Buying "G" tires

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by johnboytoo

With my previous 5er and the marathons
I called Goodyear direct and they emailed a claim form that I filled out, then emailed back with pictures and expenses/estimates:

Property Damage Claims Team
Attention Dept. 805
200 Innovation Way
Akron, OH 44316
800-322-4682 (phone)
888-307-1920 (fax)
pdct@goodyear.com (e-mail)

they asked me to drop the tire off at any goodyear dealer so it could be shipped back to them for testing...

Thanks for the information.

[Dad & The Boys]

Has anyone had more than one goodyear Marathon tire fail? Last fall we were returning to our home in Florida when we had a blowout in Georgia. We had to buy a tire that wasn't Goodyear, because of the location & tire dealer that did not carry Goodyears. We contacted Goodyear and they sent a letter that when we bought a Goodyear tire, they would honor part of the cost. We didn't think much more about the blowout. However, after only using the RV once during the winter for a short distance, we began our summer trip north in June and just after crossing the border in South Carolina, we had another blowout on the opposite side of the RV. We were very fortunate that we had no damage to the rig. There was literally nothing left of the tire. We notified Redwood and Goodyear. Goodyear gave us 50 % toward another Goodyear. We have a 2013 RW 31 SL. The tires are St 235/80R16E's. After two blowouts, it has been a concern. I was looking at the Redwood website and see they changed the tires for 2014 to ST235/85R16G. I have also been told that the Marathons are produced in China and they have changed the way they are made. Can anyone help me? At this point I think Redwood has a problem. It frightens me that we may have another blowout and something serious will happen.
Dad & the Boys

[0nTheRoad]

The Goodyear Marathon "E" rated tires are problematic, almost all RV's seem to come equipped with these. The early redwoods were equipped with the Marathons, you could order the "Goodyear 614G's" as an option. Redwood now equips all their coaches with "614 G's". Many who purchased their RW's with the Marathons have upgraded to the G's.

The E's require 80psi, the G's 110psi. Many of the wheels will allow inflation to 110psi, others will not. As I understand you can look at the back of the wheels and they will indicate the maximum inflation.

I would recommend that you move to the G's to eliminate further issues, you've been VERY lucky that you've had to blowouts without damaging your coach, don't push your luck!!

[rcflame]

It's not a Redwood problem, but a Goodyear problem. I have had 3 of the Goodyear G's lose their tread on 2 different trailers. 1 on our Carriage and 2 (within a few hundred miles of each other) on the Redwood. Goodyear has been good about paying for fixing the trailer and replacing the tires, but it's still a pain. There wasn't close dealer that handled Goodyear when the last one went, so put on another brand G rated tire. It's Chinese, but we'll see how it does.

[JohnEileen]

All this talk about blowouts is pretty scary to a newbe.....our coach has Goodyear 17.5 H rated tires. We are getting ready to take our first big trip from Indianapolis IN to Bar Harbor, ME. praying for no blowouts!

[lwg]

Originally Posted by JohnEileen

All this talk about blowouts is pretty scary to a newbe.....our coach has Goodyear 17.5 H rated tires. We are getting ready to take our first big trip from Indianapolis IN to Bar Harbor, ME. praying for no blowouts!

I wouldn't stress too much. If everyone on this board responded as to whether or not they've had problems with the Goodyear G14's I imagine the majority haven't had problems. True it can happen at any time. I did add a TPMS to my Redwood to keep an eye on things just in case. It'll at least tilt the odds in my favor by alerting me to most situations (Sans sudden blowouts) prior to them becoming a damaging problem.

[JohnEileen]

Ok this is the female side of the couple responding to this board and for the most part I've been the one reading and posting and while John might know what the acronym TPMS stands for I am guessing temperature pressure but what is the M and S for and how is this added? Sounds like something we need to add. Are there different brands and if so what brand do you suggest? Thanks so much for all your help!

[spindrift]

Originally Posted by JohnEileen

Ok this is the female side of the couple responding to this board and for the most part I've been the one reading and posting and while John might know what the acronym TPMS stands for I am guessing temperature pressure but what is the M and S for and how is this added? Sounds like something we need to add. Are there different brands and if so what brand do you suggest? Thanks so much for all your help!

TPMS = Tire Pressure Management System

When I did my research it appeared that Truck System Technologies, Inc. (TST) seemed to be the TPMS of choice. I've been quite impressed so far.

[0nTheRoad]

Eileen,

spindrift has already explained what TPMS is.

Like Cindy & Tom we have the TST 507 system. There are several other brands but I too chose TST for several reasons. Most important to me was the flow-thru sensors and the ability to change the batteries myself.

The TST system monitors both pressure and temperature, the monitor will display each wheel for 6 seconds, then move to the next wheel, it cycles thru all the tires and then begins again and will constantly while the system is on.

TST has two different types of sensors, the standard and grow-thru. Both types screw onto the valve stem of your tires and are equipped with anti-theft mechanisms. With the standard sensors you have to remove the sensor to inflate/deflate, not so with the flow-thru. The reason for using the standard vs flow-thru, the length/height of the sensor, the standard sensor will add ~1" to your valve stem, the flow-thru will add ~2-3". I use the standard sensors on the truck front and outside rear [rear facing] valve stems and the flow-thru on the inside rear truck tires and all four Redwood tires. I have valve extenders on my inside rear truck tires, the monitors are attached to the extenders.

Using the TPMS has already saved me a few times, one of the best investments I've made with the rig!!!

[spindrift]

Chuck...great explanation.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by JohnEileen

All this talk about blowouts is pretty scary to a newbe.....our coach has Goodyear 17.5 H rated tires. We are getting ready to take our first big trip from Indianapolis IN to Bar Harbor, ME. praying for no blowouts!

My bet is that many of the problems people experience with their tires involve overweight, under/over pressure, and speed. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have been passed by another RVer on the interstate and I'm doing 60mph. I'm talking flying by! I'll also bet most don't know the weight of their rig and probably are afraid to have it weighed.....................Just sayin, these tires are rated for a reason.

[johnboytoo]

Summer, blacktop, speed, weight... bumps, damage...
WILL kill marathons or any other chinese firecracker tires...

When ours went out last summer it was like a BIG gunshot ---
thank goodness it was on the rear tire and only did about $300 damage..
the tire replacement, the repair, etc... was paid in full by goodyear...

[0nTheRoad]

Agreed... over/under pressurized tires, weight and speed are all critical to good tire care.

I drive a little faster, generally between 60-65 leaning toward 65 but you're right, even at 65 I see way too many RV's come flying by me doing at least 70-75!!!

[Blue Dogs]

Wouldn't it be be interesting to see some sort of test on RV tires that showed heat relative to speed? I'd be curious to see tire temp differences say between 60 and 65 MPH. My though is it wouldn't be much but truthfully I have no clue.

[rob_fla]

We love our TST System, it has saved us several times on our SOB.
We moved the TST sensors from our SOB to our Redwood.

[rcflame]

I have had the tread go on 3 Goodyear G's. I have the TST pressure monitoring system. All three times there hasn't been any warning. The tread just goes. The tires have always been properly inflated. I drive between 60 & 65 MPH. The date of mfg has always been within limits. They all had good tread on them. There were no wear spots. I have the weights from a certified scale, and am not overweight. There isn't any reason that I can come up with that would cause the tread to go. Goodyear has always had the tires picked up and sent to the factory. They have not denied a claim' which I'm sure they would do if it was something I did.

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by JohnEileen

All this talk about blowouts is pretty scary to a newbe.....our coach has Goodyear 17.5 H rated tires. We are getting ready to take our first big trip from Indianapolis IN to Bar Harbor, ME. praying for no blowouts!

You should be in great shape with the H rated tires but as always there are no 100% guarantee's. I would still drive only 60 mph. I don't think that any of the trailer tires are rated for speeds above 65 mph.

Good luck and safe travels.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by rcflame

I have had the tread go on 3 Goodyear G's. I have the TST pressure monitoring system. All three times there hasn't been any warning. The tread just goes. The tires have always been properly inflated. I drive between 60 & 65 MPH. The date of mfg has always been within limits. They all had good tread on them. There were no wear spots. I have the weights from a certified scale, and am not overweight. There isn't any reason that I can come up with that would cause the tread to go. Goodyear has always had the tires picked up and sent to the factory. They have not denied a claim' which I'm sure they would do if it was something I did.

I have heard that one of the problems with the TPMS systems is that when they warn you it's already too late. I don't think I will add a system lik e that until they are more dependable. The fact that you have had problems with the Goodyear "G" tires is exactly why I have not replaced my Marathons yet. I'm thinking about replacing them with the Michelin XPS Rib. I put those on my SOB fifth wheel and never had a problem, and I don't have to replace my wheels to do it. I hesitate to say that my 31SL has been pulled over 6,000 miles with the Marathons with only 1 incident and that is because I ran over a nail but the tire did not blow. "Knock on wood!"

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by hoosierguy

You should be in great shape with the H rated tires but as always there are no 100% guarantee's. I would still drive only 60 mph. I don't think that any of the trailer tires are rated for speeds above 65 mph.

Good luck and safe travels.

I've learned that 55mph - 60mph is all I really need to go to get to point B. I get the best fuel economy at 55 and if it takes me an extra hour to get to my destination, so be it. Safety, safety, safety! There's a big difference in control IMO between 55mph and 65 mph.

[travelin' texans]

X 2 on the TST, have had it a year now & it has warned me on truck while not towing. As far as blow outs I don't have clue what kind of system could warn you of that or just throwing the tread, but any warning is better than none. On my previous SOB I threw the tread at some point, not flat, by the time I noticed it it looked like a chrome tire, no tread just very shiny steel. It messed up inside fender & took out sewer drain all the way back to the valve, luckily no yucky mess.