Goodyear Trailer Tire Experience

[CROW]

Do not want to get a debate going, but do want to relay my experience with the Goodyear tires on my fifth wheel trailer. Been driving for over 40 years and have had three blowouts in all that time and one was on an 18 wheeler when I was in college. The other two were on the Goodyear tires on my trailer on a recent trip to the Texas coast. Actually the two blowouts occurred in about a 500 mile period.

Tires were/are Goodyear Wrangler LT 235/16 Load Range E that came as original equipment on the trailer. These have the circle S which supposedly means they are the upgraded tires after Goodyear had problems with this particular tire. They were built in the 23nd week of 2000, so they were not "old' tires, the

trailer has been weighed several times and the tires were not overloaded.

The second tire that blew was checked for correct air pressure with a gauge about 100 miles before it blew out. The other was aired up the previous evening with all the rest of the tires since the trailer had been sitting for several months and the weather had turned much colder; all the tires had lost a few pounds of air. After driving about 300 miles, I spent the night and visually checked all the tires before leaving that morning.

Had some damage to the trailer but not a lot due to the first blowout. In order to have Goodyear make a determination as to whether the tire failed due to underinflation (a punctute or flat) or a bad tire and pay for the damage to your trailer, you have to buy a new tire ($160 or so) and the dealer sends the tire to Goodyear if he cannot determine the cause of the blowout. The other option was just pay them $43 for a new tire and forget making any claim for damage to the trailer. I chose to pay the $43 and get a new tire after the first blowout thinking that is a reasonable price for a new spare tire since I was planning on buying Michelin XPS Rib tires this summer. The second blowout caused no damage, so I once again paid $43 for a new tire. Now I have two new Goodyear tires and -to be perfectly honest-I don't want any Goodyear tires.

To be objective, could I have picked up something that caused both tires to go flat and subsequently blowout? Yes it is possible, but what are the odds considering all the years and all these miles.

Again, my purpose is not to start a debate but my experience may be of interest to some of you considering new tires for your truck or a trailer.

 

[Slow Six]

I started a post on this same thing a while ago. There were a lot of replies, most of them with bad experiences with the Wranglers. My trailer has the Wrangler HT 235/85R-16,load range E. They have always been at the correct pressure and they are not overloaded. I noticed a lot sudden of wear on the inside of one tire, so I went to a shop to correct the alignment. When they got measurements to see where the alignment was out they found everything to be bang on spec. A closer look at the tire revealed some very unusual wear patterns and high spots on the tread surface. The tire was separating. Fortunately it was caught before the tread let loose and created a lot of damage. My local dealer reluctantly gave me a poor adjustment on a new tire. I wish now that I would have saved the money and put it towards a set of new Michelin XPS Ribs. After some thinking and the responses on this sight I will install the new Michelins before I travel much more. I have a feeling that the other 3 Wranglers won't last much longer. I talked to a Michelin rep. and he recommended the XPS Rib for trailers as it has all steel construction in the tread and sidewall plies and is much sturdier for trailer use. My own personal thought is the Wranglers are not built for the twisting and strain placed on them when turning trailers. I try not to make a lot of sharp turns, but they cannot be avoided especially in a lot of campgrounds. If you do a search you will find a lot of "experiences" with the Wranglers similar to what we have had. I wish these trailers manufactures would send the rigs out with trailer tires on them. I run a Kelly trailer tire on one of my work trailers and have had excellent results with them but they are discontinued. Like you I would advise any one with the Wranglers to at least keep a real close eye on them for irregularities in wear or shape.

 

[B.G. Smith]

I have a set of four in my garage that have never been mounted, replacements for a set which came apart. bg

 

[RustyJC]

The Michelin XPS Rib is an excellent replacement for an LT235/85R-16E trailer tire. I changed out the OEM Goodyear Wrangler HTs on our previous 5th wheel to the XPS Ribs and stopped worrying. (Yes, we failed a Goodyear Marathon on yet a previous 5th wheel - $2,400 damage. )



Truth is, I got all puckered up when we picked up our current 5th wheel and I saw the Goodyear tires. These, however, are the G614R/ST Unisteel in load range G (LT235/85R-16G), a tire that Goodyear claims is specifically designed for heavy trailer service. So far, I'm pleasantly surprised with the G614s. We've pulled in 105 degF ambient temperatures here in Texas last August at 70 MPH on I35, and the all-steel G614s seem to run as cool as the XPS Ribs. No problems so far... ...



Rusty

 

[jelag]

I carry a digital temp gauge in my truck... each time I get out at a rest stop after 2 or 3 hours on the road I walk around the trailer and check the temp..... any tire that is more than 30* more than the rest gets a good look over... . I usually get 80K miles on BFG's from costco... . but I check the air at least every 3 or 4 days. . ..... I also use the temp gauge to test the temp of the hubs and disc brakes... . the hubs are always within 20* of each other... .



I still had sidewall cracking on my OE goodyears on my 04... ...



Just my thoughts... .



jim

 

[RustyJC]

I still had sidewall cracking on my OE goodyears on my 04... ...

Jim,



These are your 17" truck tires, right?



Rusty

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Check load on each tire. Also check at each stop while on the road by running your hand over the tread to see if any bulges have happened = ply separation. Radial trailer tires have been a hassle for years; bias ply seem to be pretty secure. I had 6 go out a couple years ago and thy were always properly inflated and never overloaded.

 

[RustyJC]

Radial trailer tires have been a hassle for years; bias ply seem to be pretty secure.

Joe,



I would agree with your comments as they apply to the fabric-and-steel construction radials commonly used in trailer applications - examples would be the Goodyear Marathon and Wrangler HT tires.



I don't agree, however, that the all-steel construction commercial trailer-type radials are in any way inferior because of their radial design. This type of construction is used all the way from the Michelin XPS Ribs and Goodyear Unisteel G614R/ST tires discussed in this thread up to and including tires for Class 8 over-the-road rigs, and where these tires have been retrofitted to replace the fabric-and-steel radials, I haven't heard of any subsequent failures.



Rusty

 

[CLAYTON]

I recently switched from my stock 225/75/15 D rated trailer tire (after a blowout) to a 245/75/16 E rated radial truck tire. Is there a big difference between a trailer tire and a truck tire in their design? Do most people run a trailer tire on the 5th wheels or truck tires? My 5th wheel weighs in around 10k. I'll tell you one thing... ever since I put the E rated tires on it sure takes some worry off your shoulders. E rated tires look so much more natural under my trailer. The D's looked like they where over loaded.

 

[RustyJC]

Once you get to the 16" size, the "ST" designation is hard to find. As an example, the Michelin XPS Ribs as well as the Goodyear G614R/ST (note the ST in the model name - it's a trailer-specific tire) that I've owned both carried the LT235/85R-16 designation (LT = light truck).



Having said that, not all LT tires are created equal insofar as trailer service is concerned. As we've discussed, the all-steel radials, although much pricier and heavier, appear to work much better in heavy trailer service than the typical fabric-and-steel pickup tire.



Rusty

 

[Dieselnerd]

I've had nothing but problems with Goodyear. I've had 2 different fifth wheels that came with Goodyear and they both threw treads. The latest one had the nylon belts which were supposed to fix the problem but didn't. I've gone to Michelin XPS Ribs on the fifth wheel and they are great tires! I didn't mention my 1996 Dodge also came with Goodyears and threw a tread causing a lot of damage to my truck bed. Goodyear gave me a free set of tires but I had to pay my insurance deductable. The new Goodyears on my truck started to develop bubbles and I switched them to Michelin also. I'll never get another Goodyear.

 

[pwerwagn]

We deal with tire disposal. We pick up all the used, bad or given away tires from most of the tire stores here. I have noticed quite a few things. When you usually get 4,000 or so used tires a week to deal with, trends become apparent.

We get an awful lot of goodYear marathons. Most of them have odd wear patterens, or tread missing. The occasional one that is good looking, is usually dry rotted on the sidewall.

Almost 50% of the michelins we recieve have a lot of tread life left. The problem we see with them is that the side walls are always dry rotted. It seems to be a big problem. none of the guys that buy our good used tires will ever take a michelin. Maybe it is the climate here in NM that causes this, I dont know. but I have seen michelins that are less than 2 years old (according to the dot date) that are cracking so bad on the sidewall that I wouldnt run them.

On our trailers we usually run bridgestone dueler H/T's. they are never new tires, but usually used ones we pick up for disposal. They hold up real well. One trailer is triple axle (lost of twisting) and runs 215-86-16s and is usually loaded to about 16,000lbs. The others run 235-85-16 and are anywhere from 15,000lbs to 20,000lbs when loades. they have been good so far. Another good tire we have used is the goodyear wrangler workhorse. Seems to hold up well.

Generally, the reason for a bias on a trailer is because trailers sit. Bias tires seem to hold up better to sitting for prolonged periods than radials do (not in all cases, but generally). also, bias tires tend to have stronger sidewalls, leading to less flex and better trailer stability (again, not always).

-Jeff

 

[milehigh.o.]

I would also take into concideration that the wheels might be slightly bent. I tow a 29' cruiser boat on a tripple axle trailer and was having a blow out every time I went on a trip. I then replaced all of the wheels and tires and last year no more blow outs. Those wheels can take a beating when turning and can bend just enough to wobble and that causes the tire to heat up a great deal. Just an idea, maybe pull them and take to a shop and have them check.

 

[Eric_77]

I have the G614s on our utilty van trailer, it gets very heavy use in the summer here inTexas. We had been use to a tire popping every trip once the tires were 3 years old then we switched everything over to the G614s one axle at a time oldest tires are now 4 years old new ones are 1 year old no failures and we are now loading 2,000 pounds heavier.



Beware when looking at load ratings the letter is useful but the actual weight rating is best indicator. The G614 had the highest of any 16" tire maker when I looked a few years ago. FYI Michelin lists axle rating ie pair for their spec guide Goodyear and most(all?) list a per tire rating.

 

[kbarlow]

Eric,

How many miles do you have on the G614's?

Ken

 

[pwerwagn]

Beware when looking at load ratings the letter is useful but the actual weight rating is best indicator

Very True. The D/E/F is an ok indicator, but the load index is the key.

 

[Eric_77]

Eric,

How many miles do you have on the G614's?

Ken

Well we drive about 6-8k per year loaded to the max about 75% of the time.



So I guess the old ones at a little over 25,000 new ones at about 5,000 miles not a bunch of miles I think age will be the killer of these tires as you cannot hardly tell the old ones have worn, might be 15% thread wear.



Other big plus is the stiff lower sidewall; wind does not blow trailer around like it did with the Kumho or the Conti (I think that was the other set we tried) with the taller 85 series profile.

 

[kbarlow]

Thanks Eric,

We have 18000 on ours but they are only 16 months old. I thought you may have had more on yours.

Ken

 

[bodacious]

I got four g614s two years ago after goodyear recommended them after several blowouts with other goodyear tires. Well after leaving Mesa, Az I got about 250 miles one of 614 blew. I have sinse made a trip from De to

Az and back with out any tire problems. The way I prevent fender damage is hit manual brake controller with max braking to slide the blown tire it will do a lot smoking but will stop blown tire from rotating. I have 10,000# on two axal an can,t slide the other three tires with max brake on 37' fifth wheel.