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tednsal · 02-22-2012, 08:31 PM

Purchased a 2006 Class A Allegero Bay with 6500 miles. Tires are original Michelins that show minimun amount of wear and no evidence of dry rot or cracking. Should we feel safe with driving on these tires? What is the general idea of the lifespna of origianl tires...we have heard that ten (10) years on the Michelin brands could be expected....what would be anyone's response?

Traps90 · 02-22-2012, 08:51 PM

If it was me I would be replacing them, it's the lack of use on them that's my main concern. Tires are self lubricating from use and 6500 miles on tires most likely at least 7 years old would worry me more than if they had 40,000 miles

Trap

historyljc · 02-22-2012, 09:09 PM

Hi Ted, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your Allegro Bay. Did you get the gas or the Fred model? I would take your coach to a truck tire dealer, such as Dave Howell Tire here in Pensacola on US 29 just north of I-10 and have them inspect the tires, dismounting at least one to examine the inside. If they don't find any problems you should be good to for a few more years. I bought my front tires from Dave Howell Tire and they mounted the rears ones for me. They have also installed shocks, adjusted air pressure (before I bought my 150 psi Porter Cable 6 gallon compressor), and tightened a valve stem for me.

Go Dawgs · 02-22-2012, 09:11 PM

Again as stated in the forum and by experts. It's not about the mileage on RV tires it's the age that kills them. We typically drive our personal vehicles 15K to 25k or miles a year and the tires wear out before they rot. In a normal use RV the average person probably travels less then 5k a year so the tread will always be good. The sidewalls begin to crack and or rot from the inside. If your tires are orginal tires they are nearing life span. It's up to you, but I would look to replace soon. Go to a tire shop and have them inspected. They can look inside and tell you there condition. From there it's up to you to decide.

Good Luck
Arnold

JTBond · 02-22-2012, 09:23 PM

This is just one persons opinion, replace the front tires if you are in doubt. I have purchased 2 used motor homes and that is what I have done. I have 6 tires in back and only 2 in front, I will gamble losing a rear tire.

H. Miller · 02-23-2012, 05:27 AM

Like JT, I would seriously consider at least replacing the "steering" tires. Timewise you probably have a few more years BUT how were the tires treated? Pressures checked religiously? Pot holes or curbs hit?
We just spent $400.+ at Quartzite on a Steer-Safe. Had it installed on a perfectly tracking MH with 3 year old/15,000 mile tires just in case of a steer tire problem.
Guess it depends on what you think of the operator at the other end of the steering mechanism from the tires (you).

naed · 02-23-2012, 05:58 AM

We have a 2002 Mountain Aire Gas w/63K miles, Michiline Tires (11yr old tires) had two blow-outs on our way to Texas in January this year. Don't wait to long to replace. Be sure and check the DOT date on the side of the tire for confirmation of the tire age.

njs42 · 02-23-2012, 06:23 AM

The difficulty is you do not have personal knowledge of these tires and their use (other than you know they were not used much). Michelins should give you 10 trouble free years with proper care and reasonable mileage; mine did easily and that is the manufactureres claim as well. But I put every mile on the tires and cared for them myself so I knew exactly what their life was like. I replaced seemingly very good tires at 10 years because it was time.

If you can begin with a fresh set of shoes on your rig then you get peace of mind.

If not; replacing your steers is a very good suggestion.

SteveB2 · 02-23-2012, 06:38 AM

I have a 2005 Bay and I was in the same situation you're in. I had the dealer replace the steer tires for my piece of mind. I'll be replacing the others as soon as I can, but as others have stated, get them inspected by a Michelin tire dealer. If you read the documentation M suggests that after, I think, 5 years to get them inspected annually. They should last 10 years.

Happy Travels!

zip0 · 02-23-2012, 07:03 AM

How old are the tires? Did you check the DOT on the sidewall? If they are original replace them.

tednsal · 02-23-2012, 01:06 PM

Thanks for all of the advice and responses. Switching out the front tires will be the first thing that we will do, since they are only five years old. Will check the DOT as well.
This portion of this message will be in response to historyljc and Dave Howell Tire Center....boy do I have a horror story for you about this business, but since they are the only ones in town, I will have to continue to deal with them regardless.

Gary RVRoamer · 02-23-2012, 08:47 PM

Michelin says that you MAY get up to 10 years of use, but recommends having them inspected annually by a tire specialist starting at age 5. And if you dig really deep, they will tell you the tire should be dismounted and inspected inside and out.

It is impossible to know whether they will last 10 years or not, and you risk physical damage to the coach body as well as safety concerns if a tire does fail.

I replaced mine at a little over 7 years old and 56,000 miles. Yours are about 6 years old (check the DOT date codes to be sure), so my personal clock says they are probably good for another season. However, the lack of mileage on them is a concern - tires do not like sitting around in one spot.

At the end of the day, it depends on your willingness to assume a bit of risk.

edgray · 02-24-2012, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tednsal

Thanks for all of the advice and responses. Switching out the front tires will be the first thing that we will do, since they are only five years old. Will check the DOT as well..........

You really shouldn't use the model year of the coach as a guide, because that means almost nothing. Likewise, the 10th digit of the CHASSIS VIN # indicates its age, but again, that's not what is important. Only the last 4 digits of the DOT code on the tire's sidewall (usually on one side only) will tell you what you really need to know about them.

If you decide to change the steers only, I suggest you carry one of the take-offs as an unmounted spare. In my experience, having a spare increases the chance you will NOT need one!

Cat320 · 02-24-2012, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tednsal

Purchased a 2006 Class A Allegero Bay with 6500 miles. Tires are original Michelins that show minimun amount of wear and no evidence of dry rot or cracking. Should we feel safe with driving on these tires? What is the general idea of the lifespna of origianl tires...we have heard that ten (10) years on the Michelin brands could be expected....what would be anyone's response?

You don't say how old your tires are. The year of the coach is irrelevant, find the date on the tires, then have them inspected.