RettroBands Installed

[PandK]

We had RettroBands inserts installed on our 2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder. The choice was between Tyron Bands or RettroBands. Tyron has an excellent reputation but the fact that RettroBand allows the tire to be flat but the rim doesn’t touch the road sold me on RettroBand. The safety of my family comes first but I hope we never have the experience of needing the RettroBands. They were installed by National Indoor RV Center (Atlanta) and everything went better than expected. Install time was less than 2 hours. The installer was very experienced and has done installations on both types. He was meticulous, neat, cordial and professional. Overall an excellent experience. I cannot detect any difference in handling or ride after 4 hours of driving today. Photo - Tyron on left (black) - RettroBand on right (yellow).

[Captjake1]

That is an interesting concept! Hmmm...

[distaff]

Well done.

I've thought about it (well, the Tyron, but these seem better), certainly losing a front tire at speed is a nightmare we all share. The price is a bit of a drawback. My "oh hell, why not" threshold is around $1,500. Given that the time to consider it is when you are putting on new tires, you are already considering a $5,000 spend (8 tires), it is a hard additional number to swallow.

[vito.a]

I'm not a fan of the Tyron bands.
When our Goodyear RV G670 front tire blew out it was instantly shredded. The Tyron band would have not have helped. Add to that the initial cost and then the difficulty of installing a new tire in a remote place and I'm not interested.

It at least it looks like the Rettro bands may help if a tire shreds.
What material is it made from?
How much weight will the yellow band support?
Can a standard tire installer remove and reinstall one?

[CountryB]

How much did it cost (for two RettroBands) installed?

[PandK]

$3495 installed for size 295 tire width and smaller- plus 10% discount purchasing them during Perry rally. Extra $1000 for larger sizes.

[PandK]

This video can answer most questions. I'm not affiliated with Rettrobands in any way. It's just a product I thought would give me the highest margin of safety for my family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR7jnmV3jxQ

[PandK]

The Rettroband is made of a hard polyurethane (they also have one made from a rubber composite). According to their information the Rettroband is rated to take the weight above that of the tire rim but you can't go above the weight rating of the rim because the rim would degrade and compromise the the anchor point of the Rettroband. I would think an installer would be able to uninstall/reinstall with very little difficulty. It's not rocket science - LOL. It comes in two pieces with a couple of bolts holding it together. There's a ratchet type mechanism that pulls and locks it all up tight onto the center of the rim. The video shows it all.

[CountryB]

Originally Posted by PandK

$3495 installed for size 295 tire width and smaller- plus 10% discount purchasing them during Perry rally. Extra $1000 for larger sizes.

Sounds like a good investment.
I have the 315/80R22.5 on the front now, but I plan to switch back to the factory sized 295/80R22.5 the next time tires are needed.

[Gumpster808]

Based on the video will have to keep an eye on this for when we move up to an A from our current class c.

Looks like a good insurance policy.

[djhinds]

Country-B why are you going back to 295 size tires on the front???

Safe travels
Dave

[CountryB]

The previous owner changed the front tire to 315s just before I bough it. He did that to get some additional load capacity.

However there is no real advantage to running the 315s since my front rims are 8.25" wide (and Michelin has now reduced the load capacity of these 315 tires when mounted on 8.25" rims - so they are about equal to the 295s now).

And having all the same size tires means my "mounted" spare (which I have yet to buy) will fit all positions. Plus the 295 are less expensive. And lastly, I'm thinking about adding the RettroBand on the front tires and its cheaper too (by $1,000) with the 295 and under size tires as stated above.

[vito.a]

Originally Posted by CountryB

The previous owner changed the front tire to 315s just before I bough it. He did that to get some additional load capacity.

However there is no real advantage to running the 315s since my front rims are 8.25" wide (and Michelin has now reduced the load capacity of these 315 tires when mounted on 8.25" rims - so they are about equal to the 295s now).

And having all the same size tires means my "mounted" spare (which I have yet to buy) will fit all positions. Plus the 295 are less expensive. And lastly, I'm thinking about adding the RettroBand on the front tires and its cheaper too (by $1,000) with the 295 and under size tires as stated above.

Mike, I understand your logic but...
We've installed 315 front tires on our last two Monaco's. You will immediately notice the ride difference when you go back to 295's. The late 2008 and all the 2009/2010 models came with factory installed 315 front tires. Add the extra un-sprung weight of the RettroBands and it will feel like a driving a dump truck.

After all these years I suspect Michelin is posturing in case of liability.

[CountryB]

Thanks for letting me know me about the difference in ride quality.