Goodyear Marathon Failures

[uwe]

I wonder about Load range C LT tires for my 63 Overlander. My axle weight on 4 tires is 4700lbs. Axle rating is 6000lbs between the two.
That's 1500lbs per axle, when and if loaded to the max.
That's 1175lbs per tire as it is, travel ready, with 1/2 tank of water.
Seems that XL rating is all that's available in the 225 size, unless I go to a 235/75/R15.

On another note, perhaps those that had tire failures should share here:
Goodyear Marathon Radial

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by uwe

I wonder about Load range C LT tires for my 63 Overlander. My axle weight on 4 tires is 4700lbs. Axle rating is 6000lbs between the two.
That's 1500lbs per axle, when and if loaded to the max.
That's 1175lbs per tire as it is, travel ready, with 1/2 tank of water.
Seems that XL rating is all that's available in the 225 size, unless I go to a 235/75/R15.

If you look at the inflation chart
http://www.goodyear.com/truck/pdf/LoadInflLTMetric.pdf
you will see the 235 75 15 will carry 1395 lbs. per tire at 35 pounds air pressure.

Please don't comment on the fact i used the Goodyear chart. That is only because Michelin has taken thier chart of the net, but it still printed in thier spec booklets. By Federal Reg tires of a given spec carry the same inflation requirements per load so it's OK to use the chart just don't use the tires.

[richinny]

Originally Posted by Bob Thompson

Like tiki2, I have the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A'a. Mine now have about 35,000 miles on them and they are doing fantastic. There is still about 90% of tread depth remaining and the wear is very even. It looks like I should get at least 100,000 miles of use out of them. I have had issues with nails, having picked up 3 so far, but the holes were easily plugged. Great and reliable tires. I give them my full endorsement!

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, plug a radial tire! the process cuts the metal cords and will cause a failure of the tire.

[Alumatube]

Originally Posted by richinny

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, plug a radial tire! the process cuts the metal cords and will cause a failure of the tire.

Huh. I have never heard that and have had quite a few radial tires plugged over the years. Never had any sort of other failure on any of them, and I wore them all down to the treadbars before replacing them. But these were on driving vehicles and flatbed trailers and not an RV trailer.

Susan

[richinny]

if you listen to the probe going into the tire you can hear the noise. i used to plug tires that way myself. after seeing all the dismounted tires with cord shift, and plugs in the tire, i stopped doing it and only patch tires. it may not be the whole equation but it is enough for me.

[ticki2]

[quote=HowieE]If you look at the inflation chart
http://www.goodyear.com/truck/pdf/LoadInflLTMetric.pdf
you will see the 235 75 15 will carry 1395 lbs. per tire at 35 pounds air pressure.

[/quote

The specs for the BFG 235/75/15 XL is 1985# @ 41 psi

[ticki2]

Originally Posted by Alumatube

Huh. I have never heard that and have had quite a few radial tires plugged over the years. Never had any sort of other failure on any of them, and I wore them all down to the treadbars before replacing them. But these were on driving vehicles and flatbed trailers and not an RV trailer.

Susan

Many people do and have good luck , but it is not the right way . Tire should be removed from wheel and patched from the inside .

[uwe]

Originally Posted by richinny

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, plug a radial tire! the process cuts the metal cords and will cause a failure of the tire.

Ooops...I have been plugging tires for years. Nails, screws, even a spark plug once.
I even plugged a tire on my brand new Suburban the night I brought it home. All of the tires have merrily lasted through their normal life cycle. Just sayin'....

[uwe]

[quote=ticki2]

Originally Posted by HowieE

If you look at the inflation chart
http://www.goodyear.com/truck/pdf/LoadInflLTMetric.pdf
you will see the 235 75 15 will carry 1395 lbs. per tire at 35 pounds air pressure.

[/quote

The specs for the BFG 235/75/15 XL is 1985# @ 41 psi

I like running about 50lbs in my trailer tires. Was looking for LRC minimum. I figure I can get about 2000lbs capacity per tire that way? Maybe a little less, acording to your table. That should be plenty, as long as I have all 4 wheels on teh ground...

[HowieE]

Looks like the I nformation I was given and thus posted here is wrong.

Looks like the ratings per a given size tire are not the same from manufacture to manufacture.

The Michelin chart shows 1530 lbs. at 35 psi, 1680 lbs. at 40 psi, 1825 lbs. at 45 lbs. and 1985 lbs at 50 lbs. for the LT235 75 15 for a the C rated tire.

[uwe]

Originally Posted by HowieE

Looks like the I nformation I was given and thus posted here is wrong.

Looks like the ratings per a given size tire are not the same from manufacture to manufacture.

The Michelin chart shows 1530 lbs. at 35 psi, 1680 lbs. at 40 psi, 1825 lbs. at 45 lbs. and 1985 lbs at 50 lbs. for the LT235 75 15

Either way, I believe that a LR C LT rated tire will carry the weigh tof my trailer just fine. Now I wish I had saved the brand new tires off my wrecked Suburban...hindsight...dang. The other option, although more expensive, would be to switch to the 16's. Or try the Maxxis/Greenball/towmasters. I tried the Carlisles on my 71, and wasn't happy with the poor balance of those. I do my own mounting and balancing.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by uwe

I wonder about Load range C LT tires for my 63 Overlander. My axle weight on 4 tires is 4700lbs. Axle rating is 6000lbs between the two.
That's 1500lbs per axle, when and if loaded to the max.
That's 1175lbs per tire as it is, travel ready, with 1/2 tank of water.
Seems that XL rating is all that's available in the 225 size, unless I go to a 235/75/R15.

On another note, perhaps those that had tire failures should share here:
Goodyear Marathon Radial

Well I sent mine. Interesting that they have no reviews of this tire up to this point.

Jack

[uwe]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Well I sent mine. Interesting that they have no reviews of this tire up to this point.

Jack

I saw a few on there. Are you sure? maybe I looked at the wrong size.
OK, checked again, 21 reviews, amny of them had blow outs, but it's hard to tell from teh reviews what happened. Some of the reviews are stellar, others downright poor. I did not see your review, Jack.

[Scott S]

I am very suprised with the bad experiences people have had with Goodyear Marathons. I have used them on my '60 Overlander since 1986 without any problems, even when we accidently got the load range C's once. (Mine is a single axle trailer which should have the LR D's.)

Food for thought... Without weighing the individual wheels on your loaded trailer it is impossible to know if an individual tire is overloaded. It is easy to overload one side or axle, as the trailers are not always well balanced side to side, and an improperly adjusted hitch can overload either the front or rear axle.

My trailer has 90% of the easily accessable storage on the heavy side of the trailer. Go figure!

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Scott S

I am very suprised with the bad experiences people have had with Goodyear Marathons. I have used them on my '60 Overlander since 1986 without any problems, even when we accidently got the load range C's once. (Mine is a single axle trailer which should have the LR D's.)

Food for thought... Without weighing the individual wheels on your loaded trailer it is impossible to know if an individual tire is overloaded. It is easy to overload one side or axle, as the trailers are not always well balanced side to side, and an improperly adjusted hitch can overload either the front or rear axle.

My trailer has 90% of the easily accessable storage on the heavy side of the trailer. Go figure!

I share the same good experience, even though I don't think the tires are very well made. However, people that I trust and would never doubt their statements have had major issues with them.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by ticki2

Many people do and have good luck , but it is not the right way . Tire should be removed from wheel and patched from the inside .

Hi, at the dealer we have not plugged tires for years due to manufacture warranty and liability issues. Also many years ago I read a notice from Chevron Headquarters makeing it manditory to remove tires and patch them from inside. The reason behind this was an article telling about a customer who had a slow leak in one of his tires. He pulled next to the pumps and asked if someone could fix his tire. One of the gas station attendants was attempting to do the repair on the spot. The tire blew up putting the attendant in the hospital with several broken bones and several windows in the gas station and passing by cars also got broken. The investigation showed that the customer had used some type of Seal & Air to reinflate his tire. This air in a can had a form of hydrogen gas and when the attendant used the tire reamer, it hit a metal cord and caused a spark. Who would have thought? And yes, many years ago, I also plugged a few tires. Not any more!

[Beginner]

The explination I got was this:
The plug must seal the "Air Bladder" area of the tubeless tire.
If it does not seal the Air Bladder area but seals only the layers of rubber close to the outer surface of the tire, the air pressure will work itself into the layers of the tire, between the steel belts Etc causing seperation of the these layers.
The propellant of choice for most of the aerosol cans a few years back (hair spray, spray paint, deodorant, tire patch etc) was a freon material. Not flamable, however, the material the freon was pushing out of the can usually was quite flamable (tire patch has rubber solvents in it which is very flamable). Now its propane or butane or some other type of "hydrocarbon gas"
Scary huh?
Read the Can.
Beginner

[Airstreamer67]

I have been plugging my tires for many years. The plugs have always lasted until the tires were worn down to the wearout indication ribs, without a problem.

I have recently read that some are now recommending both inside patches AND plugs. The reason: water can enter the hole made by the penetrating object. When this happens, the steel wires within the tire can rust, causing tire failure. Just one more thing for us neurotics to worry worry worry about.

Well, if this is true, my steel isn't going to rust, because I plug the hole. If I'm getting cord shift, I never have been able to tell it. So far.

[uwe]

Like so many things, it depends on who does it, and how. If you do it carefully, and use plenty of the rubber cement in the kit, then there should not be a problem. I would absolutely never plug a hole at or anywhere near a sidewall, though.
But, to be sure, it's just probably safer to have the hole patched in the first place. I just happen to have had very good luck with my side-of-the-road tire repairs.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by uwe

I saw a few on there. Are you sure? maybe I looked at the wrong size.
OK, checked again, 21 reviews, amny of them had blow outs, but it's hard to tell from teh reviews what happened. Some of the reviews are stellar, others downright poor. I did not see your review, Jack.

I'll look again but when I called up reviews and Goodyear tires, I didn't see the Marathon listed. I saw auto and truck tires but nothing for trailers.

According to the site it may take up to two weeks for a review to be posted.

Jack