TIRES - RECOMMENDED AND WHICH TO AVOID

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

We will likely need to replace all our tires due to uneven wear, after our alignment etc is done this week. Appreciate your input - current tires are 19.5inch on 36ft 2003 Southwind

 

I recall reading there were certain tires to avoid somewhere but can't find that thread searching appreciate your input on which ones are recommended and which ones to avoid. Safety is very much our primary concern with pricing and longevity of secondary importance.

 

Read somewhere else that it's felt Goodyear and Michelin are way too expensive for what they are, but value your comments.

 

Thanks, FTW.

[horizon36]

We have weighed thousands of RV's and have heard mixed reviews regarding tires made in China, regardless of brand. More negative than positive. Because of this I would not buy them for my coach. Truck tires are usually less expensive than RV specific tires and some people have had good luck with those and don't mind the stiffer ride. RV tires are made with more UV stabilizers and are designed to sit a lot and still be good. In their 5 to 7 year life you probably won't wear out the tread. These are also designed to give you a better/smoother ride. Truck tires and designed to roll all the time and have a much stiffer ride. They don't do anywhere as well just sitting when the rig is not in use.

 

Stick with the big name brands made in the USA, Japan, Germany etc, and buy an RV specific tire if at all possible.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Thanks for that info Horizon36 - we value learning about the difference in ride of truck versus RV and sitting versus not sitting comparisons. THANK YOU. We for sure will be avoiding made in China, as remember reading a lot over time about that and son-in-law stressed avoid them.

 

Is there any specific makes that are recommended for our Rig to consider = safety is our priority first and foremost always.

 

We've had a blow out tire on our rear double (thank heavens not the front at the time) when we did Alaska enroute back home on the Alcan several years ago, and had to limp for miles up there to get resolved. We saw the damage it did hitting part of the RV = probably why we've got through so many sets of tires when we see even a little wear.

[TreyandSusan]

Make sure you know the loads needed for each wheel position and then know the load carrying capacity of the tire you need.

Follow by the specs of the original equipment tire (width, outer diameter, etc) to know if the specs of the tire purchased will fit in the wheel well without causing any issues.

This question of tire brand gets many opinions mostly based on personal experience which may or may not be helpful because your specific RV may have certain limitations with regard to tires.

Your particular tire size may only be available by a few manufacturers, so this could also be a limiting factor.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Dropped RV off tonight ready for it's alignment tomorrow. Upon a visual they have suggested Michelin, Goodyear or Bridgestone as our choices thus far here? Any feedback welcome. 19.5inch RV tires. Appears we need to replace four and move the front ones to the rear inside was suggested.

[bobsea43]

We have had good service with the Toyo. We have family in the business for many years and they recommended them after doing some research. The particular size we needed was made in USA! He advised me the ride was going to be a little rougher but we could not feel it, others might. Earlier this year we replaced 6 tires and the size we needed was not available in Toyo so we went with Michelin and the FMCA program which saved us some money. Suggest you look into that as it will save you more then the cost of FMCA membership if you are not already a member.

[kathydavidb]

Duals should be matched to each other so personally I would not put the fronts on the inside of the duals. I would do all 6 the same tire.

[Kirk W]

Upon a visual they have suggested Michelin, Goodyear or Bridgestone as our choices thus far here?

I have had experience with all three of those but only Goodyear and Bridgestone on a motorhome. With any major brand you can find both happy and unhappy owners so it is very difficult to make this call based on hard facts. I happen to have had a good experience with Goodyear tires on our last motorhome but we had Bridgestone on the previous one and never had a major problem with either. I happen to prefer the tires that were specifically compounded for motorhome use because motorhomes do not travel constantly the way that trucks do, but that too is a personal opinion. The only tire manufacturers that I know of who do this are Goodyear with the G670 and Michelin with their XRV.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Thanks again folks, just calling for quotes, so appreciate the input as always.

[horizon36]

Goodyear, Michelin and Bridgestone are all good choices.

 

If you plan to move the steer tires to the drive axle you may have problems with diameter differential. It's not a good idea to mate a used tire with a new one on the same side of the axle unless the diametrical difference is negligible. Same for going across the axle as that could cause each axle to have a different rotational rate. The new tire will be "taller" so it will carry more of the load than the smaller tire. Also the age difference could be a future problem with potential tire failure. If at all possible I recommend replacing all 6 tires. Be sure to check the date codes before mounting and tell the store you want the date codes facing out (they're only on one side of the tire).

[Sehc]

You will get a better alignment if you replace the tires first.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Sehc, appreciate that comment but we asked that question and were told it makes no difference whatsoever whether we did that first or afterwards. Apparently the tires we need will have to be ordered in and will take another 10 days or so to get here. So the quote for 6 Goodyear RV specific tires, valve stems, balancing etc comes to C$3500. If we go for a Dunlop Regional Position tire these would be about C$1300 cheaper. We enquired with Les Schwabb in White Fish Montana and their pricing with the current exchange rate actually comes out almost the same albeit the balancing is US$22 versus C$40 per tire.

 

For sure we'd love to try and save a lot more if we can as we are not name brand people, quite the contrary, just proven usefulness of items we buy ideally whether no name branded or otherwise. Safety always first, followed by reliability, longevity then cost. Really appreciate all your comments.

 

The Toyo brand has been mentioned quite bit but in Alberta we are being told they are USA brand and generally not available up here, are they considerably cheaper we are 19.5inch requirement?

 

Is there really that much difference between an RV specific which limits us to Goodyear or Michelin only we are being told locally, versus Regional Position tires?

 

We are headed to Montana and over to Oregon in September so if need be we could get them done down there if anyone has a suggestion for where might be the most price competitive best source. I understand these are sales tax free states?

[Darryl&Rita]

Based on the info you're being supplied, I'd recommend talking to at least one other tire shop. The mixing new and old on duals is a known bad idea, any alignment work should be done after new tires are installed, and Toyos are hugely popular in the Alberta oilpatch.Seem's like there's smoke being blown your way.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Thanks Darryl&Rita, we will for sure be taking our time and start speaking with others regarding tire availability versus price It's a lot of money to make the wrong decision. We have now been told this morning that we need a Spring Cushion done or a Rebound bumper = both alien terms to us! The Spring Cushion has been suggested over the Rebound Bumper as the best way to go by the shop but we admit we don't know what we don't know in this regards, hence why so many of you folks on this board have always been the most helpful with us reading your responses as we've updated, upgraded, refurbished our 2003 Gas coach in preparation to FT.

 

As always THANK YOU everyone for the feedbacks, tips and what to be aware of when a sales/service persons lips are moving

 

PS: Out of curiosity I asked once the spring packing/cushion is done, what typically are any ongoing other maintenance concerns and was told bushings at roughly 9hrs x $136 (based on todays rates). I asked typically how often, and of course this varies but just wanted a rough idea for budgeting for them, and was told maybe every 2 years.

[skp51443]

I smell smoke too... A quick Google for Canada Toyo tires seems to show they are available there as these are all .ca URLs.

http://www.toyotires.ca/

http://tires.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/toyo/

https://www.tiredirect.ca/intro-Toyo.aspx

http://www.toyotires.ca/

 

http://tires.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/toyo/

 

https://www.tiredirect.ca/intro-Toyo.aspx

 

 

Dual tires need to be exactly matched and diameter is critical so pairing differently worn tires even if they are the same is a bad idea.

 

Rebound bumpers should be cheap to buy and install, some different ones here and an example.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=truck+rebound+bumper+axle&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1429&bih=920&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CD8QsARqFQoTCP3i1uyIlccCFVKUiAodv00EIg

 

[Dutch_12078]

According to RV Daily Report, there's currently a shortage of Michelin RV replacement tires. I'd expect that to be reflected in both availability and pricing.

 

"Michelin admits RV replacement tires in short supply"

[Ray,IN]

Michelin tires are known for sidewall cracking, sometimes enough to require replacing. The good news is, Michelin appears to be standing good for them. One man on irv2.com just had his 4 yr old cracked tires replaced by Michelin, who reimbursed him $2,500 towards the new set. It seems sitting idle is bad for Michelin tires.

I too have been tire shopping, and to date I'm leaning towards Sailun S637 regional tires. A set of 6 for our MH was quoted at $2,200 for the complete package.

The topic of dual tires is discussed often, this is what I use and recommend for self-educational purposes: http://www.trucktires.com/bridgestone/us_eng/load/misc_pdf/minDualSpacing.pdf

and Mismatching dual tires, a sure way to kill two tires at once.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Stanley, Ray, Dutch, thanks for the heads up on shortages causing supply/demand $$$'s. We will be doing our research more re Toyo's as well as we are reading of more and more RVers happy with them. Thanks yawl.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

OK so have a quote for M143 Toyos at around C$3100 inc balance, valves, install available to be put on Friday and will take about an hour he said. OK Commercial Tire - Quoted $488 plus tire levy of $9 plus GST. (some places asked me which of 3 different M numbers I wanted - great, now what do I say (LOL). Reminded me a bit like going to the restaurant and they ask do you want soup or salad to start? Salad pls = Caesar or Green? Green pls = what dressing would you like with that?

 

Costco Balzac about 45 mins from where we live "may do the install", need to confirm with tire manager ourselves according to all the Calgary locations that won't do an install because of RV taking up 6 spaces in the carparks where they are located = Michelin XRVs at $2640 supply and install price inc taxes and tire levy. Tires alone C$399. Need to order in which will take about 10 or 11 days.

 

Fountain Tire = Goodyear RV specific at $3500 all in for 6 tires.

 

Also been reading about "balance beads" = again value any comments on these, lots of folks seem to think they make a huge difference, prices seeing from $6 per tire to $15.

 

Out of pure curiosity which way would you folks go and why? I know it's you pay your money you make your choices but would love to know what you'd opt for and why. Thx as always. FTW.

[2gypsies]

Since you're heading to Oregon in September, get quotes from Les Schwaab. No sales tax in Oregon.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

I did that 2Gypsies in Montana as well which I believe is zero sales tax state as well, and Les Schwaab with the current C1.3 to US worked out more expensive ironically. Thanks though.

 

Still curious based on the 3 options we have which way folks would go and why.

[Biker56]

 

Fountain Tire = Goodyear RV specific at $3500 all in for 6 tires.

G670's have a 7 year warranty on sidewall cracking.

What do the others have? I know Michelin has 0 on their XRV for cracks.

[4905 doc]

I've got a great Michelin to be had for free. Sitting still about 4am. what a surprise. A closer examination showed rusted metal steel belts.

[DaMechanic]

Okay, let me ask this then. If you plan on using your RV at least once a month for a 1000 mile round trip (at the very least) does it make more sense to use truck tires? My other question is, is there even such a thing as an RV snow tire?? If not, I am definitely going with a truck tire. Also, I am not willing to pay 280 US for a tire that I can get for 91 as a truck tire. It makes no sense to me. The weight rating is even greater on the truck tire, which means less heat buildup at lighter loads. Plus, I like the thought of a newer design of a radial, instead of an ancient bias play design that is the only tire available at all for my oddball rim size.

[Pat & Pete]

The turkey has likely already been cooked , but here's what we did when in much the same situation .

 

We started full timing 4 1/2 years ago . After fairly extensive research , we bought 6 Toyo M143 tires with a load range H . That's one range higher than recommended for our Monaco . We had all 6 balanced , even though the installers thought that the rears didn't need it .

I run 100 pounds pressure in all tires and check that before each trip . I've tried higher pressures , but found the ride way too jarring .

We camp host for periods of up to 6 months and the coach is parked all that time . We always use the leveling jacks to take some pressure off the tires and stabilize the coach .

 

I find the ride and overall performance excellent . There are currently no signs of weather checking on our tires . It should be noted that we use wheel covers when parked for long periods .

 

As for balance beads , I have used and still use them in different tires . I used them in my last pickup truck and in previous motorcycle wheels and in my Yamaha XT 350 wheels . I've always had excellent performance and results using balance beads . I'd have had them installed in the Toyos if I'd thought about it at the time .