New Tires

[Lasley5]

I have a 2015 Newmar Ventana. Tires are now 5 years old so I am thinking it is time to replace them (although I only have 39,000 miles on them). Who do y'all go to for tires? I can go to the dealership where I bought them, but I have always assumed that is the most expensive route.

Thanks!

Randy

[RightUR]

Originally Posted by Lasley5

I have a 2015 Newmar Ventana. Tires are now 5 years old so I am thinking it is time to replace them (although I only have 39,000 miles on them). Who do y'all go to for tires? I can go to the dealership where I bought them, but I have always assumed that is the most expensive route.

Thanks!

Randy

So before you go to all the name brand franchises and stores, like Firestone or good year, or Sears, check out the small tire shops in the little cities 20+ miles out. It cost money to do business (or have a business) in a big city. I live in the 7th largest city in the US and, get this, NOT 1 of the mega car dealerships or tire vendors (like discount tires, NTB, Firestone, Sears) had the facilities to change the tires on a 43 ft + Moho. So sad. So after looking around this bleep city for a week and a 1/2, I looked at the little cities 40 miles out, sure enough I found this hole in the wall (these merchants own their own shops and hardly rent and are not franchises, so they make their own rules and don't answer to anyone, so they can cut you good deals). I didn't want a name brand so after researching I got some 18 wheeler Iron Man tires. I called him and he said he had them in stock. I got 6 for $1800 out the door! My space shuttle rides beautifully. My front tires were still good so I didn't have to change them out.

[docj]

Originally Posted by Lasley5

I have a 2015 Newmar Ventana. Tires are now 5 years old so I am thinking it is time to replace them (although I only have 39,000 miles on them). Who do y'all go to for tires? I can go to the dealership where I bought them, but I have always assumed that is the most expensive route.

With all due respect, I can't understand why you think that 5-year-old tires need to be replaced unless they exhibit lots of cracking. IMHO one problem with these internet forums is that the philosophy often is along the lines of "if replacing tires at 8 years is good, then replacing them at 6 years is even better and 5 years is better still" With that philosophy you might as well replace them every year, just to be safe.

The Michelin recommendation that started all of this fuss several years ago stated that after 7-8 years tires should be inspected annually and pretty much all tires should be replaced by 10 years. This spring (2019) I had four drive tires replaced that had been installed in 2011. They were free of cracks and looked great. I was not concerned driving on them for 8 years.

[Crasher]

You can save yourself some time if you research Tires on this forum. There has been several lengthy discussions regarding many brands. I also agree that 5 years is a little soon if the tires do not show excessive cracking or abnormal wear. I did replace mine at 5 years only because I had a buyer for my old ones the reduced the cost of new. I will do it again in 3 1/2 years. Anything older than five years is hard to sell.

[lllkrob]

Agree with docj, it is a waste of money to think about replacing tires that are 5 years old if they have no visible cracks or wear. I just replaced the 8 1/2 year old Michelins on my coach due to excessive sidewall cracking. I had planed on running them 10 years.
I do however keep a close eye on my tires and have a TPMS to track tire pressures constantly.

[Cat320]

Southern Tire Mart. I had them put on eight new tires last summer. I did not like the rear six, so they gave me all my money back and put on six of a different brand...and discounted them from the MSRP.

https://www.stmtires.com/

[RightUR]

Many car manufacturers will tell you (especially Nissan, Ford and Mercedes-Benz) to change tires 6 yrs after purchase. Continental and Michelen Found that their tires should last you 10 yrs but with regular checks after the 5th yr. Now if you have 5 yr old tires with no cracks and no loss of rubber with sufficient tread, there is no need to replace them. After all, truck/bus (drive, not steering) tires should last 250,000 to 500,000 miles at recommended speeds. So at 39K miles, you have ways to go. However if you're losing sleep over it and are getting high blood pressure and anxiety, then by all means change dem tires. lol. I changed mine after 6 yrs because on the way back from Louisiana I notice lil cracks and chunks of rubber missing. So I figured it was time. lol.

[sbleiweiss]

I don't know where you are located, but my local Big O Tires can change MH tires and gave me a good price too.

[Crasher]

Originally Posted by RightUR

After all, truck/bus (drive, not steering) tires should last 250,000 to 500,000 miles at recommended speeds. So at 39K miles, you have ways to go.

Their engines will go that distance, but their tires sure won't. When I replaced my Michelins at 50,000 miles there was 50% of the safe useable tread left. Yes, at 39,000 miles he has plenty of tread left, but not 2-300,000 miles.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Any shop that handles commercial truck tires can easily handle a large motorhome. I mean medium and heavy duty trucks, not pick-ups and vans. Look around your area or use Google to find them - every decent size town or city has them. And yes, the shops in suburban locations are often less expensive than big city stores. A commercial tire shop has more in common with a factory than an office building or coffee shop.


I think you are a couple years premature in your replacement decision, but go ahead if you are uncomfortable with the risk you seem to feel.


You didn't mention the tire size so cannot recommend specific tires. However, Toyo, Hankook, Sumitomo, Goodrich, Firestone and Kumho all offer top quality, moderately-priced tires in the likely size range for a Ventana. I would not pay the premium prices for Michelin, Goodyear or Bridgestone. Too much extra price for no appreciable improvement in quality or longevity.

[JFXG]

Lasley.....
there are three factors to consider:
Age, per manufacturer date code, not purchase/install date; in the motorhome world mileage is pretty much irrelevant. Tires almost alway age out long before they wear out.
Known history- did you buy them new? If not, do you know the daily history of the tires? Have they been routinely overloaded, etc., etc.? Biggest problem source for motorhome tires is overload / under inflation, leading to sidewall heat. Tires designed particularly for motorhome use usually have a softer sidewall to give a softer ride. The price is more sidewall flex, which generates heat if the tire is overloaded/under inflated. Heat is the enemy— degrades and weakens the rubber.
Usage and care—. Have you travelled constantly, or do you drive 1000 miles then park for 4 months? If you routinely travel 2-3 days per week this keeps the tire flexing, oils flowing, rubber healthy. If you travel a couple thousand 2-3 times per year but park 4-5 months in between (which is the way we operate), or just use the coach in season then store it for seven months, then tire care takes on a whole different tone.
I bought a full set (6) of Michelin XZA2 when I bought our 2002 coach in 2012. The former tires were 5 yrs old, but I had no knowledge of their usage or handling, so I replaced them, notwithstanding their good appearance. I’ve watched and cared for my Michelin’s, and only started to notice very fine hairline cracks last year. I monitored carefully as we travelled about 3500 miles last fall, and saw the cracks increasing and spreading, although they remain quite minor as a n overall problem. But... we plan about 6000 miles of travel in 2020, so I’ve made the decision to replace them before we depart. Eight years ain’t bad.
When I park I wash ‘em, treat with 303, and cover up. This replenishes some flexibility to the rubber, blocks the UV/sunlight and much of the heat that degrades the rubber.
My plan is to use one of the independent truck tire shops in my area. These guys are competitive(as others have mentioned), and they handle large tires all day long- this is their world.

[RightUR]

Originally Posted by Crasher

Their engines will go that distance, but their tires sure won't. When I replaced my Michelins at 50,000 miles there was 50% of the safe useable tread left. Yes, at 39,000 miles he has plenty of tread left, but not 2-300,000 miles.

I can only tell you what my research yielded. On one of the trucker websites I went to this one trucker said he got 350K out if his tires. Then on another it said 350K to 500K. Which makes sense, because the tires on trucks and buses are made of a "Harder" rubber than the rubber used for the tires on your smaller cars

[RightUR]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Any shop that handles commercial truck tires can easily handle a large motorhome. I mean medium and heavy duty trucks, not pick-ups and vans. Look around your area or use Google to find them - every decent size town or city has them. And yes, the shops in suburban locations are often less expensive than big city stores. A commercial tire shop has more in common with a factory than an office building or coffee shop.
.

I so wish you were Right. I spent a week and a 1/2 calling just about EVERY tire dealer and shop here. I used Google and Map quest. The only ones in my area that may have been able to accommodate me were TA, Loves, Flying J, but they're 3-5 miles outside of our "Last" or farthest Loop.
Yeah, Just about all were willing to Order me the tires or Sell them, but said they could put them on.
Oh and if you order the tire or by the tire only, then you have to pay someone to put them on, and the Average price to put them on was $50-$70

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by RightUR

I so wish you were Right. I spent a week and a 1/2 calling just about EVERY tire dealer and shop here. I used Google and Map quest. The only ones in my area that may have been able to accommodate me were TA, Loves, Flying J, but they're 3-5 miles outside of our "Last" or farthest Loop.
Yeah, Just about all were willing to Order me the tires or Sell them, but said they could put them on.
Oh and if you order the tire or by the tire only, then you have to pay someone to put them on, and the Average price to put them on was $50-$70

I'm not sure where you're located, so there's no way to help you find a dealer. But, the search term you want is "commercial tire dealer."

If there are business in your area that use trucks, there will be a commercial tire dealer unless you live far from civilization.

Not sure what you mean by "they're 3-5 miles outside of our last or farthest loop." What's keeping you from driving those last 3-5 miles?

If you still cannot find anyone selling tires, call a local charter bus or truck company and ask who does their tire work.