Goodyear Marathon Tires

[vibetech1]

Hello all. After reading all the horror stories regarding Goodyear E rated Marathons or as some have referenced as "china bombs". I'm curious if there may be those who have opinions regarding the latest in Goodyear quality. (Apparently Keystone has no problem with them). Our new 2014 3900FB came with a set of E rated Marathons Soooo I'm tossing around the idea of just changing them out for either LT's or Carlisle Radial Trail RH. Thank you all for your opinions and Happy Holidays.

[rohrmann]

Don't think true LT tires will work for the 3900FB. If you use the weights listed in the specs, you are looking at 3375 lbs per tire, which is barely under the 3420 lb rating of those Marathons. If your wheels are rated for 3750 lb/110 psi tires, I would suggest a G range tire, such as the Goodyear G614 or the Sailun tire with similar specs. Lt tires for that wheel will only get you a bit over 3000 lb capacity per tire, not even close. After having all the tires fail, either from one road debris damaged, one with half the tread area with ply separation, and the rest worn out from balance issues, we just bit the bullet and went with the G614's. They are a real tire, and at 110 psi, are rated 3750 lbs capacity.

[Tom S.]

What Bob said. Take your trailer loaded and get it weighed. If possible, get it weighed by each axle (meaning each individual tire and hub). If that's not possible, get it weighed on the front axle then the rear axle. Just weighing the whole trailer is better than nothing, but leaves a lot to chance. Remember, even if just one tire goes over it's weight limit, you should go with higher rated tires. As Bob said, there is a very good chance the unit is too heavy to use regular "E" rated truck tires.

[DQDick]

Goodyear 614's are expensive, but have been a great option for a lot of us with heavier rigs.

[Phil P]

Hi

A few years ago the G614 had some unusual wear. Fortunately this didn’t seem to affect their durability.

I have since replaced my 614’s with a new set of 614’s. I now have about 20,000 miles on them and had one spring failure.

Here is a picture of the damage to the driver’s side rear axle tire.



You will note the depth of the cut without any of the steel cords showing.

Some of the people here seem to have some question about wear on the outer edges of the tire. If you note how much rubber there is on the outer edge of the tire this might explain what appears to be abnormal wear in this area.

I have now another 5,000 miles on this tire without any further problems.

However they have been balance by a commercial tire company when they were installed.

Phil P

[HOOK]

The G614s are high, but, peace of mind is priceless. IMHO

[1retired06]

From threads it appears that late model RVs are still experiencing blow outs and tread separation with Marathons. My neighbor here in the Park has a 2014 Cedar Creek and blew three Marathons on his way down here to Florida from Tennessee. He is a long time fiver and knows what he is doing. I don't know your specific weight requirements, but I would rather chance a quality LT tire over the Marathon if going to a G load tire is not an option for you.

[WeBeFulltime]

I agree that you should weigh your axles and then you will be in a position to make an educated decision on which tires.

[jcurtis934]

Stepping to a LT tire is not the only option....but all the good options do cost more money than the Marathon. Med duty commercial trailer tires can be found that are the same diameter as the Marathon. I am now using 17.5 inch tires/wheels that are the same diameter as the Marathons I took off after 2 blowouts on the same trip with only 8000 miles on the tires. My tires now run much cooler than the Marathons and they support 4800 lbs per tire at 125 psi. What is your piece of mind worth? Changing a blowout beside the freeway in the rain with traffic blowing by real close with the level up system still runs your day. With the normal means of jacking up the trailer...and being lucky if you don't suffer major damage to the rv...still doesn't make it worth keeping the Marathons or not spending the bucks for very good tires. John

[jimc]

Here's what I've learned after 4 fivers and a tow trailer.
1. Weigh your rig and make sure each tire is never overloaded.
2. Balance all 4 tires - smoother ride and no abnormal wear.
3. 60 mph is plenty and never over 65.
4. When you grease the bearings, make sure you snug up the castellated nut correctly - no wobble.
5. For the Marathon E's - make sure they are at 80 psig before every trip.