Bye Bye XRV's........

[Scotter]

Had 2011 22.5 XRV tires on my unit and was seeing small cracks forming so I went to my tire shop and had them replaces with 6 new Goodyear 661's and am loving life. They even gave me $250.00 for each of the XRV's I took off plus no disposal charge. I love the new tires, they feel so much better and are so much better built. Don't delay if you are wanting to get rid of yours. Just sayin...........

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Scotter

Had 2011 22.5 XRV tires on my unit and was seeing small cracks forming so I went to my tire shop and had them replaces with 6 new Goodyear 661's and am loving life. They even gave me $250.00 for each of the XRV's I took off plus no disposal charge. I love the new tires, they feel so much better and are so much better built. Don't delay if you are wanting to get rid of yours. Just sayin...........

Oh boy ....... This is gonna bring out the lovers & haters !!!!

Let me get this straight. They paid you $250 x 6 for four year old tires ? They gave you $1500 for 4 year old Michelins ????

This is gonna get good !!!

[mojoracing]

Ahhhh no.

[slickest1]

I got $70. each for my 6 Goodyear's that were 9 years old. I replaced them with Firestone.
Michelin says they are good for 10 years so they will sell them to a trucker or farmer for used trailer tires.

[Scotter]

Ahhhh....YES!
Michelin told them to take care of the customer and they did.

[vettenuts]

I have the 661 HSA which are high scrub tires that were put on by the previous owner. The previous owner told me the ride and handle much better than the Michelins he removed.

I think they are excellent and I had one get low on me and was told by the tire dealer who conducted the federal guideline inspection of the tire that these were better than the RV tire and more durable but most RV owners don't consider them because they are marked "RV". I would have no problem putting them back on my coach when I need new tires and plan to do so when they need replacement. There is absolutely no sign of checking either.

[Smitty77]

Don't know much about the 661 HSA's. But usually tires identified as high scrub, have a stiffer side wall, and thus a stiffer ride. Not too important on a DP on the rear's, but usually you can feel this stiffer ride on the steers. I know the Michelin XZE* tire, with the "*" meaning extra sidewall protections, were a stiff ride. But, knew that going in!

Tires identified as RV, usually have complied to energy guidelines, and have less stiff sidewalls, for a softer ride.

For those looking for new tires, mixing the rears with a more robust tire with more protections on the sidewalls, and then RV rated tires fro the steers, may find that a good combination. Extra protection on the rears for curb clipping protection, and the softer ride on the front.

No matter what, always choose tires with the proper load ratings for your rig. Going higher can be OK, and you can usually compensate for the normally stiffer ride of a higher load rated tire, because the PSI you will run can be lower then the next load rating down. But, your actually paying more for a higher rated tire then you need. I did consider, and still may do so, adding higher load ratings to my steers, as added protection/robustness due to the pot hole world that we drive in. (Just had to replace two mature (5 - 5 1/2 years old) XZE*'s, due to pot hole impact damage.)

Best to all, and thanks for sharing the experiences with the 661 HSA's.
Smitty

[vettenuts]

Originally Posted by Smitty77

Don't know much about the 661 HSA's. But usually tires identified as high scrub, have a stiffer side wall, and thus a stiffer ride.

Best to all, and thanks for sharing the experiences with the 661 HSA's.
Smitty

I can confirm this, it does ride pretty stiff. However, for me personally, these are the only tires I have driven on the coach so I have no basis for comparison.

[alpha99]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Oh boy ....... This is gonna bring out the lovers & haters !!!!



Let me get this straight. They paid you $250 x 6 for four year old tires ? They gave you $1500 for 4 year old Michelins ????



This is gonna get good !!!

Well, I got $2,400 for 4 year, 9 month old Michelin's. (6 tires).

Cheers!

[Scotter]

Great deal, what did you replace them with?

[alpha99]

Michelin XRV's. Great tire, awesome customer support.

If they'll pay 75% of tire replacement every five years, I'm in!

Been driving Michelin's for 40 years, never a failure or even a flat tire.


Cheers!

[SilverBob]

To each, his own, I suppose. I'd rather buy tires the don't exhibit sidewall cracking at 4 years and 9 months, but that's just me. I'll take good tires over good customer service any day!


Don't worry, Be happy!

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by SilverBob

To each, his own, I suppose. I'd rather buy tires the don't exhibit sidewall cracking at 4 years and 9 months, but that's just me. I'll take good tires over good customer service any day!


Don't worry, Be happy!

Agreed. Been reading about a lot of them with sidewall cracking lately. In reality how many actually take tires in for customer service compared to the number of tires purchased ?

[Smitty77]

Lots of posts tire cracking, and no question their were several years of two or three specific tires that were more prone to cracking then others. Also there was the 'zipper blow' tire models. Many of these tires that had problems were Michelin.

Problems still can exist on new tires, of any brand, Michelin included.

IMO, and everyone is entitled to their own! RV Coach tires are a bit different then other tires usages. Heavier units, usually lower miles per year, quite commonly not used for several months out of a year. Due to how us RV'ers use our coaches, the maintenance of RV Tires is different then say a car, light truck, or heavy duty truck and bus (the later two are usually turning all of the time, and wear out in usage very early).

Proper inflation, and bumped up to the max cold pressure amount while parked for extended periods. Properly cleaned and UV protected (Covers are the best, but Aerospace 303, or other UV protectors, or even Sunblock, are all appropriate.) And if possible, not just for the tires but for the rest of the rigs systems too, regular exercise. At least once every 4-6 weeks, get the coach out for a good 45-60minute run. Turn on the generator and put a load on it running the AC or Heat Pumps or other loads. Turn on OTR AC. Aqua/Hydro Hot ran. Turn on the in house heater system, especially if fed from Aqua/Hydro Hot (keeps the pumps and registers from sticking or clogging). Get everything up to temp. Especially for tires, this helps the release their natural agents to keep things as healthy as possible. If you have jacks, get a bit of the weight off the tires while in storage helps too.

This will go along way to keeping the tires, any brand, in good shape. We have 5 1/2 year old Michelin XZE*'s. Had some pothole damaged and had to replace two of them from a slipped and broken cord while on the road. TCI Tire Center manager, and then tech's too, did not believe our tires were that old. They actually looked at the date code, as they both could not believe they were that old. Just now getting some slight cracking in what the manager called stamping cracks (where the bigger letters are, seem to be more prone for the start of light cracking) he called these 'surface stamping cracks' vs the cracks that usually evolve into an unsafe tire situation. And, I also know of a gent that has 9 years old Michelin, think they XZA2's, but could be wrong on that. He has had his tires dismounted and inspected each year, at the same dealer he bought his tires from (and for all of his cars too, so long history with this place). He has 'stamping cracks' on a few tires, but no signs of any problems other then that. So a well cared for tire, can last for along time.

And then again, the history of tire cracking problems were very real, and did exist on a few manufactures and brands of tires over the last two decades...

May your tires keep you safe, and may you keep your tires protected and healthy!
Best to all,
Smitty