Are all Goodyear Marathons made in China now?

[wallytap]

Trying to find marathons not made in China.

[Jimmy Jig]

Mine were made in New Zeland

[JerryA]

This past fall, tooling down I75 on the way home from Lake Erie, I lost the entire tread off a GY Marathon - of course, it took the fender off and scuffed up the side of the boat. But, at least, the tire never went flat. It was only 3 years old and was made in New Zealand. I know the inflation was right and the tire didn't show any wear or checkering. Now, this is not supposed to happen with GYM's right. I suspect UV damage.

I had purchased the tire from Sam's and they agreed to replace it under their road hazard insurance coverage. I told them I didn't want a China-bomb. They checked with the GY distribution center and they said the China tires were all they were shipping now. It also took Sam's 6 weeks to get the tire as they were out of stock.

Don't know if that's the case or not but I've got a China-bomb as a spare now. Other distribution centers may get tires made elsewhere. Or these tires maybe older tires that were made in NZ or Canada. I don't think the Marathons were ever made, at least recently, in the USA.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

[yarcraft91]

All the information I have found says that all Goodyear Marathons are now made in China, with 2 possible exceptions, those being sizes 215/75R14 and 205/75R15, which TireRack.com lists as being from Canada and New Zealand, respectively. The two sizes of Marathons I own today, both made in New Zealand, are listed at TireRack as now made in China. There's no knowing how old those tires are at TireRack, but my past purchases from them have been very recent production. IIRC, Tire Rack will not let you specify country-of-origin exclusions on an order or accept that as a reason to return tires. It would be interesting to see what you could learn over the phone.

I could not find country-of-origin on the Goodyear site. I will be buying new trailer tires in 2 years- wonder what they will be?

[Andre]

When we see all the problems related to trailer tires apart the fact those made in China are link with quality control maybe there is some other reasons:

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerindex?id=4826897

http://www.safetyresearch.net/tires.htm

[2Labs]

When we see all the problems related to trailer tires aprt the fact those made in China are link with quality control maybe there is some other reasons:

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerindex?id=4826897

http://www.safetyresearch.net/tires.htm


Thanks for the input, Andre. That is scary stuff. I will check my tire age now ... and never even thought about doing it before. I am about to replace tires on one vehicle and could very well have bought old stuff.

[Hombre Robusto]

I had Chinese marathons under my Lund for three seasons. I always traveled above the speed limit by a few MPH, and kept the tires properly inflated (only had to add a lb or two once a season).

I never had a single problem with mine, and wouldn't hesitate to buy them again.


before the marathons, I had dozens of Carlisle tires under my boat and utility trailers, as well as multiple tag along campers. I never had a single problem with them, either.

Maybe all these people having tire trouble with the above mentioned manufacturers aren't taking care of their tires properly.

[Soo Guy]

I have had good luck with the Goodyear Marathon (Canada) for several years. Due to age I will be replacing soon (215/75R14). Talked to a Goodyear dealer that has several regional stores and he said they could only get the China made GYM tires. The GY dealer said they can get Titan trailer tires in this size or the Towmaster. I don't know anything about Titan trailer tires or the Towmaster. I would like to get Maxxis tires but nearest dealer is over 100 miles away and haven't been able to find a web site that sells them direct. Trying to figure out what to do.
Soo Guy

[JerryA]

Hombre, me thinks you are one lucky hombre.

[Dave34]

All the information I have found says that all Goodyear Marathons are now made in China, with 2 possible exceptions, those being sizes 215/75R14 and 205/75R15, which TireRack.com lists as being from Canada and New Zealand, respectively. The two sizes of Marathons I own today, both made in New Zealand, are listed at TireRack as now made in China. There's no knowing how old those tires are at TireRack, but my past purchases from them have been very recent production. IIRC, Tire Rack will not let you specify country-of-origin exclusions on an order or accept that as a reason to return tires. It would be interesting to see what you could learn over the phone.

I could not find country-of-origin on the Goodyear site. I will be buying new trailer tires in 2 years- wonder what they will be?

I've learned that it's critical to select the proper load range tire for your application. For example, I have an 1850 Reata that calls for load range 'D'. Ranger did have a few Reatas in earlier production models that were shipped with load range 'C' tires that they changed out. Make certain that you know the total weight of your boat, trailer, and contents when considering which load range to select.

[FisHn2DMax]

I used GY marathons for years on various trailers with never a problem...until I ran "new"china made marathons..... Boom off goes the tire tread with less than 1000 miles on it. No more marathons for me as long as they're made in China.

So in my search for a safe reliable ST trailer tire, I researched many internet boat and RV user forums. Maxxis quickly emerged as the most reliable trailer ST tire. I swapped my boat and 5'er tires to Maxxis and no problems so far. They can be purchased direct from Maxxis.com or from any local tire dealer that is willing to order them in for you. Many tire dealers are beginning to carry Maxxis ST tires and/ or willing to order them for you. The other ST tire that I hear good things about is the Tow Max tire that is made in Canada ( not the ones made in china). I have a set of towmax (canada) ST tires on my ATV/ Snowmobile trailer with no problem.

What ever you do, verify the new tire date code on the side of the tires before allowing the dealer to install so called "new tire". Also, it's also a good idea to change your ST tires every 5-6 years regardless of tread depth. Where possible, upgrade the load range when buying new tires. If you have C load range, upgrade to D, but make sure your rims and valve stems are rated for the higher air pressures used for the higher load range tires or you'll just be swapping one potential problem for another.