LFD2037

I recently bought a new 5th wheel camper. It came w/Goodyear Marathon 15" tires & I have read all the horror stories about these tires so I'm looking @ getting some better ones. Should I go w/ trailer tires or LT tires? I see alot of people running Maxxis tires but I've never been a fan of Maxxis. What do ya'll recommend for good tires that aren't crazy expensive?

PCM

My '07 Keystone Outback Sydney fiver came with China made Milestar tires. I read nothing good about them, however, I had good luck with them towing at 70mph in the FL hot summer heat last summer. I did keep them inflated to max sidewall pressure and keep the speed 70mph.
Keystone did a voluntary recall on the tires and they were replaced with Goodyear Marathon Chinese made, too). I had the dealer install high pressure valve stems and balance them, too. To this point these have posed no issues either.
I believe that while a good quality tire is important, to often tire failure is caused by low pressure valve stems, under inflation, over loading, or combination of any.
I'm neurotic about knowing my trailers' cargo, axle, and tire capacity. Look at the sidewall of your tire and note the tire capacity, then weigh your trailer axles empty. That will give you the carry capacity of your tires so that you don't overload. Make sure they have high pressure valve stems and keep them inflated to max pressure. That is what I have done for 6k miles of trouble free towing. Good luck. PCM

rich

on my goosenecks i run load range e which are basically truck tires never have any problems and we haul up to 18k on the trailers. there easy to find and to buy

67HotRod

I have 6 year old Carlise tires made in China on my TT. I plan on a set of Maxxis tires soon. Goodyear Marathon tires that are made in china are getting a bad rap. Still some made in the usa Goodyear Marathons being sold. Do you know if you have the usa or china tires? If you have the made in the good ol usa tires, don't worry about them.

LFD2037

I'll check if their US made in the a.m. I hear what your saying about the valvestems. When I went to put air in them to put them @ max.(65 psi) the valvestems were flimsy as heck. I will @ least have those replaced!

PCM

Any tire that uses more than 45lbs of air (according to Goodyear) should have high presure stems.
When I questioned the Goodyear rep about whether or not my new Marathons were made in China or not, he assured me that no Goodyear tires were made in China. It was pretty funny when he returned from the warehouse with 4 China made Marathons.
If you read some of the rv fourms, you will read of problems with all tire companies. Again, I think a lot is due to overheating due to underinflation AND overloading. Be sure to see eactly what margin of weight you have before the tire is overloaded.
Finally, ST tires are not speed rated for over 65mph, UNLESS the rim can is rated for higher pressure than the tire. Thats according to the Goodyear tire website.

supr

I would recommend metal valve stems. GoodYear will stand behind their tires.
Keeping them inflated to the max is important.
ST tires, in theory, are made to sit for long periods. They have side walls that can stand being jacknifed, where you are dragging a tire. Same is true on tight forward turns.
I think if you travel a lot LT is OK. That said, I have those on my utility trailer.
I have had 12k on it, no problem. I have not used it much lately.
A funny line from an RV writer, he wants to go to "RV Heaven", where tires never wear out or fail". Amen!

DieselDo

heavy duty valve stems make all the difference. most trailer tires are made in china nowadays,don't worry about it. like said above . max pressure,heavy duty valve stems. if you trailer alot ,backing in,and getting out of tight places st tires are the way to go.

supr

I just got bak from my GoodYear dealer, replacing a G614RST LT235/85/R16.
It was 5 year old, the tread came off. It is load rated G, 3750 lbs. I contacted Goodyear via the web. The tires list for $250, with pro-ration from Goodyear, I paid $75 for a new tire. Support does not get better than that.
He did say they had a lot of problems with Marathon in 2000 & 01. Bad design.
All fixed, he says they are still made in Canada, if that matters. If you work with Goodyear, they WILL take care of you.
My Dealer is a "Comapny" store. They often have more $ latitude than franchised dealers, since they are supported by Goodyear.

PCM

Hats off to my local Goodyear/Gemini dealer. They gave great service and took great care of my trailer while swithing out the tires. I know that if I have a problem on the road, I can get help due to the national dealership network. However, my recently manufactured Marathons are China made. Doubt any USA or Canada produced can be found any longer. PCM

Pull Ya

I think that the reason some people are using Maxxis tires is because, I believe, Maxxis is the only 15" trailer tire that is a 10 ply(Load range E). Goodyear Marathons 225x75x15 are load range D(8 ply). I agree that Goodyear has an excellent warranty however it doesn't make much difference if your at the side of the highway changing a blown out tire with vehicles going by at 70mph. I always carry 2 spares and a good jack--If you tow a lot it's not a matter of IF you will have a blow out it's a matter of when. Exceptions are rare. Checking the air pressure is vital no matter what brand of tire you have. IMHO
Jay

dieselcamp

Go with trailer tires, they run cooler for one and are designed for the application, I personaly stay away from carlise tires.

Bigwhitey3500

If I needed to buy tires I think I'd go with the Maxxis too. The 225x75R15ST E's are rated to 2830 which is almost 300 pounds more than all the rest. www.tires-easy.com has them for $105

LFD2037

I checked them & they are made in Canada. Production date 22 week of 2006. I'm def. going to get better valvastems. I just got back from a 700 mi. round trip & they did fine. I made sure they stayed @ 65 psi.

Rednax

Have YOKOHAMA RY-215's on mine, a commercial duty LT tire in 7.00Rx15. Tire Rack carries them, also in a 16.