tires keep blowing out

I'm running goodyear Marathon ST235/80R/16 on my 36 ft. mobile scout. I have had 3 blow outs in the last
three trips. I'm done , can anyone please tell me about a much better tire,  and if going with a 14 ply is worth going with. Goodyear has the same thing to say everytime , that I'm not airing my tires right . Wrong. Need help.
                                                                                                      Thanks

What is your trailers GVWR?  What axles are under it?
Your mistake is using ST tires and either overloading them or running then too fast.
Best tire on the market today is the Michelin XPS Rib.  Second is probably the BF Goodrich Commercial TA.  But they are all rated at 3042 each.  If your trailer is over 14K GVWR and or you have 7K axles under it I would instantly install 17.5 inch commercial trailer tires/wheels.  With a load rating of over 4000 pounds each unless you get a nail there is no reason they would not last for 70-80 thousand miles.

You probably need larger tires, to get more weight capacity per tire.  To determine that we need info on your axle weights, both rated and actual.

Speed may be contributing to your problems - ST tires are generally limited to 65 mph max. LT tires will run at higher speeds than ST.

Are 14 ply (load range G) even available in a 16" tire?

One other issue here, you didn't mention the age of your tire.  Check the date codes on your tires and see how old they are.  I did have some Goodyear tires on a TT that I had that were blowing out as well, but that was in the early 2000's.  When mine were blowing out, I went into a Goodyear dealer after I had 2 tires blow out. He looked at them and said "I want to replace them all". He did so with me only paying labor. Goodyear picked up the whole bill for the replacements. 

So how old are your tires, and the coach?

EEEEEKKKKKK
Just did a quick search.  If that is what I think, you have a fiver with a GVWR of 15,000 pounds.  YOUR ONLY BEST CHOICE is to bite the bullet and order 17.5 inch tire and wheel package.  No matter what you do otherwise will ensure continued tire failures.

Gary RV Roamer said:

You probably need larger tires, to get more weight capacity per tire.  To determine that we need info on your axle weights, both rated and actual.

Speed may be contributing to your problems - ST tires are generally limited to 65 mph max. LT tires will run at higher speeds than ST.

Are 14 ply (load range G) even available in a 16" tire?

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I believe Gary is right most people don't relize there is a speed limit to ST tires. Most of them range right at 60-65 MPH and then the owner "forgets" and tows fast down the interstate and has several blows outs blaming the tires manufacture (usually china made) but really its the owners fault for now using said tire within its design parameters...

Are the tires over loaded for weight?

Are the tire inflated to the proper pressure? Is you tire gauge correct too?

Are you driving faster than the design speed rating?

Those are the 3 factors to why tires blow out.

In 26 years of driving, towing trailers, etc... I've never ever had a tire blowout even once!  8)

Yes... Load Range G's are available in a 235/85 R16...

The Goodyear Marathon is known for poor performance.  Chances are if you check the date you will find they are not new.  Many of us on the Airstream form have upgraded to 16" LT tires

Major causes of RV tire failures are excessive age, under inflation and overloading. My recommendation would be to go to the next higher load range tire if the wheels can handle them. If not, you could still go to the higher load range but you would need new wheels.

Next higher load range solved the same problem as yours on two previous RVs I owned.

Another item we all overlook is curb hopping.  It is easy to do and not know you did it.  Here in Yuma right now RV's are leaving like rats on a sinking ship.  Just yesterday at a local gas station I saw a 5th wheel curb hop due to the congestion at the fuel pumps.  The problem with curb hopping the damage is done but the tire failure may be 100's of miles down the road.  Thus the tire failure cause is not obvious.

I've read that a tire carrying its maximum load is more susceptible to structural damage (due to curbstrikes, potholes, RR tracks, etc) than one that is running at 70-80% of capacity.  Maybe because the fully loaded one is stiffer and less able to flex with the strike?  But the tire companies also say that running too soft causes major internal damage due to excessive flexing, so that must be avoided too.

Michelin XPS Rib, 235/85/16LT Nuff said~

Mopar1973Man said:

In 26 years of driving, towing trailers, etc... I've never ever had a tire blowout even once!

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You're very fortunate, although I must say that in 39 years of driving, I had never had a blowout until last year when I had two in two months on my motorhome. Fortunately, both of mine were rear tires.

captainjohn0123 said:

You're very fortunate, although I must say that in 39 years of driving, I had never had a blowout until last year when I had two in two months on my motorhome. Fortunately, both of mine were rear tires.

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I share some of your experience ..Never blew a tire till 2 trailer tires blew in Idaho in 85 on my semi. Wouldn't have known except for the parts flying in my ear view.
Blew a right front this winter on I-77..don't remember having a hard time handling it but was loud.
Blew left inside in Jan and right inside in March..now have 6 new and am a believer in age related tire replacement.

prop1501 said:

I'm running goodyear Marathon ST235/80R/16 on my 36 ft. mobile scout. I have had 3 blow outs in the last
three trips. I'm done , can anyone please tell me about a much better tire,  and if going with a 14 ply is worth going with. Goodyear has the same thing to say everytime , that I'm not airing my tires right . Wrong. Need help.
                                                                                                      Thanks

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I see you have not come back to comment on what has been said in answer to this post.

First are the standards for the Special Trailer (ST) tire. Maximum speed; 65 MPH?.Always air to the maxim amount allowed on the tire?s sidewall unless otherwise stipulated on the certification label or tire placard?.Do not overload your axles?.Take the rig to the scales once and awhile?.Do not fool around with tire pressures?.check them before leaving?EVERY TIME. And don?t expect more than 3-5 years life expectancy from them no matter how low the mileage might be or how good they look.

The vehicle manufacturer has set your minimum tire requirement with the OE tires. The Goodyear ST235/80R16E has a load capacity of 3420# at 80 psi. there are a couple of ways to go up higher in load capacity with 16? tires. There is the ST235/85R16E rated at 3640# at 80 psi or the ST235/85R16F rated at 3960# at 95 psi. Next is the LT235/85R16G rated at 3750# at 110 psi. The popular one is the GY G614 but many others are being produced by the off shore manufacturers and numerous rim/tire packages can be found at very reasonable prices. I don?t think the 6000# axles really need 17.5? rim/tire fittings but there are some nice ones available. This is just one of many, it?s the Yokohama RY103 215/75R17.5F rated at 3530# at 100 psi. Bridgestone also has that size.

Check your vehicle?s owner?s manual and the certification label/tire placard. Call the vehicle manufacturer and ask for their recommendations. Find a retailer that actually has someone knowledgeable with the RV trailer tire requirements.

Good Luck
FastEagle 

Come on now. I am 59 years old and never had a blow out on a car.  I have had 6 in 6 years on my camper. i am not anal about consistant maintenance on my car tires so I know manufacturers are capable of making a tire that will work! Tire companies and rv mfg's are dupping us.
Make a good tire and put it on the stinking trailer people!

An even playing field cannot be established between the Special Trailer (ST) tires and Passenger (P) tires.

Right off the bat the ST is at a clear disadvantage because it is not regulated anywhere close to the P tire. The ST tire is not required to provide load capacity reserves above the vehicle's GAWR. The P tire MUST provide load capacity reserves.

Passenger tires have all sorts of advantages in design above those used for the ST tire. And, they have a Uniform tire quality grading system (UTQGS) for tread ware, traction, and temperature. That system is not required for the ST tire. The P designs are numerous whereas the ST is a single design. ST tires have a single maximum speed rating, 65 mph, P tires have numerous speed ratings and almost all above any highway speed limits.

Regulations do not allow P tires on vehicles above 10,000# GVWR. So there is something in their design not fully compatible with trailer axles.

Design comparisons are not the answer. Heavy weights don't fight light weights.

I'm not defending the ST tire. They surely do have a lot of failure reports throughout the RV tailoring community forums. But,  18 wheelers use a very similar design just in a more beefed-up carcass and we have seen the results of that design all along the interstate highway systems since their conception.

FastEagle

The pieces of tread found on the road are mostly from re-treads or re-caps on older carcasses. The carcass ages out and leaks, the resulting heat either delaminates the tread or explodes the dry rotted case. In my experience new tires rarely delaminate or explode. They will come apart if run flat. I have limped home in 18 wheelers with soft tires. My employer wouldn't run re-caps on anything. I often weighed 100k. Every time you get out of your rig you ought to do a circle check and thump your tires I use a ballpeen hammer. Radials don't ring the same as old bias ply tires did, so thump often to be familiar with how a full tire feels, that way a soft tire won't feel right.

Bill

The P designs are numerous whereas the ST is a single design. ST tires have a single maximum speed rating, 65 mph, P tires have numerous speed ratings and almost all above any highway speed limits.

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Are we talking about tread designs? Sidewall construction? Or ?  While there is probably less variety in ST's than P tires, ST tires come in different tread patterns and different construction (e.g. bias, radial, ply-ratings).

Tite industry standards specify that ST's must be at least 65 mph, and most are exactly that, but that can be increased on many brands and models.  Tire industry standards allow an increase to 75 mpg on ST tires IF the inflation is increased by 10 psi over the base spec. Goodyear Marathon specs, for example, state that in writing on their website.

Here is an example of a 75 mph rated St tire from Tow Master (a speed designation of "L" is 75 mph):
http://www.greenball.com/products.php?products_id=1