New Tiffin Owner Batteries and tire question

[CG CWO4 RET]

Hello Gents

We Just purchased a 2012 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH with 5K miles on it.
The Coach has been stored inside the majority of its life and I was concerned about the tires and house batteries (age)...

2 questions:

1. Should I worry about the tires as their coming up on 6 years old, I did notice some small cracking..

2. Batteries, what are people replacing the original house batteries with? I'd prefer an AGM type for additional AH's and maybe a solar system to keep them topped off.

Thanks in advance

[nothermark]

For a given case size AGM's typically have a lower AH rating than a flooded cell. If you are going for a higher AH rating pay attention to case size vs space available.

[Sjg1277]

Replace the tires if they are cracking. AGM are trouble free and recharge more rapidly than flooded Cel.

Steve

2016 Tiffin Red 37 PA
2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[vsheetz]

I start looking for new tires at 7 years, unless showing signs of a problem or I don't know history and maintenance. In your case I would be thinking to replace soon.

As for batteries - wet vs. AGM. Both provide about the same capacity and longevity. With AGM at 2x to 3x the initial purchase cost. The biggest advantage is that AGM are maintenance free. I don't mind a monthly water level check and once or twice a year cleaning the batteries and their racking, so I have stayed with wet batteries. Bought six from Costco earlier this year for about $82 each.

As for solar, that's a whole other topic requiring much research. Lots of good reading here, findable via the search feature.

[txcpl]

I am not a tire guy, but if I were to have purchased that coach, I would get new tires very quickly. The tires are showing cracking, are 6 years old, and have been mostly sitting. Myself, I wouldn't trust them as my life and the lives of others in the coach depend upon good quality tires. My thoughts only.

[flywithcoop]

Originally Posted by vsheetz

I start looking for new tires at 7 years, unless showing signs of a problem or I don't know history and maintenance. In your case I would be thinking to replace soon.

As for batteries - wet vs. AGM. Both provide about the same capacity and longevity. With AGM at 2x to 3x the initial purchase cost. The biggest advantage is that AGM are maintenance free. I don't mind a monthly water level check and once or twice a year cleaning the batteries and their racking, so I have stayed with wet batteries. Bought six from Costco earlier this year for about $82 each.

As for solar, that's a whole other topic requiring much research. Lots of good reading here, findable via the search feature.

That is an excellent price for batteries. Makes joining Costco worth while. The two main brands of 6Volt Golf Cart batteries are Trojan and Interstate. Both have equal specs. I've been researching batteries and wet cell cost around $150 on sale. AGM are around $300 each. I will add water and clean terminals for the amount of savings with the wet cell batteries.
Recommend you replace the tires.

[vsheetz]

Originally Posted by flywithcoop

That is an excellent price for batteries. Makes joining Costco worth while. The two main brands of 6Volt Golf Cart batteries are Trojan and Interstate. Both have equal specs. I've been researching batteries and wet cell cost around $150 on sale. AGM are around $300 each. I will add water and clean terminals for the amount of savings with the wet cell batteries.
Recommend you replace the tires.

Interstate makes three GC2 batteries, with sightly differing capacity. The Costco battery is the lower Interstate battery.

[Winemaker2]

Sams Club handles Duracell made by East Penn at giid prices.
I have purchased East Penns directly from one of their dustribution points. Worth a check to see if any near you.

[allegro1x]

definitely replace batteries and possibly get someone to look at tires. some people replace front tires and then watch back for a while. Dave

[rcflyer1201]

There is a wide range in AGM prices. They are of course maintenance free and do not require ventilation. They will not cause any corrosion in the battery are. They will easily last 7 years if charges properly. Don’t drive on cracked tires.

[Winemaker2]

Originally Posted by flywithcoop

That is an excellent price for batteries. Makes joining Costco worth while. The two main brands of 6Volt Golf Cart batteries are Trojan and Interstate. Both have equal specs. I've been researching batteries and wet cell cost around $150 on sale. AGM are around $300 each. I will add water and clean terminals for the amount of savings with the wet cell batteries.
Recommend you replace the tires.

Check out Sams Club or Costco.
6V FLA GC2s about $85 ea... $170 for a pair... providing12V and about 220 AH.
Less than $1/AH.
AGM will run 2.5 - 3 X what FLA.
East Penn AGMs are a Goid quality at a reasonable price if you can find them.
Are there better AGMs....sure at significantly higher prices.

[flywithcoop]

Originally Posted by vsheetz

Interstate makes three GC2 batteries, with sightly differing capacity. The Costco battery is the lower Interstate battery.

The lower AH battery is just fine if you don't dry camp for extended periods is what I read on several advice web sites like RV life. I am a costco member and will order batteries from them when I get to the replacement point. The prices I quoted are from all the non membership battery supply places. The lowest I found was $149 and free shipping.

[fottip]

Originally Posted by CG CWO4 RET

1. Should I worry about the tires as their coming up on 6 years old, I did notice some small cracking..

2. Batteries, what are people replacing the original house batteries with? I'd prefer an AGM type for additional AH's and maybe a solar system to keep them topped off.

I thought I could rely on visually inspecting the condition of the tires on our previous Beaver Patriot in deciding when to replace them. They were 7 or 8 years old, and having been always stored indoors, they still looked great.

Then, on a hot summer day, the driver's side front tire disintegrated at 65 mph, with shards of tire penetrating the coach floor and spraying diesel fuel inside from the topped-off tank's severed filler tube underneath. Business picked up briskly. Lots of damage.

The problem, as I learned from that experience, is that exterior inspection is only part of the story. You're not inspecting the inside of the tire, which could be rotting from age and accumulated moisture from all the air pumped into the tire in its life. I paid several hundred dollars for the filtering/desication system on the air compressor I use for my tires, and my personal limit on RV tire age is 6 years.

On house batteries, I like the convenience of sealed batteries too. OTOH, the business I buy my batteries from locally tells me that flooded batteries outperform AGMs in RV applications by a wide margin. He could make more profit selling me AGMs, so I trust his advice. Others here have already pointed out the cost differential. I'm sticking with flooded batteries; checking water levels now and then isn't that big a deal to me.

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by nothermark

For a given case size AGM's typically have a lower AH rating than a flooded cell. If you are going for a higher AH rating pay attention to case size vs space available.

For any given battery save OPTIMA. AGM, Flooded or Maintenance free, you will likely find the capacity is within 10 percent

OPTIMA are lower. And they happen to be AGM. but .. Well. THey are different.

TiresL six years stored w/o sunlight I would inspect for dry rot. But you will be needing new tires SOON so why not now.

Since it is a motor home check out the FMCA Tire deal.