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06-30-2015, 05:14 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 55
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New tires finally.....
Well with not really using the motorhome at all last year, we didn’t bother with tires, they were still the original Good Year G670 255/70R 22.5 on our 2007 Cayman 36PDQ dated late 2006. While they had low mileage, and still looked good with no cracking etc, we weren’t comfortable driving on them any longer.
We also have the Source Engineering Trailing Arms and Ride Enhancement Kit which made a pretty good difference in the ride, but were looking to improve upon the ride even more if possible since having to purchase new tires anyhow.
So searched up and down the last couple of years, read reviews until I was even more confused on recommendations, brand preferences, etc, saw another member on here that went up to a 295 on his Cayman, we didn’t want to go that big and have to trim or recalibrate anything, or lose any torque going up the hills as we are lacking in that area as it is.
So that all being said we ended up going with the Michelin XZA2 Energy tires in a 275/70R 22.5 which is a “J” Load rating, are 38” in dia, well within the min dual spacing (295 would not have been for our wheels), and currently are inflated to 95 PSI in the front, and 90 PSI in the rear to support our weight then some! We could actually go down 5 PSI all the way around to match the load the Good Years are at below.
The Good Years were an “H” load rating, were 36.4” in dia, and had to be inflated to a minimum of 105 PSI in the front, and 100 PSI in the rear as per their chart and our weight.
After tires were installed earlier today I did a quick 20 minute cruise up the highway and back, the ride on the highway is definitely smoother! In town on bumpy side roads any differences are negligible. I don’t know if the brand itself rides any smoother or not, but being able to lower PSI, and a little higher sidewall certainly helped I think!
Still have lots of clearance all the way around for turning, and when air is dumped, so no modifications were required. Speedometer used to read high, with the tire dia difference its pretty much bang on now at 60 MPH.
Kal Tire worked with me, brought in their newest tires from their warehouse in Edmonton which are coded the 7th week of 2015, so I was happy with that. While I haven't heard of it much in Canada I inquired about getting some money back for the old tires, they send to the retread plant and see what they say, they figure I will got $40 per tire back, not a lot but beats me having to deal with them.
Fully loaded we are at the following weights....
Front Drivers: 4950 Lbs
Rear Drivers: 8096 Lbs
Front Passenger: 4730 Lbs
Rear Passenger: 8800 Lbs
The bad news is tires are NOT inexpensive in Canada particularly with the way the exchange is right now.
Hopefully this helps anyone else with a Cayman or similar.
Tony2
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06-30-2015, 06:32 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Lexington NC
Posts: 1,952
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Tony2. Great to hear they worked out well for you. I have an 07 neptune so basically same coach as yours. I replaced my goodyears about 3 years ago with Michelin and stayed with the 255s. Next time I plan to go up to the 275s like you. Glad to hear they work well with no rubbing.
Have you noticed any loss in power? That was one of my concerns.
My speedometer reads high as well so it would be nice for it to be correct.
Glad all is working out for you.
Chad
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07-01-2015, 08:27 AM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onechaddude
Tony2. Great to hear they worked out well for you. I have an 07 neptune so basically same coach as yours. I replaced my goodyears about 3 years ago with Michelin and stayed with the 255s. Next time I plan to go up to the 275s like you. Glad to hear they work well with no rubbing.
Have you noticed any loss in power? That was one of my concerns.
My speedometer reads high as well so it would be nice for it to be correct.
Glad all is working out for you.
Chad
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Well my test drive only consisted of flat ground, so can't honestly comment on any loss of power due to the larger diameter tire, it didn't feel like it, but won't really know until hit the mountains.
Did you notice a ride difference between the Good Years and The Michelin since you stuck with the same size?
Tony
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07-01-2015, 05:09 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Lexington NC
Posts: 1,952
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony2
Well my test drive only consisted of flat ground, so can't honestly comment on any loss of power due to the larger diameter tire, it didn't feel like it, but won't really know until hit the mountains.
Did you notice a ride difference between the Good Years and The Michelin since you stuck with the same size?
Tony
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Tony. I may have noticed a slight difference for the better in the ride. It was very slight however. I did have an alignment at the same time as tires and that could have caused a little difference. I did have the dynabeads installed and never really seemed to think they were actually balancing the tires. I have since had aluminum wheels put on and went with just balancing instead of the beads. It could be in my head but it seemed like the tires were smoother without beads.
After about 3 years and 12,000 miles the Michelin are wearing smooth as glass. In 6 years and 15,000 miles the goodyears we're wearing funny (rivering?) and just not smooth feeling in the steering wheel.
Maybe I'm just wanting too much from a 37' wind catching box. It's never gonna drive like a car.
Chad
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07-02-2015, 03:47 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Lake City, Florida
Posts: 450
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Tony2
Glad it is working out for you. We went with the 295/75 Bridgestones and have been amazed at the improvement in ride. Michelin's 295 is an 80 series I think, and so would not fit our wheels either. But I prefer Bridgestone anyway and the 295/75 Ecopias fit our OEM wheels fine. The only recalibration was hooking up the shop's laptop to our coach's onboard diagnostic system just like most cars, and plunking in the listed revolutions/mile of the new tires and it recalibrates the speedometer/odometer instantly. We checked it against our gps and the speed is correct. We can sense no loss of power, nor measure any change in fuel consumption. Allison advised no need for any change in our transmission. We shaved an inch of fiberglas off the inward curving fender lip out of an abundance of caution in case an airbag failed we could still limp along and not rub the side of the tire even with airbag flat. Our Cayman is never gonna ride like a Dynasty or maybe even a Knight, but we got a very impressive improvement in ride.
__________________
Frank W. '09 Cayman 38 SBD '08 CRV
Lake City, Florida
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07-02-2015, 08:38 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: St-Colomban
Posts: 416
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Tony,
I went the same route as yours a month ago. The original GY were fine and the wear was OK. No rivering or vibration. Since I didn't have alu wheels, I decided that it was time to put a big dent in my wallet. So, I installed Michelin 275 and alu wheels.
What a difference in ride. I went from 100 psi to 85 all around ( I could also shave another 5 psi, but who's counting?). I had them balanced in the front. The ride is less jarring and smoother all the time. I didn't notice before but the GY were actually a lot noisier (It might be because the rubber was harder...) So the noise went down. The handling is fantastic too!
My first impression after an 8 hrs ride was that I had put a set of slippers on my tires (Expansive slippers).
Of course it's not a Prevost but it's not as pricey and my Cayman has lower operating cost.
Can I ask for more at that price? I don't think so!
__________________
Michel & Nicole
2009 Monaco Dynasty Yorkshire 45
(ISM 500HP, Scangauge D, Eeze tire TPMS, Working Truecenter) 20' trailer and a race car
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07-03-2015, 10:45 AM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Auburn, CA
Posts: 27
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Good information to know thanks guys!
__________________
Bill & Ellen
2008 Monaco Cayman XL PDQ, 2003 Honda Silver Wing 600cc and our dog Buddy
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07-03-2015, 07:37 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Lake City, Florida
Posts: 450
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Should have mentioned the inch shaved off the fender lip that curls inboard was just on the rear fenders. Standing right next to the fender you cannot see it is missing--you would have to lie on your back on the ground and look up to see where it is missing--just where the tire could possibly bump/rub against that lip if we tried to drive with a ruptured airbag. It could be done with a dremel tool. We ran I-77 climb up to Fancy Gap, Va. (I-77 makes a seven-mile hillclimb of over 2,000 feet, commencing at the North Carolina border, with a third northbound truck-climbing lane. The top of the climb on I-77 is a summit called Fancy Gap, and is over 3,000 feet elevation.) We never encountered a slow truck, and so kept the pedal to the metal, and towing our CRV never went below 50 mph. We had stopped at the rest area located at the base of the climb and so did not have our speed built up already. Transmission temp peaked at 165F--our tranny has always run pretty cool. Hardly scientific proof of no loss of power, but still encouraging to me.
__________________
Frank W. '09 Cayman 38 SBD '08 CRV
Lake City, Florida
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