Community Forums

W5WTX · 12-20-2022, 06:33 PM

I have read through numerous threads concerning all things Motorhome tires. One question I have not really seen much about is Drive Tires Vs Steer Tires. It seems to be common practice for Class A Motorhomes to use Steer, or All Position tires on the Drive axle. Over the road truckers seem to almost exclusively run Drive Tires on their drive Axel. So why is it so common for Class A Motorhomes to run Steer Tires on the drive axel? Ability to rotate tires maybe?

RichardE · 12-20-2022, 06:48 PM

Quieter and smoother ride. I put drive tires on mine once. After a thousand miles, I sold them and bought steer tires.

BillJinOR · 12-20-2022, 07:29 PM

Quiet. Smooth ride. Not too many Motorhomes are in need of the all season traction that drive tires provide. Motorhome owners tend to not want to hear the drone of lugged drive tires.

donr103 · 12-20-2022, 09:02 PM

Tires need to be based on your needs.. after all you are paying for them.. if you do more boon docking or snow.. you may opt for more tread.. if you drive rv 40,000 miles a yr.. you may want to rotate tires.. it's up to you.. and how you plan to use.. if you like to ride smooth and quite .. so tell us.. how do you plan to use your rv..? Remember.. most of the time they age out.. before needing rotated .. I plan to replace all 7 of mine.. drive tires on rears and steer on front.. I gave up along time ago.. to make it ride like a car.. but that is me.. how about you?
Good luck and keep us posted

Rob_M · 12-20-2022, 10:00 PM

Steer tires drive just fine. I’ve run both and found no advantage to running drive tires on the rear of my 30k# Peterbuilt work truck or my DP. They are noisier and don’t last as long. They will just get you buried deeper in the mud. These things weigh too much to have an advantage running lug tires. My opinion, 40 years experience.

W5WTX · 12-21-2022, 07:43 AM

Everything said makes sense. I’m not shopping for tires right now as I just replaced 6 of my 8 last summer with all steer/all position Toyos. The question about the drive tires just hit me as I was sitting next to a big Semi Tractor at a stop light.

My Tag Axel tires will be 5 years old this Summer. I’ll buy two more Toyo steer tires and put them on my Steer Axel and rotate the then 18 month old tires back to the tag axel. Besides the mentioned smoother and quieter ride, the ability to move tires is as I see a benefit of running the same tires in all positions.

Thanks for the discussion. I got what I was looking for. Love this forum.

Doug

Gary RVRoamer · 12-21-2022, 04:38 PM

Rvs are best suited for "all position" tires, which are neither drive nor steer tires. You don't need or want "drive" tires on the back because typical RV usage does require those special attributes.

RVs are classified by tire makers as similar to the regional delivery application, i.e. a mix of town and highway driving and moderate mileage. Not at all the same as the "over the road" tire application typical of long haul freighters.

mlpeloquin · 12-21-2022, 06:18 PM

Most trucks use recap tires on the trailer and drive tires. A few recap the front once and then move them to the drive tire position. After that they are recapped again and go to the trailer position. I would never use reaps at all on an RV or car even if it would be a cold cap.

Gary RVRoamer · 12-22-2022, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Rvs are best suited for "all position" tires, which are neither drive nor steer tires. You don't need or want "drive" tires on the back because typical RV usage does require those special attributes.

RVs are classified by tire makers as similar to the regional delivery application, i.e. a mix of town and highway driving and moderate mileage. Not at all the same as the "over the road" tire application typical of long haul freighters.

I just noticed a typo in my previous reply. Should have been "typical RV usage does NOT require those special attributes".