There is always discussion about tire problems on our 5th wheels so I wanted to post an update on my situation. My 14,000 pound Bighorn came with LR-E 16" Towmax ST tires. It was exactly one year old when the first one blew (approx 5000 miles) so I replaced all 4 with the same size Maxxis tires.I full time. I just stopped in Florida to hide for the winter after traveling for the last 6 months. The Maxxis tires have been on the fiver for about 16 months now and have about 9,200 miles on them. They look fine and I have experienced absolutely no problems with them.I keep them inflated to 80 pounds and I travel at about 60 mph.They have gone across Arizona and Southern California when the outside temps were over 100 degrees. I was in California for 2 1/2 months this past summer and it seemed like it was 100 degrees everywhere I went. Went across eastern Montana and the Badlands of South Dakota. It was HOT. So I think they got a pretty good test. I do know that the measure of an ST tire is more time based as opposed to miles traveled.I know that Chinese made ST tires have a (mostly deserved) bad reputation, especially on heavier rigs, and I agree with that for the most part. But Maxxis tires are made in Thailand and seem to be better made. I am not trying to re-ignite the LT vs ST tires debate. But there can be more then one solution to a problem. I am simply providing an update on the real-life non-second-hand solution I chose so that others are better informed. I will report back in one year.Tim

No problem what so ever with the Maxxis 8008's that were on our trailer either.. 6 Seasons, many many miles of trouble free service.I'm still a believer.

GPG - Good report - No debate necessary!Maxxis have always been quality tires.Maxxis (Cheng Shin Rubber Co.) is the 9th largest tire mfgr worldwide(old stats - ranking may gone up), producing tires for numerous applications.Clarification for Maxxis -Maxxis (Cheng Shin Rubber) is based in Taiwan - which is the Republic of China, with mfg facilities in: Taiwan (The Republic of China - "ROC") , Vietnam, Thailand, and Mainland China (Communist China - The Peoples Republic of China - "PRC").So mfg code will indicate the location where the tires where actually manufactured which may be one of the "China/s" or Thailand as you indicated.Cheng Shin has two huge mfg facilities in the PRC - as do other mfgrs, such as Michelin.The point is - The (mainland - PRC) Chinese are very capable of mfg tires to and for the specs of the buyer or company.There are company owned mfg facilities (eg: Maxxis & Michelin), and "generic" tire manufacturing facilities - for whatever name you -the buyer- want on the tires.Some want tires to meet minimal specs required for an ST tire, some want better.The reputation of an ST tire *brand* either stands up to the "real world" test, as yours did, or frequently (as other users experiences indicate) does not.Roll on!..:B~

Mine were made in Thailand.You're right, I should have differentiated between the two 'Chinas'.Tim

Over 15,000 miles and 3 seasons on my Maxxis 8008 tires. I've also towed through the Southwest with temps well over 100 degrees.

Thanks Tim for the update. As is typical with me, I had put on four 10 ply Maxxis tires on our 2005 Cougar 5th wheel and then 6 months later traded it in. Should of had the dealer swap the tires from the new fiver onto the Cougar.

Maxxis M8008 Tires Update | Good Sam Community

laknox
Nomad
Nov 02, 2015
shadows4 wrote:
Dayle1 wrote:

While Maxxis may be one of the best ST tires, even they have failures. There doesn't seem to be many reports of failures with LTs.

While I agree with this statement, those of us with smaller and lighter 5ers that use 15" wheels and tires don't have much choice. There are just not many 15" LT tires to choose from.

I know on my 5er it came with D rated tires which I upgraded to the E rated before we even moved it off the lot. I feel this is part of the reason I haven't had any problems.

After my first, OEM, set went bad in the 2nd year and < 1,000 miles, I upgraded to E tires, though still China bombs. They =did= last longer than expected, but all 4 were failing when I ended up putting the Carlisles on 3 years ago. I'd still have rather had the Maxxis...

Lyle
shadows4
Explorer III
Nov 02, 2015
Dayle1 wrote:

While Maxxis may be one of the best ST tires, even they have failures. There doesn't seem to be many reports of failures with LTs.

While I agree with this statement, those of us with smaller and lighter 5ers that use 15" wheels and tires don't have much choice. There are just not many 15" LT tires to choose from.

I know on my 5er it came with D rated tires which I upgraded to the E rated before we even moved it off the lot. I feel this is part of the reason I haven't had any problems.
CKNSLS
Explorer
Nov 02, 2015
The mighty has fallen.....
Dayle1
Explorer II
Nov 01, 2015
azjeffh wrote:
SkiSmuggs wrote:
For those who have had problems with the Maxxis M8008, it would be interesting to know the country of manufacture

Thailand.

X3, Thailand
KeithAS
Explorer
Nov 01, 2015
Thailand, also.

azjeffh wrote:
SkiSmuggs wrote:
For those who have had problems with the Maxxis M8008, it would be interesting to know the country of manufacture

Thailand.
azjeffh
Explorer
Nov 01, 2015
SkiSmuggs wrote:
For those who have had problems with the Maxxis M8008, it would be interesting to know the country of manufacture

Thailand.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Nov 01, 2015
SkiSmuggs wrote:
For those who have had problems with the Maxxis M8008, it would be interesting to know the country of manufacture as Maxxis has a few plants. My reliable Maxxis tires were made in Thailand. I have ordered from Amazon twice and both times the tires were only weeks old.

Also not all Maxxis ST tire sizes has the nylon cap which may explain why some owners have had issues with the 8008.
Per Maxxis web page add;

"?Full nylon cap available in selected sizes for improved uniformity and durability".

But they don't say which sizes don't have the cap that I could find.

The cap seems to help hold the tires tread/casing together as the tire side scrubs while backing or going forward around corners.
azjeffh
Explorer
Nov 01, 2015
laknox wrote:
azjeffh wrote:
My Maxxis 15" LREs lasted ~24 months before experiencing sidewall separation. Had to replace all 4 which were covered under warranty at Discount. Couldn't replace them with Maxxis which is another entirely different story. My trailer was only putting ~1975 lbs on each tire.

Run a TPMS and always checked for proper inflation, so that was not the issue.

While I will not bad mouth them due to the success reported on this forum, one should be aware that not everyone is a happy customer.

You needed tires =today= and it would take DT 24-48 hours to get them in; right? Same thing happened to me, which is why I ended up with the Carlisle RH's.

Lyle

Exactly Lyle. We were headed up the Beeline just past the Bush Hwy turnoff when my TPMS sounded. By the time I pulled over I had already lost 20 PSI. Decided to head back to Fountain Hills and right after I turned around another alarm sounded. Had to unplug the TPMS as I didn't have a spare. Got back to Fountain Hills with 21 PSI in that tire. All I could get in LRE was Tow Master :(
SkiSmuggs
Explorer
Nov 01, 2015
For those who have had problems with the Maxxis M8008, it would be interesting to know the country of manufacture as Maxxis has a few plants. My reliable Maxxis tires were made in Thailand. I have ordered from Amazon twice and both times the tires were only weeks old.
laknox
Nomad
Nov 01, 2015
azjeffh wrote:
My Maxxis 15" LREs lasted ~24 months before experiencing sidewall separation. Had to replace all 4 which were covered under warranty at Discount. Couldn't replace them with Maxxis which is another entirely different story. My trailer was only putting ~1975 lbs on each tire.

Run a TPMS and always checked for proper inflation, so that was not the issue.

While I will not bad mouth them due to the success reported on this forum, one should be aware that not everyone is a happy customer.

You needed tires =today= and it would take DT 24-48 hours to get them in; right? Same thing happened to me, which is why I ended up with the Carlisle RH's.

Lyle