Whilst prepping the trailer for my trip to Northern Quebec this weekend, I noticed that all the valve stems on the rims were cracked. On further inspection....there were small cracks between the tire treads.The trailer was built in 2010 and sold new in 2011.The tires?2007So....knowing all this....I felt a replacement was due.Because now that I actually know....I will worry AND something will definitely happen.Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

So I went to my local tire guy whon I've dealt with in the past for my four drivers and asked for replacements...GoodYear Marathons 205 75R14 Load Rated C.Harder to get now....but wait!The newest GoodYear replacement tire is the GoodYear Endurance Load Rated D.They had them in stock and sold them to me all in for $750.Took them off at home 2 at a time and was done in about 90 minutes.I'll sleep better now.

No flame war here.I had some of the Endurance tires installed last March and have put about 2000 miles on them. No issues and that includes sustained speed on UT and CO highways at 75 mph with a 9000lbs trailer. Good news on the Endurance. They are all new so no older date codes on them.Good choice on replacing that previous set but I'm not going to bad mouth the Marathons. I also had almost 7 year old Marathons that got replaced which I had installed. But, mine were the USA made, before those tires got the over-seas designation. Never had an issue with the Marathons either.Curious if there will be a pending flame war concerning the picture about balancing though ;)

For those that may be considering replacing their Load Range E tires to either Maxxis or Sailun or Goodyear Endurance.I put together this table from the manufacturer sites. I confirmed all of the tires will fit my wheels. Basically, I was then interested to compare many specs but primarily:- How much does each tire weigh compared to the other, who has more rubber?- How does tread depth compare?- How does number of Ply's compare?- How does the Speed rating compare?- Most important, any difference in Load Carry?A couple of notes about the table. The Sailun can be run at either 80psi or 110psi (confirmed with Sailun). This makes them compatible with wheels that may not support 110psi. So in the table, I listed Sailun's S637 twice, run at 110 and run at 80. The table is attached can be viewed here:. Hope this helps someone.

I would have recommended the high pressure snap-in stems.Better made with less chance of repeat stem issues.Is that flame enough? I also had to buy a set of Endurance as one of my Maxxis was losing the tread at less than four years.

I HAD To Buy New Tires | Good Sam Community

Huntindog
Explorer
Sep 01, 2017
RedRocket204 wrote:
No flame war here.

Curious if there will be a pending flame war concerning the picture about balancing though ;)

Well the pic doesn't show that they used a lug plate when the balancing was done.

Since just about all TTs use lug centric rims, that means that the balancing was likely a waste of money.. In fact the tires may very well be further out of balance than they would have been with out balancing.
_1nobby
Explorer
Sep 01, 2017
Huntindog wrote:

Since just about all TTs use lug centric rims, that means that the balancing was likely a waste of money.. In fact the tires may very well be further out of balance than they would have been with out balancing.

Explain?

There are imperfections in rims and tires. How can balancing them be bad?
time2roll
Nomad
Sep 01, 2017
Huntindog wrote:
Since just about all TTs use lug centric rims, that means that the balancing was likely a waste of money.. In fact the tires may very well be further out of balance than they would have been with out balancing.
Aluminum is most likely a machined center hole so while it is lug centric I think the balance will be good.
Huntindog
Explorer
Sep 02, 2017
A lug centric rim is centered by the lug holes. Not by the center hole, which is larger than the hub, so it has nothing to do with centering it on the drum. These holes can be off centered, sometimes by a lot. If you do NOT use a lugplate when balancing them, then the balance cannot be done. In fact they may well be worse after it is done than they were if no balancing is done.
TT rims should always be balanced using a lug plate. There is a small chance that the hole may be centered.... But since it is not used when installed on the drum, it should NOT be used when balancing them either.

Tire shops hate to use them. You gotta ask, and then watch them to make sure they do it.

Several times I have caught them not doing it. Once they even argued with me about the need to do it... But since I am the one paying.... Guess how that went.:B
#1nobby wrote:
Huntindog wrote:

Since just about all TTs use lug centric rims, that means that the balancing was likely a waste of money.. In fact the tires may very well be further out of balance than they would have been with out balancing.

Explain?

There are imperfections in rims and tires. How can balancing them be bad?
TxTwoSome
Explorer
Sep 02, 2017
I have used TYRE BEADS for balancing trailer tires for a few years with good results.

Just an option for those that may like the idea.

Forum Discussion

I HAD To Buy New Tires

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

Buying tires in Florida

Buying Tires in Mexico

Stolen Wheels and Tires - What to buy?

Where to buy Goodyear tires for Class A?

Best advice on buying 19.5 rims and tires