Goodyear Marathons

[Thomas31]

I am reading a lot about all these tire issues, is anyone using Nitrogen in their tires instead of Air? Seems like that might solve some problems like it does in TVs.
Thomas

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Brian / moosetags, and anyone else who switched to Michelin 16"ers; Will you replace these tires at seven years? Or what is the plan if you have one?

[Phoenix]

Michelin XPS Ribs, 225/75x16:

We will take a very close look at weather-checking and obvious age defects in years 5, 6 and 7, assuming these tires still have tread left on them. If they last through age 7, we will replace them regardless of tread depth, unless for some reason our Bambi is permanently parked.

As far as I am concerned, if we have had no catastrophic tire failures during this period, we will have gotten our money's worth out of them. And, purchasing new tires just extends this period another 7 years.

[moosetags]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, Brian / moosetags, and anyone else who switched to Michelin 16"ers; Will you replace these tires at seven years? Or what is the plan if you have one?

We put the Michelin 16's on Lucy in November of 2010. Since that time, we have logged a little over 34,000 miles on these tires. Even though they show very little tread wear at this point, I can't see them lasting more than two more years at our current travel rate. I do think that I would replace them after seven years regardless of wear.

Brian

[dkottum]

Wouldn't replacement at 7 (or another number) years depend on condition of the tires? Weather is different all over the country, some vehicles are stored under cover, some driven hard.

For example the Michelins on our 2006 Jetta look as nice as new, low miles, always garaged, cool Minnesota climate; 7 years old but like new. Tires on the boat trailer were serviceable after 20 years, held air and didn't blow out (is there more?).

Seems to me environment and severity of use makes a difference.

doug k

[purman]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Wouldn't replacement at 7 (or another number) years depend on condition of the tires? Weather is different all over the country, some vehicles are stored under cover, some driven hard.

For example the Michelins on our 2006 Jetta look as nice as new, low miles, always garaged, cool Minnesota climate; 7 years old but like new. Tires on the boat trailer were serviceable after 20 years, held air and didn't blow out (is there more?).

Seems to me environment and severity of use makes a difference.

doug k

Rubber degrades regardless of environment over time. Being in the weather quickens this process but it does happen. Tires may look new after 7 years but may only have 5/8 the strength of when they were new. I rock climb and replace my carabiners every 5 years regardless of looks. You can't see micro cracks and my life depends on them.

Same goes for tires. Your life can depend on them. As far as your boat trailer goes, I'm guessing you don't haul it very far. Take it on a 300 mile trip down the highway at 65 mph and I'm sure you will lose a few tires. After 20 years I would be surprised if they have 1/4 of their strength left. Rubber back then was as good as it is today.

[moosetags]

I'm afraid that I can't agree that really old tires are as good as they look. I have had vintage automobiles since high school, and never had any problems driving around on 30+ year old tires. Very little of this driving around was what I would call "highway driving". Then I had a bad experience with our 1981 DeLorean. At the time, the car was about 15 years old, and had about 16,000 miles on it. It had always been garage kept. It had the original OEM Goodyears, and they looked like brand new. SuEllyn was driving the DeLorean on I-95 in Jacksonville. I was following her in another vehicle. We were traveling at about 70 MPH. All of a sudden, the DeLorean's left rear tire exploded. The outer sidewall had blown out.

At the time, I did some research with Goodyear, and was told by a tire engineer that tire structure disintegrates with time, and that tires become questionable after six years of age regardless of wear.

I still have old tires on my antique vehicle. The tires on my Thunderbird are at least twenty years old, but it is not driven at highway speeds.

I just wouldn't trust old tires on the Airstream.

Brian

[2005 ford]

I've been following this thread trying to figure what new tires to purchase. The PO had Marathons and I replaced one years back because they had signs of sidewalk cracking. The trailer was in for inspection and the mechanic noticed the hairline cracks. It never dawned on me that there was a life expectancy other than tread wear. So after following this thread I am going to replace all 5 tires. I validated the 5-7 year replacement recommendation, the RVIA (Rec.VehicleIndustry Assoc.) Recommends, based on statistical failure rates all trailer tires should be replaced every 5-7 years regardless of brand. Use, storage, environment all have effects on tire life. So, I'll be trying Maxxis if I can locate locally. If I can't find them I am considering staying with Marathons as I have not had an issue with them. I checked the date code and it looks like the tires were mfg. 1997. 15 years old and they still "look" good. Needless to say that the Excella will be off the road until I get new rubber. Thanks for all the new found trailer tire knowledge and keeping me, mine and yours safer on the road.

Bill

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by 2005 ford

............................
I validated the 5-7 year replacement recommendation, the RVIA (Rec.VehicleIndustry Assoc.) Recommends, based on statistical failure rates all trailer tires should be replaced every 5-7 years regardless of brand. Use, storage, environment all have effects on tire life.

.................................

Bill

Thanks for posting this. If you found that on the Internet and have a link, I would like to read it.

Up to this point, I have remained highly skeptical of the 5-7 year figure, because of the fact that all the quotes I have previously seen have been from companies whose livelihood depends on selling as many tires as possible. In addition, the 5-7 years does not match my life long experience with tires. It is true that tire manufacturers and dealers should be the most knowledgable on the subject, but they have a deep rooted interest in you replacing your tires.

I am not claiming that this proves anything. However I have been driving for over 50 years, and have never had a tire failure that was not due to a road hazard or my lack of judgment. Until a few days ago, when I upgraded my trailer tires, I have never replaced a tire until wear warranted it.

Ken

[Phoenix]

The Arizona heat, large number of sunny days, outdoor storage, etc., usually causes tires to show signs of severe weather checking by years 5-7. On our 2002 Prius, I have twice replaced sets of tires with 10-20,000 miles of tread left on them due to age; as I felt it was unsafe to drive on them at 110-115 degrees ambient air temperature and sustained 75 mph speeds.

From tire failure posts and poll data, it appears that most ST tires wear out before the 20,000 mile mark, assuming they haven't previously failed. So, replacing ST tires due to age may be a moot point.

However, there are several posts that indicate LT tire mileage of 25-35,000 miles with lots of tread still remaining. And, since many Airstream owners are not retired and/or full-timers, it is unlikely the tread on most LT tires (especially Michelins) will wear out before they start to show severe weather checking -- at least here in Arizona and the southwest desert areas.

Since the failure mode for old tires in Arizona is a blowout and/or tread separation, it just isn't worth the risk to ride on old tires when Airstream wheel wells are so easily damaged. For our 19-foot Bambi, the potential repair cost for blowout damage exceeds that of two new Michelin XPS Ribs; and I'd rather buy two new tires than tow our Airstream to Jackson Center for repairs.

[2005 ford]

Originally Posted by w7ts

Thanks for posting this. If you found that on the Internet and have a link, I would like to read it.

Up to this point, I have remained highly skeptical of the 5-7 year figure, because of the fact that all the quotes I have previously seen have been from companies whose livelihood depends on selling as many tires as possible. In addition, the 5-7 years does not match my life long experience with tires. It is true that tire manufacturers and dealers should be the most knowledgable on the subject, but they have a deep rooted interest in you replacing your tires.

I am not claiming that this proves anything. However I have been driving for over 50 years, and have never had a tire failure that was not due to a road hazard or my lack of judgment. Until a few days ago, when I upgraded my trailer tires, I have never replaced a tire until wear warranted it.

Ken

Ken, The site I saw the reference to RVIA was on the Goodyear site and I couldn't find the link. I tried the RVIA site and Couldn't find any info, might have to be a member? I found two other links that supports the statementwww.safety research.net/safety-issues/tires/ and www.rvtravel.com/publish/RV_tire_survey_stirs... The safety research site has a PDF that was submitted to the NHTSA and on June 2, 2008 a consumer advisory was issued if I read it correctly. Also Good Sam has done a survey and came up with the same recommendation. I know it's not the original data but it's good enough for me. 5-7 years replacement at $700-$800 Or $100 bucks per year increase in operating costs pales at all other costs.

Bill

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

The Arizona heat, large number of sunny days, outdoor storage, etc., usually causes tires to show signs of severe weather checking by years 5-7. .

This brings another point to mind. You can bet your life that the figures published by tire manufacturers are going to be for the absolute worst case environment a tire will be subjected to in its intended use (for liability purposes). That is what I would say you have described. I lived all my life in western Washington until slightly after my 50th birthday. That is probably the most forgiving environment for a tire. So this begs the question; Why should a driver living in a mild (as far as tire abuse is concerned) environment change his tires based on the worst case scenario?

Ken

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by w7ts

Thanks for posting this. If you found that on the Internet and have a link, I would like to read it.

Up to this point, I have remained highly skeptical of the 5-7 year figure, because of the fact that all the quotes I have previously seen have been from companies whose livelihood depends on selling as many tires as possible. In addition, the 5-7 years does not match my life long experience with tires. It is true that tire manufacturers and dealers should be the most knowledgable on the subject, but they have a deep rooted interest in you replacing your tires.

I am not claiming that this proves anything. However I have been driving for over 50 years, and have never had a tire failure that was not due to a road hazard or my lack of judgment. Until a few days ago, when I upgraded my trailer tires, I have never replaced a tire until wear warranted it.

Ken

Hi, Ken. I agreee with you about the tire companies wanting to sell more tires by out dating them. The only place that I saw the 5 to 7 year tire replacement recommendation in print was in my wife's BMW ownwer's manual. I have never had any problems with any of my car or truck tires, but I replaced four trailer tires before failure.

[Phoenix]

I said I'd never look back at GYM failures after switching to 16-inch wheels and Michelin XPS Ribs. However, I was looking through old photos today and ran across this one. -- Ahhh, fond memories...

The Airstream Tire Failure Poll indicates a 55% failure rate on ST tires, but I had two failures on two GYMs, same day. That's 100% in my book. Switched to Maxxis, and one of two failed in less than a year and 3,000 miles; that's 50%. I never had to worry about replacing ST tires due to age, because they failed long before they ever showed any signs of weather-checking or dry rot.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...oll-76867.html

I'll gladly buy new LT tires when they age out, as it is worth it to avoid blowouts and tread separation on the road.

[Alice&Billis]

I'm sorry in advance... but I had good luck with the GYM's from Canada until I finally replaced them this past August and September with all new GYM's from China. The originals came down the line on the 44th week of 2005 and were installed on my Safari in November or December of 2005 when I took delivery a few days before Christmas 2005. Other than a couple of nails or screws along the way, they held up well on a couple of trips to New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and also all over Texas. We did have one tire shred in July 2012 coming back from the beach but I figured 12,000 to 14,000 miles over the 7 years they have been on the trailer wasn't bad. They were starting to show drying and cracking and the local dealer even showed me where there had been numerous splices in the belt during the manufacturing. I was well aware of the reputation but I think there are just as many positive as there are negative experiences with all kinds of tires. Our camping friends pulled a 31 foot SOB with what I always considered to be undersize tires for the weight they were pulling. Plus, he always drove at high speed leaving us behind, and he always suffered as many as three flats or shreds on a single trip. When storing the rigs, ours was always parked on concrete and covered to shield the sun, his was always parked on the soil and never covered. We hope to have a good second experience with GYM's.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by Alice&Billis

I'm sorry in advance... but I had good luck with the GYM's from Canada until I finally replaced them this past August and September with all new GYM's from China. The originals came down the line on the 44th week of 2005 and were installed on my Safari in November or December of 2005 when I took delivery a few days before Christmas 2005. Other than a couple of nails or screws along the way, they held up well on a couple of trips to New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and also all over Texas. We did have one tire shred in July 2012 coming back from the beach but I figured 12,000 to 14,000 miles over the 7 years they have been on the trailer wasn't bad. They were starting to show drying and cracking and the local dealer even showed me where there had been numerous splices in the belt during the manufacturing. I was well aware of the reputation but I think there are just as many positive as there are negative experiences with all kinds of tires. Our camping friends pulled a 31 foot SOB with what I always considered to be undersize tires for the weight they were pulling. Plus, he always drove at high speed leaving us behind, and he always suffered as many as three flats or shreds on a single trip. When storing the rigs, ours was always parked on concrete and covered to shield the sun, his was always parked on the soil and never covered. We hope to have a good second experience with GYM's.

I hope you carry good insurance on your camper. You may want to weld in some boiler plate inside your fender wells.

[AWCHIEF]

There are thousands (if not millions) of GYMs on the road that have never had an issue. Happy customers usually do not seek out obscure web sites to praise a product. On the other hand a few unhappy customers do.

[HowieE]

There are thousands (if not millions) of people out there that have never had cancer. Happy people usually do not seek out obscure web sites to praise there health. On the other hand a few unhappy individuals do.

The fact that that site happens to be one you frequent should not preclude them from posting. They may be doing you a service.

[AWCHIEF]

Or they may be just venting without giving all the facts. Such as: over inflation, excessive speed, lack of PM, etc.

[dznf0g]

I have, however, worked with the stats (within our warranty department) as well as lived in the automotive service environment for more than long enough to understand this issue is large enough to take heed. It is much more than a little blip on the radar screen. "where there's smoke...." And there is a LOT of smoke surrounding this issue.