I'm ready to replace my tires on the trailer. Do I need to go to a Marina/Boat dealer for this or can I go to an auto dealer and have this done? Will I save any money by doing one or the other? Please be civil with your answers. I have a dual axel trailer so my next question is should I change out all 4 tires or just do the "worst" ones. It's been 5 years since the last change. Thanks guys.

Depending on the brand you choose, you can buy trailer tires at a service station, a branded tire store, maybe even a discount store. If you want Goodyear tires, I'd suggest a Goodyear tire store.

Brian,

I bought my Goodyear Marathons at a tire dealer in 2005. I had them balanced and mounted there as well. They told me they do a lot of that and based on how well it went I would say they were telling me straight.

I understand that Goodyear tires are now made in several places including China. According to this board, those are not made as well as the original Goodyear Marathons and people are having problems with them.

However, Cabela's sells Goodyear Marathons and their web page specifically says they are "Made in the U.S.A." -- or at least it did when I checked 2 months ago.

If you buy a set of these, make sure they are "U.S.A." stuff.

As far as which tires to replace, I can't help you. I have a single axle trailer. I ran the Carlisles that came with the trailer for 2 years and then dumped them. They looked nearly new, but by then I had nearly 9,000 miles on them and didn't trust them anymore based on the failure rate reported here. Once you have a flat and see the damage done to even double axel trailers you won't want to take any chances, I can tell you that without a doubt. I guess it all comes down to how much do your trailer your boat and how much faith do you have in the tires that look "ok". If nothing else, you might ask your tire dealer what they think about the ones you are considering leaving on ... what experience have they had, etc.

Brian,

Any tire dealer that carries ST ( special trailer service tires) will be able to assist you changing your tires. A rule of thumb for trailer tires is to change them every 5-6 years regardless of remaining tread life or how they well they may look ( it's cheap insurance compared to the cost and damage of a blow-out). Because most trailers sit with the tires in one spot, this can begin to breakdown the bond between the rubber and the belts at the same constant stress point while sitting.

Also, make sure the ST replacement tire is at or above the existing load rating of your current tires. Typically load C or D depending on the total weight of your boat and trailer ( go with as high of load rating as you can afford). I'm one of those that had a problem with GoodYear chinese made marathons, so I switched all my ST trailer tires to either Maxxis ( Thailand) or TowMasters ( only those made in Canada). I would stay away from any tire made in mainland China ( DOT code on sidewall will tell you where it was made). Also, watch the date codes ( stamped on the sidewall) of the new tires the dealer plans to put on your trailer. I had a dealer install 2 year + old "New" tires on my trailer. I told them to remove them and put on current tires. When I showed them how old the tires where, they felt embarassed and not only replaced the tires with date codes of less than 6 months old, they also balanced them and gave me road hazard for free. Make SURE the dealer doesn't over tighten / torque the Lug nuts. I had to replace 6 mounting studs as a result of the lugs being stretched by overtighted lug nuts - no more than 100' fts of torque.

Oh...If you haven't had your trailer bearings inspected and re-packed recently, this would be a good time to do that as well.

I do plan on checking to see how old the tires they put on but I wasn't sure how you do that. Thanks for the advice. I was planning on getting Marathons for sure. I've had those on my last two rigs and they have been great tires. I'm a little concerned hearing about this "Made in China" stuff though. Guess I'll call around and see who does this kind of work and ask what the price is. Might as well get all 4 of them done since it has been 5 plus years since the last time. If you guys can think of anything else I need, please chime in. Thanks everyone.

I went to a Goodyear dealer and asked for a price on a pair of Marathons for my trailer. He told me he discourages people from buying them because he has had too many go bad under warranty , most of them were shredding under normal use. He sold me a set of tires for the same price that the Goodyears cost. They are made by the Denman Tire Corp. They are made in Leavittesburg, Ohio. It is a very old name in the tire industry although you don't hear much about them. I think I read somewhere that Denman has been making tires since the 1930s. I just purchased mine in April of this year so I don't have many miles on them yet.