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Ray Eklund · 03-11-2016, 02:05 PM

From popping rivets another obvious "passing the buck".

My 2006 Safari 23 footer had one 14 inch Marathon tire that developed some bubbles on the exterior smooth surface. The Goodyear dealer in Littleton, Colorado said the trailer was over loaded and damaged the tire. He measured the wear on the tire and said it had unusual wear and the cost was probably close to what the new tire would have cost... retail. I was a "newbie" trailer owner and even weighed each item put into the trailer... After that I would never buy a Goodyear tire and felt the bigger fool. I still believe I was... mislead.

I had a flat tire on the 2006 and pulled into Plains Tire Company in Rawlins, Wyoming that has shops in Cheyenne, Rawlins and Rock Springs, Wyoming. I had mileage on the tires at the time, maybe in 2008 or 2009. How many miles I do not recall, but the tread new is not much and it takes little to puncture a tire. They had a stack of 14" trailer tires and a "special" for four. They were Made In China, but most everything seems to be.

First thing they began to do was take a hydraulic jack, put it under the axle, which I immediately stopped them and showed them WHERE to jack up the trailer. You know, X marks the spot underneath the trailer.

I drove from Rawlins, Wyoming and at a stop I noticed that several tires had the center tread that was no longer level. I stopped at their dealership in Rock Springs, WY and they called the Rawlins, WY shop to determine what to do...

"Sir, tire failure from overloading your trailer."

My fault, of course. I drove to Salt Lake City, Utah and replaced all four of the new tires and the Marathon spare with Maxxis purchased at Les Schwab Tire Center. Never had a tire issue again.

When these tires were getting worn, I purchased a set of trailer tires at Costco. Never had a tire issue again.

I know, I am short on facts, but this was years ago and the receipts were given to the person that purchased the trailer from me, before I purchased the 2014 International. Some years ago I posted this story on the Airforums.

My advice is to stick with a well known brand like Greenball, Maxxis, Carlisle.

I was a newbie tire sucker. You have no defense when a tire dealer says... "Tire Failure due to Overloading". Takes care of any warranty issues and you cannot prove them wrong.

Shortly I will be replacing my Marathons on my 2014. They may be dependable for many years to come. The 15" D rated tires have to be better than my 14" C rated tires on the 23 footer. When the 14" Marathons were removed from the wheel, they had no weight for the size of tire. I will not take any chances after reading some threads on tire separations damaging thousands of dollars of their trailer. My opinion... the 14" Marathon is an accident waiting to happen.

Either going to a 16" Sendel wheel and Michelin LT's or another brand of 15" tires I have confidence to provide me years of reliable service.

r carl · 03-11-2016, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

"Sir, tire failure from overloading your trailer."

That's when you lie back and say I had the trailer weighed and the numbers are good!

Mrjkq · 03-11-2016, 03:14 PM

Interesting Ray, I plan to install Maxxis E rated 10 ply before we head out in May for a cross country trip. I'm convinced after much research they are the best ST tire on the market. The new Michelin 109T had my attention but I'm staying with the ST tire.

Ray Eklund · 03-11-2016, 07:54 PM

Doing a lot of reading lately on wheels and tires. There was a tire thread mentioning 14" Maxxis (C rated) that were two years old from Thailand. The manufacturer ordered too many and has new old stock sitting in the warehouse. Maybe 15" tires are faster sellers and fresh.

Request that the tires be made within the last six months... four months, or yesterday... but state you do not want anything older than what you ask for.

My first Airstream was a 2006 and the 14" Marathons were made in New Zealand and had a grey exterior... Problem from day one. Of course... my fault from overloading. When I took it home I was trying to read the tire size and this black gook they wiped on the tires to look black was hard to remove from my hands. Thank you Airstream salesman.

I am leaning towards a Michelin with nitrogen from Costco...if they will install them on wheels attached to a trailer.

After reading tire threads on the Airforum... I might get a part time job selling tires with the experience I have gained already. May as well put the knowledge to use. Goodyear (Airstreams) or Goodrich (Toyota Tundra) will not be on my list of interviews...

Obviously, a human casualty from a failure of information overload.

Ray Eklund · 03-11-2016, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrjkq

Interesting Ray, I plan to install Maxxis E rated 10 ply before we head out in May for a cross country trip. I'm convinced after much research they are the best ST tire on the market. The new Michelin 109T had my attention but I'm staying with the ST tire.

*******

I had the best results with Tow Max and Tow Master tires. Les Schwab in Salt Lake City sold me one of those brands and Costco the other. Both were excellent tires for my 14" Load Range C options.

I had stated Maxxis in Post #1 from Les Schwab, but was one of the above two brands.

I would also compare tire weights from one another. Excise tax use to be higher as the weight of the tire rubber increased. They also proved to be a better quality tire. This is from working at Department 28 at Sears catalog in Kansas City, Missouri in the late 1960's with the "night crew".

Isuzusweet · 03-11-2016, 09:41 PM

As with a lot of "lifetime warranties" and "limited warranties these days, they're not worth the paper they're written on. If a company can get out of it by pinning the blame on the buyer, so be it. To tell you the truth I don't even bother anymore, as I already know what's coming.

Cheers
Tony

CapriRacer · 03-12-2016, 05:46 AM

I think the lesson here ought to be to weigh your trailer to be sure. When you do, be sure to either weigh each tire separately, or account for side to side and front to rear differences.

tjdonahoe · 03-12-2016, 10:22 AM

Ray Eckland, you don't want to know what I think of Maxxis, greenball and Carlisle tires ,they are all Chinese ,no more of junk here....

yashila · 03-12-2016, 11:09 AM

And to make things worse (I work at a law firm), we had a case a few years back that involved *counterfeited* tires. i.e. made in South America but branded as top end U.S. tires. Even the regional distributor and dealer had been suckered. Our client was the U.S. tire manufacturer who had us trace down where these tires had come from - it was their reputation on the line after all! We were able to trace it - to a point. Never did catch the actual 'bad guys' but were able to get enough information so the U.S. company could quickly identify the fakes. Notices were sent to all dealers and they managed to pull them from the market.

cabinetmaker · 03-12-2016, 11:10 AM

My new Pendleton is coming with factory 16" Mich LT's...the factory must know something they aren't willing to admit.

Ray Eklund · 03-12-2016, 11:14 AM

As tjdonahoe Post #8 comments... "no more junk here".

I recalled the name of the set of four Chinese trailer tires that did not even make it out of Wyoming. "Hi Run Trailer Tires" bought from Plains Tire Company. That was the name and looked it up on a Google Search in the event I was imagining the name.

There is a Thread on the Airforum about these tires. Chinese Hi-Run Tires Quality, posted 10-16-09 with 6 posts. This came up on a Google Search with many others.

These tires, even threaded for use in a land fill, would do the land fill an injustice!

Ray Eklund · 03-12-2016, 11:19 AM

Cabinetmaker... saw our first Pendleton Trailer leaving Colorado while we were going back to Castle Rock from Nevada this month. Their break in trip which must have been a 30'. I believe they said there was a limit of 200 to be built. They were looking for a place to Boondock in Arizona...

Number.... #0025. First thing I wanted to see... the tires. Michelin 16 inch.

**Action** · 03-12-2016, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

My new Pendleton is coming with factory 16" Mich LT's...the factory must know something they aren't willing to admit.

The buying public wants larger diameter tires. Mostly because of looks. From the 1960s to early 1980s the standard rim diameter on a full sized car or most trucks was 15". Since buyers are stepping up to larger rim size manufacturers are going there. And there is a trickle down to RVs.

And a Pendleton is a "Niche" or limited edition trailer so for a greater price features will be added to meet the buyers expectations of a niche vehicle.

Some times a greater price is unacceptable and so just necessary items are installed on a vehicle to meet that expectation.

>>>>>>>>>Action

dcasr · 03-12-2016, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrjkq

Interesting Ray, I plan to install Maxxis E rated 10 ply before we head out in May for a cross country trip. I'm convinced after much research they are the best ST tire on the market. The new Michelin 109T had my attention but I'm staying with the ST tire.

Just be aware that the Maxxis are SPEED LIMITED to 65mph. If you are going to drive 70 and occasionally faster, keep looking. If you actually drive 60 mph with occasional 65, buy them.

I am on my second set of Maxxis. The first set aged out at 3 years, and I had driven them at 70-75 mph not knowing about the SPEED LIMITED factor, and I had two tread separations, caught before any damage was done.

My next set of four will be an upgrade to 16" Michelins LT E rating.

Mrjkq · 03-12-2016, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

Ray Eckland, you don't want to know what I think of Maxxis, greenball and Carlisle tires ,they are all Chinese ,no more of junk here....

Maxxis tires are made in Tiawan not China.

SeaLevel · 03-12-2016, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcasr

Just be aware that the Maxxis are SPEED LIMITED to 65mph. If you are going to drive 70 and occasionally faster, keep looking. If you actually drive 60 mph with occasional 65, buy them.

I am on my second set of Maxxis. The first set aged out at 3 years, and I had driven them at 70-75 mph not knowing about the SPEED LIMITED factor, and I had two tread separations, caught before any damage was done.

My next set of four will be an upgrade to 16" Michelins LT E rating.

These have an R speed rating:

http://www.amazon.com/Maxxis-M8008-R.../dp/B004QL6I0U

Mrjkq · 03-12-2016, 04:30 PM

The Maxxis E rated tire has a speed rating of 100 mph. I drive at 65 mph max when towing, sometimes exceed that to pass so that 100 mph speed rating Is well within my limits.

BoldAdventure · 03-12-2016, 05:21 PM

Ray, Michelin LTX MS/2 tires, over a year now, they're great tires and do well with all the boondocking. On 16 inch wheels. No regrets. Also from Costco.

Tincampers · 03-13-2016, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaLevel

These have an R speed rating:

http://www.amazon.com/Maxxis-M8008-R.../dp/B004QL6I0U

Don't believe everything you read. They also say that Marathons have an R rating. Neither is correct.

**jcanavera** · 03-13-2016, 09:36 AM

And I wish that the E rated Maxxis had been the tire that I had been able to prove to be the successor to the Marathons. I kept these inflated to 80 psi and traveled around 60-65 mph all their life. Indoor storage when the trailer wasn't in use and two of the four suffered belt separation on their first trip on year 4 of use. The Marathon's started to fail at the end of year 3 of use. ST tires just don't have the ability to handle a heavy Airstream reliably for the 4-5 year lifespan that most of us expect from trailer tires.

The tall tires next to the shorter ones are the failed Maxxis tires with separated belts. Luckily I detected these before a blow out.

Jack