Briway Tires

[tractors1]

I have some long-haul trucker friends; they recommended Hercules brand. Did a diligent web search and found few complaints. Started looking at tires on semi-trailers and saw a lot of them. About the same cost as Maxxis and more widely available.

Didn't have any problems; figured that advice from high-milers was better than blogs.

[Mr Lynn]

OK, so this is all anecdotal. Anyone have stats on failure rates?

/Mr Lynn

[Raspy]

A simple search on Marathon tires or Goodyear ST failures, etc, reveals a lot of info.

Goodyear Replaced Tires in 'Silent Recall,' Critics Allege - Page 2 - latimes

There is way too much to post here and to say it's all fake is ridiculous. Further, I don't know why anyone without a vested interest would go out of their way to defend them. If there is a serious question, and many claims, steer clear.

[Glenn Baglo]

Well, let's see. That article was written in 2000 and describes Light Truck tires that may or may not have had problems due to manufacture.
It's an article reporting what critics have to say and there is rebuttal from Goodyear.

I think you recommend LT tires?

[Mr Lynn]

Well, that article is 16 years old. And most of the article was about Goodyear light-truck tires.

I guess the question is: Are there reliable statistics on Marathon failures over the last few years, compared to comparable tires from other manufacturers? Maybe from the NHTSA?

I had a low-mileage truck tire on the right front disintegrate at 70 mph on the Mass Pike back in 2010. It was quite an adventure. Turns out it was 7 years old, and its mate had spidery sidewall cracks. They might have been Goodyears, but I can't generalize based on that experience. Taught me to look more closely at my tires, though.

/Mr Lynn

[Jim Bennett]

Let's please keep the personal attacks out of the thread. It is fine to state your opinion, then move on. A site search will find numerous threads discussion this same topic, with just about everything already covered many times over.

Personally, I would use nothing but tires designed for their intended use, that being ST for trailers. I own various construction trailers as well as my travel trailer, and all run on ST radials, kept inflated to the maximum allowed. I have always had good performance from them. The have firm sidewalls that resist lateral movement, something that passenger tires do not do as well with.

Goodyear did have problems with their Marathons a long ways back, something like 15 or more years, but this has since been rectified. The owner of the tire shop I do business with says they are a great tire, as is Carlisle. They have seen next to no failures of either over the past bunch of years. Oh yeah, and he too emphatically stresses that trailers should use the ST tires designed for them, and also recommends inflating to maximum pressure.

[Glenn Baglo]

Thank you Mr Lynn.

[gordon2]

And we should not forgot that tires are not only one of the most critical components on a trailer, but also probably the most often neglected.

Proper care and feeding of your tires will go quite a bit further in preventing problems than choosing one major manufacturer over another - almost every time.

1. Proper inflation. Check before every departure. Consider a TPMS but don't rely only on it.
2. Age. 4-6 years max. On the shorter end of the age range if exposed to the sun a lot. Cover when possible to retard UV degradation.
3. Frequent visual inspection, including a quick look at most every stop when on the road. Detailed visual inspection at start of the season. Also look at the valve for cracking.

You can also remove the wheels and tires when the trailer will be unused for an extended time, and store them indoors. Or lighten the load on them (and the axle) using jack stands; park on boards and move the trailer once in a while to prevent flat spots.

Maybe there are additional tips but I think those are the main ones that will help your tires preform safely.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

OK, so this is all anecdotal. Anyone have stats on failure rates?

/Mr Lynn

As with all things it is always best to do your own homework. Talk with other users of what ever it is you are considering buying and talk to a local person who sells the product who's option you valve.

I am with Glenn and Jim though I would stick with a product that is manufactured to work in the application you will be using it. ST tires are built and design for use of trailers. Have pulled thousands of miles with ST's of various brands without a problem other than one occasion when I decided to run a set a little long (age wise) than I should have.