Tire Surprise

[gordon23]

When I purchased my used MH the dealer said I was good to go on tires for 4 or 5 years.

That time has arrived and doing some homework before buying new ones is giving me chills.

My current tires are 235/85/16 Michelin brand, but since we use the coach so little each year I was looking for cheaper (bad word) but reliable/safe replacements.

One dealer told me that I could use Uniroyal "Loredo LT cross country" but checking the internet seems to suggest that this is a Light truck tire.

Need suggestions here .......... thanks

[J Walker]

Just check the load rating. Light truck rating is often associated with MHs even though they get pretty heavy. If the cost is not that much more for Michelins I would stick with them.

[frankdamp]

I just got Toyos on my 32' Georgetown. We're in Les Schwab territory and they offer very good road hazard coverage. They're 16-ply rated, which gives me quite a margin over the maximum weight rating of the RV. All 6, monute and balanced with one valve stem needing replacement, was just under $2400. They ride better and are much quieter than the Goodyears it was wearing when I bought the rig. They were 2001 tires. My local Schwab guy looked at warehouse inventory and got tires that are only 6 weeks after the manufacturing code date.

[gordon23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Walker Just check the load rating. Light truck rating is often associated with MHs even though they get pretty heavy. If the cost is not that much more for Michelins I would stick with them.

The load rating is virtually identical to the Michelins. My comment about cost reduction was the incentive to buy Uniroyal.

Also, the Michelins are very well know for long wear but short life due to premature sun/rv damage which causes serious cracking and deterioration of the sidewall. (That's what mine look like now) You can't wear them out before they rot.

[whem2fish]

i dont know in canada but do you have sams club you can got bf goodrich for $175 each out the door (bf goodrich commercial 8 ply) i run them on front IRC on rear 10 ply truck tires ($100 each)
dave

[Nick-B]

I have the Toyo Open Country 16" tires on my F53 chassis and they ride smooth and quiet. Same load rating as the original Michelin tires. Can't comment on the Toyo price as they were already on the coach when I bought it.

[vabreu]

My motorhome is an older (1983 Winnebago Brave) and runs the 235/85 16 tires. The previous post about Michilens and dry rot is correct. My motorhome gets limited use and the Cooper SRM tires that came on it dated 2003 show virtually no sun or dry rot. I am now starting to replace them. I feel these are a good choice for longevity, reasonable wear and a fair price. These are 10 ply rating tires.

[greystroke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordon23 Also, the Michelins are very well know for long wear but short life due to premature sun/rv damage which causes serious cracking and deterioration of the sidewall. (That's what mine look like now) You can't wear them out before they rot.

I can verify that. I was trying to get one more trip out of my rear Michelins when I had a zipper blowout. So I didn't trust the other 3 to complete the trip so I had all four replaced. As I watched I could see that all 4 were rotten even though no apparent wear on the tread. I would have replaced with Michelins but there were just none available in my size(235/80/22.5)

[orfx2]

I'm looking at replacing 6 tires on the tradewinds that I recently bought. The price almost knocked me down. Over $500 per tire for Goodyear or Michelin. I've been pricing them on the net and can get Kelly or Bridestone for arount $270 to $300 ea. Has anyone had any experience with these or others that are less expensive? I'm running 255/70R 22.5

thanks

[gordon23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greystroke I can verify that. I was trying to get one more trip out of my rear Michelins when I had a zipper blowout. So I didn't trust the other 3 to complete the trip so I had all four replaced. As I watched I could see that all 4 were rotten even though no apparent wear on the tread. I would have replaced with Michelins but there were just none available in my size(235/80/22.5)

what brand did you end up buying and are you satisfied so far.

[gordon23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greystroke I can verify that. I was trying to get one more trip out of my rear Michelins when I had a zipper blowout. So I didn't trust the other 3 to complete the trip so I had all four replaced. As I watched I could see that all 4 were rotten even though no apparent wear on the tread. I would have replaced with Michelins but there were just none available in my size(235/80/22.5)

What's a zipper....did you wrestle it to the shoulder or was the situation under control with the remaining three on the backend.

[jamsvet]

6 Cooper SRMII LT tires for 966 out the door. Cooper tires are made in the USA and are of good quality. I've got them on another car and am really happy with them.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Bridgestone is a top brand tire. So is Toyo, Continental, and Yokohoma.

In the 16" size, there are even more choices. An LT tire is fine - that's what you want (versus a P=passenger tire). Most any 16" tire that meets the load requirements of a motorhome will be an LT.

[AFChap]

Quote:

Michelins are very well know for long wear but short life due to premature sun/rv damage which causes serious cracking and deterioration of the sidewall.

Why not protect them from sun/uv damage?? Mine are larger (22.5 H rated), but I replaced 7 yr old Michelins about 18 months ago that still looked brand new inside and out ...I put tire covers on whenever we are parked for more than just overnight. I would have gone with Michelins again, but could not get the size and weight rating I needed so went with Continentals for apx $100 less per tire.