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04-26-2013, 03:26 AM
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#1
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Established Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Mattawan
Posts: 14
M.O.C. #12649
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Tires
We have a 3455SA which came with the Goodyear Marathon tires. Planning a trip West this summer and given the reports of the Goodyear Marathon tire problems, I am planning on purchasing new tires. I'm looking for suggestions as to make, size and type (ST, LT, etc). Thanks for your help.
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04-26-2013, 04:26 AM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Wampum
Posts: 571
M.O.C. #9928
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I am about to replace my Marathons also. After asking tons of questions I have settled on the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A All-Season in the appropriate size (LT235/85R16 in my case). The LT tires have a lower maximum load rating but still have enough to carry my 3150RL. There are several other brands in the correct size and load rating available. I am also going to replace the tires on my truck with the same tire. Although they will match in appearance they are different sizes so they are not interchangable.
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"What happens at camp stays at camp"
2018 3121RL
2016 Ford F350 SB SRW
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04-26-2013, 05:41 AM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Murrieta
Posts: 5,816
M.O.C. #9257
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When I change my Marathon tires out, I'm switching to probably the only ST recommended by anyone, Maxxis 8008. There are a raft of LTs on the recommended list.
In prior articles posted by other members when others ask about tires, there is a term called reserve capacity and this explains that a higher rating for the ST is equivalent to a lower rating of an LT. From this you can be assured as long as the LT surpasses whatever the rating need for your trailer.
I believe DQDick is the one who's posted this in the past. I'm not good at a search and hopefully he'll post it once again.
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04-26-2013, 08:14 AM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Sioux Falls
Posts: 729
M.O.C. #3206
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I have found that LT tires are more readily available everywhere- LT tires have a higher speed rating also- We used ST tires when we first went fulltime but we had 6 or 7 failures the first year so we switched to LT tires and have not had a failure in the last 12 years- JMHO- Don
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04-26-2013, 08:40 AM
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#5
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Van Wert
Posts: 101
M.O.C. #12792
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May not be popular, but I'm trying load range F 'Carlisle RH' ST 235 85R16s and hope for the best. They are rated at 3960 @ 95psi.
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04-26-2013, 08:46 AM
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#6
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Frostproof
Posts: 512
M.O.C. #7125
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Goodyear G614's
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04-26-2013, 10:54 AM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Murrieta
Posts: 5,816
M.O.C. #9257
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birchbark, those tires are worth a shot since they exceed the ratings you need. I think the issue most of us have with STs is that most are made in China and even though the tires might be designed correctly for their ratings, I for one question the quality of the construction. Many tires including LTs are made in China, I just think there is better quality control with vehicle based LTs, than who-cares-about-trailers STs.
My tire issues in the past were Carlisles (on a prior old trailer, and this may have been an age issue) and I replaced these with Marathons. I believe back then the tires were manufactured in the U.S.A and highly regarded as a good tire on a rig under 10,000 lbs. The other time I had tire issues was several years later when the original Mission Tires that came with my new Monty started to bubble and separate within the second year of ownership, but I caught the problem in time while on a trip and replaced them all with what I thought were a better tire, Marathons.
I have since learned that these Marathon tires were made in China and being used on my trailer that is much heavier, larger and longer and this might aggravate them. There are many who have had problems with Marathons on their Monty.
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04-26-2013, 01:26 PM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
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Art, the Goodyear G614 load range G tire so many of us are very happy with is technically an LT tire. However it is labeled "For Trailer Use Only."
After many problems with the Marathons, Missions, and Freestars, including the final straw, a $2200-damage blowout of a Freestar, we went with the G614's. They are not cheap but that was the end of our tire problems.
We got the G614's installed in April 2010 and have had three years no problem service from them. As fulltimers we do put a few miles on the rig but not as many as in our early fulltiming days. I'd have to go out and check my mileage log but these tires have roughly 20,000 miles on them and look like they'll easily give us another 20k or more.
There are other good brands out there. I've had the BFG Commercial T/A's on our prior Montana and had good luck with them although we put only 9k miles on them before trading. I think the Commercial T/A is a good option. It's an LT tire. There are other good tires but I have no experience with them.
With those China Bomb tires we never got through a single full year without a blowout and often more than one per year. It's really nice to not have to worry about that.
Another thing to keep in mind is that an ST tire has a 65 mph max speed stamped right on the sidewall. While we don't often tow above that speed anyhow, I don't like being that close to that limit on tires I know are weak to start with. And when each of my parents passed away and we had to tow the rig half way across the country (both times) in a hurry, the cruise was set on 70 mph for 400 to 600 miles per day. It's nice to not have to worry whether the tires can handle that.
--edited to correct incorrect info. I reversed ST and LT in the above but it now has been corrected.
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04-26-2013, 02:03 PM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 908
M.O.C. #7915
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by sreigle
...Another thing to keep in mind is that an LT tire has a 65 mph max speed stamped right on the sidewall. While we don't often tow above that speed anyhow, I don't like being that close to that limit on tires I know are weak to start with. And when each of my parents passed away and we had to tow the rig half way across the country (both times) in a hurry, the cruise was set on 70 mph for 400 to 600 miles per day. It's nice to not have to worry whether the tires can handle that...
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Lots of good information, but it's the STs that are limited to 65, not the LTs.
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04-26-2013, 03:53 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Wilsey
Posts: 18,799
M.O.C. #11455
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I don't want to tow this big rig faster than that anyway. We have G614's. Expensive, but like the peace of mind.
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2017 3720 RL, and 2013 HC 343RL
Pullrite Hitch, IS, Disk Brakes, 3rd AC, Winegard Traveler, Bathroom door mod, Dometic 320, couch for desk swap, replaced chairs, sun screens, added awnings, etc.
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04-26-2013, 04:30 PM
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#11
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Hooker
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by sreigle
...Another thing to keep in mind is that an LT tire has a 65 mph max speed stamped right on the sidewall. While we don't often tow above that speed anyhow, I don't like being that close to that limit on tires I know are weak to start with. And when each of my parents passed away and we had to tow the rig half way across the country (both times) in a hurry, the cruise was set on 70 mph for 400 to 600 miles per day. It's nice to not have to worry whether the tires can handle that...
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Lots of good information, but it's the STs that are limited to 65, not the LTs.
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Hooker, brainf**t on my part. I mixed up ST and LT. You are correct and the G614 is an LT tire, not an ST. No idea how I managed to mix them up. I know better. Will edit my post pronto. Thanks for pointing it out.
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04-26-2013, 04:40 PM
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#12
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
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The Freestar tires that Tireco sent us to replace the defective Mission tires had the higher weight rating well above the Missions. 39xx comes to mind but it may have been a bit lower than that. They were still load range F, though, and were ST tires.
They were physically heavier (weight and sidewall strength) but they only made it from Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island, TX to the busy freeways of San Diego. Here's the result.. and these tires had been checked roughly an hour before.
That's why we now run quality tires. I'm sure there are many out there who have had no significant problems with the Chinese tires but we cannot count ourselves among them. Several times.
--on edit-- I found my notes about tires - the Freestar tires were weight rated at 3520 pounds, not 39xx as I thought.
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04-26-2013, 05:05 PM
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#13
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Down the Road
Posts: 5,627
M.O.C. #889
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I ran the Tacoma LT tires on my 3400RL for 8 years and 55,000+/- miles without incident. In fact they were still on the coach when I traded it in last July. I run LT tires on all my trailers as the ST ratings have not proven reliable in my experience. The new coach was ordered with G614's and I am sure glad I made the decision to run them.
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04-28-2013, 02:18 AM
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#14
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: No. Attleboro
Posts: 338
M.O.C. #6002
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When I changed out my Marathons, I to went with the Carlisles. Have had them for 2 years now and after several trips to NY, PA and FL, they still look new. I did have them balanced and filled with nitrogen when I got them. So far, no complaints.
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05-05-2013, 02:51 PM
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#15
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: North Charleston
Posts: 106
M.O.C. #768
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I just had another blowout today and it was on the street side for the first time. The tire was an Akuret H188 which I got after an earlier blowout last year ( had no choice). I've read this whole thread and I still don't have a clue what tires to get. I need to solve this problem soon asI am in the first third of a long trip and I just can't replace tires every 800 miles. HELP!!!
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05-05-2013, 04:10 PM
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#16
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
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Hamcamper, with the weight of your rig (similar to ours) I'd highly recommend you go with a load range G tire, like the Goodyear G614. They are pricey but, man, are they worth it. At least to me. We installed 5 of them after the blowout in the picture of my earlier post. That was in April 2010. We've slowed down our travels in our later fulltiming years but still have put on over 18,000 miles on the G614's with nary a problem. And there is a lot of mileage left in the tires.
The BF Goodrich Commercial TA we had good luck with on an earlier, lighter Montana. But I'm not sure they're rated for the weight you probably put on them with your 3400RL. If you're ok on the weight and rating, then they're a good choice. There are other good choices as noted by others but I have no experience with them.
LonnieB is our resident tire expert. He runs a tire store. I trust him implicitly. He recommends both the tires I mentioned, in the correct applications (weight and ratings) and also some other tires.
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05-06-2013, 07:13 AM
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#17
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Fair Oaks
Posts: 320
M.O.C. #6167
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I have a questions regarding Carlisle tires for our 3900FB. We've been talking to Tire Pros regarding exchanging the Marathons talked with them about Michelin, G614's etc. He recommends the Carlisle for our rig he runs them on all of his rigs and feels that the tires are the best for the money. Any information would be helpful. I did call Goodyear to see if they would give us some money back for the Marathons in exchange but they wont.
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05-06-2013, 07:54 AM
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#18
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Wheatland
Posts: 675
M.O.C. #10623
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We run Firestone Transforce and have had no problems at all.
Hey Debbie Asher. In your signature you forgot the [IMG] in front of your picture link. Go to your profile and add that and it'll show up in your signature.
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05-06-2013, 09:32 AM
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#19
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: No. Attleboro
Posts: 338
M.O.C. #6002
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Hamcamper, I doubt there is a real solution to this problem, especially if it has to be solved in a few days. Tires is one of the biggest topics on this blog, and there are many many opinions as to which is the correct brand to use. Of all the brands available, the consensus on here boiles down to a handful of name brands. All anyone knows for sure is STAY AWAY FROM THE MARABOMBS. Good luck.
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05-06-2013, 11:23 AM
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#20
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Casa Grande
Posts: 5,369
M.O.C. #6333
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Hamcamper, you will get many recommendations and I have to add mine. Why worry about the other tires, just go buy the best for your rig. GOODYEAR RST 614's and you will have no more worries. Tires ARE the MOST important part of your rig. With the best tires comes PEACE OF MIND. I went thru all the China made tires and ended up with the Goodyears and after that I NEVER had a worry or a problem. Some on here will say they are overkill, but it depends on the safety factor you want. I wanted the best so I bit the bullet and bought the best!!!! NOW, Nough said........
PS: Besides good for my Goodyear stock....LOL Just kidding.......
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