Goodyear tires. Keep or replace

[polarlyse]

I replaced my 3 yr old GYM's last year. In removing them I found 1 had failed with the beginning of tread separation on the inside ( where it could not be seen). I travel about 10k miles / year. Fortunately it didn't happen under way where considerable damage us frequently the outcome. If you choose to keep them inspect them regularly. You should be able to get a couple of years travel out of them.

[KJRitchie]

My experience with GYM that were less than 3 years old was not good. Had a set on preowned 2009 Casita that I purchased in November 2010. In 2011 one of them started wearing funny while at Glacier Natl Park, cupping on the outside edge. Switched to the spare. No issues getting home. I replaced them with Maxxis ST8008 in early 2012. No issues with these tires. In 2013 we purchased our 2008 Classic 25fb with the original GYM. I immediate replaced them with Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL including the spare after reading about them in these forums I'm using a TireTraker pressure monitoring system to monitor the tires while towing. I didn't want to take any chances with tire failure.

Kelvin

[Moflash]

Do a search on the forum for Goodyear Marathons and you decide if replacement is necessary.

[switz]

The factory recommends 65 psi on the GoodYear Marathon ST tires they install, which is the maximum pressure printed on the tire sidewall.

The 15" Michelins have a maximum pressure of 50psi printed on their sidewall.

These are two completely different tire designs and ratings, so the tire pressures are tire model specific.

Just like with the 16" Michelin tires we installed, their sidewall maximum pressure is 80 psi. We carry 75 psi which would be too much pressure for the factory 15" GoodYear tires.

[interstateflyer]

The factory installed 14 inch Goodyear Marathon ST215/75R14LRCs on my 2014 23D. They call for 50 psi.

The 15 inch Michelin P235/75R15 108 XL LTX M/S2s call for 50 psi.

[AIRTRVL]

Interstateflyer,
I have a 2014 23' FB. I'm thinking about changing out the 14" GYM's with the 15" Michelin P235/75R15's. Do they fit ok in the wheel well? Hows the ride and handling?

[interstateflyer]

Originally Posted by AIRTRVL

Interstateflyer,
I have a 2014 23' FB. I'm thinking about changing out the 14" GYM's with the 15" Michelin P235/75R15's. Do they fit ok in the wheel well? Hows the ride and handling?

Wheel well clearance is about 1". I filed the trim down another 1/2". I don't envision a circumstance where the wells/axle would flex enough or at all to breach the 1 1/2 inches. A friend pointed out that snow could accumulate in the space.....I don't tow in the snow. I had an International 19 with 16 inch Michelins with similar clearances....not problems in 10K miles.

The ride is much better. It seems to track better. Also more braking surface.

[silverbp]

You know these Airstreams are not what i would call cheap. Its sad. You would think Airstream management would read this stuff and pull the GYM from service before they see one on the nightly news. Why take any chances with safety. Oh well. I do plan on trying to sell them all tires & wheels.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums silver bp

[Van1]

Has anyone considered using Nitro gas in their tires instead of air. They advertise that the tires don't heat up as much as with air.

[interstateflyer]

I used nitrogen in racing tires to stabilize their size and temperature for a more predictable setup.

The difficulty in Airstream touring is sourcing nitrogen along the way. You could carry a heavy nitrogen tank if it were in line with your cargo weight targets.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=191

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by r carl

I hope you don't think Marathons and Michelins run the same temps.

I'm hoping that it is obvious that if the tires have different load carrying capacities, but are actually carrying the same load, the operating temperatures would be different. In other words, there are several factors at work here, not just brand.

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by Van1

Has anyone considered using Nitro gas in their tires instead of air. They advertise that the tires don't heat up as much as with air.

An old wives tale. Nitrogen and air react very very similarly when used in tires.

[interstateflyer]

Originally Posted by CapriRacer

An old wives tale. Nitrogen and air react very very similarly when used in tires.

To clarify....we used Nitrogen in Sprint Kart (go cart) racing to promote a more predictable handling setup in relatively short races, 15-30 minutes at speeds up to 100 mph. The tires swell, change shape at a lower rate with Nitrogen in those conditions.

Nitrogen expands at a slower rate than compressor air by nature primarily because pure nitrogen from a pressurized tank assumedly isn't contaminated by moisture (H20). Compressed air takes on whatever moisture exits in the environment and expands more rapidly when heated.

I'm not sure that you would see a significant benefit in trailers tires in the long run especially considering the hassle in maintaining a predictable Nitrogen supply.

[Moflash]

I use nitrogen in my Airstream tires.The only benefit I have seen is less pressure fluctuation and not having to add any in 1.5 years.Who knows..........................

[dkottum]

We use a mixture of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen and haven't lost any pressure in two years.

[Moflash]

To get the desired benefits for tires, nitrogen needs to be at least 93 percent pure, according to nitrogen service equipment providers quoted on Tirerack.com.

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by dkottum

We use a mixture of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen and haven't lost any pressure in two years.

Good one, Doug! I've gone even further by setting myself up to breathe the same mixture for nearly 58 years, so far no blowouts!

[markdoane]

I replaced a pair of 6 year old Marathons with Maxxis ST tires before my trip west.

1. I never had a problem with the Marathons, even though they are run at near full load capacity on a single axle Tradewind. Tire load is about 2450 lbs. Always ran 65 psi cold, although they read in the upper 70s when up to temp at 70 mph.

2. The new Maxxis have about 4000 miles on them. I keep them inflated to 75 psi. One of the wheels failed halfway across Montana and I replaced that wheel. The original wheels were filled with nitrogen, and the replacement wheel was filed with regular compressed air. I saw no difference in cold or hot pressure (up to 88 psi hot) between the nitrogen tire and air filled tire.

Your results may vary. I am a scientist and engineer so I understand that a single set of data points is not statistically valid.

[Siegmann]

Markdoane, I don't what you are towing, but I thought Airstreams OEM wheels might not be rated to handle those higher pressures. Did you change them out, and if so, who made the wheel that failed?

[markdoane]

The original wheels on my '59 Tradewind were 7.00-14.5 trailer wheels, which I replaced with Dexstar steel wheels rated 75 psi.

My tire retailer said they would be alright for the Maxxis 10 ply rated tires. Turns out he was wrong. One of the wheels split (slow leak at the weld), but I noticed it right away on my TPMS sensor. I was able to make it to a Tire-O-Rama with 67 psi left in the tire.

Now I have a white spoke wheel ($39.95) on one side and a black baby moon on the other.

My new SenDel T03BMs will be here on Friday.