Tires...again?!...c'mon!!!

[14apex]

After a LOT of reading and research, I was ready to pull the trigger on a set (4) of new Goodyear Endurance trailer tires for our Apex 22QBS. Frankly, the "made in USA" feature had significant bearing on the decision. So...I stop in to my local and trusted Goodyear tire dealer and he sez "you're thinking that these tires are 'made in America', aren't you?". Yes, I said. Wrongo, he sez -- they're still made in China. I left...tireless.

Now, I have an email into Goodyear corporate via their "contact us" & they indicate a reply can be expect in 48 hours...23 hours and counting & no answer. Is there any way that anyone can point me to a "guaranteed" accurate answer to what seems a simple question: Where in the heck are Goodyear Endurance trailer tires manufactured...really??.

[rcrupper1]

https://corporate.goodyear.com/en-US...iler_tire.html

[Reverse_snowbird]

Still made in the USA according to their website.
https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires...e-trailer-tire

[Mr. Dan]

As I remember, GY Marathon manufacturing went offshore but GY Endurance tires are made in the U.S. I think your tire dealer needs some schoolin’.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

As I remember, GY Marathon manufacturing went offshore but GY Endurance tires are made in the U.S. I think your tire dealer needs some schoolin’.

X2.
Find another tire dealer.

Goodyear ENDURANCE ST tires made in the USA.

Goodyear MARATHON ST tires were made elsewhere.

[wmtire]

If you want to verify, just go back to the dealer and have him pull one of the endurance tires, if he has them in stock.

Look at the DOT code on the sidewall. The first two letter/numbers (which has been changing to three) will be the code for the manufacturing plant where the tire was produced. These plant codes are freely available on the internet

IIRC, these endurances were being being made in Gadsden , Alabama....but don't quote me on that.

[14apex]

Ordinarily I'd just go down the street and buy elsewhere, assuming that this dealer does, indeed, need some "schooling". At the same time, I'm reminded somehow of the first time I was home after freshman year @ college...couldn't wait to "educate" my old man on new and exciting "facts" from those textbooks (that he was paying for) and the brilliant professors spreading the "truth". A lot of those "truths" ended up being less than "truth". This dealer is a lot like my dad, with a long time relationship and this will be his first "untruth" as far as I know...in a long lifetime of earned respect in the neighborhood. Like most others, he's critical of the old GY Marathons that were, of course, manufactured in China & feels that the Endurance tires are very good ones. As you'd expect, some of my early "research" was reading the Goodyear website and their assurances there that these tires are, indeed, manufactured in the USA. That, combined with substantial gleaning of reported experience from others seems to point to these tires being "good" ones...just maybe among the best today(?). No doubt time & mileage will still tell the tale in coming months/years. Again, while I've just gotta be confident that GY wouldn't fudge the truth to sell tires, I was still at least "delayed" by an unexpected and unsolicited contradiction by someone I'd ordinarily trust without exception. Thanks for the replies, folks -- this isn't a biggie and I'll re-tire the Apex and get on with life...still, a bit of a puzzler.

[SquiggyFreud]

Originally Posted by wmtire

If you want to verify, just go back to the dealer and have him pull one of the endurance tires, if he has them in stock.

Look at the DOT code on the sidewall. The first two letter/numbers (which has been changing to three) will be the code for the manufacturing plant where the tire was produced. These plant codes are freely available on the internet

IIRC, these endurances were being being made in Gadsden , Alabama....but don't quote me on that.

Same code for mine MD - Gadsden

MDKC A51V 3919

[TitanMike]

Just to add a little spice to the mix, remember that Goodyear owns factories all over the world.

The Endurance line may be built here in this country NOW but there's nothing to say they won't switch to one of their other factories in the future. I doubt they'll issue a press release saying they're doing so, they'll just do it when they need "mold capacity" for another line here in the US.

Goodyear built tires for the company I retired from. Amazing how few we received that were made in the US and how many came from Brazil.

[rsdata]

I had a similar experience, a Goodyear dealer telling me that they were not as good of a tire then the Hercules brand he had in stock.

I went home to the Goodyear website, ordered them and made an appointment to have them installed but had to travel a little further to a Goodyear store where they only sell Goodyear.

I went back a month later and talked to the manager at the Goodyear dealer, and showed him my invoice. He went and looked at his book and lamented that their "dealer" COST for the Endurance tires was almost what I paid, leaving them almost no profit. He did not have to explain any further to me why they wanted to sell me another brand. That is when I realized there was a difference in dealers and company stores.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by rsdata

I had a similar experience, a Goodyear dealer telling me that they were not as good of a tire then the Hercules brand he had in stock.

I went home to the Goodyear website, ordered them and made an appointment to have them installed but had to travel a little further to a Goodyear store where they only sell Goodyear.

I went back a month later and talked to the manager at the Goodyear dealer, and showed him my invoice. He went and looked at his book and lamented that their "dealer" COST for the Endurance tires was almost what I paid, leaving them almost no profit. He did not have to explain any further to me why they wanted to sell me another brand. That is when I realized there was a difference in dealers and company stores.

Welcome to the tire business.

[wmtire]

It even gets worse than that with Goodyear and independent dealers. They now sell direct from their website to the end user. Many wholesale distributors have quit carrying Goodyear.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by wmtire

It even gets worse than that with Goodyear and independent dealers. They now sell direct from their website to the end user. Many wholesale distributors have quit carrying Goodyear.

Practices like this decades ago led to the rise of private label tires.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by 14apex

After a LOT of reading and research, I was ready to pull the trigger on a set (4) of new Goodyear Endurance trailer tires for our Apex 22QBS. Frankly, the "made in USA" feature had significant bearing on the decision. So...I stop in to my local and trusted Goodyear tire dealer and he sez "you're thinking that these tires are 'made in America', aren't you?". Yes, I said. Wrongo, he sez -- they're still made in China. I left...tireless.

Now, I have an email into Goodyear corporate via their "contact us" & they indicate a reply can be expect in 48 hours...23 hours and counting & no answer. Is there any way that anyone can point me to a "guaranteed" accurate answer to what seems a simple question: Where in the heck are Goodyear Endurance trailer tires manufactured...really??.

That dealer is an idiot. Every tire has a code on it that indicates exactly where it was made. Mine were made in the US. I believe in Alabama.

[Airdale]

Your tires MUST have a plant code molded on their sidewalls. Tire manufacturers are not going to risk a total recall for plant code misinformation. The reference is a listing of plant codes.

Tire Codes 01-0P

In this picture the first yellow mark is the tire plant code. The second yellow mark is the date the tire was manufactured by week of year and year. The 8D is in list #3 above.



Every GY Endurance tire I've personally inspected has had a "MD" plant code for Gadsden, AL (USA).

[thelmuth]

Just purchased new Goodyear Endurance for my camper. They are made in the USA. It says it right on the side of the tire. DOT code PJ Fayetville NC

[camperpapa]

We'll just have to see where Goodyear takes the Endurance manufacturing now that the Gadsden plant closing is being finalized … maybe they will just transfer the production to one of their non-union plants like Lawton OK !?

[14apex]

...continues to be interesting. An email from customer service @ GY RE answering my question on the Endurance Country of manufacture asked for the size of my tires. I'm puzzled why they would need that before they can provide me with an answer. "Nothing difficult is ever easy"

[14apex]

Originally Posted by thelmuth

Just purchased new Goodyear Endurance for my camper. They are made in the USA. It says it right on the side of the tire. DOT code PJ Fayetville NC

Thanks! What size are your tires?

[rsdata]

I'm puzzled why they would need that before they can provide me with an answer. "Nothing difficult is ever easy"

I suspect that this is being answered by an outside contractor that is employed by a PR agency for GY... they know nothing about the tires, so will have to do some research to find the answer... kinda like the dumb questions they ask at the auto-parts store to sell you a spark plug and they ask you if your truck is a 4 X 4... just gotta answer all the questions on the computer screen before the answer jumps out...