Firestone Tires ?

[Jim Jackson]

Originally Posted by tropical36

Keep in mind that every brand is susceptible to blow out and it's seldom because of a particular brand of tire. The main thing is to have IMO, at least 10-15psi extra in each tire according to the vehicle's weight on that particular wheel and naturally, don't be running over any kind of a road hazards including sharp concrete pads in some campgrounds. Just sayin..........

That's the first time I've heard that. Are you sure? that would mean 90 to 95 psi?

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by Jim Jackson

That's the first time I've heard that. Are you sure? that would mean 90 to 95 psi?

Well, I'm sure of my opinion which is at least worth what you're paying for it.
I mean if you went with exactly what each side weighed, are you then going to correct for every change in ambient temperature as you travel? Are the same 200 lb people going to be sitting at the dinette or one of them in the passenger seat at all times? Are you going to be moving any goods from side to side or front to back? Are you going to account for having a full fuel tank, full fresh water tank, gray and black tanks full all at the same time? Was the fridge full or empty when you weighed and aired up accordingly? Was everybody on board?
All this while the ambient temp. might be changing regularly. We crossed the country more than once in the summer and found out right quick that summer in FL isn't the same as summer in the Rockies, but still had no concern about our tires. We went from Death Valley to snow in the high Sierras within a couple of days and sure wasn't about to be letting air in and out of my tires during these temp. swings. Not only that, but tires are inflated cold, so that means doing so in the morning wherever you might be.

[ronspradley]

In 1976, my future wife (and present wife), bought a new Buick with Firestone 500's OEM tires. By 20 thousand miles all 5 had tread separation and failed. After each tire failure, from the first to the fifth, I went to a Firestone dealer and was told that the problem was not the tire but the operator, we were driving with low tire pressure. We were not, not the first time and not the fifth time. After that, I have stayed away from that Manufacturer. Any tire company can make a bad tire. It is what that company does afterward that makes or breaks the deal for me.

If I had a flat in front of a Firestone dealership, I would call road service.

Just my opinion (and personal experience).

ronspradley

[TXiceman]

Based on my last experience with Firestone (BOOM) tires, I would not put them on a little red wagon. You would do better with square cement tires.

Ken

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by ronspradley

In 1976, my future wife (and present wife), bought a new Buick with Firestone 500's OEM tires. By 20 thousand miles all 5 had tread separation and failed. After each tire failure, from the first to the fifth, I went to a Firestone dealer and was told that the problem was not the tire but the operator, we were driving with low tire pressure. We were not, not the first time and not the fifth time. After that, I have stayed away from that Manufacturer. Any tire company can make a bad tire. It is what that company does afterward that makes or breaks the deal for me.

If I had a flat in front of a Firestone dealership, I would call road service.

Just my opinion (and personal experience).

ronspradley

Yes, but 1976 is a little ways back and I failed to mention that since the Firestone scandal, whether warranted or not, quality control has came a long way with all manufactures, both foreign and domestic.

[Jim Jackson]

Originally Posted by tropical36

Well, I'm sure of my opinion which is at least worth what you're paying for it.
I mean if you went with exactly what each side weighed, are you then going to correct for every change in ambient temperature as you travel? Are the same 200 lb people going to be sitting at the dinette or one of them in the passenger seat at all times? Are you going to be moving any goods from side to side or front to back? Are you going to account for having a full fuel tank, full fresh water tank, gray and black tanks full all at the same time? Was the fridge full or empty when you weighed and aired up accordingly? Was everybody on board?
All this while the ambient temp. might be changing regularly. We crossed the country more than once in the summer and found out right quick that summer in FL isn't the same as summer in the Rockies, but still had no concern about our tires. We went from Death Valley to snow in the high Sierras within a couple of days and sure wasn't about to be letting air in and out of my tires during these temp. swings. Not only that, but tires are inflated cold, so that means doing so in the morning wherever you might be.

Thank you, but please spell it out for me, if you start with 80psi in a cold tire then during the day on the road the heat expands the tire, but does the air in the tire expand too? I am a little embarrassed not to know these things.

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by Jim Jackson

Thank you, but please spell it out for me, if you start with 80psi in a cold tire then during the day on the road the heat expands the tire, but does the air in the tire expand too? I am a little embarrassed not to know these things.

Yes it does, but that doesn't count and is taken into consideration with tire engineering. All inflation specifications and calculations are for cold tires regardless of ambient temperature and expansion due to running heat. I should have mentioned before that some extra air also allows the tires to run cooler. I also keep my speed down for cooler running and a number of other reasons including the fact, that I'm driving a motel and not a sports car, so max speed limits are way beyond my rigs capabilities in an emergency.

[speed racer]

Originally Posted by Jim Jackson

Thank you, but please spell it out for me, if you start with 80psi in a cold tire then during the day on the road the heat expands the tire, but does the air in the tire expand too? I am a little embarrassed not to know these things.

On the side of every tire there is(MAX PSI COLD). As long as you don't exceed this you will be ok. It's tire presure that is too low that gets you in trouble.

[deandec]

If I added 10 psi cold inflation the tire would then be 10 psi over the max cold inflation stamp on the tire.

I choose to run at the manufacturer's recommended PSI on their published chart for the weight carried rather than add air that is not needed or desirable. They have factored in their liability safety cushion in those charts.

Sometimes less air is truly more.........

[Kathryn]

Originally Posted by ronspradley

"...If I had a flat in front of a Firestone dealership, I would call road service."

LOL! Now THAT's bad!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by speed racer

On the side of every tire there is(MAX PSI COLD). As long as you don't exceed this you will be ok. It's tire presure that is too low that gets you in trouble.

Not true for some RV tires:

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 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.

[rvjimmy]

We run FS on all the steers on the trucks at work, no problems. They are 295/75/22.5 and I would buy a set in a flash. IMHO they are very good tires and you don't have to pay for the fancy name. Jim

[scgator]

Firestone Transforce HT's ........we have had our over two years; they perform great, smooth and quiet............and much less money than the big guys............

[Dogpatch]

My rig came with them. Not problem so far. Drove it home from Oregon to BC.