Goodyear Marathon Failures

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Isn't is amazing that we have to worry about tires so much?

...There are more reports of catastrophic failures with Goodyears than seems attributable to normal problems...

hi gene

i don't 'worry' about the trailer tires anymore than the truck, cars, or bicycle tiires.

they all need proper inflation, rotation, balance and regular inspections.

my high performance snow tires just finished the 6th season and i will probably get one more year,

but they are carefully stored during the off season and rotated every 3k miles and check for inflation weekly when used.b

a major problem with trailer tires is...

none of the normal signals are 'felt' when a trailer tire is low or flat or out of balance, as with a passenger vehicle tire.

i agree there are LOTS of reports on gym issues but translating that into a prevalence isn't easy.

OFTEN we read about ONE TIRE, multiple times, like perhaps THIS EXAMPLE....

Originally Posted by Goin camping

My Marathons are two years old... I pulled one off...Too many to count little cracks all around the tire where the sidewall meets the tread...

hey gc, is THIS THE SAME TIRE uwe describes in post 289?

Originally Posted by Area63

...Today, I borrowed a clients mag wheel from an 06 Safari 25 SE...
The tire had a date code of mid 06, and started to show fissure cracks in the tread and down towards where the tread meets the sidewall....

cheers
2air'

[Goin camping]

2Air,

Yep, same tire. However while the trailer lives outside the tires are in the shade as the trailers home is between two ginormus toy haulers and faces South.

[2airishuman]

hi gc...

so those are canadian tires right ?

supposedly g-y has increased the uv inhibitors in the current chinese version

and the warranty covers weather checking for 5 years now, i think....

not sure what the uv policy is on the maxxis.

you will love the disc brake conversion and it's great the oem safari wheels fit over them.

cheers
2air'

[Goin camping]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

hi gc...

so those are canadian tires right ?

supposedly g-y has increased the uv inhibitors in the current chinese version

and the warranty covers weather checking for 5 years now, i think....

not sure what the uv policy is on the maxxis.

you will love the disc brake conversion and it's great the oem safari wheels fit over them.

cheers
2air'

It is not what I would call weather checking. It's a series of cracks running along the tread sidewall junction.

I don't want to turn in my marathons every couple of years when this happens and argue for replacement and proration.

I'm opting for Maxxis because of the belting method they use to tie the tread to the sidewall.

A red light runner and a very close shaved sealed the fate of the electric brakes.

[safari57]

Had a very close look at my Marathons this afternoon. Manufactured the early part of 2003. I doubt these ones have more than 2,000 miles on them as I've been using my mags with Carlisles (?sp). The Marathons were made in Quebec. I cannot see any signs of deterioration, distortion or cracking, they look like brand new tires.

For the couple of hundred bucks I'll change them out anyway and put the oldies on my utility trailer. It's just not worth the risk for the small dollars involved. I'm torn between Maxxis or Marathons. My tire guy says almost any LT tire is the way to go but he's just a tire guy who does not happen to sell GY like I originally thought and I suspect the only science in his suggestion is that he sells lots of LT tires and not too many RV tires.

Disc brakes sounds like a neat swap. I need to look into that. A winter project, or maybe a weekend over the summer. Quick and a huge safety factor.

Barry

[Goin camping]

Barry,

I've always been a fan of anything that makes it go faster or stop quicker.

As such I've always had it in the back of my mind to upgrade to discs. But when that red light runner was so close to the front of the truck that all I could see was the roof of her car I thoght that was it. That moved the upgrade right to the top of my to do list.

[safari57]

Wow, glad to know you managed to avoid what could have been an ugly event. A close call like that can help change a priority list very quickly.

Barry

[Gene]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

hi gene

i don't 'worry' about the trailer tires anymore than the truck, cars, or bicycle tiires.

they all need proper inflation, rotation, balance and regular inspections.

a major problem with trailer tires is...

none of the normal signals are 'felt' when a trailer tire is low or flat or out of balance, as with a passenger vehicle tire.

i agree there are LOTS of reports on gym issues but translating that into a prevalence isn't easy.

cheers
2air'

I hope you're right, 2air. Somewhere back when the point was made that people who are very careful experience Marathon problems. That's not exactly reassuring. I agree the same Marathon issues get repeated and repeated so it feels like every tire is ready to explode. Just what is true is difficult to know. Nevertheless, I'd like more choices in tire brands. A lot of lesser known brands are actually made under contract by major manufacturers, so maybe someone will order a big bunch of high quality RV tires and start the After Market AirForum Posters brand ("Buy AMAFP tires, better than Marathons").

The good news is that I finally figured out that "gym" means Goodyear Marathon.

Gene

[slowmover]

Quote:

"one of my concerns with folks going to LT tires is the tire profile.

st tires are rounded, which is good for mileage, heat and pivoting...

most of the LT selections have a squarer profile/shoulder; i think this is undesirable for trailering.

the 'squarer shoulder tire' will generate more heat, poorer fuel economy and the tread is MORE LIKELY to move/roll when backing/turning...

a rounded profile tire (properly inflated) tolerates this sort of twisting and squirming better."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not all LT tires are "square-shouldered", some, like the YOKOHAMA RY215 I chose have a narrower tread than the Marathon. I was out to my trailer the other afternoon and made a visual comparison to an SOB that had Marathons, and, they look to have more rolling resistance as well as a good deal more resistance to making turns than the RY215s, which look more like the non-radial tires trailers used to have.

A comparison below:

GOODYEAR MARATHON
Goodyear Marathon Radial

225/75R15
*C Trailer Use Only

MAX LOAD: 2150 lbs.
MAX INFLATION: 50 psi
TREAD DEPTH: 10/32"
TIRE WEIGHT: 28 lbs.
RIM WIDTH: 6-7"
MOUNTED RIM: 6"
SECTION WIDTH: 8.8"
TREAD WIDTH: 6.2"
OVERALL DIA: 28.3"
REVS PER MILE: 736
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


YOKOHAMA RY215
7.00 X 15 (7R-15)
Yokohama RY215

MAX LOAD: 2040 lbs.
MAX INFLATION: 65 psi
TREAD DEPTH: 13/32"
WEIGHT: 32 lbs.
RIM WIDTH: 5-6.5"
MOUNTED RIM: 5.5"
SECTION WIDTH: 7.7"
TREAD WIDTH: 4.9"
OVERALL DIA: 29.4"
REVS PER MILE: 706

The GY-M has a tread that is 20% wider than the RY215.

I agree that some LT tires DO have square-shoulders (I have seen the well-rated MICHELIN LTX M&S recommended for A/S trailers and have visited with two of them; one, a dealer), and that 2Airs comments are probably dead-on in those points. But not all LT tires are built this way.

Among the reasons I chose this tire as a replacement was the narrower tread (cooler running I figured) and less squirm on u-turns (ditto; confirmed on a new, cross-hatched concrete roadway into a distribution center -- truck was over to full lock on the wheel), and the narrower section width. As well, the higher speed rating and that it is an older design with many miles on fleet delivery vehicles; marketed for light and medium commercial use.

Whether or not it is an ideal replacement is another question. I am only trying to make the point that one can do ones homework and come up with some competition to the GY-M in a 15" size (as well as 16").

[Scott S]

My question is, has anyone out there had a failure with the new design Goodyear Marathon? The newest tire I have read here that failed was produced the 10th week of 2006. That is early enough in 2006 that it may have still been the old design tire.

I will be looking at new tires either this year or next and do not want to make a decision based on a tire design that is no longer being produced.

[SRW]

Originally Posted by Scott S

My question is, has anyone out there had a failure with the new design Goodyear Marathon? The newest tire I have read here that failed was produced the 10th week of 2006. That is early enough in 2006 that it may have still been the old design tire.

I will be looking at new tires either this year or next and do not want to make a decision based on a tire design that is no longer being produced.

Scott:

I was told that GY changed the design of the Marathon's at a rally, but no source was quoted, and I am wondering where your information that GY changed the design of the M's in, the year 2006 come from?

All I could get confirmed from a GY person was that it was after 2000.

Thanks,

SRW

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by SRW

Scott:

I was told that GY changed the design of the Marathon's at a rally, but no source was quoted, and I am wondering where your information that GY changed the design of the M's in, the year 2006 come from?

All I could get confirmed from a GY person was that it was after 2000.

Thanks,

SRW

Hi, my 2005 Safari, made in 2004, has Marathons made in Canada and the newer ones [I don't know what date] are made in China and have a sidewall rib with wear markers on the side; I would call that a design change and that was definately after 2005. I would tend to believe that Canadian and Chineese tires are not made exactly the same.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by REDNAX

...Not all LT tires are "square-shouldered"...

hi red, that's correct, but MOST of the replacements covered here have been (michelin and goodrich...)

yoko' makes good tires. the replacement you've selected is interesting...

sort of a radial tire that looks and rides like a biased ply tire, and from the info it is a summer only tires?

thick/stiff sidewalls and a ribbed design. hope this one works well for ya.

it looks a little narrow and 'not radial enough' for my taste, but could be great for some applications.

srw, robertsunrus and others wondering about the transition from canada to china ...

my "newest" canadian made tire was from 36th week of 05...

it' was a lumpy ugly beast...

i just traded it for a 4th week 08 chinese tire today.

this trade/change under warranty (now done twice) is covered here...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/556183-post80.html

my 'oldest' chinese made tire is from early in 06, like around the 14th as i recall...

and has ALL the newer features.

so the transition from canadian to chinese plants was SOME TIME in late 2005.

one interesting thing about the change...

the 'canadian tires' have 6 plys lisited, (2 steel, 2 polyester, 2 nylon)

while the chinese tires have 5 plys listed (2 steel, 2 polyester, 1 nylon)

this is covered some back in post 238 and 241...

anyway my BEST guess in the change over was late in 2005 or VERY EARLY in 2006....

which makes scott's notation here SO VERY IMPORTANT...

Originally Posted by Scott S

...I will be looking at new tires either this year or next
and do not want to make a decision based on a tire design that is no longer being produced.

cheers
2air'

[SRW]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

hi red, that's correct, but MOST of the replacements covered here have been (michelin and goodrich...)

yoko' makes good tires. the replacement you've selected is interesting...

sort of a radial tire that looks and rides like a biased ply tire, and from the info it is a summer only tires?

thick/stiff sidewalls and a ribbed design. hope this one works well for ya.

it looks a little narrow and 'not radial enough' for my taste, but could be great for some applications.

srw, robertsunrus and others wondering about the transition from canada to china ...

my "newest" canadian made tire was from 36th week of 05...

it' was a lumpy ugly beast...

i just traded it for a 4th week 08 chinese tire today.

this trade/change under warranty (now done twice) is covered here...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/556183-post80.html

my 'oldest' chinese made tire is from early in 06, like around the 14th as i recall...

and has ALL the newer features.

so the transition from canadian to chinese plants was SOME TIME in late 2005.

one interesting thing about the change...

the 'canadian tires' have 6 plys lisited, (2 steel, 2 polyester, 2 nylon)

while the chinese tires have 5 plys listed (2 steel, 2 polyester, 1 nylon)

this is covered some back in post 238 and 241...

anyway my BEST guess in the change over was late in 2005 or VERY EARLY in 2006....

which makes scott's notation here SO VERY IMPORTANT...



cheers
2air'

2Air:

The Nylon "cap" that you mention is no doubt the "Overlay" that was added by GY to Marathons to improve performance.

Why a Canadian made GYM has 2 plies of overlay and a Chinese only one is weird, considering that all Marathons no matter where manufactured are made to GY specifications.

SRW

[Gene]

Originally Posted by SRW

Why a Canadian made GYM has 2 plies of overlay and a Chinese only one is weird, considering that all Marathons no matter where manufactured are made to GY specifications.

SRW

Maybe they changed the specs as to actual plies, but not as to ratings.

Gene

[safari57]

Just make sure when you are buying new tires that you do check the DOT on them. A buddy was telling me that he bought tires a year ago at a discount tire seller/installer. He had an issue this past spring with it (these are on his car, not trailer, but still relevant) and when he took it in for warranty it turned out the tire had been manufactured in 2003 and was well out of its warranty. The selling dealer was gone and his good deal on tires evaporated as he paid for a replacement.

His current tire supplier told him that when ever he buys tires he should insist they write the DOT info for each tire on his receipt just so he is sure they are current tires, and also so there is no question with the warranty follow up.

Barry

[bhayden]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Maybe they changed the specs as to actual plies, but not as to ratings.

Gene

Or a more skeptical view, they change the spec to match what's available at the price point they need to meet. There's no "performance wars" with ST tires, no competition based on milage, just price. Goodyear sees a market segment they can get a piece of and cash in on their brand name familiarity and dealer network. You pay a little more and they'll replace them if they pop. Most trailer tires just sit so they never have to worry about replacing them. This isn't to say the Marathons are better or worse than other ST tires. They're all made to (just barely) meet the spec. And the spec is so weak that hardly anyone would buy a passenger or truck tire like that. Go back and look at the comparision to the Yokohama 700x15LT. The truck tire is four pounds, about 14% heavier. Extra material means extra cost in manufacture. The ST tires, all of them, are pared down to the bare minimum.

[Beginner]

bhayden
Its so nice to see someone else thinking along the same lines I do.
Remember y'all, report all failures of ST tires to NHTSA.
They perform investigations according to statistics, so lets bury them
in verbage.
Beginner

[ticki2]

Originally Posted by bhayden

Or a more skeptical view, they change the spec to match what's available at the price point they need to meet. There's no "performance wars" with ST tires, no competition based on milage, just price. Goodyear sees a market segment they can get a piece of and cash in on their brand name familiarity and dealer network. You pay a little more and they'll replace them if they pop. Most trailer tires just sit so they never have to worry about replacing them. This isn't to say the Marathons are better or worse than other ST tires. They're all made to (just barely) meet the spec. And the spec is so weak that hardly anyone would buy a passenger or truck tire like that. Go back and look at the comparision to the Yokohama 700x15LT. The truck tire is four pounds, about 14% heavier. Extra material means extra cost in manufacture. The ST tires, all of them, are pared down to the bare minimum.

Think maybe that's why it has " trailer use only " printed on the sidewall .

[GlobeTrottin]

I spent a long time reading all over the web about tires, talking to tire guys and trailer owners, etc. The only tire I found almost nothing bad about was Maxxis, so I just bought a set for my Globetrotter last week. Actually had to order them through Discount which took a few days. As with everything in life, I hope I made a good choice. So far they are black, round, and hold the trailer off the ground with great consistency.