A different type of GYM failure?

[truxpin]

Over the years I've seen hundreds of posts dealing with the shortcomings of the Goodyear Marathon tire. Almost all of which are the things horror stories are made of.....
So when it came time to replace the rubber on our triple axle, I shied away from them. Strictly due to what I'd read about them.
And.... That's, that.

A few years go by....... and today I'm over to my Father's house to say "Hi" and visit after his week long RV trip to the lake. (Roosevelt Lake, Southern Arizona)
We're standing out in the driveway by his Jayco single axel and I notice that on the spare tire holder at the back bumper, is a tire that clearly has had a blow out. So, I bring it into the discussion....
He says to me "It was the damnedest thing.... We just started happy hour and heard this loud bang! It just blew"
I start with the questions...... Maybe a nail or other puncture ? How old are they? Any construction on the trip up to the lake? Rough road? Which side blew, road or curb?
I skip the obvious heat related questions, because Summer is clearly over, even in Southern Arizona.



He laughs & says " That actually IS the spare tire. It's never seen use. "
That's when I had to go over and see who's tire it was, when I saw it was a GYM I knew someone here would love to hear the story.
According to Dad..... The tires are all 5 years old, the spare has always been on the holder, covered with a cover untill last year, and he actually checks the pressure in the spare before every trip ( 50 psi)
This is as good a reason as any to NEVER put a Goodyear tire on MY Airstream!

[AWCHIEF]

Tires do not self destruct for no reason, even GYMs. Standing by for the rest of the story as to what else happened to cause this.

[FCStreamer]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Tires do not self destruct for no reason, even GYMs. Standing by for the rest of the story as to what else happened to cause this.

X2. Even in internet infamy, GYMs don't spontaneously combust.

[Tn Traveler]

Keeping the spare covered is cause for concern. If the tire was in a position that water could collect with no outlet in the spare tire cover that could have been the problem. Tires that sit in water for long periods can deteriorate. I would investigate that.

[dwightdi]

There is not that much rubber left on the tread. The vent knobs have been worn off. This tire has clearly spent some time on the road. It looks like the steel bands broke first which then separated the tire. There is likely some other contributing causes to the failure, but they are not event to me from the photo.

[AWCHIEF]

Ditto, looks like a well used tire. Someone is misrepresenting the truth.

[Jacob D]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Ditto, looks like a well used tire. Someone is misrepresenting the truth.

I say ditto too. As I have posted several times, I run only GYM's on my '67 and until a road hazard ate one, only GoodYear Wranglers on my TV. The GYM's have served well for 15 years and many miles with no problems. Same for the Wrangler LT's. The only reason I have two Uniroyals on the TV now is the tire store in another town where I encountered a carpenter's 12 inch long spade bit had sold out of Wranglers and the need to get home prevailed.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by truxpin

Over the years I've seen hundreds of posts dealing with the shortcomings of the Goodyear Marathon tire. Almost all of which are the things horror stories are made of.....
So when it came time to replace the rubber on our triple axle, I shied away from them. Strictly due to what I'd read about them.
And.... That's, that.

A few years go by....... and today I'm over to my Father's house to say "Hi" and visit after his week long RV trip to the lake. (Roosevelt Lake, Southern Arizona)
We're standing out in the driveway by his Jayco single axel and I notice that on the spare tire holder at the back bumper, is a tire that clearly has had a blow out. So, I bring it into the discussion....
He says to me "It was the damnedest thing.... We just started happy hour and heard this loud bang! It just blew"
I start with the questions...... Maybe a nail or other puncture ? How old are they? Any construction on the trip up to the lake? Rough road? Which side blew, road or curb?
I skip the obvious heat related questions, because Summer is clearly over, even in Southern Arizona.



He laughs & says " That actually IS the spare tire. It's never seen use. "
That's when I had to go over and see who's tire it was, when I saw it was a GYM I knew someone here would love to hear the story.
According to Dad..... The tires are all 5 years old, the spare has always been on the holder, covered with a cover untill last year, and he actually checks the pressure in the spare before every trip ( 50 psi)
This is as good a reason as any to NEVER put a Goodyear tire on MY Airstream!

Looks like that tire had a bubble which blew out. Being on a trailer, you'd never feel it. By the way, I'd never run a 5 year old trailer tire.

[kleimanr]

You guys can defend GYMs all you want. I wish I had the last 5 that separated on my 2006 30 classic to send you. The first one was when I left the dealer (new trailer) and stopped for a burger on the way home. Lucky I saw it and took it off. They were and still are junk.

[FCStreamer]

It's not a matter of defending GYMs. But to suggest they spontaneously combust is just a tad too thick. Yes, this forum has become a magnet for GYM horror stories. Those of us who use them have noticed. But there's no need to pile it on with stories like this.

[ijustlee]

That looks like a road worn tire to me also! It may have suffered a hard impact from a rock or pothole at some point. I used to think that Michelin tires were the best until I had a few cord separations on them. Now I think all tires are about the same, the manufacturers are stingy with the chemicals that keep the rubber alive to save cost.

[tjdonahoe]

My gyms had 22,000 miles on them , they are 3.5 years old, they are at 50 percent, nice even wear, were rotated every year, they did good , no problems , were removed and I installed 16" michelins,

[dkottum]

We stuck with the GYM's for two years' long distance travel. But I knew the odds were against us and favored the 16" Michelins. So were made the change, wasn't all that expensive considering other various RV upgrades and the confidence it gives us.

[Bill M.]

Actually tires do sometimes just come apart. I had a VW in the 60's that had a old spare in the holder up front under the hood that just blew one hot day.

[Dexterpix]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

Actually tires do sometimes just come apart. I had a VW in the 60's that had a old spare in the holder up front under the hood that just blew one hot day.

Because tire manufacturing from 50 YEARS AGO is the same as today.

The perpetual bashing of GYM is as old as that tire in OP.

Joe D

[Action]

Originally Posted by Tn Traveler

Keeping the spare covered is cause for concern. If the tire was in a position that water could collect with no outlet in the spare tire cover that could have been the problem. Tires that sit in water for long periods can deteriorate. I would investigate that.

Not covering a tire in Arizona greatly shortens the service life. No cause for concern in coverning tires. All tires including the spare. The sun in the SW will beat up any tire. So if one is prudent covering a tire when the trailer is not being used is the best way to protect the tire.

As to water accumulation in the spare tire cover .....that's funny for this Tucson traveler! The average annual rain fall in Phoenix is 8" and about 11" in Tucson. And we haven't hit average in a few years. What water does accumulate evaporates in days. ...... It's a dry heat and at times I think it is a dry rain.

>>>>>>>>>Action

[Bgibbs]

For a tire that's never been used, it sure has a lot of dirt in the shoulder tread and lots of lug wrench scratches around the lug holes. Tires can explode while sitting. I had just mounted a new Continental tire several years ago and as I tightened the lug nuts I watched a bubble grow in the sidewall until it "popped". Tire had been about 50 feet from the tire machine to the lift.

[Jacob D]

Originally Posted by dkottum

We stuck with the GYM's for two years' long distance travel. But I knew the odds were against us and favored the 16" Michelins. So were made the change, wasn't all that expensive considering other various RV upgrades and the confidence it gives us.

I live in Upstate SC where Michelin US head quarters resides and most of their manufacturing facilities. I have had many friends and business acquaintances over the years who enjoyed great careers working for the French company. Michelin has been a real boon to our local economy. Those are good reasons to favor them.

My Chevy TV came with 4 Michelin's on the ground when I inherited it. Granted, the tires were nearly 10 years old at the time, but had new appearance. All four tires failed on the road with in a year. Two by actual blow outs with no visible road damage and two by "slow outs" following side wall separation. Michelin remains the only tires I have ever owned to spontaneously blow out and that includes some other brands as old as 15 years....(think GYM)

Having said all that, I believe Michelin makes good tires. I also believe Michelin has not done enough in the past to protect their tires from sunlight. That may well have changed in the near past....I hope so.

[xrvr]

The lifetime for tv tires is usually stated as six years plus or minus.?

[r carl]

Weather cracking is a naturally occurring condition that results from exposure to heat and sunlight. Goodyear's warranty for weather cracking is four years from purchase date (or four years from manufacture date if proof of purchase is not available).