Goodyear Marathon Tires - Montana Owners Club

BusyCarol · 09-17-2012, 06:52 AM

We just bought a 2013 Montana 3100RL and it has the Marathon ST235/80R16 tires on it and many of you have suggested replacing them ASAP. Since safety is my number one concern I have ordered the TST Tire Pressure Monitoring System and I decided today to call around and see about getting the Goodyear G614 onto the trailer. So I called Goodyear to see if they would give me a discount to switch up to the better quality tire or would they rather have me call when I have a claim. I was on the phone with the gal for 20minutes and even had her read the Product Service Bulletin 2011-13 regarding PSI in the Marathons. I explained that they are delaminating. She said there was no way that Goodyear would give a discount until there was something physically wrong with the tire.

Then I told her I was having a hard time locating a place that could get the tire in Billings, MT and she sent me to a commerical tire dealer and they said it would $400/tire mounted and balanced out the door! I seem to recall many of you getting a better deal! The guy did tell me he has seen the Marathon wear off faster than usual but that they only way GY gives discounts is if he sends the tires back to them with something wrong with them.

So does anyone know a person they spoke to at Goodyear to help with the cost of switching to the G614 and what prices did you pay (out-the-door) to get them switched. Maybe we just need to wait until we are on one of our trip and have it done then.

My husband is thinking just wait until we have an issue and I tend to be more proactive than that. I don't want to be on a trip and find out we have bubbles or issues!

BusyCarol · 09-17-2012, 08:01 AM

Finally found a commercial truck tire company in town LP Anderson that is able to change us to the G614 for $365/tire mounted and balanced and if our Marathons look good he will buy them off of us. While calling around I asked many of the commercial truck tire dealers in town what they thought of the Marathons and they said they weren't sure how Goodyear and the RV companies get away with selling these big rigs 'under tired'...meaning the tires they have installed are NOT designed to handle that kind of load. As soon as I told my husband that every commercial truck tire dealer I called in town said that the Marathons are going to have issues with the weight of our trailer he said to switch! YEAH! We have an appointment today to get them changed out! I will feel so much better when they are the G614s.

The prices ranged from $365-$421 installed! WOW! Spendy! I hope this info helps someone else who is thinking of switching BEFORE they have a blow out. One dealer said it is not a matter of 'if' it is a matter of 'when' with the Marathons and that kind of a load.

oldgeezor · 09-17-2012, 08:16 AM

Great job of tracking the G614's down...I was in the same situation and I read all the comments on this forum and others and this was one of the first things I replaced before our long trip out west. Thank-goodness I did it because some of the roads I was on were terrible and the G614's handled them flawlessly. I also have the TST monitoring system and found it to give me a piece of mind while on the road.

Good Luck

Ps. There will be many thoughts on how much air to run in these tires but 95PSI seems to be the norm on this forum. I have been running at 106PSI but will likely drop it a bit.

BusyCarol · 09-17-2012, 08:20 AM

Thanks oldgeezor for the input! Living in Montana many of the roads are NOT of the greatest quality and it was making me nervous just thinking about taking trips. I am already feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Thanks for the input on the PSI...that was something I was just about to start researching! So now I don't have to!

We are also thinking about putting the Ride-Rite airbag system in so between the G614s and the airbags I think we will have an exceptional ride!

dieselguy · 09-17-2012, 08:23 AM

There will be several posts behind me that strongly disagree, but G614's on a 3100RL is a bit overkill for your weight. Several of us have gone with a good LT tire for considerably less money and have been very happy with them. It's your dime though. Michelin LTX, Firestone Duravs, and Uniroyal Laredo , BF Goodrich Commercial TA's all make good LT tires in the LT 235 85R 16 size. It won't hurt to at least consider them. There have been recalls (Goodrich / Uniroyal) of late, but all of us were taken care of in a timely manner with most replacements were an upgraded tire.

Steve1952 · 09-17-2012, 08:32 AM

BusyCarol ,you should check on a good set LT truck tires. A lot of folks run these tires without any problem.Your tires and axels do not carry all of your trailer weight.Just a thought.Steve 1952.

BusyCarol · 09-17-2012, 08:57 AM

Thanks dieselguy & Steve1952. I will ask about the other options when we are at the tire place. The G614 are probably a bit overkill because our trailer is one of the smaller Montana's made...and they are pricey. So I will let my husband make that call...I just want to get the Marathons OFF! After that I will be a happy camper!

Thanks for your feedback everyone and I truly appreciate you watching out for us and our pocketbook! Less money spent on tires means more money for trips!

oldgeezor · 09-17-2012, 09:54 AM

Carol..I noticed you are from Montana and commented on your roads. Here is a post I shared with folks when we started our trip back from Calgary through Montana in July. Bad roads to say the least.

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=50140

1retired06 · 09-17-2012, 10:47 AM

do not wait. Swap out as soon as you can.

hunts800 · 09-17-2012, 12:33 PM

Have said this before in response to earlier posts, but when I switched I tried to save money by keeping the brand new Marathon as a spare. Then, while in Brookings , Or, ran over a stainless steel scissor blade which ripped open one of my brand new G614's. The Good Sam road service guy would NOT PUT THE MARATHON ON because it is smaller than the G614's, and he claimed it was a safety issue. So, had to buy a spare the same size as the G614 until I got to Coos Bay Oregon where I was able to replace the G614. Expensive,but now I have a right sized spare. So, you might want to consider replacing all five tires - I wish I had.

dieselguy · 09-17-2012, 02:35 PM

Steve ... must be a west coast thing ... in the midwest as long as it's round and made of rubber, they'll put on the spare you have. With the Good Sams service guys way of thinking ... hardly any of the newer cars and SUV's would get road service as the spare is a dinky little thing that isn't even near the same diameter as the regular tires even to be used on drive axles.

bigred715 · 09-17-2012, 03:50 PM

After the Marathon fiasco I went with the Michelin LT235/8516E LTX M/S2. I purchased 5 for $1290.

PackerFan · 09-17-2012, 04:01 PM

BusyCarol, I also have the 3100RL and last spring I put the Goodyear G614's on all 5 wheels. Some say it may be over kill but I have to disagree. I have always felt that a little overkill sometimes is a good thing. Especially when it comes to my families safety and security when on the road. During our last 2 trips, that were rather long, the comfort I felt while having those Marathons "OFF" and STRONG tires in thier place was greatly appreciated and well worth it!! I also do not have to worry about loading the trailer with a little extra weight sometimes as they will handle whatever the highway throws at me. Just my humble opinion!

Scott

snowhawk2 · 09-17-2012, 04:32 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by dieselguy

There will be several posts behind me that strongly disagree, but G614's on a 3100RL is a bit overkill for your weight. Several of us have gone with a good LT tire for considerably less money and have been very happy with them. It's your dime though. Michelin LTX, Firestone Duravs, and Uniroyal Laredo , BF Goodrich Commercial TA's all make good LT tires in the LT 235 85R 16 size. It won't hurt to at least consider them. There have been recalls (Goodrich / Uniroyal) of late, but all of us were taken care of in a timely manner with most replacements were an upgraded tire.

I won't disagree with your assessment. However I wouldn't tow with marathons ever again because they are weak and prone to blow outs. In my case they were at the proper psi and carrying appropriate weight. The g614 s are expensive but a much heavier and sturdier tire. One interesting and unexpected benefit of the 14 ply g614s is how much more stable the camper is when at a site, then when the marathons were on the camper which was prone to some bouncing which is mostly gone now.

BusyCarol · 09-17-2012, 05:42 PM

UPDATE: Phew! What a day! We now have 5 NEW G614s on our Monty and I couldn't be happier! They are nitrogen filled, which I learned helps the tire run cooler and keeps the PSI up longer. Jeff, at LP Anderson in Billings, was GREAT! He topped them off at 100PSI and said that we may want to go lower a little later but until they settled in he suggested 100PSI to start. He hand torqued every lugnut to 140ftlb with a Snapon Torque Wrench. He also got us in and out of there in 1hr! He gave us $75/tire to boot for the marathons so the entire change out cost us $1450!!!! Not bad for peace of mind!

For those of you who suggested that we may want to consider a different tire...we did truly consider them because we have the utmost respect for all of you...and decided that, although the G614 might be a bit overkill, our families safety was paramount and that we could not really put a dollar amount on that.

Thanks again for all of your input! I truly appreciate it! Thanks Packer Fan Scott for your input that was specific to our model of trailer. That is always helpful.

Thanks to snowhawk2 for mentioning the added benefit of less bounce! I hated the 'bounce' when my husband would walk from one end to the other so I am hoping that there is a significant decrease in the bounce.

Jeff suggested we put a chain around the spare attaching it to the frame because he has heard of the winch dropping the spare on the road. Additional safety protection...YEAH...one more key on my keychain! UGH!

BusyCarol · 09-17-2012, 05:58 PM

Forgot to tell oldgeezor that yes we know what stretch of road he is talking about. We haven't traveled it in a long time so we weren't aware of just how bad it had become! I grew up in California so when I moved to Billings, MT the road conditions were astounding to me. I don't think roads anywhere are great but Montana has some of the worst. I think that is because our winters are pretty harsh, and we have a very short window to repair them. There is a website for current road conditions in Montana in case anyone wants to check before they drive through. The Montana Department of Transportation is pretty good about keeping it current.

http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/

seahunter · 09-17-2012, 07:00 PM

I think its always best/safer when not maxed out. For example, our Expedition was within limits and could tow our travel trailer. It was also completetely maxed out and screaming up hills. Now I have a diesel which may be "overkill", but it is made to do the job. Just like the E tires. They technically are within specs when maxed out at 80 psi. Now I can run the G614s at 95 psi though and be well within specs, not maxed out, and have a great safety margin for the load.

**DQDick** · 09-18-2012, 02:08 AM

Carol, one thing to consider depending on your own feelings is getting some pad locks that are keyed the same. I went to Ace hardware and ordered a dozen padlocks all keyed the same. Now all the shed locks, water and electric locks etc. at our home base, the lock on my hitch, the one on my EMS, the one on my Winegard Carryout and probably a couple I can't think of are all just one key. It was expensive as a one time purchase, but worth it in convenience. Glad you have your tire issue behind you!! Now you can have far more fun going down the road.

CORattler · 09-18-2012, 02:09 AM

In the end it's what the wonder feels most comfortable with. I know you feel better!

steelpony5555 · 09-18-2012, 05:43 AM

I too run LT tires on my trailers and have for years with no problems. Both are in the range of 12K lbs and run in the Texas heat at maybe just a tad over 65 mph lol......But if you want to stop some of the bounce when parked, pick up 2 of the BAL X wheel chocks. http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...ng-chock/43891 Or something simular. Not only keeps you from rolling down hill but does stop sonme of the bounce and movement. My wife hates when the trailer shimmey shakes when I walk thru.

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