tire crisis anybody have an opinion about gladiator 10 ply?

[anami]

So i ordered the maaxis m8008 tires from a local tire place and went to pick them up as scheduled, they were unexpectedly closed So today i call to make sure they are going to actually be opened this saterday as i leave for a trip on the 28th and still have a fridge install to finish up and a new ac unit going on, plus a new waterpump for my truck, no time for repeated jaunts to closed tire shops! SO when i called today i was informed that Maaxix is out of tires and will not make any more until enough are ordered They say this could take up to 45 days! after some moments of being stunned that they didnt call to tell my the tires were not here two tuesdays ago as planned i have decided to go somewhere where they have enough concideration to tell a customer that their special order is on back order.

So my options are to wait for the other tire company to get likely the same response from maaxis or go with what they reccommend and have in stock, which are Gladiator 10ply special trailer tires.

Anyone have these? love these hate these have love stories have horror stories? if so please let me know, i am almost out of time!


Thanks in advance

[overlander63]

10 ply tires are a bit much for your trailer. Is there any reason you don't want Marathons? At least you can get them.

[wingfoot321]

I would guess that your 31footer is around 6500-7000lbs. You don't need that much tire.

The new rating system is load range C or D or E. I have lost touch with where the 10 ply falls into the new scheme. A load range D is more than enough tire for your trailer.

2540# x 4 tires - tongue weight = 10,160 - 750-1000lbs or 7500# (with gear) / 9160lbs = 82% of maximum load.

I wonder who is out of tires? Maxxis or the dealer ? Never heard of such a thing.

[silverback]

But I did buy a set of M8008 STs for our trailer. Believe they were the 8 ply version. I would try another dealer.

[rustyrivet]

This is a very interesting post. I just ordered a set of Maxxis 8008's two day ago through a local tire shop. He called the warehouse while I was in the shop, and they verified they had them in inventory and gave him a price on them. He indicated that I should have them by friday...tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if they arrive. Mine were smaller tires: 215/75/14's but still Maxxis. As far as the question about Marathons, I have spent a considerable amount of time on the internet the last few months researching tires and read just too many bad reports of blowouts and separations with Marathons. The tires that I am replacing are Marathons. I have had no blowouts or separations on them but the sidewalls have some hairline cracks in them. They (all 4) were made in the 3rd week of 04. I had already decided to replace them due to age, when I discovered the cracks. I know there are a lot of satisfied Marathon users and I know Airstream puts them on their trailers; mine are the originals. But I simply cannot ignore all the postings( Just Google "Goodyear Marathons") and you can read for hours) I have read over the past few months. I would not feel safe on the Marathons at this point and that is the bottom line. Hope my Maxxis come in. jc

[anami]

ok, so no marathons for me because noone in my area carrys them, heard mixed reponses about them and they cost a lot. As for maaxix being out of tires, i dont think they are completely out of tires just the m8008 in size 225 r15.

yes 10ply is more than i need but it is what the only tire dealer in town who hasnt done me wrong (after that one incident 15 years ago) has on the shelf and i am quickly running out of time for special orders.

Also if every place has to order the m8008 or marathons if i have a warrenty issue on the road, i cant get the same tire to replace the fail.

So basically since the last place didnt tell me my tire of choice was back ordered i am now having to pick between what the folks in my town have on the shelf. towmaster and dyna trail which i have heard bad things about both or these gladiators. Never have heard of gladiators but guy at the shop says hes sold hundreds without a single one coming back on warranty. Checked out the site and the tires are specially designed to ride nice with reduced tire wear and designed to run cooler than other tires, which as i am heading out into one of the harshest desert enviroments in 15 days appeals to me greatly

i am pretty sure they are D rated tires but i forgot to ask and will call to do so in the morning...

[HiHoAgRV]

Originally Posted by overlander63

...Marathons? At least you can get them.

Humm, A pal of mine is a non-stocking distributor for GoodYear and offered this week to get Marathons for my 34' at his cost.

He can't get them for the next 4 weeks because "they" are out of them .

[unclemax]

Hey guys,
man, we must be brain faxing or something, i just called discount tire this morning to order a set of Maxxis 8008ST ST215/75R-14" for my 07 CCD 16' Bambi, replacing a set of Marathons that were original. Just like jc I too have been webcrawling non stop and have found nothing but bad news on the marathons, but I know some folks swear by them. I had one die on me last week on the way home from camping in the high mountains of CO, three years old but they were ready to go, so im replacing them. All the tire guys in town tried to talk me into another set of Marathons, but admitted that they didnt know much about towing, let alone Airstreams. The discount guy i ordered from tried to sell me carlyles, but when i ordered the Maxxis he said no problem, they should be here in 5 days or so and he said the tires should have a manufacture date of 2009. So lets see if they show up!
Bob at RDM16CCD has been helping educate me and has me thinking about a tire pressure monitoring system like the PressurePro. Expensive, but it might help with the Idiot-Factor (I get so excited towing the Bambi that I drive like an idiot and forget to check the tire pressure!) I'd be interested to hear how other Streamers do with the Maxxis tires, so keep posting.
thanks,
Max

[Not Done]

The dealer recommending 10-ply may not intend to steer you wrongly but 10 ply is too stiff for something (i.e. your AS) made with aluminum rivets. If the choice this dealer offers is between the wrong tire and no tire I'd go elsewhere. This is my second trailer with les schwab Towmax, never had a problem other than to insist I want them balanced.

[jcanavera]

I would echo the comment that the E rated tires might be a case of over kill. The M8008 also comes in a D rated version, same size, that is 8 ply rated. You might check back with your dealer to see if these are in stock.

I'm using the E rated 8008 only because of the weight penalty that my slide out carries. It's the heaviest trailer that Airstream makes on a tandem axle. I'm typically carrying a load in excess of 8,200 lbs. While the D rated tire can handle that load, I like having the extra margin of capacity. Especially on those outings when I'm carrying 60 gallons of fresh water.

As far as finding Maxxis when on the road, that's probably the biggest challenge we all will have to deal with. I couldn't find anyone in the St. Louis area carrying them (other than the motorcycle line of tires). We ended up getting them from a dealer about 150 miles southwest of here. Luckily my neighbor's headquarters office is there and he picked them up for me. If the tires perform, then service on the road won't be an issue since in 2 years I will have hit the 5 year mark and it will be time for replacement.

Jack

[SilverRanger]

I get excited while towing my Bambi, too. The PressurePro sure makes it easy to check your tire pressure. Just a touch of a button.

[silverback]

I got our Maxxis M8008s through Discount tire (here in AZ) too. And I also just bought a Pressure Pro. Got a great deal on that from Costco online.
-KL

[sempi2]

Originally Posted by silverback

I got our Maxxis M8008s through Discount tire (here in AZ) too. And I also just bought a Pressure Pro. Got a great deal on that from Costco online.
-KL

On the tires and/or the Pressure Pro?

[silverback]

Discount Tire for the Maxxis and Costco for the Pressure Pro. Sorry for any confusion.