More Marathon tire failures

wmtire...
is there a quality commercial 225 75R/15 E tire ????
i'm in need of tires that will give my wife and family some reassurance'!!!!!

thanks
bill s

Originally Posted by bill s

wmtire...
is there a quality commercial 225 75R/15 E tire ????
i'm in need of tires that will give my wife and family some reassurance'!!!!!

thanks
bill s

Not that I am currently aware of, or available in the U.S. So far, I haven't been able to find a 225/75/15 inch Load Range D tire either in anything but a trailer service only tire. I am looking.

Maybe some other forum members have found something.(hint-hint) It was Frenchy who let us know what he did for his 14 inch tires in the Euro sizing, and Freedom for informing us of his good experiences with bias ply tires.

I got the factory tires balanced today - needed a 1.25 weight on one wheel and a very large looking 2.75 on the other. These wheels have about 250 miles on them and certainly came without any balancing at all. I can't imagine that kind of discrepancy is good on the bearings.

This thread is really interesting. Ours is a 2001 TM 2720 SD, bought it last Oct. Nick's advice helped me rip out vinyl and carpet and replace with 7 mm thick wood-look laminate. This has added more weight (100# ?). Also installed an LCD TV (more weight). Our initial trip was about 4000 miles, and the TM performed flawlessly. Have been on 3 other short trips this spring.

Nick and I started talking tires a couple of months ago. I told him that my tire guy said Marathons were "OK," but I sensed a reticence. I decided (3 days ago) to check the age of my tires (45th week of 2000), so had him order 2 Marathon replacements. They would have been installed on Friday
(5/25/07), but UPS didn't make the shipping time.

They (Marathons) are to arrive on Tuesday. I think I'll go talk with my tire guy about this thread, WMTIRE's contributions, and have him order up a pair of Nankooks. I'll report back, since he's highly respected and knows tires really well. When he ordered the Marathons, he said that he really would prefer to use Coopers, but couldn't find a size match. I'll also try to have our TM weighed.

And I think I'm happy that I didn't experience a blowout. I had a Reese WDH hitch installed, AFTER the 4000 mile trip. It has been a nice addition, and there is no bounce or sway. Maybe if I have overloaded everything, the tow and ride become rock-solid, waiting for the tires to fail!!

[MikeD]

Great discussion, and since my OEM Marathons need replacement next year, I am intensely interested. I want to understand the consequences of using an LT tire on a trailer. If you search this thread - http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=2880 - for a RockyMtnRay post and the following responses on "Only ST type tires should be used on travel trailers" (switching display mode to Threaded makes it easier), then it appears that the consequences range from very little (if you travel regularly throughout the year) to perhaps early blow-out (?? if you shutdown travel for a period of time over winter). Can anyone comment on this ? Perhaps Frenchy could comment on his experience and care/maintenance since he appears to have run the Coopers since at least 2005.

thanks, MikeD

My tire guy has just mounted two new tires on our 2001 2720 SD. These were his tires of choice, responding to my dislike of blow-outs and tire failures in general. He has shod 4 or 5 of our vehicles over a 20 year period; I have never had reason to complain.

New tires on our TM are Coopers, 195R14C, name is SRM II, Load range D. TV is a 2005 Tundra (5160 lbs) - total (with the truck) is 8980 lbs. Cooper (Dave says) are the only tires still manufactured in the USA.

The spare is an original (unused) Marathon 215, etc. Trailer weight is 3820#, the new tires are rated at 2005# (or so).

I will be quick to tell the Forum readers if this has been a bad move, or a good one.

Light years ago, I flew Navy Light Attack air'chines, and once landed with 3 (out of 3) blown tires. Not fun. Therefore my hope for really good tires!!

Originally Posted by mike-rm-cd

My tire guy has just mounted two new tires on our 2001 2720 SD. These were his tires of choice, responding to my dislike of blow-outs and tire failures in general. He has shod 4 or 5 of our vehicles over a 20 year period; I have never had reason to complain.

New tires on our TM are Coopers, 195R14C, name is SRM II, Load range D. TV is a 2005 Tundra (5160 lbs) - total (with the truck) is 8980 lbs. Cooper (Dave says) are the only tires still manufactured in the USA.

The spare is an original (unused) Marathon 215, etc. Trailer weight is 3820#, the new tires are rated at 2005# (or so).

I will be quick to tell the Forum readers if this has been a bad move, or a good one.

Light years ago, I flew Navy Light Attack air'chines, and once landed with 3 (out of 3) blown tires. Not fun. Therefore my hope for really good tires!!

Good deal. The Euro sized 195R14 is basically what we have decided to do a test on for the trailers utilizing 14 inch tires, thanks to the info from Frenchy. I sent Kempert 3 of these same size tires in the Hankook brand, for him to test for us. Look forward to hearing yours, Kempert's, and Frenchy's, and anyone elses experiences with these Euro tires. Freedom is using bias tires, and I hope he keeps posting on his experience with these tires too. The more options we have, the better. Please everyone, share the info with us.

Your original spare is now 6 years old or better. I know it is a pain to pull it out from underneath your trailer, but you might want to take a look at it. Check for rubber dry rotting/deterioration. You may think it's bad to have to change a flat tire once on the road, but you really will be mad if you have to do it twice because your spare fails quickly after changing it. IMHO, I would really consider hard about replacing it, being that old.

That friendly advice comes from experience. We have a lot of customers who will bring their vehicles into our shop and want to buy only 3 new tires, and then use their "new" spare as the 4th tire. I always have to explain that their "new" spare is not new, but is as old/older as the vehicle itself. Just because the tire hasn't been used, doesn't mean the rubber is new. Usually if the vehicle is over 2-3 years old, I try hard to talk them out of this path. I have seen MANY times, where this supposedly "new" spare fails quickly after being put into service full time, due to rubber deterioration. Just food for thought.

Originally Posted by MikeD

Great discussion, and since my OEM Marathons need replacement next year, I am intensely interested. I want to understand the consequences of using an LT tire on a trailer. If you search this thread - http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=2880 - for a RockyMtnRay post and the following responses on "Only ST type tires should be used on travel trailers" (switching display mode to Threaded makes it easier), then it appears that the consequences range from very little (if you travel regularly throughout the year) to perhaps early blow-out (?? if you shutdown travel for a period of time over winter). Can anyone comment on this ? Perhaps Frenchy could comment on his experience and care/maintenance since he appears to have run the Coopers since at least 2005.

thanks, MikeD

RockyMtnRay has an excellent concern and is correct in his postings about ST vs LT tires. From what I have been able to read on these Euro sized tires, they are kind of a mixture of both, since they are recommended for trailer and light truck applications (according to the manufacturer sales literature).

Time will tell, and that is what these forums are all about.....sharing experiences and information. Hopefully, everyone will keep sharing all their experiences with the Euro tires, so we can find out for ourselves, utilizing real-life driving experiences (and not manufacturer data) as to whether these tires will hold up over time and loads. We need for everyone using these tires to keep us informed. Thanks

[MikeD]

wmtire,

Thanks -- I was looking for your thoughts on ST tires and the Euro tires. Now another question. What happens if I am running these tires and have a flat -- what should I do for a replacement? I suppose that, worst case, I could use a 215/75R14 tire to replenish my spare, but I'd rather keep to the same brand Euro-sized tire. Would any of the tires under discussion be more likely to be in stock, or obtainable quickly ?

thanks again -- MikeD

Originally Posted by MikeD

wmtire,

Thanks -- I was looking for your thoughts on ST tires and the Euro tires. Now another question. What happens if I am running these tires and have a flat -- what should I do for a replacement? I suppose that, worst case, I could use a 215/75R14 tire to replenish my spare, but I'd rather keep to the same brand Euro-sized tire. Would any of the tires under discussion be more likely to be in stock, or obtainable quickly ?

thanks again -- MikeD

Yes, according to spec charts, the 215/75R14 and the 195R14 Euro sized tire are the closest to each other in tire diameter. I think we have posted the charts/links in this forum and many pages of discussion. I believe I even posted a pic of the two sizes side by side. I posted links for each brand that I was able to find. I'll try to go back and gather them to put them all in one post, if that will help.

As far as availability, that will depend on your dealer of choice, and where you are located. I will tell you that these Euro sized tires are not available everywhere, and most likely will need to be special ordered by your tire dealer. Most dealers are not going to stock them. I never did, until I joined this forum and this discussion. Availability was one of my over riding concerns, and also why I suggested Tirerack.com in a much earlier post on this topic. Everyone can get tires from them delivered to your door, and they carry the Kumho brand name 195R14 Euro sized tire.

I'm sure they may be other manufacturers, but I was able to find suppliers on these Euro tires manufactured by Cooper(which is also Mastercraft), Hankook, and Kumho. I have experience with Mastercraft and Hankook brands, but have never sold a Kumho, so I don't know enough to offer an educated opinion on them. I suggested Tire Rack and Kumho for the ease of availability for everyone.

EDIT: I went back and quickly scanned this entire forum. I think the information on sizing and different brands is in posts # 22, 84, 86, 95, and 123.