New Tires

[jsmmonaco]

New to this group, new to RVing............purchasing a 2007 Knight 40SKT that needs new tires.........looking at Goodyear, Michelin, Firestone.........Firestone is the least expensive and there are several versions offered, FS 561 and FS 591..............any thoughts?.......

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by jsmmonaco

New to this group, new to RVing............purchasing a 2007 Knight 40SKT that needs new tires.........looking at Goodyear, Michelin, Firestone.........Firestone is the least expensive and there are several versions offered, FS 561 and FS 591..............any thoughts?.......

I've noticed a number of posts from owners who have switched to Firestone and none were negative. Be sure the tire you pick is the correct size & load range. Some tires will have a G and an H LR in the same size. Make sure it's an "all position" design. It should have a 75 mph speed rating. It should be marketed as "long haul" or "regional". The regional will have extra sidewall protection and the tread is somewhat more "scuff" resistant.

Use some of the money you save to install a TPMS. My opinion only. Others will disagree.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

[damdannyboy]

My thoughts' someone is making a lot money on tires! I went with Copper RM 170's 245/70/19.5 for $1800 out the door price for six.

damdannyboy

[jacwjames]

I agree with Steve on the Tire Pressure Monitoring System, the best investment I've made. After putting on 2 new Bridgestones on the front found 1 had a slow leak at the valve and then had a valve extender fail on our trip to Alaska. Saved my 2 tires in a matter of months. I pretty much leave it on al the time.

When I bought my coach it had Goodyears on it, I replaced the 2 front tires with Bridgestone, I have ~45K miles on them and they look like new after ~6 years. I then put 4 on the rear and they have ~25K miles on them and look new also after 4 years.

I had a Class C that I had to replace all the Firestone tires on after have 4 failures. I then put the best Michelin I could buy on and after less then 5 years they weathered (side wall cracks) out.

I'll stick with Bridgestone.

[bridluz]

You might check out Hercules and/or do a search on this sight for Hercules. I have 6 on my 05 40PLQ on 22.5 wheels and have been very happy with them. The fronts are 3 years old and the rears are 6 months old. I do believe they have some relation or ownership with Cooper Tires.

[MandG-Fun]

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

...Use some of the money you save to install a TPMS. My opinion only. Others will disagree.

I couldn't agree more with Steve. On Sunday we were driving from Minneapolis to the UP of Michigan and passed a coach sitting on the side of the road that had a front tire blow out. Fortunately, they were safely off the road with a roadside assistance truck. I commented to my wife that one of the best investments we made in our coach was the TPMS. Knowing the tire pressures and temperatures at a glance and getting a warning if anything is abnormal adds a huge amount of comfort when on the road.

As for tires... there are lots of choices and lots of opinions. All I can say is do your research and buy what gives you the most comfort within your budget. Your tires are a pretty critical piece of getting you from point A to B.

[FLYING BUTCH]

I did Hercules. 8000 miles no problems. Nice ride saved $$

Safe travels

[Czar Of Poop]

One thing that is not being mentioned is making sure you get current / fresh tires with current tire codes. When we got our new Cooper(6 rear) Bridgestone(2 front) the tech was pulling tires from inventory that had 2013 date codes and we were installing them back in June of 2015. I asked for more current date codes and got ( 2514 ) on all of them. Which means 25th week of 2014. I just didn't want older stock. It was important to us.

[dinkie0719]

The TPMS is one of the best item for us , but the problem is that when you need to replace the sensor batteries is a night mares because you have to send those sensor to the manufacturer and wait for 3 or 4 week until you get back those sensor is there any other TPMS with self replace battery in the market. My is from TST Truck and the batteries do not last long. Any info about.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by dinkie0719

The TPMS is one of the best item for us , but the problem is that when you need to replace the sensor batteries is a night mares because you have to send those sensor to the manufacturer and wait for 3 or 4 week until you get back those sensor is there any other TPMS with self replace battery in the market. My is from TST Truck and the batteries do not last long. Any info about.

There are self replace sensors from some companies but I decided that is not for me. My first sensors were from late '03 and I replaced them in '10 just before a cross country trip. All originals were still functional. This second set are still on the tires & working. I will replace in the next year or two or just before a long trip. This is Pressure Pro and the sensors are about $35 exchange.

For me, user replacement just introduces another way for moisture to intrude. Not interested in flow through feature either. No more trouble to remove sensor than a dust cap.

All my opinion. Others with differ.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

[castrol]

I just put the FS561s on the front of my Signature. It went from a horrible, pulling, rattling machine to a freaking brand new coach. It was an incredible transformation.

I can recommend them greatly.

[tomd85208]

I had 6 Samson 295-80?-22.5 out the door for under $2,400.00. Installed them 2 years ago and traveled 20k miles on them and there still perfect, and my coach rides smooth and straight! Lots of good advice (above) just thought I'd mention the "Samson" brand, IMHO there good tires and reasonably priced.

[TonyMac]

I put 6 Hercules 22.5 on my 06 Safari and love the ride. Yerp, make sure you get fresh tires of the proper size and load rating. I'm gonna look at TPMS now after reading all these posts (Merry Christmas to me!). Here's another pebble of wisdom -- bean bags instead or wheel weights to balance these monsters. A little more pricy at first but you never have to reballance your tires -- ever! My Hercs don't lose a breath of air, and I check them often. I bought mine from SimpleTire and they drop shipped them to my choice of local tire dealer, Les Schwab in my case. Bada Bing, Bada Boom, I'm down the road. Another pebble -- Don't let them use your levelers to change your tires.

[Arch Hoagland]

jsmmonaco....Now you have to ask the question....

Should I balance them and, if so, beads or weights?