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Tim_S · 04-11-2011, 06:55 PM

The only two ST225/75R15 I can find are the Maxxis or the Goodyear Marathon. I have a local tire shop that only stocks the Maxxis D rated tires and is offering them for $128/tire; I am going to replace all 5 (spare included). Any feedback on this choice would be appreciated. I have pretty much od'd on research and just need to buy some tires and get them installed so i am ready for our beach trip the end of April. I work long hours and can't afford any more research on this particular project. I kind of wish they had the GYM, and I could always order from tirerack and find someone to install, but after you add on the shipping it's not that much more expensive. Do folks think the Maxxis is a decent tire - comparable to the GYM?

Sorry for another tire comparison question, but I really will appreciate thoughts.

r carl · 04-11-2011, 07:33 PM

They are both made in china now, so not much difference, unless you go to an E rated maxxis. I just ordered 4 Yokahama RY215 tires that size. They are the best tires in our size I could find.

4RXLA · 04-11-2011, 08:42 PM

I have the Maxxis D rated tires since last June with about 2000 miles on them. Knock on wood they are performing well with no signs of wear on the tread. I keep them between 55-60 depending on how hot the weather is. I'll know more in 1 month after my 2500 mile trip thru Utah and Arizona. My trailer has never had a spare tire and my father and now me never thought we needed a 5th tire. That was a selling point of the Excella's way back then...that you could go on 3 tires to the tire shop.....In fact, some Airstream dealer just recently posted on YouTube the old Airstream promotional film from the early 70's that I remember watching in the dealership with my parents. That film shows the trailer on 3 tires stating a spare is not needed. After reading these forums, I'm beginning to think I should invest in a spare tire carrier and wheel. If I get stuck on a desolate 2 lane road with a flat like where Forrest Gump decided to stop running I'll be kicking myself...and the wife will be kicking me too. I think that will be my next investment when its in the repair shop again.

**moosetags** · 04-11-2011, 09:04 PM

We started with the OEM GY Marathons. In the first year at about 11,000 miles, we had three separate catastrophic tires failures. We replaced these with a set of Maxxis E's. They did pretty well lasting 27,000 miles when there suffered from tread separation. We replaced them with another set of Maxxis E's. These only last 14,000 miles before suffering tread separation. This was the point at which we decided to cut our losses, and switched to 16" wheels and Michelin LT tires.

Brian

JimW · 04-11-2011, 09:12 PM

I've 16,000 miles on Maxxis tires in 8 months and no problems. In the past, I've had 3 GYM's on two different trailers with far fewer miles that had tread separation and resulting blowouts and damage.

Go with the Maxxis.

JIM

4RXLA · 04-11-2011, 09:20 PM

Having enjoyed Moosetag's many posts of their travels, and the fact they put thousands of miles on them annually, I can totally understand their move to 16 inch wheels and LT tires. One day I hope to travel as far. But many of us I would guess let our trailers sit for long periods waiting for the annual 2 week vacation and a couple of other long weekend trips every year. My understanding is no matter what tire you have, over time it will fail and it will fail sooner if it is underinflated for a larger period of time.

Many years ago (late 80's) my father thought he was being smart by placing regular tires on the airstream instead of replacing the expensive Michelin trailer tires. On his way to the RV service center he had to make a u-turn and when he pulled in to the service center, the front roadside wheel was missing, lug bolts and all. He never did find the wheel and to this day I have 3 original rims and a slightly different one. Obviously the sidewall of the auto tires were too stiff and he had to pay dearly to fix the error. I keep thinking that LT tires for automotive use will cause the same thing to happen but that is obviously not the case since Airstream is now offering them.

When I bought the Maxxis tires, I was replacing 2004 GYMs that had no more than 1000 miles on them and looked good but there was no way I was going to tow on 6 year old tires. The tire shop told me that for trailer tires, the recommended lifespan is now 3 years. I thought it was 4. Anything more than that and you are taking a chance.

No matter what tire brand you choose, keeping them covered from the UV light, coated with tire protectant, keeping them off the ground or concrete by parking on 2x6 boards or lynx levelers and keeping them properly inflated at all times is the best preventive maintenance. I've resigned myself to buying new tires every 3-4 years.

Soyboy · 04-11-2011, 09:51 PM

On my second set of Maxxis. So far so good. Mine were made in Thailand FWIW. BTW they are available from Discount Tire Direct.

jambie · 04-12-2011, 04:23 PM

I bought a set of Maxxis "E" rated tires in that size last month from Discount Tire online. $120 a piece delivered, no muss, no fuss. Highly recommend them if you want Maxxis tires. I'm very happy with mine: they got me back to Cincinnati from Nevada in our new-to-us Bambi with no problems. Aired them up to 75 psi, ride was fine. Hopefully they'll wear well...

Cheers,
Tom

Emerson75 · 04-12-2011, 05:28 PM

I put a set of Maxxis D's on our 25' Tradewind last year, because I couldn't get American made Marathons. The Maxxis tires seem really good, and a lot of forum members have had good lick with them. I did have a problem with one of mine, and Maxxis support was horrible and would not replace the tire. Because of that I will probably not buy Maxxis again. If it were me, I would look for GYM made in USA. DON'T buy GYM's unless they are made in the USA, foreign made Marathons have a horrible track record. If I couldn't get American made GYM's then I would go with Maxxis. It may be worth doing a quick forum search on American made Marathons, as they just started making them in the US again last year, most likely due to all the problems and the Chinese tire tariff. Not sure how many Forum users have bought the new American made Marathons, or what their experiences have been. Note- Maxxis is not made in the US (mine are are from Thailand), which is another advantage to buying the Marathons.

Just my 2 cents,
Eric

Dwight · 04-12-2011, 06:42 PM

I just 7 Maxxis tires from Discount Tire Direct and had them shipped to the house FREE....then had them installed at the local Discount Tire store....

jambie · 04-13-2011, 01:18 AM

Also, my Maxxis tires are labeled "Made in Thailand". FWIW...
Cheers,
Tom

Soyboy · 04-13-2011, 12:31 PM

It is worth noting that both Tire Rack and Discount Tire Direct have "installer" programs. They have set up agreements where you can have you tires shipped to one of their approved installers and then have your tires mounted and balanced locally. Here in MD several of the larger tire stores such as Mr. Tire are installers. One thing I have found is that if you ask these installers, quite often they will match the mail order price. Of course they may not stock the tire that you want, in that case, it is usually quicker to get the tire over the net than to wait for the dealer to order it. I have been "mail ordering" tires since the mid 70's (remember Dick Cepek and Armstrong Tru Tracs?) and have always had great results and have saved lots of money. My local guy gets his cut when I have them mounted and balanced, he likely makes more off of that than the tires anyway. I have also purchased a couple of wheel/tire sets from Tire Rack where they come mounted and balance. Arrived in perfect shape and perfect balance, ready to install. Usually I get 1 or 2 day service from their regional warehouses (Tire Rack and DTD).

All this said, nowadays, when I can, I purchase tires from Costco, they seem to have the best prices on Michelins (for my truck or car) plus good prices on mounting and balancing and a super (as usual) warranty on the tires. Before I joined Costco years ago, I was going to order some tires from Tire Rack, I checked Costco, even with the $50 membership fee I had to pay, I came out cheaper over mail ordering. One more off topic note, if you do shop at Costco, take a look at the "Executive" membership for $100. With that you get back 2% of what you spend, I find I usually pay for my membership that way, vs. sticking with the basic membership at $50 with no rebate. But that's a whole 'nuther topic....

Kosm1o · 04-15-2011, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r carl

They are both made in china now, so not much difference, unless you go to an E rated maxxis. I just ordered 4 Yokahama RY215 tires that size. They are the best tires in our size I could find.

Those tires won't fit on the rims I have on my 05 Safari. They are way too skinny. I bought them from Tire Rack and had to send them back.

Kosm1o · 04-15-2011, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

We started with the OEM GY Marathons. In the first year at about 11,000 miles, we had three separate catastrophic tires failures. We replaced these with a set of Maxxis E's. They did pretty well lasting 27,000 miles when there suffered from tread separation. We replaced them with another set of Maxxis E's. These only last 14,000 miles before suffering tread separation. This was the point at which we decided to cut our losses, and switched to 16" wheels and Michelin LT tires.

Brian

How much pressure did you put in the tires and does the trailer ride any rougher?

r carl · 04-15-2011, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kosm1o

Those tires won't fit on the rims I have on my 05 Safari. They are way too skinny. I bought them from Tire Rack and had to send them back.

The rim width range is supposed to be 5 to 6.5 inch. What is the width of your rims? They are a skinny tire for sure but that shouldnt be a prob I would think. I will be getting my tires any day now. Are they just too skinny for your eyes? I need to be prepared before I accept them.
Yokohama Tire

**moosetags** · 04-15-2011, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kosm1o

How much pressure did you put in the tires and does the trailer ride any rougher?

We run Lucy's new Michelin 16 E's at 72 psi. We also ran our Maxxis 15 E's 72 psi. We ran Lucys OEM Goodyear 15 D's at 65 psi.

We did not notice any difference, whatsoever, in ride harshness when going from the D's to the E's at the higher pressure. We have now towed Lucy with the load range E tires for almost 60,000 miles. We have not experienced any damage due to a hard ride.

Brian

lahrfarm · 04-15-2011, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r carl

They are both made in china now, so not much difference, unless you go to an E rated maxxis. I just ordered 4 Yokahama RY215 tires that size. They are the best tires in our size I could find.

I bought GYM in 2010 and they are made in USA, says it on the tire. Maxxis makes really good E rated truck tires but I've never had their trailer tires. I think there is more to all the tire failures than brand, or the contry they are made in. I prefer made in USA just because. ST tires are only rated for 55-60 mph, or so. I was told that is the cause of alot of failures. If you load an ST to 80% or more, put it on a hot highway, and drive 70mph, it will fail at some point. I think the only way to stop the chance of failure is new rims, and LT tires. Thats what I'd do if I hauled the miles some of you do, but I dont get to go that much.

aftermath · 04-15-2011, 09:22 AM

Goodyear moved production of their Marathons to China.

Maxii is a Thai company and their tires are made in Thailand.

I still think that the manufacturing location does not have as much to do with a quality tire as the company that stands behind them. I think Goodyear should address the problems in a better manner. I just put on a new set of Maxii LRD tires. Give me a year or so and I can tell you what I think. Mine are from Thailand. I did read somewhere that even Maxii was looking into China for production but I don't think it has changed yet.

Woosch · 04-15-2011, 09:34 AM

Saw Michelin LTX tires on the new Eddie Bauer edition. Need new tires so I will give the Michelins a try.

Kosm1o · 04-15-2011, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r carl

The rim width range is supposed to be 5 to 6.5 inch. What is the width of your rims? They are a skinny tire for sure but that shouldnt be a prob I would think. I will be getting my tires any day now. Are they just too skinny for your eyes? I need to be prepared before I accept them.
Yokohama Tire

The rims that came with my 05 Safari 28' has the GYMs on them . Original to the trailer. They are now six years old and although I have seen no trouble with them I know it is time to change. They were made in Canada but everywhere I look I see nothing that gives me confidence in the Chinese made ones. I think the tire will fit older smaller rims that others have used them on. The dealer I went to called his supplier with the specs on the tire and they told him it would not fit properly. I don't think it would be safe on my rims even if it looked o.k. The tire, however, is a great looking tire and I was disappointed. The max rim size is 6.5" and I was told my rims are bigger than that. Let me know how it works out for you.
john