Best 275/70R22.5 tire??

[gsconvt70]

Hello, we're looking at buying a 2005 Fleetwood Bounder 38N diesel motorhome. The tires on it currently are 2013's and have cracking on the sidewalls. I know they are WAY out of date and need replacement.

I was wondering what opinions were for a tire. I know Michelin's are the best. Currently there are Firestone 561's on it.

I was wondering what people's thoughts were on other brands such as Toyo, Hankook, etc. We won't be driving it a lot, maybe 3K miles a year. But if I can save a few bucks and still get a quality tire, I'm all about that. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[MrMark52]

Uh- oh! Be prepared!

[Ray,IN]

There are many so-called "off-brand" tires on the market. Every one of them is required to meet USDOT tire safety standards regardless of country of origin, and will be marked as such on the sidewall.
Personally I do not buy the name brands that have been popular for decades. My last tire purchase was Sailun truck tires in your size. The now are around $300 ea.

[US1]

Originally Posted by gsconvt70

I know Michelin's are the best.

Why do you say that?

I replaced my Michelins with Toyos this spring. Would do it again.... every day, all day.

[HoodWelds]

I went with Falkens in that same size. I haven't put many miles on them but overall really pleased.

[Jpiland]

I'll say I really like my Hankook A37. Handling, performance and the 18 ply gives me a better feel in the cornering. Happy hunting.

[theroc]

I'll try hard stay out of this one, lol, as forum participants are for sure getting irritated with my long explanations of likes and dislikes when it comes to tires. We have dozens of threads on the forum asking about what tire brands everybody is using.

But let me ask you this, gsconvt70, if what you're basing "the best tire" on cost alone, then perhaps Michelin is the best ...so is that what you're basing your comment on?

What is the better car a Ford or Chevrolet? Or a Ford, Toyota, or Volkswagen?

Everybody is going to have an opinion on what they think is a "better" tire. You'll get at least a dozen replies from forum members on what brand of tires they have or are their favorites.

Mine are Toyo, Sumitomo, and Yokohama with Sumitomo slightly edging out Toyo on my personal ranking. I'm basing it on value as sure, you can pay premium prices for a Michelin, an extremely quality product to be sure, but is that quality commensurate pertaining to the money you spend? For me, it's not. BTW, I'm going out on a limb and say that Toyo is generally the most popular tire to replace the OE Michelins most of us have had to replace at one time or another.

I think the only thing we all agree on is not to buy cheap tires from China that have obscure names. Name brand tires from the big Chinese manufacturers are VERY good tires, like Sailun and Double Coin, but some of us do not want to buy tires from companies based in communist China if we don't have to.

Good luck with your decision as you'll have a lot of opinions on what is the "best" tire. Therefore, you'll have to make your own decision on what is "best" after weighing what everybody else here will be saying or using on their rig.

[Winemaker2]

Not a fan of Michelin
Very happy w Contibentals thru FMCA program... price & process

[VolDawg]

I just replaced my tires a few months ago and went with Hercules in the same size. The previous owner had already installed Hercules, and they looked brand new after 6-7 years.

They are owned by Continental and manufactured in Thailand. I paid $2,500 out the door for 6 tires.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by VolDawg

I just replaced my tires a few months ago and went with Hercules in the same size. The previous owner had already installed Hercules, and they looked brand new after 6-7 years.

They are owned by Continental and manufactured in Thailand. I paid $2,500 out the door for 6 tires.

Walking through truck stop parking lots, I see many semi's running Hercules tires.

[theroc]

I actually am starting to like Hercules as it pertains to representing a good value so that might just be a good choice in a 275/70R22.5

As we were discussing on another thread that tires coming out of factories in Thailand are getting very good reviews no matter how they are branded as I haven't heard too many negative things said about Otani, Americus, and Hercules. They all are owned or have subsidiaries here in the U.S. so at least most of the dollars stay here.

I still think that the Sumitomo ST719 represents a better value in that size, however. It also is manufactured at their plant outside of Buffalo New York.

Here's a comparison in price from motorhometires.com, an iRV2 veondor and sponsor of this section of the forum. I'm using them only to compare price from one tire to another so please feel free to shop other online vendors or your local stick-and-brick store. However, motorhometires.com is a broker that gives good service and the price quoted is an installed price:

Sumitomo ST719, 275/70R22.5, Load Range J (18-ply rated) -- $3,989.00 for 6 tires installed

Hercules SGuard, 275/70R22.5, Load Range H (16-ply rated) -- $3,999.00 for 6 tires installed

...and I'll also give you the link --again at motorhometires.com-- for the comparable Hankook. I like Hankook and it is 4th on my list of peronal favorites.

Hankook AH37, 275/70R22.5, Load Range J (18-ply rated) -- $4,199.00 for 6 tires installed


Again, these are all installed prices at motorhometires.com our iRV2 sponsor but you, of course, are free to shop both online vendors and your local commercial truck tire dealer too.

[JFXG]

gscon….. My DutchStar wears the same size shoes. We are fulltimers. When we bought it ten years ago I bought a new full set of Michelin XZA2 which rode smoothly and served me well for over eight years. Excellent tires, without a doubt.
When it came time to replace, I had learned a lot about large vehicle tires, and did my own research. Looked at Michelin, Continental, Sailun, Hercules. Wound up with Sumitomo ST719, excellent reviews, Made in USA, out the door for about $2300. Now, two years and about 9K miles later I am still very pleased with the choice.

[gsconvt70]

Thanks for all the input everyone. To answer some questions: I am not looking for tires strictly on price. But I know that for some brands you pay a premium based on their name. But I am all about finding a tire that has great value and is reliable without a bunch of road noise.

We are more weekend warrior campers with an occasional long trip (maybe once or twice a year). And the RV is parked for the winter.

Sounds like I am going to look into the Hankooks, Hercules, and Sumitomo brands and see what kind of deal I can find on price. I already got a quote of $750 from my RV service place to install a set of 6. So I'm using that as a base to compare to other shops or just buying online and having them shipped to "my guy".

Thanks again. I was actually surprised that there wasn't a sticky poll on tires here.

[computerguy]

I am with theroc on this one. “Best” is subjective. If the OP adds context they will get better info. Way too broad at this point.
It’s like asking what’s the best car out there? Or best rv?
Because of that I won’t weigh in on this topic.