Tire Replacement

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Robby W.

Attachment 116432Attachment 116433

8k on these and I'm happy.

Mileage isn't the problem, it's age. What date is on your tires?

[Coloradodude]

Toyos have been on my 2004 Breeze workhorse chassis for last 5 years and they look great. Always covered when not in use. I Keep inflation up at 100 psi or better and you will have no problems.

Under inflation is when you have the blowouts. just my 2 bits

[TwelveVolt]

Originally Posted by Coloradodude

Under inflation is when you have the blowouts. just my 2 bits

Also, party balloons tend to explode when overinflated. Tires too. The person who uses the max pressure imprinted on the tire is probably headed for the same outcome. Everything in moderation.

Does anyone have experience with the Toyo M177's? I believe this is a fairly new model with a high load rating that matches the G670's.

[Coloradodude]

My max pressure is 110 My Motorhome says to run 85 PSI. I load my motorhome up pretty well. That is why I run around 100 psi. if pressure leaks down a little because of a cold day, or leaks out, or increases, because of a hot day I am Ok. I am in the middle.

[bigdog]

I have been using Toyos on all my tow vehicles for a long time, revolving account at Les Schwab, and have never had a problem. I am currently running Toyos on the rear of my Tradewinds and will be changing the fronts to them shortly. No-one has ever told me that I couldn't run them, The school district I used to drive for uses Toyos, Hankooks and a couple of others like that. No Michelins or Goodyear, etc.
I am getting better handling with the Toyos as they seem to have stiffer sidewalls than the Michelins that were on the rig when I got it. Of course it's really handling better now that I'm not towing either. I had the tow bar pull out of the front of my "11 Liberty and haven't replaced it yet because of the frame damage it caused. It seems as if the Liberties have a bit narrower wheelbase and don't track in the ruts like the larger wider wheelbase cars do and so tend to cause some tail wagging on the rutted freeways.

[gastly]

when i replaced my tires 5 years ago...went back to the michelins..costco at that time put them on but would not balance them...they have been running straight from day one...inside the coach states 85 lbs per tire,,,went and got all corners weighed...michelin charts said to inflate under 80..had a hard time doing it...running at 85..will be going a different route next time....costco wont do 22.5 anymore

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by TwelveVolt

Also, party balloons tend to explode when overinflated. Tires too. The person who uses the max pressure imprinted on the tire is probably headed for the same outcome. Everything in moderation.

Does anyone have experience with the Toyo M177's? I believe this is a fairly new model with a high load rating that matches the G670's.

The pressure on the sidewall of a Michelin RV tire and many others is not the "Maximum" the tire should ever have (unlike car tires) it is the minimum to support the maximum rated carrying capacity of the tire.

From the Michelin RV Tire Guide:

"If you look at the tire's sidewall, you'll see the maximum load capacity allowed for the size tire and load rating, and the minimum cold air inflation needed to carry the maximum load."

From page 6 of the GoodYear RV Tire and Care Guide:

"How much air is enough?
The proper air inflation for your tires depends on how much your fully loaded RV or trailer weighs. Look at the sidewall of your RV tire and you’ll see the maximum load capacity for the tire size and load rating, as well as the minimum cold air inflation, needed to carry that maximum load."

From TOYO:

Q: What are the consequences of inflating the tires to accommodate the actual loads?
A: If the inflation pressure corresponds to the actual tire load according to the tire manufacturer’s load and pressure table, the tire will be running at 100% of its rated load at that pressure. This practice may not provide sufficient safety margin. Any air pressure loss below the minimum required to carry the load can result in eventual tire failure.

But then they go ahead and publish a weight/pressure chart allowing lower pressure for RV's!!

From the August 2010 Motorhome Magazine "Tread Carefully" tire article:

The maximum load capacity allowed for the size tire and load rating and the minimum cold air inflation needed to carry that maximum load are located on the tire’s sidewall.

[TwelveVolt]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

The pressure on the sidewall of a Michelin RV tire and many others is not the "Maximum" the tire should ever have (unlike car tires) it is the minimum to support the maximum rated carrying capacity of the tire.

From the Michelin RV Tire Guide:

From page 6 of the GoodYear RV Tire and Care Guide:

From TOYO:
But then they go ahead and publish a weight/pressure chart allowing lower pressure for RV's!!

From the August 2010 Motorhome Magazine "Tread Carefully" tire article:

Maybe just semantics, but the min/max terminology in these quotes seems misleading. When the tire is inflated to its maximum cold pressure, it will support its maximum load. Neither of these should be exceeded. If this is the load being supported by this tire, then this is the stuff recalls are made of.

The purpose of the load/pressure charts is to place the correct number of square inches of rubber on the road and give the tire its optimum shape.

Raising the pressure for a given load will reduce the amount of rubber on the road, thereby reducing total friction and the tire's ability to stop and to keep the vehicle on the road in a sharp turn. It also tends to make the contact more ball shaped instead of flat, causing excessive wear at the center of the tread. The up side is improved gas mileage.

Under inflation produces great traction, which is why people partially deflate their tires to go off-roading in their Jeeps. The down side is that the bend between the round part of the tread and the flat part is more extreme, leading to greater wear (fatigue) on the internal components of the tire and reduced gas mileage because it takes more energy to bend the tread.

By analogy, you can break a paperclip or coat hanger due to metal fatigue by repeatedly bending it back and forth. If you only bend it 10 degrees each time, it will take more bends before it breaks than if you were to bend it 45 degrees each time.

[RayJr]

My 2 cents!! Got tired of Michelin on the old Blue Bird so when I needed to replace tires on the new Journey I went with Sumitomo saved a lot of $$$ and I couldn't be happier. Don't know how many trips from NJ to Florida and 1 to California they have on them but they ride great and look new.

[TwelveVolt]

A quick tip to other owners buying tires: Do your homework. Understand what your vehicle needs before going shopping.

I am in the process of buying tires for my motorhome. I have called several shops to ask for quotes, telling them exactly what tires I am replacing. More than one has quoted tires that would reduce the front axle load capacity by 800 pounds. Same 16-ply H rating as mine. To their credit, all immediately withdrew their quotes when the discrepancy was pointed out. Their explanations were all the same, "Because that is the tire we always quote for RVs".

[TwelveVolt]

Originally Posted by TwelveVolt

To their credit, all immediately withdrew their quotes when the discrepancy was pointed out. Their explanations were all the same, "Because that is the tire we always quote for RVs".

Correction. I just got off the phone with a rep at a major tire dealer who had 14-ply tires in stock. I clearly stated that I needed 16-ply H rated tires. They would have to be ordered from the warehouse and would take several days. At least three times during the conversation he came back to the point that he had 14-ply in stock and could get them installed today at a lower price than the 16-ply. Buyer beware.

I stopped by a chain truck stop tire shop. The rep showed me a pair of suitable Michelins that were reasonably priced, but a year and a half old. He admitted that this model was primarily used on Motorhomes, and they have far lower turnover than on truck tires.