Goodyear Marathon ST225/75R15 Failure

[Steve & Mary]

Thanks for the Griffith referrel. Darla has been good to work with over the phone. We take our trailer in on March 9 and she said they would need it for about a month. The whole lower half of the left side will need to be replaced, along with a number of other things. We've missed the use of our trailer these past few months and will be glad to have her back on the road. Appears your repairs have gone well. Take care...steve

[ThreeFingers]

I own a 2008 27ft. International CCD FB Signature Series
Present tires are Goodyear Marathon ST225/75R15 (the tires that came with the trailer)
I read change tires, change rims (15" to 16") Ok, so some have had bad luck with the Good Year Marathon, for some reason AirStream has put them on their new trailers, with a 15" rim. I'm sure that whoever designs the Airstreams has a good reason for the 15" rim.
I feel that what a person should do is a study of tire failures with all brands and make a decision on which tire to go with. From what I have read, I like the Maxxis ST225/75R15E, I know someone somewhere has had a problem with this tire, maybe not the big news as Marathon due to the large number of Marathons out there.

Too bad it is so hard to know what to do!

ThreeFingers

[Mr.Bill]

The fact that a tire is "new" doesn't mean that it is actually new. It may have been sitting on the dealer's shelf for years. Tires deteriorate from age, not just from wear. In Britain and a few other countries it's illegal to sell a tire that's past a certain age (3 or 4 years?), and if memory serves me right, in said countries the tires on your car have to be replaced when they reach a certain age, regardless of wear. No such restrictions in the U.S. . I used to have an article on how to tell the age of a tire but I seem to have misplaced it. Basically, there's a number stamped on the backside of the tire - it's inside of a small oval. If I remember right the last two digits of the number are the year of production (i.e. - "10" = 2010). In the same article a reporter went from shop to shop looking at the codes, and found that some "new" tires were as much as 10 years old.

[Phoenix]

See Tire Failure Poll results below:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438/airstream-tire-failure-poll-76867.html

After our OEM Marathons failed, I bought Maxxis ST225/75x15 Load Range E tires, and those failed the following year. Luckily, I had the extended warranty, and I used the credit toward the purchase of 16-inch wheels and Michelin XPS Ribs (steel belts and sidewalls; the closest thing to bullet-proof).

Absolutely no more worries about speed, tire failures or wheel well damage to our Bambi. However, after a couple of trips at 65-70 mph, I am returning to 55-60 as a cruise speed, due to the significant decrease in fuel economy (caused by wind resistance, not the XPS Ribs).

[ROBERT CROSS]

Origins....

OEM's replaced at 7yrs.

Second set of GYM's,
SFSG



Bob

[ThreeFingers]

The last few post shows my point-- Post #105 first set Good Year Marathons good for 7 years, now on his second set of Good Year Marathons..
Post #104 First set of Good Years that came on trailer Failed, bought Maxxis they failed, bought new 16" rims put Michelin XPS Ribs and all is good.
Soooooo is this bad luck for poster #104 and good luck for poster #105---I myself have the Good Years on my 2008 27ft. International CCD FB Signature Series and have not had a problem. (20,000 + miles on them) I did put a remote pressure unit on so I know what the tire pressure is and if there is a problem.
Again hard to know what to do!!

[SilverRanger]

I replaced my first set after 5 years on the Bambi even though they showed very little wear. In fact, I kept them for use on my Trade Wind. I try hard to stay within the rated speed (60 MPH, I believe), and they haven't been exposed to extremely hot climates yet. Or, maybe I'm just lucky.

[bhayden]

Trailer tire == cheap tire. Cost is THE overriding parameter. That's why they weigh so much less than any comparable load rated "real" tire. 20k is LOW mileage. Look at a tire's cost per pound. That's a pretty good metric of what it cost to produce. "Trailer tires" are light weight pieces of crap.

That said, leaving trailers parked with the load on the tires in the same position is one of the hardest things you can do to a tire. Combine that with cheap construction and it's no wonder they fail. If they have sat for a while work them in slowly. Don't go from zero to 1,000 miles in a day. And try to inflate tires up to proper pressure regularly when they are sitting.

Yeah, bias ply are less prone to catastrophic failure. They also provide a smoother ride but have a higher rolling resistance (lower mpg) and there are no high end bias ply tires anymore in the size an AS trailer uses. If you really must barrel along at 70+ mph then bias ply is not the answer. Nor are "trailer tires" which have no actual speed rating but recommend staying below 55 mph.

[Phoenix]

Tire pressure monitoring systems have not consistently provided warning against blowouts and tread separation. Failure happens so quickly, that no warning is given in many cases.

If tires failed on passenger cars or pickups at the rate Marathons fail on trailers, NHTSA would have shut production down. I think the only reason Goodyear continues to sell Marathons is that the quantity of failures is relatively low compared to other types of (non-ST) tires, and that no one has been injured or killed as a result of failure.

Most people that have switched to 16-inch wheels and LT tires probably did so because of frequent failures, the cost of replacing ST tires, and damage to their travel trailers. ST tire failures (especially GYMs) are not isolated to Airstreams. A check of other RV/trailer forums, including boat trailers, will reveal the same ST tire failure problems and similar damage. For example, check out the review comments for Goodyear Marathon tires on www.tirerack.com.

I switched to Michelin LT tires because of their reported reliability and freedom from blowouts and tread separation. Also, unlike the failed GYMs and Maxxis tires that we had that were made in China, the XPS Ribs now on our Bambi were made in Germany. However, I doubt that their Chinese origins caused the failures. I think Goodyear's poor design (and the construction of all ST tires, in general) is the root problem, since GYMs and other ST tires fail at a higher rate than other tire-types regardless of where they were made.

[dsrtgrls]

our 2010 bambi delivered to us in 2010 came with GYM 15" tires manufactured in 2008 easy to see on the outside of tire. I was sad about this piece of info. since i am not as educated as some on automotive type things, if you replace with a 16" tire to hopefully get a better quality tire i assume you need to get 3 new rims(one for spare) to fit the new tire size? I also assume we will need to get our equalizer hitch set up adjusted as well do to the change in tire size? the tire failure stuff does stress me. we don't do such high mileage as yet and try to stay at 65 mph on hwy. thanks for this discussion.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by dsrtgrls

our 2010 bambi delivered to us in 2010 came with GYM 15" tires manufactured in 2008 easy to see on the outside of tire. I was sad about this piece of info. since i am not as educated as some on automotive type things, if you replace with a 16" tire to hopefully get a better quality tire i assume you need to get 3 new rims(one for spare) to fit the new tire size? I also assume we will need to get our equalizer hitch set up adjusted as well do to the change in tire size? the tire failure stuff does stress me. we don't do such high mileage as yet and try to stay at 65 mph on hwy. thanks for this discussion.

dsrtgrls

"to get 3 new rims(one for spare)"

Not necessarily...your 15" wheel/tire could be serviceable for short distance emergencies.

Then again you also have 15" tire up-grades you can consider.

15" D or even E load rating up one size, could work very well for your FC, a 16" wheel may be just overkill for your application.

Don't stress I doubt your tires will fail next time out. Do your homework, determine what werks best for you and go for it.

Inspect often, ck tire pressures, tread ware, road damage... good maintenance is the most effective way to prevent failure.

PS.....don't be

Bob

[Phoenix]

Lots of background on switching to 16-inch wheels in this thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f465...s-69297-7.html

See photos on wheel/tire clearance in post #87. Lots of other photos in this thread, too.

Eddie Bauer 19-foot Bambi comes with 16-inch wheels, so evidently Airstream thinks clearance is OK, too.

We still have our 225/75x15 spare, but purchased a third 16-inch wheel to mount a used XPS Rib on when these 16-inch tires wear out. However, I am still a little concerned about the 15-inch ST tire in the spare tire carrier; because there have been some blowouts reported on brand new tires on trailers that were parked. I wonder what an exploding tire would do to the underside of an Airstream, right next to the battery box, main 12-volt wiring buss panel and propane lines. I would imagine that an ST LRE tire with 80 psi in it could do a lot of damage.

Hopefully, this won't happen, as I can't justify spending another couple of hundred dollars on a third XPS Rib that won't ever touch the ground. Perhaps, just lowering the pressure in the spare to 32 psi will avoid this worry, since I have to deflate the spare to install it anyway.

[bhayden]

A tire can't really "explode" unless it's a split rim. That is nothing will come flying off. If it burst or the rim bead gave way it will certainly "sound" like an explosion though! When tire pieces form shrapnel going down the highway it's because of the rotation of the tire flinging off bits.

Since you have to deflate to install might as well have that step taken care of. I believe manufacturers recommend long term storage at a lower pressure anyway (when not supporting the vehicle weight). And if it's sitting out in the sun it's possible the tire compartment is going to be warmer than when you inflated the tire creating higher pressure.

[richg]

Originally Posted by Bandits

We had an identical problem with the Goodyear Marathons, fortunately with no damage. After quite a bit of research I changed to 16" wheels and Michelin XPS rib tires. Personally I will never again have any brand of ST tires on any trailer I own. Good luck with the repairs. Jerry

Hi Jerry, I have a 2004 classic w/s. I had the same problem with Carlisle tires and had thousands of dollars of damage done. When you changed to 16" wheels and XPS tires did you have to do any mods to the wheel well areas etc?? I want to replace my existing setup to exactly your upgrade.
Rich Gallagher

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by bhayden

A tire can't really "explode" unless it's a split rim. That is nothing will come flying off. If it burst or the rim bead gave way it will certainly "sound" like an explosion though! When tire pieces form shrapnel going down the highway it's because of the rotation of the tire flinging off bits.

Since you have to deflate to install might as well have that step taken care of. I believe manufacturers recommend long term storage at a lower pressure anyway (when not supporting the vehicle weight). And if it's sitting out in the sun it's possible the tire compartment is going to be warmer than when you inflated the tire creating higher pressure.

POI...IF and only IF you NOTICE the tire flapping, gently apply just your trailer brakes , thus stopping the offending wheel. Get to the shoulder ASAP.

ummm... how to apply the the brake automatically on one tire if it looses pressure on a multi-axle unit???? .... or maybe just some three inch spikes sticking down to rip it off before it smashes everything up.

Bob

[TG Twinkie]

I think the idea of applying the trailer brakes is a good one. It is not the need to have independent control of the tire that is flat. Since the tire is flat and has less contact with the road surface the chances are good that when you apply the trailer brakes the tire will stop rotating or at least be slowed down significantly where it may not cause significant damage. Even if it is stopped completely and drags on the road, the goal of preventing damage to the trailer has been accomplished.
The biggest problem I see is recognizing the fact that there is a tire problem. By the time you see it on the pressure monitoring system it could be too late. It is very hard to see the condition of the tires when traveling down the road. I find I can make limited observation with the rear view mirrors when turning but it's difficult to see the tires when the trailer is directly behind the TV.
Has anyone considered using wireless cameras to monitor the tires?

[dznf0g]

Often, but not always, a blowout is preceded by a loss of pressure, which your TPMS will pick up.
Even a defective tire (tread separation, etc.) will leak before it finally fails catastrophically many times. Often the flying apart is due to heat buildup as pressure falls.....but not always.

Road hazards may or may not immediately "blow out", depending on size of rupture. Again a TPMS may catch a significant percentage of ultimate trailer ripping failures.

[bhayden]

I agree with dznf0g. I disagree with applying the trailer brakes only. If a tire is on the verge of failing the extra load caused by braking could be what pushes it over the edge. I'd coast to a stop in a safe spot as soon as possible. Use engine compression if possible by down shifting from drive but keep it smooth.

A TPMS is ideal but also still quite expensive. Next best gadget I think is an infrared thermometer. Harbor Freight sells one that works quite well for $40 (less on sale). Most belt separation happens over a period of time that heat build-up should clue you in if you check the tires every time you stop and it's a lot quicker, and more fun , to use the IR gun than manually checking tire pressure. But it's not a substitute for checking TP at the start of each day.

[ROBERT CROSS]

[QUOTE=bhayden;..... I disagree with applying the trailer brakes only [/QUOTE]

'Ya Gott'a read closer ......"POI...IF and only IF you NOTICE the tire flapping, gently apply just your trailer brakes , thus stopping the offending wheel. Get to the shoulder ASAP."

Bob

[bhayden]

My feeling is that if the tire is already flapping applying the trailer breaks is the worse thing you can do. It's like pushing the button on the detonator. YMMV