Quality rv tire made in America.

by Pugsly
(Terre Haute IN)

We are trying to locate a quality American made rv tire size 225 75 r5 15 to pull a travel trailer 9,000 lbs loaded.

We were looking at Cooper but no one can find them. We were going with Goodyear Marathon but they have horrible ratings.

When did they begin making the Marathons in America? Is the quality any better since that date? I've searched your site, Cooper & GoodYear's sites to no avail.

Any advice would be appreciated. We don't want to move up to a larger size due to our rv warranty.

Editorial Comment:

To begin, the tire size you've provided: 225 75 r5 15, doesn't make any sense to me. If you've made a typo and you meant 225/75 R15 (which is the way it would appear on the sidewall) then it's understandable.

Also, it is not clear whether or not you want tires for your vehicle which is towing the RV or trailer tires. If you are wanting trailer tires then you want to make certain that the tires are stamped "ST" which stand for Specialty Trailer to be certain you get the right tires. If you don't you may get tires which are not suited for the use you are using them for and your results will be disappointing.

For your information, Goodyear and other major manufacturers may frequently have certain tires made in other countries at their plants there, mostly because it is a major task to switch from one mold to another so they make all that they need in one plant then ship them to where they are going to be sold. You can tell, however, by using the DOT code which country the tire was made in, and it is almost always stamped in small letters somewhere saying "Made in XXXX".

When you find tires you think are right for your needs, make sure you have tires which are rated for the weight (fully loaded) that you are going to be carrying, and that you maintain the pressure at the correct level for that amount of weight. Don't make the mistake of using the pressure which is stamped on the tire sidewall as the Maximum pressure. This is the most pressure that the tire is designed to be used with, not the pressure that is ideal for the weight you carry which should always be less than the maximum.

Remember to measure the air pressure when the tires are cold … that is before driving them at highway speed, or more than 2 -3 blocks. If you don't measure them cold, they will lose pressure when they cool and will be under inflated which will produce a blow out because the tire will heat up more due to excessive flexing.

I know it sounds crazy that low pressure will make a tire blow out, but when the tire doesn't have enough air it flexes too much. This flexing builds up heat. The heat does two things: it softens the rubber and it heats the air. So with softer rubber and higher pressure cause by the heated air the tire cannot resist the extra pressure and it blows. Does that make sense?

TG
TG