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"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."
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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.
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").
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
__________________ Barry & Donna Life is short - so's the door on an Flying Cloud (ouch) 1951 Flying Cloud 21' 1957 Pontiac Safari 2dr wagon TV
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.
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
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 .
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.
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.
Me too, me too!
The tires do seem better than my Canadian made Marathons. My sidewalls on my Marathons before even being a year old were looking odd. Though I heard that was typical of the Marathons, the Maxxis tires don't look the same. I think JCanavera has over a few thousand miles on his Maxxis "E" rated tires, or pretty close. His 4 year old Marathon tread seperated as he was backing in his trailer into his driveway. He has the E cause the slide out, but I have the standard "D". So far with just under 1000 miles, all seem well so far.
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 1991
We had our second Marathon blowout on Tuesday while returning from Tennessee. We plan to install four new Maxxis E rated tires as recommended by Jack and several others on this thread. The Marathons had been carefully maintained, lots, of tread remaining , and we were driving under 55 mph when the blowout occurred.
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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.
He has the E cause the slide out, but I have the standard "D". So far with just under 1000 miles, all seem well so far.
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