goodyear marathon tires

[debh]

after reading all the bad stuff about china bombs on here i decided i want to replace the tires on my new sundance. we havent even taken possesion of it yet. thats on tuesday

im looking at the goodyear marathon tire. it comes in the size that is currently on the trailer and has a load range of 3420@80psi.

can anyone give me any feedback on this tire? good? bad?

while ANY tire is susceptible of a blowout, i am trying to minimize the risk!

thanks for the help!!

deb

 

[dewwood]

Our Sundance came with the Marathons and they have performed well for three years. We have put approximately 15000 miles on them. I did replace two this spring as I had a brake issue which caused undue wear on one axle but that was not a problem with the tire.

 

[mesteve]

maxxis is the only 'recommended' tire I have found that will both A) fit on my 15" rims in stock sizes, and B) have the E load rating. I haven't pulled the trigger on them yet so I don't have an opinion, just sharing the research I have done.

 

[wdk450]

It seems to me that previously I had seen postings that the Goodyear tires were an option from Heartland that could be installed by the dealer, and cost considerably less this way than through a tire dealer.

 

[PUG]

The Goodyear Marathon is a Chineese tire. While better than most Asian tires the best Asian tire seems to be the Maxxis. I think I have narrowed my choice down to the Maxxis or Goodyear G614. There seems to be few or no negative posts about either.

 

[PUG]

I have run the china bombs since I bought my 3950 and have run about 12,000 with no problems. If you keep your tires aired properly and checked often they are ok but if you can switch them out at the factory to Goodyears that is probably better US vs China. I have had goodyears on my sailboat trl for about 17 years and al;though not a lot of miles they have withstood my abuse. I personally replace all of my tires when they need it with Michelins. A little more money but they are well worth it.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

While I have had no personal experience with Marathons, our neighbor here in the park is running Load Range E Marathons on his Grand Junction. His 5ver has a GVRW of 15,500. I questioned the logic of an E tire on that heavy of a trailer. His reply was "That's what it came with". He's had it for 2 years with no issues. Like others, he monitors his pressures and does a visual every time he travels.

 

[DMitch]

I would have the factory put on the G614's. I think they are much better tire. Can only pass on the exper. I had with Marathons. With less than 2000 miles on them I blew two on the way home from a trip. They were on different sides and I'm a real stickler for air pressure and maint.

 

[TireHobby]

after reading all the bad stuff about china bombs on here i decided i want to replace the tires on my new sundance. we havent even taken possesion of it yet. thats on tuesday

im looking at the goodyear marathon tire. it comes in the size that is currently on the trailer and has a load range of 3420@80psi.

can anyone give me any feedback on this tire? good? bad?

while ANY tire is susceptible of a blowout, i am trying to minimize the risk!

thanks for the help!!

deb

Looking at a particular tires load range becomes confusing to many as load range is really a pressure rating that is needed to attain the maximum load capacity of the tire. It has a wide range which can be as low as 2680# and as high as 3680# in the 16” tires that can be used on the trailer axles.

Many of the newer ST tires sized at ST235/80R16E have a maximum load capacity of 3520#. If in fact that is what is on your new RV trailer you may find it very hard to get the dealer to change out your tires as they will be very reluctant to go below the manufacturers choice of load capacity and there are NO American Made LRE tires with anything close to that load capacity. So, you will have to try and talk them into the LRG GY G614 or something equivalent.

This is just food for thought stuff for when you start requesting upgrades from your dealer. It’s the best place to do it as you still have LEVERAGE.

TireHobby

 

[debh]

thank you for all the replies.

the reason i was questioning the marathons is because the load range is right for the trailer (sundance 3300 RLB). i had not considered the maxxis but will have to look into them too.

my 1st choice is the goodyear g614. we pick up the trailer tomorrow. i need to check the wheels to see if they are rated high enough for that tire. im finding very few in the right load range/size.

i have already discussed the tire issue with the sales guy. me and him basically CLASH. to put it plain and simple, he is an IDIOT! he got mad and actually was yelling at me on the phone saying there is not a thing wrong with the tires on there. then when i insisted on new tires all the ones he suggested were WAY out of the load range for the trailer. (goodyear 149 was one of them). he called me back and said if i want the BEST rated tire to look at the michelin. ok. i looked. thats rated at 2778. also below whats needed!
then again, i also got yelled at for telling him i was having airbags put on my truck. i couldnt believe he got mad! i only have an f-250 and putting at least 2000 lbs in the bed......... simple math tells me i need airbags!
so that is what im dealing with at the dealer.

he wont cut me a break on new tires because he insists the ones on there are good. says he cant resell them as they are now used because of the miles put on them to transport it to NJ. looks like im on my own for tires. i did point out that i havent signed my name on the dotted line yet. for a reply i got, thats breaking the deal and your deposit isnt refundable. $2000........ hmmmmm.

ok, so that is all off topic. sorry. very mad at the dealer though.

looks like my only choices are: maxxis, goodyear marathon and if the wheels can take it, the goodyear g614 (my choice if i can use it).

they are the only ones i found in the proper range.

if i go for the marathons i guess it will only be if the goodyear dealer can come up with ones made in the usa.

why are better tires not put on these things in the 1st place or and upgrade an option? especially since blowing a tire can cause so much damage!!

 

[Rmcgrath53]

I can tell you that the Goodyear Marathons made in china are also junk. My last trip ,with only 4000 miles on my rig, all 4 tires started side wall bulges. At least 12 bulges per tire. I am not overloaded and check pressure at every stop. I ended up putting land air japan lt tires on at a discount tire company. So far so good with the lt tires. I will say I travel between 65 and 70 miles per hour, if that had a bearing on it or not.

 

[Gaffer]

ST tires are speed rated to 65 MPH. That is more than fast enough to tow a combined load of 20,000 lbs plus. Faster than that will likely stress the ST tire.

 

[wdk450]

DebH:
The Goodyear G614's are standard on the Landmark line, so Heartland has them. I believe they are an option on the Bighorns. This is what I was thinking of when I said Goodyear Marathons were available from Heartland. Sorry!
If you could wait a while, maybe you could get your dealer to order the G614's as an option on a new trailer he is ordering for his lot stock, then switch them out with you when his trailer arrives. The mileage on the tires at that point should be about the same.
Otherwise, remind him you are making a $50,00 purchase, and there are a lot of other dealers on the internet.

 

[TireHobby]

thank you for all the replies.

the reason i was questioning the marathons is because the load range is right for the trailer (sundance 3300 RLB). i had not considered the maxxis but will have to look into them too.

my 1st choice is the goodyear g614. we pick up the trailer tomorrow. i need to check the wheels to see if they are rated high enough for that tire. im finding very few in the right load range/size.

i have already discussed the tire issue with the sales guy. me and him basically CLASH. to put it plain and simple, he is an IDIOT! he got mad and actually was yelling at me on the phone saying there is not a thing wrong with the tires on there. then when i insisted on new tires all the ones he suggested were WAY out of the load range for the trailer. (goodyear 149 was one of them). he called me back and said if i want the BEST rated tire to look at the michelin. ok. i looked. thats rated at 2778. also below whats needed!
then again, i also got yelled at for telling him i was having airbags put on my truck. i couldnt believe he got mad! i only have an f-250 and putting at least 2000 lbs in the bed......... simple math tells me i need airbags!
so that is what im dealing with at the dealer.

he wont cut me a break on new tires because he insists the ones on there are good. says he cant resell them as they are now used because of the miles put on them to transport it to NJ. looks like im on my own for tires. i did point out that i havent signed my name on the dotted line yet. for a reply i got, thats breaking the deal and your deposit isnt refundable. $2000........ hmmmmm.

ok, so that is all off topic. sorry. very mad at the dealer though.

looks like my only choices are: maxxis, goodyear marathon and if the wheels can take it, the goodyear g614 (my choice if i can use it).

they are the only ones i found in the proper range.

if i go for the marathons i guess it will only be if the goodyear dealer can come up with ones made in the usa.

why are better tires not put on these things in the 1st place or and upgrade an option? especially since blowing a tire can cause so much damage!!

There is a way to approach this unpleasant sales person. The new (2007) DOT rulings does allow wheel and tire changes at the dealer level before the completion of the first sale.

You could point this out to him/her and then ask that the new wheels/tires be in compliance with the owners manual for your particular RV trailer. He/she obviously does not have a clue what it says or is a practiced liar.

TireHobby

p.s The statement listed below is verbatim right out of the current Heartland RV trailer owners manual.

Never mix radial, bias belted or bias type tires. Never mix
brands. This can adversely affect vehicle handling and
stability. Use only the tire size that is listed on the Safety
Compliance Certification Label. If you have a question about
the label, please call HEARTLAND RECREATIONAL
VEHICLES, LLC.