RE: [VAL] Goodyear Marathon- not for me, Thanks

["David Tidmore" <dtidmore@xxxxxxx>]

Chris,
Be sure and check that what you are looking at is true plys NOT ply rating.
When I checked into the Carlisle replacement for the Marathon D rated
ST225R15, the Carlisle tire was a 4ply rated sidewall (2 actual plys) and 6
ply rated tread (4 plys actual).  The Marathon "S", D-rated is a full 4-ply
sidewall and 6 ply tread.  Also the Carlisle tires are made in China. 

I will add one thing regarding Marathon failures.  If you are running the
Marathons Ds at 65PSI (recommended by both A/S and Goodyear) on some
particular models of A/Ss, AND you are using rubber valve stems, the actual
initiating failure may well be valve stem related.  Rubber stems that fit
into the 15" rims are rated for a max pressure of 65PSI.  When you cold
inflate a tire to 65PSI, it increases in pressure at highway speeds to
around 72PSI, which overstresses the valve stem and it may fail, the tire
deflates and all you see is a blown tire, blaming the tire.  Now if the
failure is a sidewall blowout or a tread separation, that is another story,
but there are quite a few of us that have experienced the valve stem failure
and actually recognized the initial failure point. 150PSI metal stems are
only a couple of bucks each and what should have been installed in the first
place.  A clear case of penny wise, pound foolish.

david