2007 Camelot tire size increase???

[studmuffin]

We have a 07 42PDQ Camalot. Blew a front tire, Goodyear, with 34000 miles on it. Replaced both front tires, with 295 Goodyear GR670s. Will probably replace the rest of the tires' in the spring , before going out this summer, or when we get back. I was going to put the new Goodyears, on the tag. The 6 new tires will not be Goodyear, Looking for suggestions, Not Michelin. Also, I would like to go to 315 on the front. Has anyone do this swap, and how did it affect the ride and handling???

Thanks for any input, the tireless Muffin Man.

[Steve Ownby]

I made the switch to 315's on the steer axle in the spring of '09. Trouble free so far. You will have to do a search of the commercial tire manufacturers to find our who builds the 315's. Both Goodyear & Michelin have that size and so does Bridgestone. GCR Tire Centers have many Florida locations and they are owned by Bridgestone. Why are you not considering GY or Michelin?

Safe travels,

[Fred Christy]

I swapped to Bridgestone in the summer of 2009. I can't tell any differance on anything. They carry more and are easier to find instead of RV Tires.

[studmuffin]

On the Goodyear, I do not like the RIVERING, you end up with, after some miles. None of the other manufacturers have it, only Goodyear. The Michilins are OK, but very pricey. I had run TOYOs before and liked the ride and wear.
With the 315, could you lower the front pressure, and get a better ride, or no difference????
On the Bridgestone, did you use their RV tire , or a truck steer tire??
I ran Goodyear 395 truck tires, on an 2001 Dynasty, and they were OK. No rivering, just on the 670s.
Thanks, Jack, the Muffin Man.

[Steve Ownby]

Did you ever determine a cause for your blowout Jack? I agree that the Goodyear Marathon was a great tire in the 295 size. Too bad it's no longer available. I never experienced the "rivering" problem but agree with you and I did not put them on my steer axle for that reason. I would have put them on my drive axle but could not find any with "fresh dates" last spring when I was shopping. I went with Michelin XZA2 Energy tires (315's) on the steer in the spring of '09 and Bridgestone E250 (295's) on the drive last spring. I have one tag axle tire to replace this coming spring and will be finished with my age driven tire replacement cycle. You can lower the pressure somewhat with the 315's since it's a load range L tire & it fit in my wheel well but it's tight. I don't notice any ride comfort difference but it's easier to add air with the chassis air compressor at the lower pressure.

I think Goodyear & Michelin and the only makers with an RV specific tire, both of which have had issues. Goodyear claims the rivering is not significant from a wear standpoint & the tires will age out before the wear is a problem. Michelin's sidewall zipper failures were way too frequent for my taste.

The Michelin XZA2 and the Bridgestone E250 are both truck tires and both have a good service record on heavy coaches and are pretty much available everywhere. The Toyos and Continentals seem to be harder to find.

If you go to the 315's on the front be sure they are approved on 8.25 rim width. The Goodyears and Michelins are but I'm not sure about others. Michelin has a specific inflation pressure table for their 315's when mounted on 8.25 rim width.

Good luck,