More Marathon tire failures

On the return trip from Black Hills SD we had a 14 inch Marathon loose about a third of its circumference outer tread in pieces. The tire was made in May 2005 and had almost 8,000 miles on it. But here is the kicker… The TPMS never went off… Why? Because it was still holding air pressure when I took it off the TM. We were almost home, running with the widows down, when I heard the tale tale sound of a tire plopping. Not good. Checked the TPMS. Duran Green light means go happily staring back at me. I thought, oh no, not another truck tire!

We had lost a rear tire on the truck - ( LT type - seven ply rated for 3042 pounds @ 80 psi. It was running at 75 psi when checked the evening before the trip ) - on the way out just east of Kansas City. It did give a warning (shaking ) but I could not get over in time thanks to traffic before it died. At the time I suspected road damage as the roads out this year seemed especially brutal and the tire, while still showing adequate tread, was nearing the end of it life in miles. Not to mention that small canyon I ran over just west of Saint Louis that jarred my eye teeth. That hit was so hard I fully expected the Duran TPMS to start screaming then and there. But the TM tires held.

Back to the Marathon. ( About 14 days later in time and well over a thousand miles since the truck tire popped. ) Pulled over and saw the waste plumbing had taken a hit. It was all still there, but will need work. ( Bill, the mud flap idea seemed to have helped. The mud flap was torn in half vertically but wedged in the plumbing in such a way that the flap took most of the tearing damage and the plumbing took the blunt force. ) The tire, missing a third of it tread, steel cord showing was still inflated! Holding 57 psi! Go figure.

Since both tires popped on the street side. I am leaning towards damage of some sort due to road hazard but am not sure. Not sure if a 14 inch Kumo seven ply would have helped if it was road damage and if that was what took out the truck tire.

I was / am running my own tire test of sorts. On the curb side of the trailer is a off brand SuperCargo tire. ( How much worse can it be?.. Looks an awful lot like a Marathon in disguise with different markings.. It was made in 2007 and had the exact same service miles and trips that the Marathon had. Both tires inflated to 55 psi cold ( as noted on the tire sticker on the TM ) and speeds have reached 70 mph a time or two when passing slower vehicles. In general the TM is towed around 65 mph. Logic for the 5 extra psi, besides what it says on the tire spec sticker on the TM, comes from data I got from the from the GoodYear website PDF file that says “ Based on industry standards, if tires with the ST designation are used at speeds between 66 and 75 mph, it is necessary to increase the cold inflation pressures by 10 psi above the recommended pressure for the load.“ Being as I do not run the tires at that speed for any length of time and putting 60 psi in a Marathon tire makes me wince I stop at 55 psi and try not to go over 65 very much for very long.

Me thinks it is about time for those 195R14C Kumo tires. Uuhhmmm?

[ShrimpBurrito]

All I can say is that since having my 205 Kumho's, I haven't had any problems. I hope that trend continues. The 205's fit on my TM just fine....no clearance issues. And it appears they are back in stock at Tirerack, so perhaps that means they are again available locally as well.

It's disappointing the mudflap didn't prevent the damage to the plumbing. That reinforces what I had expected -- you need a solid piece of steel, or steel frame, back there for protection, and nothing less.

Dave

[arniland]

Had what has to be the weirdest Marathon failure yet. When I bought my TM in 2008 I replaced all 3 tires with Kumhos. Another Forum member gave me a 4th and I put them on a dual axle trailer I use for hauling vintage cars around the area. In March a friend borrowed the trailer for a round trip to Oregon to pick up a vintage car. Sent him off with two spares and much warning about the Marathon tires.

In eastern Oregon, as he was heading back to Maryland, he came out to find the sidewalls of two tires (where they came close together) with a bunch of porcupine quills sticking out. He was afraid to pull them out and broke them off as short as he could, but one of the tires failed in a few hundred miles. The best we can figure is that one porcupine "marked" the tires on that side and another porcupine took exception to that.

Perhaps Bobby can inquire if the Marathon warranty says anything about this. ;-)

The good news is that the other three Marathons made the 6,000 trip without incident. The one still has quill stubble, but I'm reluctant to mess with them.

Arn

Originally Posted by arniland

Perhaps Bobby can inquire if the Marathon warranty says anything about this. ;-)

Now, that is one I can definitely say I have never heard.

I did have a friend of mine once, whose dog drug up some deer antlers and decided to leave them right beside/behind his truck tire. As soon as he backed up, he put the horn right thru the sidewall of his tire (that he bought only two weeks earlier).

I can't wait to tell the porcupine story to some of my tire biz buddies. Thanks for sharing.

[ShrimpBurrito]

On the topic of bizarre warranty claims, the maker of Pelican cases and lights has 3 specific exclusions to their otherwise unusually very broad and very good warranty:

"blah, blah, blah.....Any liability, either expressed or implied is limited to replacement of the product. This guarantee is void only if the Pelican product has been abused beyond normal and sensible wear and tear. The guarantee does not cover shark bite, bear attack and children under five. Should you have any problems, questions or comments, please let us know. We will do our utmost to earn your continued confidence in our products."

Dave

[fourteener]

Bobby or Dave, I know it has been a few years since this was posted, but can you tell me if there have been any additional findings. I'm currently thinking of going with the Kumho 205R14C Load Rating D or the Hankook RA08 Euro 195/14 for my 2007 TM2720. I currently have 14 inch rims and this would save me the hassle of the 15" rim upgrade. I believe I have what appears to be a lift kit installed (aluminum block between the axle and frame). I have had 2 marathons fail now (one on each side, and one took the plumbing shortly after I purchased the TM). I simply want to know if there's any additional input prior to me making any purchases?? Thanks Again you guys!

[ShrimpBurrito]

Tired of dealing with the blowouts yet?

IMHO, I would buy the tire with the highest weight capacity you can fit on the trailer. In a 14" tire, you're probably not going to get any better than the Kumho 205's, but I haven't checked in awhile. And I had 2 Kumho blowouts on tires that had been in service for just 3 years (3.5 years old from date of manufacture). See here:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=10265

But since you already have the lift kit, you can probably go to a 15" wheel for not much more money. You'll have to replace all 3 rims, but I think I paid about $40 a piece for them. So basically for an extra $120, you get a significantly increased safety margin as compared with the Kumhos. As you can see from my signature, I have load rating E tires.....and with age, UV exposure, weight, and heat, I'm betting that extra margin will prevent future blowouts.

Dave

[Bill]

I agree with Dave - the new wheels are cheap (especially compared to replacing the plumbing!). By the way, if you are short of cash, you can replace the two running tires and wheels, and keep one of the old 14s as a spare. If you need the spare, it will still fit, and there is nothing wrong with towing for a while with two different size tires (don't do this with a car) until you get home or get to a tire dealer.

The 14-inch spare isn't good forever, of course, but it will give you a year or two while you save up for a 15-inch upgrade.

You should also notice that a wider tire may not fit well in the spare tire carrier underneath. There are one or two threads on this topic as well.

Bill

[fourteener]

I've read a bunch of back and forth regarding the rims, can one of you deffinitively tell me exactly what rims I need. Size, offeset, etc. It sounds like next weekend I'll be working to install mud flaps/splash guards and putting a new tire setup on my TM.

1) Please provide recommended Wheel Specs (I believe 15"X6", 5 lug 4 1/2" pattern, 0" offset?)
2) Which Tire would you recommend (brand, size, load rating etc.)

Thanks Guys !

[Andromeda]

On my 2006 2720SL, I tried a Provider ST 225/75 R15. It did not fit into the wheel well rubbing between the tire outer side and the plastic wheel well liner.

In the meantime, I discovered a new Goodyear size ST 205/75 R14, class D are coming available and backordered. Note that I may be slightly off on the widith due to a note taking error. It might be 225 instead of 205. Importantly, it means that we can go up to the next load rating without changing rims.

However, all the bad reports on Goodyear here, I am hesitating.

2006 2720SL, swing away, large top mounted AC, trailer hitch.
David