Tires and shocks

[OldForester]

11R22.5 is the tire size. It is a inch larger than 295/75[/quote]

There are some alternatives that don't make the tire size that much different depending on the tire manufacturer. For example, we are getting ready to replace our 11R22.5 Toyos next week in Eugene at Les Schwab with Bridgestone R250 295/80 22.5 16 ply tires. According to the Les Schwab website, the Bridgestones have a diameter of 41.6 inches and 499 revolutions per mile compared to a Toyo or Michelin 11R 22.5, or Michelin 295/80 22.5, which have diameters of 41.3 inches and 501 revolutions per mile. A Goodyear G670 295/80 22.5 16 ply has a diameter of 41.2 inches, and thus about 502 revolutions per mile. A Toyo or Bridgestone 295/75 22.5 14 or 16 ply has a diameter of 40.2 inches and about 517 revolutions per mile. There's the 1 inch+ difference vs. a Toyo 11R22.5. Incidently, a Bridgestone 11R22.5 has a diameter of 42.7 inches and 487 revolutions per mile, or a noticeable difference which could affect the speedometer by 3% or so.

So the Bridgestone R250 295/80 22.5s have a slightly larger diameter and a couple revolutions per mile less than the Toyo 11R22.5s. That's not enough difference to worry about speedometer changes.

One of the good things with the 295/80 Bridgestone is that I will be able to reduce the tire pressure about 15 - 20 psi in the front tires and 20 to 25 psi in the rear tires from the Toyos, and meet the load requirements. I'm looking forward to that to soften the ride.

The reason I'm using Bridgestones over Goodyears is because of 1) deeper tread depth and longer mileage -19/32 vs 16/32 on the Goodyear G670s, and 2)the experience of my brother who ran a Bandag cap shop for many years, and told me Bridgestones had the best casings and never gave nearly the problems retreading that other tires did. The mileage is important to me because we put 12,000 to 15,000 miles/year on our coach. If you only put 6,000 miles/year, that probably doesn't matter that much.

The Michelins and Goodyears do have a higher load rating - 7830lbs single vs 7380 lbs for the Bridgestone, but that doesn't matter to me since my highest weight on the driver front wheel is 6000 lbs. A Toyo M154 11R22.5 14 ply has a load rating of 6175 lbs and a 16 ply 6610. I think my original Toyo 120Zs have a load rating of 6175 (as best I can resurrect). So the Bridgestones are a big leap over the Toyos.

So, you may want to go up to a 16 ply tire and the 295/80s and you should not have the issue with either load rating or tire diameter vs. the Toyos, whether your use Bridgestones, Michelins, or Goodyears.

I got a very good price from Les Schwab in Eugene, and they are also a major SmarTTire dealer, and can test the transmitters for remaining battery life, and replace or reprogram them as needed.

[rmmpe]

I have Bridgestone R250 (295/75-22.5) tires and am well-pleased with them. Fortunately, I still have about 3 years left before I have to change them due to age (IF I see any deterioration).

[Wil Rathke]

I just recently replaced my Toyos with Bridgestone R250 but stayed with the 11R22.5 size. I am well pleased with the ride and handling.