Tires ?????????

[joel]

I am back again. I was on before about a tire recall and was satisfied with what i found out untill I found out that my local goodyear dealer could not read. There was not a official recall but they were exchanging some of the old marathons on 5th wheels to the new marathon S series due to side wall blowout from the high weight and lateral movement othe units. The new tire still has 2 ply side walls but the plies are now twice as thick. What I found out from another dealer was that my tires were not 2 years old but 10 years old . They had been well preserved and covered when not rolling. So I am in the market for tires .

ANY recommendations out there ???????? Thanks.

[uwe]

I just got new GoodYear Marathons. 225/75R15 Load Range D
I think they are fantastic, compared to my old tires.
I can recommend them.

[silverback]

Our CCD came with load range C tires which may be fine for our weight (4200-5000+). An old airstreamer we met on our last outing with a 28' classic said go to the D's no matter. He said it stopped all his tire problems. What do you think?
KL

[Rog0525]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but I think Airstream equips their new trailers with Goodyear Marathons. I bought 2 load range D's for $80 each at a local tire store.

Rog

[InsideOut]

What I found out from another dealer was that my tires were not 2 years old but 10 years old.

If they are ten years old, they should be replaced regardless of the miles or appearance. We too have the Goodyear Marathons...

Shari

[Gene Wissink]

I just got a set plus spare from the local Sams, they sure put a lot of wheel weights on them to get them ballanced,the old truck tires did not have that many weights on them. They put them inside and out, its a good thing that they do not charge by the pound.

[markdoane]

Gee, I hope Andy/InlandRV has something to say about this situation.
Sounds to me like the wheel and tire were both out of balance on the same side. Maybe you should take them back and have them rotate the tire 180° on the rim. There has to be a standard maximum weight that can be added before the setup is rejected.
If you decide not to take them back, I would take a picture of the weights so that you will know if any fall off and need replacing.

[Tripp]

Sounds like you had your wheels/tires dynamically balanced. This is IMO the best way to have them balanced. Old steel wheels can really be our of balance. I recently had bias ply tires balanced on steel wheels and they must've added 1# per tire inside and out to get them perfectly balanced.

As long as you have an experienced person balancing everything, you should be OK. Check the weights often though to ensure you haven't thrown one off.

Now, make sure you balance your hubs, and then the hub/wheel/tire assy, and you'll be set!




Tripp

[markdoane]

I assumed (bad me) that since the previous tires didn't take that much weight that the rims weren't that badly out of balance. I would still not want to have 1 lb of lead on a new tire, whether dynamically balanced or not. Just sounds like a lot.

[Tripp]

It IS a lot of weight. I was told that your tires could "be in balance" without being "set at zero" or in otherwords, be perfectly balanced, just within spec.

I specifically requested mine to be "perfect", and thats when they suggested the dynamic balancing-balancing inside and outside of the rims.

The tech assured me that it would be fine, as I too had the same reaction. I was like "WHOA! whats going on here?!".

Mine were also with my bias ply Carlisles. I was switching them out from the factory mags to steel wheels. (I'm having the mags polished and installing them with Marathons for my 73 31' that I'm currently restoring.)

The Carlisles are 'C' range for my 25' Tradewind.

Tripp

[markdoane]

I really wasn't aware that anyone (except Andy at Inland RV) still did bubble balancing. All my tires for the last 20 years have been dynamically balanced. Also, I really don't follow the logic that more weight means its more perfectly balanced.
I had a pair of 11R22.5s mounted on the steer axle of my Peterbilt and I don't think they took over a 12 oz of lead.
Keep at 'em
Don in Minnetonka

[Gene Wissink]

The most weight that I found was 7 1/2 oz on one tire, it looked like a lot until I added up the numbers, I thougtht the new axle assemblies were balanced.

[markdoane]

I just bought a new axle and hubs-I plan to balance the hubs before I mount them. When I asked the Dexter rep who he would recommend, he said"Nobody balances their hubs!"
I suppose that includes the factory.

[Action]

Don,

Especially the factory does not balance hubs. Not that they do not care. It's just that time vs: money thing. The less the factory (any manufacturer) has do to to get the unit to acceptable tolerance the better place in the market. Typically warranty dollars come from a different "pot" so if work has to be done later it does not effect the market price.

This is the difference between mass production and a individual's taste. Because some individuals may want that and others may not. There are different uses for the unit. If an individual wants an Airsteam for a 2nd home to be moved very little, tire/wheel balance is not a high concern.

And yet if you have the opportunity to balance the hubs seperate from the tire/wheel assy I would encourage it. And then again I usually move to over do things given a choice.

>>>>>>>Action

[overlander63]

I just got a pair of ST225 75R15's for our trailer. They were load range C, which is what the trailer came with, and are within 1/2" (maybe less) difference in diameter and width of the old number series tires. There seem to be many opinions about load range, my opinion is to use what the trailer came with. If for some reason you want to go with a heavier load range, I again would reccommend the stock inflation, which on mine is 50 psi. The more air you put in the tires, the rougher the ride for the trailer and everything in it.
It is also a very good idea to balance the tires when you get them, to keep the shaking to a minimum, very important on an A/S.
We just went on a 1800+ mile trip with ours, with the new tires, no problems at all, and when we got back here, I looked at the tread, and the little casting seam is still visible in the center of the tread (a good thing).
Terry