Freestar or Goodyear Marathon?

[myredracer]

I am wondering if we upgraded our Freestar tires that came on our trailer with a set of Marathon's, would we be getting much better quality? Google doesn't come back with much info. on Freestar. But with the Marathon's, there's a whole lot of negative comments out there on them. Both made in Ch*na.... "Ch*na bomb" is a common phrase I come across. :E

It sounds like Maxxis is the way to go these days for quality? I have read about too many blown tires and the horrible consequences. I would prefer to try and prevent this now rather than wait and see if the Freestar tires are okay down the road.

[BarneyS]

Lowsuv wrote:
maxxis passenger car tires are in the lowest 25 % .
consumer reports november 2012 issue , page 60 .
none of the posters that claims maxxis tires are the best has ever provided factual proof of that quality .

Travel Trailer tires are NOT passenger car tires! :R The only proof that members have of the Maxxis being superior to other ST tires is in the many many miles of successful travel. That FACT is good enough proof for me.
Barney

[Lowsuv]

maxxis passenger car tires are in the lowest 25 % .
consumer reports november 2012 issue , page 60 .
none of the posters that claims maxxis tires are the best has ever provided factual proof of that quality .

[myredracer]

So some day many of our RVs could or will be coming from China? Please say it's not so. Begs a lot of questions. This is the wrong thread for this but I would like to hear people's comments.

[wmoses]

myredracer wrote:
Made in China stuff? Touchy subject and discussion should probably go into the same sub-forum as politics, firearms and abortion. Can't resist - I have to wonder what letting China do so much manufacturing has done to the economy. Stuff is cheaper but we all enable them by buying it. At least they aren't building our RVs there.

Yet. It's starting ... http://www.rvbusiness.com/tag/rv-industry-in-china/

Just came back from Shanghai. We are not "letting" China do anything. No one lets China do anything it does not itself want to do. Our free market consumer society demands ensure manufacturing goes to China (or wherever else that is cheap) and no matter what people say on boards such as this, it will continue well into the foreseeable future. China is developing so fast that quality cannot keep up, but that does not matter in the big picture. Recall how the Japanese were back in the day. Besides China has the money now and money talks.

Back on topic - as someone astutely pointed out above, the "evidence" that can be gleaned on the Internet regarding Chinese made tires (a) must be taken with a grain of salt and (b) the percentage of failures is small when compared with the number of tires sold. I am not saying they are the best tires out here but I am sure they are no worse than any other tires of this class for this application.

[JIMNLIN]

Actually years ago before china made any thing for us Firestone/BFG/Goodyear/Cooper/Delta and others I've forgotten were all made in tire plants in the USA. We had the same type issues then as now.

[myredracer]

Overloading the tires has to be a big factor in tire life. I've read too often in the various forums about people knowingly driving and thinking it's okay.

I just bought a cheap infrared gun at HF and will try it out on the tires and brake drums.

We spoke to our dealer today and they can't upgrade to anything else other than the Marathons as the plant buys the Goodyear or Freestar tires by the boatload and they pick on or the other in the production line.

Made in China stuff? Touchy subject and discussion should probably go into the same sub-forum as politics, firearms and abortion. Can't resist - I have to wonder what letting China do so much manufacturing has done to the economy. Stuff is cheaper but we all enable them by buying it. At least they aren't building our RVs there.

[goducks10]

ST trailer tires are only rated for 65mph, that's why you shouldn't go any faster. Running 70 with any ST tire is asking for trouble. Just speeding up once in awhile IMO is no biggy. But sustained driving at 70 with ST tires is where you will run into problems.

The problem with tire reviews is that unless people post the loaded weight and speed they run then it's hard to tell if the tire is at fault or the failure is from abuse. Were they always diligent in keeping them inflated right? My GY's I had were under their max load rating by 990lbs each. I kept my speeds to 60-65. Always had the psi at 65. Yes there are tires that just blow for no reason, but usually it's some off brand. Remember this is just a small sample of how many tires are on trailers, so like any forum the info can get skewed.

[wmoses]

myredracer wrote:
I see according to the Alko site that you can go from 205 width C tires on 4.5" rims to 225 width D tires on the same width. This raises the load capacity from 1820 a tire to 2150. Not sure I like the idea of tires that wide on 4.5" rims.

205mm is nominally 8" and 225 is an inch wider again. I agree with you on the 4.5" 'bicycle' rims ... 🙂

myredracer wrote:
I supposed if you look after your tires and do not exceed 65 mph they may last longer.

The will definitely last longer than if not maintained or covered, not inflated properly (more heat), misaligned on the axle, exceed the speed rating, etc ...

myredracer wrote:
It's sounding like some Marathon's are domestic and some from offshore? Isn't it possible to confidently buy something made in the US anymore?

Can't have our cake and eat it too. If the market likes inexpensive then we have to look offshore. Simple. That is a whole 'nother discussion.

myredracer wrote:
Grrr.... I prefer not to exceed 65 mph but it's not always easy when you are cruising on the interstate and you just want to go with the flow or pass someone or you're in a hurry. Why do they have a 65 mph limit anyway? 70 would be nicer. There is also a big disincentive in higher fuel consumption, esp. for us with a V10, so max. 65 mph it is.

I frequently go up to 75 mph to pass (even hit 80 mph once). Speed rating applies to sustained speed. The occasional exceedance is within the margin of safety.

Some roads in Texas have 85 mph as a speed limit.

[myredracer]

Great info. Thanks all!

We've had some serious frame issues on our new trailer and the manufacturer is going to provide a stronger frame for us. The GVWR is 6800 lbs but we're at 6600 lbs loaded with just some basic things. We're not sure yet if they will raise the GVWR or not. Our tongue weight is nearly 1000 lbs so the axles only see about 5600 lbs. Would *like* to get 4,000 lb rated axles and get the GVWR up somewhat.

We have 15" alloy rims but the dealer was not able to tell us what the rim width is.

I see according to the Alko site that you can go from 205 width C tires on 4.5" rims to 225 width D tires on the same width. This raises the load capacity from 1820 a tire to 2150. Not sure I like the idea of tires that wide on 4.5" rims. I'm certain we have space for wider tires. 4 x 2150 lbs would be a good figure for us along with 4K axles.

I supposed if you look after your tires and do not exceed 65 mph they may last longer. It's sounding like some Marathon's are domestic and some from offshore? Isn't it possible to confidently buy something made in the US anymore? Grrr.... I prefer not to exceed 65 mph but it's not always easy when you are cruising on the interstate and you just want to go with the flow or pass someone or you're in a hurry. Why do they have a 65 mph limit anyway? 70 would be nicer. There is also a big disincentive in higher fuel consumption, esp. for us with a V10, so max. 65 mph it is.

LT tires sure seems to be a good way to go.

[fla-gypsy]

Currently the best ST tire available is the Maxxis M8008

[Bears_Den]

Google searching Goodyear Marathons will give you hundreds of horror stories about the tires. I've had one blow out and one totally separate while towing. I wouldn't put them on a shopping cart from my past experience. I have replaced my with another brand and have been pleased. Oh yes, I am anal about tire pressure and load capacity.

[skipnchar]

You would likely be buying the best China has to offer in either case. I'd pass on both brands but not sure if this is the month that GY makes the tires in China or not. They seem to have a lot of trouble making up their mind.

[Lynnmor]

I went with these to get away from the Freestars:
Wrangler HT in a LT215/75-15 D (65 psi) at 2090 lbs capacity.

You may need wider wheels, I had the cheap steel wheels and went to 6" wide aluminum.

[JIMNLIN]

Many folks upgrade to a LT tire. I see your trailer has a 6800 GVWR which figures about 1700 lbs per tire load requirements.

Depending on room in the wheel well and proper wheel pressure/wheel width requirements the Goodyear Wrangler HT in a LT235/75-15 C (50 psi) at 1980 lb capacity. Most LT tire makers carry this size.

And a Wrangler HT in a LT215/75-15 D (65 psi) at 2090 lbs capacity.

Maxxis LT U-168 are a commercial grade tire with several 15" sizes and have became popular with all types of trailer owners.

Vanco 2 from Continental another popular tire for trailer users has several 15" sizes and load capacities.

I see the Yokohama RY215 in a 700R 15 D at 2040 lbs capacity is popular on some of the other RV websites.

Do your home work on the numbers.