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Beginner · 07-18-2008, 02:25 PM

bhayden
My personal experience is that they don't just explode. The 19.5 inch tires did a lot of that but it sounded like a shotgun going off.
First the belts let go a little.
This creates a slow leak.
As the tire looses pressure the side walls flex more and more creating more and more heat.
At some point the heat is great enough in the rubber to cause it (the rubber) to loose all integrity and the tire starts to come apart. By this time all the air is gone anyway so no boom.
Due to number of photos showing the tread missing down to the cord appearntly the tread comes off first, then the rest of the tire starts to come apart.
The problem is not just Goodyear Marathons, to blame them is unfair to them. They are building the tire to US Government specifications.
Its the ST tire class in its entirety (no pun intended).
They are 65 mph tires.
Beginner

Jaxon · 07-18-2008, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhayden

I really don't understand the logic in making a tire decision based on what Airstream puts on the trailers...

Yeah, me neither. But given the # of A/S sold and user feedback during warranty period, reduction of liability and customer satisfaction would be a definite concern of the manufacturer. It's good baseline data and a place to start.

Quote:

...State Patrol's decision was based on extensive performance evaluation and field data. Ford's decision was based on marketing and business relationships. It's no different with Airstream and the Marathons.

Absolutely, economics is a business reality. Lawsuit mitigation would be a major business decision, too. As I had mentioned, since Marathons are the tires Mothership is packing, what we're hearing on the Airstreams forums is an inordinate amount of experience regarding them (both pro & con). A smaller sample of total Marathon users is magnified here. Also, since the thread is aimed at Marathon failures, those that have experienced them are more prone to comment. Again, not a good sample.

I'm not defending Marathons or slamming them, it just seems that without a good "poll" or sample, we're all just airing our opinions with no definitive numbers to shed some light on "best" or less problem prone tires. And no closer to a reasoned choice.

And there is a definite interest in choice of tires...
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scarylarry · 07-21-2008, 10:54 AM

I had to have a Goodyear put on my spare while on the road. Once I got home and looked at the tire I noticed single strands of cord poking through all around the tire. It WILL go back to a Goodyear dealer before it has a chance to fail. ALWAYS good to inspect your tires before you head out for a trip.

2airishuman · 07-21-2008, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scarylarry

... I noticed single strands of cord poking through all around the tire....

really?

that would be scary, larry...

who sewed this tire, betsy ross?

post a picture of the tire.

if this is a gym u might be seeing the little rubber whiskers that most of these tires have when new.

cheers
2air'

Chitown AirStreamers · 07-31-2008, 09:39 AM

Man this thread has my HEAD spinning!!!! I have to get new tires for my 66 SAFARI - 225/75-R15's , & everyone I have gone too is telling me to get the MARATHONs. No way- I say. What else is out there? I just called tire rack & they do not have or sell a Light Truck tire in that size with a D or E rating....
If I switch to a 16- I could rub the wheel well when going over bumps!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

Pahaska · 07-31-2008, 10:01 AM

A number of us in our unit have been running E-rated MAXXIS tires on our rigs and there has not been a single failure among us.

When I hoisted a MAXXIS in one hand and a Marathon in the other, I was simply amazed at how much more tire the MAXXIS is. I run my MAXXIS at 70# pressure and the tires stay very cool.

I just returned from Bozeman and the trailers on both sides of me had Marathon failures on the way to the rally.

I ordered my MAXXIS through Discount Tire and had them mounted one by one at a shop near where I store my trailer.

lewster · 07-31-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chitown AirStreamers

Man this thread has my HEAD spinning!!!! I have to get new tires for my 66 SAFARI - 225/75-R15's , & everyone I have gone too is telling me to get the MARATHONs. No way- I say. What else is out there? I just called tire rack & they do not have or sell a Light Truck tire in that size with a D or E rating....
If I switch to a 16- I could rub the wheel well when going over bumps!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

one word...............MAXXIS

utee94 · 07-31-2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chitown AirStreamers

Man this thread has my HEAD spinning!!!! I have to get new tires for my 66 SAFARI - 225/75-R15's , & everyone I have gone too is telling me to get the MARATHONs. No way- I say. What else is out there? I just called tire rack & they do not have or sell a Light Truck tire in that size with a D or E rating....
If I switch to a 16- I could rub the wheel well when going over bumps!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it's wise to look at Jaxon's statement above. From a scientific perspective, for various reasons already listed several times on this thread, I do not believe we can call the reports on this thread a "representative sample."

Like Jaxon, I am not defending or attacking the Goodyear Marathon, I'm just pointing out that this thread is not a scientific poll. I DO believe this thread has a lot of great advice on how to chech your tires (of ANY brand) and some things you can do to perform preventive maintenance and perhaps avoid some potential issues (on ANY brand).

Anecdotally, I can say that I have run Goodyear Marathons on my boat trailers for over a decade and not experienced any failures with them. I also just completed a recovery mission of around 700 miles for my new-to-me '63 Overlander that has 4 Marathons on it that I believe are about 3 years old (Terry can correct me if I'm wrong

), and they rode perfectly with no signs of tread separation or any other degradation.

Take that for what you will I suppose, but only an industry-wide survey could really turn up the kind of data we'd need to perform an accurate and meaningful analysis.

Inland RV Center, In · 07-31-2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chitown AirStreamers

Man this thread has my HEAD spinning!!!! I have to get new tires for my 66 SAFARI - 225/75-R15's , & everyone I have gone too is telling me to get the MARATHONs. No way- I say. What else is out there? I just called tire rack & they do not have or sell a Light Truck tire in that size with a D or E rating....
If I switch to a 16- I could rub the wheel well when going over bumps!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

There are several other brands of tires available.

You do the math.

So Marathon had a problem, years ago.

Since the vast majority (thousands) of Forum members have them, and if you had a 1/10th of one percent failure, then they would so state that, as they have.

When your asking for another brand, having the same failure rate, then 1/10th of one percent out of 100 owners, will not cause any reporting, such as with the Marathons.

Proper tire PM, is the magic words.

Proper inflation, and proper tire, wheel, hub and drum, as an assembly balancing is the key.

16" wheels are asking for a tire fire, if it rubs the wheel wells, as it more than likely would.

Andy

joe3957 · 07-31-2008, 10:15 AM

Hopefully this hasn't been repeated here, but an interesting report on Tire Safety in the USA...we don't follow same rules or protocol as Europe. Check those dates when you buy....and replace every few (couple) of years
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

Jim & Susan · 08-01-2008, 08:17 PM

OK, dangit. I just finished reading this entire thread. I now officially have red eyes and a headache and I’m about to start asking questions.

Get yer flames ready....

Jim & Susan · 08-01-2008, 08:36 PM

The dry weight of my ’73 Overlander is about 4500#. The max weight of the trailer fully loaded should be no more than about 6300#. Based on those numbers, the load on each tire with a fully loaded camper is just under 1600# per tire (minus the tongue weight, etc). Now, take a look at the chart in Scott S’s post number 259. That chart tells me that I can use a regular Load Range B tire (max load, 1760# per tire) for my camper. That gives me a 20% safety margin of load on the tire (If I understood that part of the thread correctly). That’s essentially the same tire that’s on my F150. SO, why would I need to upsize my McTires to a LR D or LR E?

As Ricky would say: ‘splain to me why I’m wrong?

Jim

wingfoot321 · 08-02-2008, 01:18 AM

Jim & Susan,

There is nothing wrong with your analysis.

I will give you a few of my thoughts on the subject.

(1) Forget bias tires unless you are after a certain old look for a restoration.
(2) I would pick a LR "D" (trailer or light truck radial) which is 2540 lbs per tire(Rubber Manuf Assoc) at 65psi. 2540x4 = 10160lbs. 6500-500lbs for the tongue weight is 6000lbs/10160lbs = 60% load factor on four new tires.
(3) I would run them at the 65psi cold inflation with some type of low pressure warning system.
(4) I would not play with lowering the inflation pressure (which you could for ride, etc)
(5) Accept no date codes over 3 months old at time of installation. (this will be an issue with a slow economy)
(6) Use steel valve stems
(7) At 5-6 years, replace them.

I also try to never run over the curb side white line where most of the debris accumulates. A LR D light truck will have the same stronger bead that is in the ST trailer tire for sidewall stress during turning.

I don't think brand makes much difference on a trailer application where rolling & braking are about all they do. If it were on a turbo diesel pickup, then brand might become more important.

Just my $.02

Jaxon · 08-02-2008, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

OK, dangit. I just finished reading this entire thread. I now officially have red eyes and a headache and I’m about to start asking questions.

Way too funny!

I made it through part ways... once... and still didn't find the "holy grail" of tiredom... guess the perfect tire is in the eye of the beholder... on on the wheel of the great aluminum one...

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Scott S · 08-02-2008, 08:42 AM

Jim,

In theory you are correct. Reasons to go a LR C or higher tire:

Excess capacity if one tire goes flat. On a dual axle trailer chances are good that you will not immediately notice a flat. Excess capacity means that you will not dramitically overload the remaining tire on that side.

You have not measured the actual weight that each tire is carrying. You are just assuming that the weight is equally distributed. It is not.

Given the seemingly high failure rate of trailer tires it is probably wise to go with excess capacity.

Scott

Jim & Susan · 08-02-2008, 12:31 PM

Thanks for the replies, guys. So, where does everybody go to weigh the load distribution on a per tire basis? I assume that would take a pretty fancy set of scales.

Right now. I'm leaning toward an LT tire. I'm more than a bit scared of the ST tires. Reasons for this are:

1 ST's just don't seem to be very well made.
2 Reasonable sidewall stiffness in a Load Range C Truck Tire.
3 My Airstream is much lighter than more modern models
4 Easier to find which means easier to replace if you are in an emergency
5 Much better made tire (apparently)
6 I've never had a passenger car or truck tire "fail" (yes, I've had flats, never a failure). And I'm willing to agree that this is a weak point in the argument.

I'll keep looking and reading and let y'all know what I do.

This is a great thread. Thanks to everybody that contributed to it.

Jim

Chitown AirStreamers · 08-02-2008, 12:48 PM

ARE LT tires safe to run!?

Jim & Susan · 08-02-2008, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chitown AirStreamers

ARE LT tires safe to run!?

The short answer is yes. BUT, there's a lot of "BUTS" to consider. Go back to post 338 and read the discussion there. Actually read this entire thread, take some notes. Also read this thread: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...ad-e-7068.html There are other threads to look at as well. Folks here are more than willing to answer your questions. Do your homework, ask questions, then decide if LT's will fit your situation.

Jim

davidz71 · 08-02-2008, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chitown AirStreamers

ARE LT tires safe to run!?

A number of members have used LT tires that are rated for commercial uses. The BFGoodrich Commercial TA 16" tire has a following but no longer comes in a D load range, only E load. Bob Thompson's "Tires, Tires, Tires" thread has some really good info in it and it is long.

2airishuman · 08-02-2008, 01:26 PM

while i understand the motivation to change wheel size and use creative tire options...

it's a significant dollar commitment to do wheels, tires and a spare.

but this is one of the problematic issues for those who go that route.

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidz71

...16" tire has a following but no longer comes in a D load range, only E load...

so if a non repairable flat happens and a matching spare isn't at hand...

these folks will be faced with trying to find another brand/model that does match...

or mixing various LT tires by brand, size or load rating.

while the market for st tires is small,

the market options for creative replacements is REALLY small.

at least gyms are still readily available in sizes that are common to our needs...

the gyms have worked 4 my trailer, and i like the max' option is an st tire.

cheers
2air'