What Brand of tires?????

[DoubleT]

I have a 2008 2619 with 2007 14" tires made in China Marathons. Have Long trip planned for the summer and feel its time to replace them. What Brands for 2619 and experience you have had with your reccommendation. Looking at Maxxis, Towmaster, Carlise, and marathons. ( are the new marathons still made in China?) Thanks

[ELM-JLM]

Hi Mark,

I also have an 08, 2619! I am lucky to have retired from the tire business and still have friends in the wholesale end! I was able to get 4, 15" used wheels and then after some research, mostly through this forum, decided on 225/75r15 Maxxis LR D trailer tires. Our first trip was to Alaska & back! The first pair still looked great after 12,000 miles. The second pair are on now and are nearing 10,000 miles. Before we leave for Maine in late June I will switch them again! Needless to say, We are very happy with the service we are receiving from them! I was also lucky to sell the 14" Marathons on wheels to a neighbor for his lawn equipment trailer!
BTW, My 08 TM came with 06 Marathons and I bought it in 2010! I worked for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. for 35 years, of which, I spent 25 years in the retail Stores and saw many a problem with trailer tires, particularly Marathons!

I am considering 14 inch Kumho 857 load range D tires for my 2720. I haven't really heard on any negative post for them.

[Bill]

Mark -

The fact of the matter is that each of us on the board (including me) has experience with only one brand of tire, or occasionally two. This makes our judgements kinda incomplete. Instead of trying to make sense of a bunch of individual reports, you might send a PM to our tire expert, wmtire. He is a TM owner and tire dealer. He has been very forthright and outgoing to the Forum in general, and to a number of members individually. Express you desires and concerns. He is a fair and unemotional guy, and won't say THIS TIRE IS BETTER THAN ANY OTHER! But he may steer you toward some, against some - and may guide you on issues like WHERE WAS IT MADE, AND DOES IT MATTER?

He also has wide experience with a number of tires and manufacturers, so you won't have to collect recommendations from a number of people who have experience with only one. Those experiences are valid, of course, but each one is only one.

Ask him about The Great Tire Experiment on this board. He is the one who made it possible.

Bill

I have been an avid reader of TMO since February 2005. I do not recall the posting of any results of The Great Tire Experiment. I'll have to go search for that. I thought it was still in the experimental phase.

For those of us that can not swap 14 inch wheels for 15 inch wheels, the choices are very limited.

[Civil_War_Buff]

Wayne, why can't you go to 15" wheels/tires? I am curious.

I have 14 inch Kumho 857 load range D dont have a ton of miles on them but I noticed the difference immediately and like them a lot... 15's might be worth it if you travel a lot but for me the kuhmo have been good (knock wood)

Originally Posted by Civil_War_Buff

Wayne, why can't you go to 15" wheels/tires? I am curious.

Right now, when I back the TM into the garage, I have 1/4 inch of clearance between the a/c and the garage door header.

I assume that the diameter of a 15 inch tires is greater than the diameter of a 14 inch tire. That may not be true.

I could let the air out of the tires a bit, but I could not add air to one tire because it is up against the wall. It is also very difficult to set the rear corner jack, so I can not use the jacks to take the weight off of the partially deflated tire.

What would happen if I deflated the tires enough to gain about an inch of clearance, and then stored the TM in the garage that way for 4 months?

I could either raiser the header for the double garage door, or lower the floor. Both sound expensive.

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

Right now, when I back the TM into the garage, I have 1/4 inch of clearance between the a/c and the garage door header.

I assume that the diameter of a 15 inch tires is greater than the diameter of a 14 inch tire. That may not be true.

I could let the air out of the tires a bit, but I could not add air to one tire because it is up against the wall. It is also very difficult to set the rear corner jack, so I can not use the jacks to take the weight off of the partially deflated tire.

What would happen if I deflated the tires enough to gain about an inch of clearance, and then stored the TM in the garage that way for 4 months?

I could either raiser the header for the double garage door, or lower the floor. Both sound expensive.

I am new here and can't help but present the following:

This might sound like I'm being a smart arse, but I'm truly thinking just a bit outside the box.... If the 15" tires are so much better for road travel vs 14" would it be possible to have the lift kit installed ( +2") install the 15" tires for travel (+1") and then when you get home put much smaller wheels on the TM before backing it in. That is, if you can find a 12" rim with the same bolt pattern. That may be more work than the road time with 15" tires is worth, but it is a solution.

One more vote for the Kumho load range D from me too. I also have a clearance issue with the garage and didn't want to reinvent the wheel using a bigger rim size. I will change the Kumho after four years to make sure I don't have problems. Robert