Hercules tire thoughts and questions....

[bhuppert]

I have a 2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35u with 14 yr old Goodyear tires on it. Bought it last year with 13000 miles on the coach. The tires are in cosmetically great shape but yes 14 yrs old. I put maybe 1000 miles on it last year and all was good. Heard all the horror stories and now looking for new shoes to order for spring. Amazon has Hercules tires my size ... Hercules H-902 225/70R19.5 128L (59217)

That say they are for steer/trailer use and

Hercules H-702 225/70R19.5 128L (59977)

That say they are for the drive tires.

Can I get a yea or nay on this set up for my set up?

Any thoughts for balance beads vs traditional?

Lastly.... going to have the duallyvalve kits installed as well but not real clear on which one to order....

Thanks in advance. Cant wait for warmer weather here in WI!

[CJBROWN]

I'm a michelin guy myself. Balanced with lead. I run an hose type valve extension from the inside duals, just reach in for the outside's.

There were some good reports for the Sumitomo's if you're looking to save some money.

Toyo's are a nice tire but I suspect they're pretty stiff since they're actually big truck tires.

The guys that really know tires said if I liked my XRV's I wouldn't be happy with anything else - they just ride better. But I dunno, never ran anything else on this coach.

[B Bob]

bhuppert - My thoughts are two.

1. If you are running 14 year old Goodyears and they are still working. Why would you switch brands from something that durable?

2. My strong suggestion is to go to a local tire store and shop there. That way if something happens you have someone local to turn to. Maybe they sell Hercules.

I buy lots and lots and lots of stuff from Amazon, and also sell some of my used stuff. I think they are a great outfit. I don't buy tires from them because they have no tire store in my area.

[bhuppert]

Little checking on the prices was done today. Dealer pricing on Goodyear and michelin are over 500 per tire. I also had the size wrong it is 245 not 225. For such a HUGE price difference I am taking a chance on the Hercules tires at 200 each.

[Muddypaws]

If they are made in China I would avoid them at all costs. Of all the tires that have failed on me only one was not from China. And that one tire was more than 10 years old.

Chinese tires do not age well. IMHO they are constructed of substandard materials in a place where customer safety and rights simply do not exist.

Why do tire shops push them? Because they make more profit selling you a $200 tire that cost them next to nothing. What does that tell you about the true value of the tire?

[aschuh53]

I have them on my newmar mountain aire and I do like them got them last year in Michigan 1692.. out the door You can PM me I can give you some input where to get them in your area The ride is not bad its really smooth too.They are made by copper tires they have good warranty to See all the big rigs using them

[87Rockwood]

What is the date code on the "new" tires from Amazon? Some dealers sell older stock that way.

[89sandman]

have bought them for my last two units. will be buying them for my next.

[Mac99]

They are China bombs, beware. The last thing you should do
is put your and your family's lives at risk with cheap tires.
IMHO it's Goodyear or Michelin.

[B Bob]

I have had these brands over the last 9 years on two motorhomes without a single problem.

Goodyear
Michelin
BF Goodrich
Firestone
Dunlop

I bought all of these in person so I could see the build dates and make sure I got recent tires. Many tires sold as new are 1 1/2 years old or more. The last couple of times I have bought tires I got ones made less than 90 days before I bought them.

All of these tires were made in the USA.

[dmignogno]

I used balance beads in the tires of my first motorhome and they worked great.

[homecan1]

I have not used Hercules but have used GT and Cooper (Roadmaster) which are also chinese tires and they served me well on my 1999 Gulfstream. The price points were less than half the cost of the "Name Brand" tires. Considering most RV tires "age out" before they "wear out" I felt that the cost of the brand name tires excedded the benefit for me since I only put 2,000 to 3,000 miles a year on the coach at most. The most important things are correct load range and correct inflation. I replaced Goodyear 159's that were 7 years old and looked fine with relatively low miles after one of them suffered a tread seperation.

Think about your rig and your planned use. Ride comfort, noise, etc. will vary by tire type and manufacturer. If you're not taking long trips or putting a lot of miles on the coach it probably doesn't matter. You may find that there is no extra benefit you'll get from $3500 worth of tires that $1700 worth of tires won't provide.

[Lincolnboy2]

BHuppert, I came so close to buying the Hercules tires in the 245 70 R19.5 size a couple of years ago when I too was replacing my cosmetically perfect Goodyear GV 670 RV tires that were over 10 years old. I him hawed around and him hawed back and forth, looking, pricing, shopping, I can't tell you how much time I spent on this issue.

I finally decided I would not replace them with the 500+ Goodyears but instead the 350 (FMCA/Michelin Program-see link at the bottom) Michelin XRV tires. Being a member of the FMCA gives you ccess to their discount buying program set up with Michelin Tires.

I almost clicked 'buy' so many times on the Hercules on the Ebay site that sold them, I can't tell you.

But I can tell you this, my coach FACTORY RECOMMENDED LOAD RATING for the tires is LR-F (Load Range F). There was a reason they weren't a LR-G or LR-H from the factory. I know many folks will tell you don't worry about the higher load rating tires, BUT two things about them, they are typically truck tires, have no UV resistance, and are much stiffer riding than the XRV LR-F 245-70-R19.5 tires I have, also, I think (don't take this to the bank) they require more air pressure, hence a stiffer, bumpier ride. You have to ask yourself 'Really? a motorhome? They ride like a truck anyway, what's the diff?' But the other side of that is 'Why not do anything I can to help the ride performance of the coach?'

Now you are going to hear a bunch of conjecture on tires, all good points and all very good reasoning, but that is what I chose, to stick with the Manufacturer recommended Load Rating F tires. When others start telling you why not buy higher load rated tires anyway, I cannot understand it because what that tells me subconsciously is its ok to overload your coach weight then if you want to because you have the higher load rated tires. Not gonna happen here with my coach.

I'll also tell you that I bought the Dynabeads self balancing beads, and also the new valve extenders were installed when the new tires were. Never have to worry about balancing again, and now I don't have to remove the wheel covers to access the valve stems to add air. Here are links to the stuff I bought if you are interested. Glean what you can from all this, make your own decision as it suits you best, and best of luck!! Let us know what you decided and keep us posted. I for one am so happy with my XRV's and the ride and quiet performance they provide is unparalleled in the commercial trucking tire market as far as I'm concerned, not to mention that they are DESIGNED for RV use with UV resistance, softer rubber, better ride, traction, etc.....

Tire Connection - Michelin Advantage Program

DL3FC Chrome Duallyvalve Kit

How It Works

Michelin Americas Truck Tires XRV® Page

[adonh]

Originally Posted by Lincolnboy2

BHuppert, I came so close to buying the Hercules tires in the 245 70 R19.5 size a couple of years ago when I too was replacing my cosmetically perfect Goodyear GV 670 RV tires that were over 10 years old. I him hawed around and him hawed back and forth, looking, pricing, shopping, I can't tell you how much time I spent on this issue.

I finally decided I would not replace them with the 500+ Goodyears but instead the 350 (FMCA/Michelin Program-see link at the bottom) Michelin XRV tires. Being a member of the FMCA gives you ccess to their discount buying program set up with Michelin Tires.

I almost clicked 'buy' so many times on the Hercules on the Ebay site that sold them, I can't tell you.

But I can tell you this, my coach FACTORY RECOMMENDED LOAD RATING for the tires is LR-F (Load Range F). There was a reason they weren't a LR-G or LR-H from the factory. I know many folks will tell you don't worry about the higher load rating tires, BUT two things about them, they are typically truck tires, have no UV resistance, and are much stiffer riding than the XRV LR-F 245-70-R19.5 tires I have, also, I think (don't take this to the bank) they require more air pressure, hence a stiffer, bumpier ride. You have to ask yourself 'Really? a motorhome? They ride like a truck anyway, what's the diff?' But the other side of that is 'Why not do anything I can to help the ride performance of the coach?'

Now you are going to hear a bunch of conjecture on tires, all good points and all very good reasoning, but that is what I chose, to stick with the Manufacturer recommended Load Rating F tires. When others start telling you why not buy higher load rated tires anyway, I cannot understand it because what that tells me subconsciously is its ok to overload your coach weight then if you want to because you have the higher load rated tires. Not gonna happen here with my coach.

I'll also tell you that I bought the Dynabeads self balancing beads, and also the new valve extenders were installed when the new tires were. Never have to worry about balancing again, and now I don't have to remove the wheel covers to access the valve stems to add air. Here are links to the stuff I bought if you are interested. Glean what you can from all this, make your own decision as it suits you best, and best of luck!! Let us know what you decided and keep us posted. I for one am so happy with my XRV's and the ride and quiet performance they provide is unparalleled in the commercial trucking tire market as far as I'm concerned, not to mention that they are DESIGNED for RV use with UV resistance, softer rubber, better ride, traction, etc.....

Tire Connection - Michelin Advantage Program

DL3FC Chrome Duallyvalve Kit

How It Works

Michelin Americas Truck Tires XRV® Page

I wish the XRV came in a 275/70/22.5 LR J