Inspecting tires and Road masters

[cm2785]

Hey guys I have some really nice continental tires on my rig. They are a higher load rating than factory and they seem very nice. I don’t see any cracking except maybe one little one forming on a front tire. The issue is by the date codes I believe they are 9 years old. Is there a way to inspect them to see if maybe they were installed when the date code was already passed and they still have some life left in them?

Otherwise I was going to get some road masters from Cooper tire, which I’ve also heard good things about… also if I go that route what’s the best way to lift the Rv to swap the tires out?

Thanks for the help!!

[Ray,IN]

FWIW, no tire mfgr. I'm aware of recommends using tires over 10 years old, regardless of condition or tread depth.

[Gary RVRoamer]

You can pay to have the tires dismounted and inspected by a hopefully competent tire guy (not necessarily the guy who just changes tires every day), but it's not cheap and you are still up against the 10 year generally accepted age limit. It's true that tires can last 12 or more years, but the risk of RV body damage from a blowout (as opposed to just a flat) makes that a potentially expensive gamble. If you want to gamble, I'd skip the inspection and just keep on driving (and praying). Surface cracks aren't the concern anyway.

[theroc]

I agree that they should be replaced. Sure, you can pay a commercial tire dealer to dismount and have the tires inspected but what's the point if they are that close to the end of their useful life? It doesn't really matter when the tires were initially installed on the coach as you are generally correct when you imply that the date of manufacture should be when determining the useful life. That is the standard that is usually used.

Like all RV owners, we hate to discard tires that look as if they have plenty of tread -life left. However, we also know that most, if not all, RVers will age-out their tires long before the wear them out as the majority of us will not drive enough miles to actually wear the tread down to a point that the tire needs replacement and we have to bite the bullet and have them replaced before they "look" as if they need replacing.

So yes, I'd replace them now.

Roadmaster is engineered and made under the oversight of Cooper, a company that is based in the U.S. and has a long history here. However, most Roadmaster commercial truck tires are now coming out of a factory that is located in mainland China. Quality shouldn't suffer because of this but some are surprised that the tires they have purchased are made in China. Nothing to worry about the quality of the tire but just that jobs could be going to those workers who are helping to make the PRC stronger and that personally worries me. At least some of the profits ultimately end up helping a U.S. -based company.

The following article is from 2017 but my understanding is that the majority of Roadmaster commercial truck tires are still coming from China:

Cooper's Roadmaster brand turns 10

[cm2785]

Thanks everyone! What is the best or safest way for the RV (35’) to be lifted to replace the tires? Thanks!

[twinboat]

If you have levelers, lift each end and stack cribbing under the axles near the tires.

Otherwise your going to need a 5 to 10 ton jack and the same cribbing.

While the tires are off, don't go under the RV.

[theroc]

Just curious, why are you going to do that? Even if being able to remove the wheels from the coach, do you have the proper equipment to dismount, mount, and do the other things related to successfully and safely installing new tires?

[cm2785]

Thanks guys, I’m not going to mount them myself, but I don’t want to have anyone damage the rig or over flex it by jacking it up wrong… I don’t know if one corner can be jacked up by itself or if it has to be lifted one end at a time, I don’t know if using the jacks to lift the rig off the ground is okay or if it’s better to let the tire shop lift the rig with their own lift… thanks!

[NXR]

Any shop, or mobile tire repair truck, will have the proper equipment.

Is there a way to inspect them to see if maybe they were installed when the date code was already passed and they still have some life left in them?

Sorry, I'm not following. The date code in the form of WWYY is when they were manufactured. There is no way to have a tire older than the date code nor is the date code an expiration date.

What is the date code on your tires? For example, mine are 3518 and that means they were manufactured in the 35th week of 2018, or September 2018.

Ray

[NCC-1701A]

If you want to stick with Continentals, FMCA has a great price for members. You can check their pricing, which includes F.E.T. at the following link:

https://www.fmca.com/rv-tires-discounts

Of course you must actually be a member to get the pricing.

I just replaced my steers yesterday and went with the Continental Conti Coach. Even the large 315/80R22.5 tires I got were "only" $627 ($575 + $52 FET) each. That was around $250/tire under quoted non-FMCA pricing, so a real savings to me of $500 plus sales tax! Well worth the annual membership. That was tire cost only. I still paid for the shop charges. Way, way under Goodyears or Michelins.

[cm2785]

Originally Posted by NCC-1701A

If you want to stick with Continentals, FMCA has a great price for members. You can check their pricing, which includes F.E.T. at the following link:

https://www.fmca.com/rv-tires-discounts

Of course you must actually be a member to get the pricing.

I just replaced my steers yesterday and went with the Continental Conti Coach. Even the large 315/80R22.5 tires I got were "only" $627 ($575 + $52 FET) each. That was around $250/tire under quoted non-FMCA pricing, so a real savings to me of $500 plus sales tax! Well worth the annual membership. That was tire cost only. I still paid for the shop charges. Way, way under Goodyears or Michelins.

Wow thank you so much! I would be willing to join if it was in my price range. Would you be able to check the prices for me? 245/70/19.5 and G or H load (I have H now but factory was G).

Thanks!

[theroc]

One of the problems I have with the FMCA program is that they only offer first -tier brands on the discount program ...Michelin (plus BF Goodrich and Uniroyal), Continental, and Goodyear. Even with a so-called "discount," they will still be pricey.

I'm one --and you don't have to agree or do the same thing I do, of course-- who refuse to purchase those brands because they are so expensive as you're paying for the "name" because there is a hefty premium added to those first-tier brands that cover their advertising costs and generally, their great reputation that command those extraordinary prices.

Let's see what NCC-1701A comes up with for a price but I believe the only Continental model that comes in that size --245/70R19.5-- that is appropriate for a Class A motorhome would be the Conti Hybrid HS3. The MSRP for that tire is around $732 per tire. I'm thinking even with the FMCA program discount, that tire would still be at least $550 ...?? But I'm going to guess closer to $600 per tire.

That's still a lot of money to pay for that size. Yes, it's a good tire and Continental is an excellent brand with a good reputation.

However, let's compare that to, for example, the Toyo M143. The Toyo M143, if you search through the forum, is one of the most popular replacement for the OEM Michelin in that size. I replaced several OE Michelin with Toyo myself years ago.

Toyo M143 page from their website

The Toyo M143 in the 245/70R19.5, by comparison, can be had for a price in the low to mid $300 range.

Here's an example: Toyo M143 245/70R19.5 Load Range H / 16-ply rated at TiresDirect.net - $331.99

Here they are at mothorhometires.com, an iRV2 vendor and sponsor of this sub-forum ...the price on the page from the link below is an installed price and motorhometires.com is known for providing good service to motorhome owners and working with them to get the freshest tires possible ...I believe this is for 6 tires installed at your location including balancing, new stems, and disposal of your old tires (call to make sure of their prices, however):

Toyo M143 Toyo M143 245/70R19.5 Load Range H / 16-ply rated @ motorhometires.com

Again, Toyo is an excellent brand and I found that Toyo handled better and provided just as good ride quality as the OE Michelins as did many others here on this forum.

[cm2785]

Originally Posted by theroc

One of the problems I have with the FMCA program is that they only offer first -tier brands on the discount program ...Michelin (plus BF Goodrich and Uniroyal), Continental, and Goodyear. Even with a so-called "discount," they will still be pricey.

I'm one --and you don't have to agree or do the same thing I do, of course-- who refuse to purchase those brands because they are so expensive as you're paying for the "name" because there is a hefty premium added to those first-tier brands that cover their advertising costs and generally, their great reputation that command those extraordinary prices.

Let's see what NCC-1701A comes up with for a price but I believe the only Continental model that comes in that size --245/70R19.5-- that is appropriate for a Class A motorhome would be the Conti Hybrid HS3. The MSRP for that tire is around $732 per tire. I'm thinking even with the FMCA program discount, that tire would still be at least $550 ...?? But I'm going to guess closer to $600 per tire.

That's still a lot of money to pay for that size. Yes, it's a good tire and Continental is an excellent brand with a good reputation.

However, let's compare that to, for example, the Toyo M143. The Toyo M143, if you search through the forum, is one of the most popular replacement for the OEM Michelin in that size. I replaced several OE Michelin with Toyo myself years ago.

Toyo M143 page from their website

The Toyo M143 in the 245/70R19.5, by comparison, can be had for a price in the low to mid $300 range.

Here's an example: Toyo M143 245/70R19.5 Load Range H / 16-ply rated at TiresDirect.net - $331.99

Here they are at mothorhometires.com, an iRV2 vendor and sponsor of this sub-forum ...the price on the page from the link below is an installed price and motorhometires.com is known for providing good service to motorhome owners and working with them to get the freshest tires possible ...I believe this is for 6 tires installed at your location including balancing, new stems, and disposal of your old tires (call to make sure of their prices, however):

Toyo M143 Toyo M143 245/70R19.5 Load Range H / 16-ply rated @ motorhometires.com

Again, Toyo is an excellent brand and I found that Toyo handled better and provided just as good ride quality as the OE Michelins as did many others here on this forum.

Thanks for the info! I am able to get the Roadmasters which are also a H or 16ply for $1770 out the door from my stepdad’s friend. Do you think the Toyo’s are worth the more than double vs the Roadmasters? I understand that is an installed price, but how much does installation usually cost? Thanks!

[theroc]

No, as we've discussed on other threads, motorhometires.com advertised prices do seem high but they do provide good service and work with the customer to get tires from as freshest stock as possible. They do say on their website that they "...will not be undersold" but I don't know exactly what that means. Do they price match or do they negotiate? I don't know for sure as I've actually not purchased tires there myself.

Sure, if you can get a good deal on Roadmaster, I'd go for it. They will definitely be less money than Sumitomo. Roadmaster is a good quality tire and will be a safe tire to use. It's just that I don't like the fact that they still may be made in China. Not all products that are made in China are inferior. It's just that I personally prefer not to buy either things made in China or made by companies under the corporate umbrella of a parent corporation that has it's headquarters in communist China such as Sailun, Double Coin, etc. if there are other choices. All are excellent tires and that includes Roadmaster. I may have more of a tendency to buy Roadmaster, even though they may possibly still be made in China as Cooper is an American company rather than to buy a Sailun or Double Coin tire, for instance, where profits ultimately end up in China even though they may be manufactured in Vietnam, Thailand, etc.

So yes, if you're going strictly by price, it sounds like a pretty good deal you're getting on the Cooper Roadmasters. Make sure they are fresh stock and the price includes disposal and that there are no hidden charges. You said "out the door" so I suspect that includes everything aside from any sales taxes, etc.