Community Forums

bcbounders · 09-30-2009, 12:50 AM

Hi all,

I've got a 2005 Mountain Aire 4304 (Spartan Mountain Master GT chassis with tag) that's exhibiting some strange tire wear on the passenger-side front tire. We had noticed that the very outer tread band had been wearing slightly more than the rest of the tire (which we assumed was due to wear from cornering), but we just recently noticed that it is happening ONLY on the passenger side... and it has now worn the outer band of tread away completely!

I'm guessing I've got some kind of alignment problem, but wanted to get people's ideas/opinions about the issue.

I'm also thinking that, if this tire needs to be replaced, I would consider "upgrading" from the 80R295 tires to 80R315 tires in order to be able to run at lower tire pressures (our coach is close to max front axle weights and the 295's require about 108psi to carry it... which results in a pretty harsh ride... while the 315's could be closer to 100psi at the same weight, which I hope would soften the ride).

Has anyone with a 2004/2005 MADP 43' coach replaced their front tires (and only their fronts?) with 315's? And, if so, were there any other special considerations required (ride heights, etc.)?

Also... does anyone have any recommendations for a good tire/alignment place somewhere in the Northwest (I-5 corridor of Washington or Oregon)?

Thanks all!

- John
2005 MADP 4304 / Spartan MM GT chassis / Cummins ISL 400
2003 Honda CR-V EX manual toad

GaryKD · 09-30-2009, 09:50 AM

Hi John,
The tire wear is either alignment or PSI. When the alignment is corrected, consider having the coach weighed and running the correct PSI for the weight being carried. If you have not had the coach weighed in the last year, getting it weighed again may be the thing to do. Over time, coaches tend to gain weight (like most of the owners

).

Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43' · 09-30-2009, 10:33 AM

I had a similar problem with my 06 DSDP. I had the front end aligned and tire rotated and still had the problem. I then had a front and rear alignment done and one of the duals was out of alignment causing the MH to crab down the road. This correction solved my problem. Check your driver side tire for wear on the inside edge as mine also had the condition but not as severe.
Henderson Lineup in Grants Pass Oregon Should be able to take care of alignment, check your shocks, road height, and etc. (a Spartan recommended shop) also there is a public (free) scale on the outskirts of Grants Pass on Hwy 199. Give Henderson's a call for an appointment. A good place to stay in the area is Valley of the Rogue State Park about 15-20 miles from the shop.

wa8yxm · 09-30-2009, 11:20 AM

I agree, Tire wear is either alignnment or PSI

in your case alignment is suspect #1 since ifit was PSI it would be both inner and outer edges wearing.

Always-RVing · 09-30-2009, 12:09 PM

Go with the heavier grade tires (if they will work).

bcbounders · 09-30-2009, 05:10 PM

Thanks for the response, Gary. We've been pretty methodical about having our weights checked so that we can maintain correct tire pressure, so I don't think that's the culprit. And, if anything, our coach is getting lighter, not heavier. We started out pretty heavy since we were new to full-timing and brought everything along we thought we MIGHT need. Over the years (6+ total, 4+ in this coach) we've been pruning things out and specifically restricting our purchases. Kind of "against the norm", but that's how we run.

Wish that pattern was the same for US!

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryKD

Hi John,
The tire wear is either alignment or PSI. When the alignment is corrected, consider having the coach weighed and running the correct PSI for the weight being carried. If you have not had the coach weighed in the last year, getting it weighed again may be the thing to do. Over time, coaches tend to gain weight (like most of the owners

).

bcbounders · 09-30-2009, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43'

I had a similar problem with my 06 DSDP. I had the front end aligned and tire rotated and still had the problem. I then had a front and rear alignment done and one of the duals was out of alignment causing the MH to crab down the road. This correction solved my problem. Check your driver side tire for wear on the inside edge as mine also had the condition but not as severe.
Henderson Lineup in Grants Pass Oregon Should be able to take care of alignment, check your shocks, road height, and etc. (a Spartan recommended shop) also there is a public (free) scale on the outskirts of Grants Pass on Hwy 199. Give Henderson's a call for an appointment. A good place to stay in the area is Valley of the Rogue State Park about 15-20 miles from the shop.

Ronnie,

Sounds all-too familiar!

Thanks for the recommendation. We'll be sure to have both front and rear alignments performed to be sure we catch the potential problem. And we'll check the inner edge on the driver's side tire to see if it's exhibiting similar wear to the outer edge of the passenger side... that's great advice.

We'll check with Henderson's to see if they've got time for us when we're planning to be through that area. We definitely prefer going to places that we've received some kind of recommendation for, rather than just blindly finding a shop and taking chances.

We're also going to give Spartan a call to see if they have any other input.

Really appreciate your help.