Community Forums

contrarymary · 07-01-2012, 06:57 PM

Anybody have any suggestions on a good tire for our 2002 Mountain Aire. the tire size is 275 80 22.5. Of course, I'm talking about replacing all of them. We've inquired into Michelins here in the Tucson area, but it seems that everyone is quoting in the $600-700 a tire price range. Anybody have any experience with any other brand. Right now, we are part time RVers. My husband will retire in the next 2-3 years and then we will probably take some longer trips. Right now, we only use it 3-4 times a year and probably only take 1000-2000 mile roundtrips. We've had the unit about a year and have only put about 1500 miles on it. We want a good tire, but if we can get by for now with something a little less expensive, that would be great.

Steve Ownby · 07-01-2012, 07:58 PM

If you are members of FMCA, they have a national accounts agreement for the members with Michelin. Most folks who have used it indicate it saved them about $100 per tire.

Mr_D · 07-01-2012, 08:10 PM

Have you weighed the rig? You might be right at the limit with those tires on the front axle.

Gary RVRoamer · 07-01-2012, 08:14 PM

Tire [rices have taken a huge jump in the past year. sop that's probably the best you can do on Michelins. Definitely look into the FMCA fleet discount program though.

You can get other brands for less than Michelins, though. 275/80 is manufactured by several of the leading brands, e.g. Goodrich, Goodyear, Continental, and Hankook. These are all quality brands.

KIX · 07-01-2012, 08:24 PM

I have no experience with BF Goodrich 22.5" tires but recently heard that they have very competitive prices. Get a quote and compare prices and specs.

Ramzfan · 07-03-2012, 08:45 AM

All I can say is from my past experiences, NOTHING rides like a Michelin! If you like having your dishes rattling in the cabinets and listening to your wife stutter, go with the other brands. If you want to get the best ride & the most peace of mind possible, go with Michelin!

Steve Ownby · 07-03-2012, 03:00 PM

Quote:

All I can say is from my past experiences, NOTHING rides like a Michelin! If you like having your dishes rattling in the cabinets and listening to your wife stutter, go with the other brands. If you want to get the best ride & the most peace of mind possible, go with Michelin!

While I certainly agree that Michelin are highly respected tires, they still put their pants on one leg at a time and seldom leap tall buildings. It has not been my experience that the ride with Michelin is any better than other major brands. Bridgestone is another brand that is becoming widely used in the motor home market. The only two tires which are marketed as RV specific are the Michelin XRV and the Goodyear G670. Both have had well documented issues.

JearBear · 07-03-2012, 03:55 PM

I just purchased six new Sumitomo ST 727 275/70 R22.5 16PR to put on my 2002 Newmar Dutch Star. I replaced the Michelins because they were six years old with less than 20K miles. The Sumitomo ST 727 proved to be a good choice because of the good ride and they are quiet. Cost is around $375.00 each plus all the shipping and other taxes. All in all I would say they perform as well as the Michelins with the exception that the Michelins might have a somewhat more stiff sidewall with a bit more stability at the back of the coach.

My installer only put in 100 PSI in spite of my request to air them up to 115 PSI cold. (as Newmar suggests)

The rear end of the coach felt "spongy or rubbery" in crosswinds and uneven pavement.

I always put 115PSI in the Michelins and never experienced any problems with the rear sway.

I should have checked the air pressure myself before starting the trip but the tires were hot when I got back to the house (after having them installed) and we left for California about two hours later. (My Bad)

I put 5000 miles on these tires in two weeks and was never able to get them inflated properly when cold. (I forgot to load my portable air compressor)

The tire sidewall states max cold PSI to be 120

I plan to have my RV service center put 120PSI (cold) when I have it serviced next month.

I feel the additional increase in air pressure will result in the stiffness I want at the rear of the coach and also give me some additional fuel mileage.

I have run Michelins tires most of my adult life and feel they are great tires.

However; I can not see paying the price for Michelins when I have to replace them ever six years.

I purchased a Minder Research wireless Tire Pressure Monitoring System about three hours into the trip and the tires only got up to 121.5 PSI one time. The outdoor temp was 102 at that time and the tire temps were about 8 degrees higher (on the sun side).

Steve Ownby · 07-03-2012, 05:33 PM

If you inflated your tires in accordance with the tire manufacturer to carry your GAWR here are your pressures.

Steer axle. 115 psi
Drive axle. 100 psi

ChasA · 07-03-2012, 06:25 PM

I went with Sumitomos for 2 reasons 1) price 2) not Chinese (but they are Japanese). I've only driven a few miles since getting them. But I took a long route home that included interstate and bumpy country roads. What I can say is that the Sumi's ride much softer, not as harsh as the G670RV's they replaced. The Goodyear's I took off had 31,000 miles on them and looked new - lots of tread and not a crack in any of them, but they were 7 years old. I would not put out the $ for Michelin --they are just not worth the extra money. That's my 2 cents.

Mr_D · 07-03-2012, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JearBear

The tire sidewall states max cold PSI to be 120

The pressure that Newmar (or any other manufacturer for that matter) gives is only good if you have the original brand and size of tire.

Go back and read the sidewall of the tire, almost every RV tire out there states that the pressure on the sidewall is the MINIMUM to support the maximum rating of the tire. I've posted this fact numerous times on the forum so I won't post the cites again here.

GreaTOne65 · 07-03-2012, 06:52 PM

We all, have our opinions about cars, motors, ball players, and of course, tires. Michelins, have a good reputation, as do Good Year, but there are tires on the market that are fully capable of good service. Right now, I have TOYO's and am very happy with the ride, I had them balanced, and the they are as smooth as any I have ever had, only time will tell just how good they are.

BandM · 07-03-2012, 07:15 PM

Hi just faced the same problem and after much comparison we went with Firestone FS 560. Only about 2,000 on them so far but I like them. We saved quite a bit over the FMCA Micheline program

mikehaberkor · 08-02-2012, 01:01 PM

I've used Michelin and Good Year and most recently a full set of imported tires from Les Schwab. I can't believe the price Michelin wants either. The Les Schwab tires ride and handle extremely well and look great also. I paid $376 per tire installed. The Good Years didn't impress me and they cost almost as much as the Michelins. I run Michelins on my car and pickup due to the fact I do get a lot of mileage out of them. Motorhomes set a lot and the tires basically rot in several years so mileage is not a concern. I've had the Les Schwab tires for a while now and can't find a complaint against them.