Tire question

[Jerryg]

I would be interested in hearing what other RVers have to say about the situation I ran into while looking for replacement tires for my fifth wheel. While in the Black hills a couple weeks ago, I blew a tire and bought a replacement at a local Goodyear store. The tire was a 225/75 R16E Goodyear Wrangler HT. Since the tires on my 2000 Sunnybrook were 5-6 years old, and people "in the know" say tires have only a 5-6 year life regardles of how much tread is left, I didn't trust the remainging 3 tires even though they still had more than 50% of their tread. When I got home, I called my local Goodyear store. He said he had 3 tires of that size in stock and that they were about $190 each out the door. I asked him when the tires were made. He called me back to say that according to the date code, they were made in the 35th week of 03, making them already 3 years old.I told him I was unwilling to pay full price for tires with essentially half of their expected life gone and that they should be discounted. He said Goodyear wouldn't do that. I asked if new tires with more recent mfg dates could be ordered. He indicated that these tires were no longer in production and that any newly ordered tires would come from warehouse inventory. He had already contacted the warehouse and they refused to provide mfg date information for tires in stock. I thanked the dealer for his time and said I would look elsewere.
Is this typical of the tire industry or is it just the way Goodyear does business? Does anyone have any suggestions for good reliable replacements?
Thanks

[Jerryg]

I would be interested in hearing what other RVers have to say about the situation I ran into while looking for replacement tires for my fifth wheel. While in the Black hills a couple weeks ago, I blew a tire and bought a replacement at a local Goodyear store. The tire was a 225/75 R16E Goodyear Wrangler HT. Since the tires on my 2000 Sunnybrook were 5-6 years old, and people "in the know" say tires have only a 5-6 year life regardles of how much tread is left, I didn't trust the remainging 3 tires even though they still had more than 50% of their tread. When I got home, I called my local Goodyear store. He said he had 3 tires of that size in stock and that they were about $190 each out the door. I asked him when the tires were made. He called me back to say that according to the date code, they were made in the 35th week of 03, making them already 3 years old.I told him I was unwilling to pay full price for tires with essentially half of their expected life gone and that they should be discounted. He said Goodyear wouldn't do that. I asked if new tires with more recent mfg dates could be ordered. He indicated that these tires were no longer in production and that any newly ordered tires would come from warehouse inventory. He had already contacted the warehouse and they refused to provide mfg date information for tires in stock. I thanked the dealer for his time and said I would look elsewere.
Is this typical of the tire industry or is it just the way Goodyear does business? Does anyone have any suggestions for good reliable replacements?
Thanks

[RustyJC]

For about the same price, I'd highly recommend the all-steel construction, commercially rated Michelin XPS Rib. We changed over from the OEM-supplied fabric-and-steel construction Goodyear Wrangler HT radials on our previous 5th wheel to the Michelin XPS Ribs strictly for peace of mind after some Wrangler HT failures were reported, and I was amazed how much cooler the XPS Ribs ran on the Interstate.

These tires have proven to be problem solvers for many who have had the all-too-typical tread separations on 5th wheel RVs.

Rusty

[450Donn]

Second that, Go with the Michelins for essentially the same price and quit worrying about "discontinued" tires.

[Ryq]

XPS RIB, or maybe Bridgestone V-Steel, can't remember the model. Both are great, and usually readily available. I'm switching to Goodyear G rated's on my Teton. Beleive it or not it came with Marathons. Typical junk tire on 3 axle rigs.

[RustyJC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ryq:
I'm switching to Goodyear G rated's on my Teton. Beleive it or not it came with Marathons. Typical junk tire on 3 axle rigs. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Our Mobile Suites (see signature) came with the Goodyear Unisteel G614 RST (LT235/85R-16G, 3750 pound load rating @ 110 PSIG). The reason I didn't mention them is that these tires require a wheel that is rated for 3750 lbs load and 110 PSIG inflation pressure, so (unlike the XPS Rib) it's not a straightforward changeout for someone who is running E-rated 16" tires.

Rusty

[Ryq]

Rusty,

Yeah, absolutely re the wheels issue. Looks like i may have to replace all 6/7 rims due to Teton tellin me that the rims are only rated up to "D" load rated tires. The rig is in the shop right now, so i've got to go and investigate this sit. Why a manuf. would only use this light of equipment on this coach is beyond me, but oh well.

[RustyJC]

Rick,

If you're interested in a 3rd party who might be able to help you with your conversion, you might give the guys at Southwest Wheel a call. They specialize in truck and trailer wheels and tires.

Rusty

[Ray,IN]

Trailer tires are supposedly made with stiffer sidewalls to withstand the stresses of tandem axles. I will not buy more ST tires though, for these reasons. ST tires are speed rated for 65 MPH. Goodyear says for each MPH over, the rated load must be reduced by 10%. LT tires have more to offer, and will be my choice in the future.

[zip]

After our 2nd blowout with GY Marathons, D rated, I'm gonna switch. Don't have enough room for 16 inch tires, so I'm thinking about buying Maxxis E rated 225-75R-15. Biggest problem is finding a dealer close enough for support if they turn out to be troublesome too.

[diandtom]

I am also looking into new tires for our fiver. I got Goodyears now and three of the tires have had to be replaced. The first one the sidewall split and the replacement got a bulge on the sidewall. The other two on the real axle just blew out. The last one the Goodyear dealer want over $190 for a replacement.I did not buy from him got a Uniroyal for a spare. I had enough of Goodyear. I am looking at a set of Michelins XPS Ribs also before we go cross country next year.

[450Donn]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by zip:
After our 2nd blowout with GY Marathons, D rated, I'm gonna switch. Don't have enough room for 16 inch tires, so I'm thinking about buying Maxxis E rated 225-75R-15. Biggest problem is finding a dealer close enough for support if they turn out to be troublesome too. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
" Look at an LT 235 85R16. At most it will be about an inch bigger. Mine have a distance between tires of just 1-3/4" so I'll bet you are not that close.

[zip]

Actually the limiting factor is the distance between the ground and the wheel well.
it's only 29 1/2". Not enough room for the 16" wheel/tires, where ya need almost 31".