away with not being held responsible for standing behind your product with a meaningful warranty then you take the shortcut and make little or no effort to ensure the quality of what you dump on the customer.

Until customers demand better quality from RV companies we will continue to get quality similar to what GM & Ford gave us in 1970 with the Vega & Pinto.
If you are not willing to walk away from the shiny new RV because the RV company won't provide better quality, then stop complaining here on various RV forums.

[Wildwood Danny]

Just had new Maxxis 10 ply tires mounted on the Lacrosse, old tires were dated 2009, mounted at factory Feb. 2010, set on the dealers lot until Jan 2012, been towed by us about 11000 miles, still had tread, not signs of damage, but time to retire them.

We have had 3 trailers over our 11 years of trailering, with only one blow out that was on some tires that had been flat spotted due to a malfunction in breakaway brake switch. Been on some rough roads here in the Midwest. Have had factory tires, GY Marathons, and now have Maxxis. My tires have always looked soft or squishy until getting these new tires. Imho the secret is proper inflation, keeping covered when possible, avoiding road damage as much as possible, and keeping speed 65 mph or under.

It is like everything else in this world, there are always people that good luck with things and people that don't.