Tires, this is B.S

[bake321]

I had a flat on my horse trailer so I attempted to air it up. I soon realized that I was not gaining much. I pulled the tire and discovered the tread seperated on the inside wall. I do a web search and discover that there has been issues with Goodyear Wrangler load range E. I keep hearing of trailer tire blowouts on the RV sights. Shouldn't we feel a level of confidence when we put new and properly rated tires on our trailers that they aren't going to fall apart?

Bake

 

[tallyho8]

Yes, we have enough to worry about when pulling horse trailers that we should not have to worry about tires in good condition. I was coming home Thursday pulling my horses in my trailer with my Ford F250 diesel. My tires were 2 years old but I only use this truck to pull my trailers and it has low miles on it. I had Courser A/T tires, load range E, supposedly made by Firestone, and I had checked the pressure at my last stop. They had very good tread on them. I was driving on the interstate at 70 mph for an hour and then I took the exit and got on the River Road and was doing 30 mph when the tire just blew out and sounded like a shotgun.

Friday I brought the tire back to the dealer to see about the warranty coverage. He said it was probably a manufacturing defect and he would give me a partial credit. I had paid $124 each for the tires. He checked his book and said they were now $168 and he would give me a $30 credit and charge me $138. I told him what to do with the tire and went to Sam's to get a name-brand American tire. I got Goodyear A/T D2 Load range E tires for $128 each. I hope these are not the ones they are having problems with.

 

[Bird]

I'm just curious as to why you'd buy the Wrangler instead of the Marathon; i.e., why not a tire designed specifically for trailers?

 

[Skyco]

I had Courser A/T tires, load range E, supposedly made by Firestone,

FWIW Courser tires are a Mastercraft brand and they are owned by Cooper.

 

[bake321]

Bird,
The the Wrangler name is used on Many different Goodyear models, also these are the tires that came from the trailer manufacture. If you google Marathon you will see that they also have had problems. The big issue is the over seas manufacturing, China and other parts of the world that get away with what they can untill they are caught.

Bake

 

[Matt_Jr]

Well, what do you expect? Tires are such a new invention they're still trying to work out the bugs. You think 100 years or so is enough time to get it right?

 

[Bird]

I only mentioned the Marathon because Goodyear is the brand that was being discussed. Actually I was just wondering why not use ST (trailer) tires, regardless of the brand. There are other brands that make trailer tires also. And there may be good reasons to not use them, but that's what I was wondering.

Special trailer tires have been around a long time, but I think the Goodyear Marathon was the first radial trailer tire. I replaced all the tires, wheels, axles, and springs under my 1988 fifth-wheel in the fall of 1990 and went with the Marathon tires. I never had a problem with them, but naturally, the current ones will be different from what I bought 18 years ago. I believe 1991 was when B.F. Goodrich started producing radial trailer tires, and I don't know about the other brands. I do know that some of the bigger fifth-wheel trailers use such big tires that special trailer tires were not available in suitable sizes a couple of years ago; not sure about now.

 

[2manyrocks]

I suppose trailer rated tires often aren't used because chain stores stock plain ole car tires and truck tires. I'm not sure if some of them even know the difference between a car and a truck tire.

I can't remember the difference in trailer tire construction, but doesn't it have something to do with less sidewall flex?

 

[horse7]

The latest thing is that some mfg (probably prodded by consumer groups) are recommending that tires be no older than 5yr for installation. So, if you read the tire code you can find out the mfg date, which will give you a 'sell by' date in essence.

Not much reason to buy a creepy old new tire (probably being sold at the "current price") anyway, unless there is some extraordinary reason to do so.

 

[Mike058]

This site lets you search by country of origin as well as size, type, season and brand. Kind of handy. All tires Still a good idea to check the sidewall before you buy, just in case.

 

[bake321]

Here is one of many;

"I have goodyear marathon st 225/75/15 d tires on brand new (may 2007) 2007 carmate 24 foot trailer. i drove the trailer to salt lake city (slc), back to frederick, md, than back to slc. so, with about 8,000 miles (july 14 now) on the tires - i notice "air bubbles" in the sidewall just above the rim. i call local goodyear dealers, and none have the tires in stock (i do hear though that this is a common problem with these tires, several non goodyear dealers tell me that they have immediately taken these tires off due to issues with these tires). i decide to put the spare tire on (also a marathon) and continue my journey to sierra vista, az. near price, az i notice another "air bubble" in a different tire. not wishing to take a chance on a blow-out (no good spare tire left) i buy new tires (big o this time), because there are no marathon tires in stock in price, az. arriving in sierra vista, az i talk to the local goodyear dealership about these tires. he acknowledges that this seems to be a problem with these tires, but can not help me because he is not a "authorized" goodyear dealership any longer. due to new job and house hunting i let the replacement issue drop for awhile. september 20, 2007. i have perfomed searches on the internet, and while not seeing the issue with "air bubbles" i see plenty of issues concerning "blowouts" with these tires (were there air bubbles first?). i call goodyear hq and am given a case number and a tucson dealership to take the tires too. overall i am writing this letter/complaint to say that: 1) there seems to be a known problem (at least among the public and dealerships (goodyear & other manufactures)) with these tires. 2) (dependent upon the outcome tomorrow) goodyear seems to be willing to work with me on the defective tire issue. "

 

[Bird]

I can't remember the difference in trailer tire construction, but doesn't it have something to do with less sidewall flex?

I haven't kept up with the new stuff myself, but the sidewall construction and the rubber compound in the trailer tires was supposed to be such that they would last longer without "weather cracking"; i.e., stand sunlight better when just sitting, not moving. I know some trailer tires wear out, but most are run enough to wear the tread off, they just come apart eventually from age and "dry rot".

 

[bjcsc]

Actually I was just wondering why not use ST (trailer) tires, regardless of the brand. There are other brands that make trailer tires also. And there may be good reasons to not use them, but that's what I was wondering.

ST tires have only recently become available in larger sizes (like 16" on a horse trailer). LT was what you always got on new trailers and it is still what you are most likely to find if you need to replace one. More and more companies are starting to make them in the larger sizes but they are still rare on the shelves.

I have noticed that a lot of tandem axle trailers come with E rated tires with varying max load ratings (anything from 3085 to 3500 per tire). On the lower end of the scale, they won't carry what the axles will carry. I saw a new tandem flatbed with 8K axles that had 4 E rated tires stating a max load of 3085 apiece. That makes the max total only 12,340 - a loss of nearly 4K. The average person probably assumes that their trailer comes with tires that will carry the GWR. I've seen a lot that won't...

 

[tallyho8]

This site lets you search by country of origin as well as size, type, season and brand. Kind of handy. All tires Still a good idea to check the sidewall before you buy, just in case.

I just checked that site against 3 sets of tires that I have and it didn't list any of them. They must only list the ones they sell.

 

[turbo36]

The latest thing is that some mfg (probably prodded by consumer groups) are recommending that tires be no older than 5yr for installation. So, if you read the tire code you can find out the mfg date, which will give you a 'sell by' date in essence.

Not much reason to buy a creepy old new tire (probably being sold at the "current price") anyway, unless there is some extraordinary reason to do so.

Here is a little info on the date code issue.
ABC News

 

[bake321]

Update, the local Goodyear dealer replaced the tire at a prorated cost of $67. The replacement is a Marathon. Tried to talk me into buying three more at $150 a pop. These tires have 90% tread and no indications of weathering. You would think that if Googyear belives that there may be issues, they would offer to upgrade them all.

Bake

 

[Bird]

Bake, I checked my old records out of curiosity and found that in August, 1990, I paid $420 for a set of 4 Goodyear Marathon ST225-75R15 tires in Elkhart, IN. I had ruined the original tires on the fifth-wheel on a trip to Alaska and back; mostly my fault. The trailer had 3,500 pound axles; i.e., gross weight of 7,000 pounds and I was running about 7,300 pounds, so in addition to the new tires, I got all new axles, springs, wheels, bigger brakes, etc. And back then the whole thing (besides the tires) cost $745. That upgraded my GVWR from 7,000 to 10,400.

 

[bake321]

Bird, everything sure has gone up. I just replaced a 3500 axle on a utility trailer and it cost $250 cash and carry. That was without brakes. I could have got one at TSC for $160, but it looked cheap. I like Dexter.

Bake

 

[Bird]

Bake, I had a 1988 Carri-Lite fifth-wheel trailer, by Carriage, and I'd had a complaint with their customer service guy, they had replaced him, and I went to see them in person and got a number of smaller items taken care of, but when I asked about stronger springs, their guy asked me to go talk to a particular old timer at Dexter, so I did. He taught me a few things about the RV suspensions and suggested we just "custom build" exactly what I wanted. To tell the truth, I expected it to be more expensive, and the Carriage guy had told me they'd pay a local dealer to do the installation if I decided to buy a new suspension. So after selecting the axles I wanted (with even heavier axle tubes), the brakes I wanted, the type of hubs I wanted, the springs, the wheels, etc., I asked how long it would take them to custom build what I wanted. He looked at his watch and said, "I couldn't have them ready until 1 p.m. tomorrow." I said, "Tomorrow??" And he said, "Yeah, we build 1,500 axles a day here." The local dealer Carriage had arrainged to do the installation loaned me a pickup truck the next afternoon and I went and picked up the new axles and the Carriage dealer installed them. My own truck had a toolbox, fifth-wheel hitch, and a fiberglass canopy so it wasn't a good truck to go pick up two new axles, hubs, springs, and wheels. And that price included the shackles, nuts, bolts, washers, etc. Everything but the shock absorbers and I was able to use the original shocks.

 

[RWolf]

I maybe out there in left field but I don't use radials on trailers expecially tandem axle trailers. I've always used trailer rated bias tires. My reasoning is this. Radials have a more flexable sidewall over bias. When turning a sharp corner or manuvering the trailer I've seen radials roll under sideways and pop the bead where bias will slide. So far I've had very good luck with bias tires as aposed to radials which seem to fail for no apparent reason on straight roads. All tires are properly inflated. Maybe someone is looking out for me .