Community Forums

MelnDee · 08-14-2013, 11:28 AM

Hi All..
It's time for new tires for my MH. The tires are 6+yrs old and beginning to show cracks.
What I'd like info on is brands of tires. I have Michelin XZA3 on now. A tire dealer said that TOYO and Hankook tires are just as good but less expensive.
Any thoughts would be appreciated before shelling out the 3600.00 for Michelin.

BFlinn181 · 08-14-2013, 12:10 PM

Boy, have you opened a can of worms!!

Opinions are like bellybuttons, everyone's got one! Most Class A or C RV's age out tires way before they wear out. I think Michelins are a bit overpriced, but you're paying for their advertising. The brands being offered by the tire dealer will probably do fine if they are properly rated and inflated for your RV. Does the tire dealer sell Michelins? If so, sounds like he's pretty honest. If not, find a dealer with Michelins, Toyo, and Handcook lines, see what they recommend. You can also Google reviews for each tire brand and see what they say. Now stand back for all the anecdotes of: "my brother-in-law's friend's neighbor had XXX brand and his blew up......"

JRMEDPHYS · 08-14-2013, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

Boy, have you opened a can of worms!!

Opinions are like bellybuttons, everyone's got one! Most Class A or C RV's age out tires way before they wear out. I think Michelins are a bit overpriced, but you're paying for their advertising. The brands being offered by the tire dealer will probably do fine if they are properly rated and inflated for your RV. Does the tire dealer sell Michelins? If so, sounds like he's pretty honest. If not, find a dealer with Michelins, Toyo, and Handcook lines, see what they recommend. You can also Google reviews for each tire brand and see what they say. Now stand back for all the anecdotes of: "my brother-in-law's friend's neighbor had XXX brand and his blew up......"

Actually, I think this is just about the best tire advice answer I have ever read on this site!

Nice work BFlinn!

UFO Pilot · 08-14-2013, 12:19 PM

I replace my 6 year old Michelin's with Toyo M154's last year and saved about $1300. I am very happy with the Toyo's so far.

smlranger · 08-14-2013, 12:52 PM

On my previous coach I replaced 7 year old Goodyear's with Hankook AH-12's and was very pleased with the price and the tires. The dealer sold Michelins, B.F. Goodrich and Hankook. I had done some research on Hankooks and felt they were as good as any.

Ray,IN · 08-14-2013, 02:56 PM

My Goodyear 275/70R22.5 tires are 5 years old now and have no weather cracks-anywhere. The MH is always stored inside when unused. Michelin is supposedly the best, and they recommend annual de-mounted inspection annually after 5 years, and replacement at 10 years max. I'll treat my Goodyears the same until they either fail inspection or begin to crack, or reach 10 years.
When replacement time arrives, I'll look at all brands except Michelin since they are the only ones I read failure stories about. All tires sold must meet the same DOT standards anyway.

wardy · 08-14-2013, 03:10 PM

I just replaced all 8 XZA3+ using the FMCA plan. I stayed with the Michelin's as the 275/80 22.5 H load range are not available in many brands. And if like my coach you have 7.5 inch rims you're even further limited. My tires were 7 years old and I got $25 for each as a trade-in. I like the ride Michelin's provide.

Ray,IN · 08-14-2013, 03:58 PM

I'm curious wardy. The FMCA website will not allow me to see their pricing. How much did you save using the FMCA plan vs dealer pricing? The reason I ask is, the FMCA website says dealer pricing may be less than the FMCA special pricing, depending on the dealer.

wardy · 08-14-2013, 04:42 PM

Hi Ray,

I was able to save around $30 per tire in my case over the best price I could find. If you are a member call Kathy Gebhart of FMCA @ 800-543-3622 Ext 317. Kathy is a charm to work with and she will tell you the cost through the program. The discount you receive is on the tires & FET only. The other fee's must be negotiated through the dealer of your choice. I was able to get a trade in for the old tires so I avoided a disposal fee plus a $25 ea credit. In addition I negotiated a $100 discount of off the total labor quoted. After all was said & done I paid a little less than $5200 for 8 tires/labor including a Fl 6.5% tax.

wardy · 08-14-2013, 04:49 PM

I just pulled the invoice from FMCA the retail price was $634.34ea, the discount off that was $113.34 for a net of $521ea plus a FET of $34.59ea. Perhaps I understated my net savings.

MelnDee · 08-14-2013, 04:53 PM

Thanks All!!
Didn't know that you could get anything for the old tires.
Must bring this up when negotiating price.

RVNeophytes2 · 08-14-2013, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelnDee

Hi All..
It's time for new tires for my MH. The tires are 6+yrs old and beginning to show cracks.
What I'd like info on is brands of tires. I have Michelin XZA3 on now. A tire dealer said that TOYO and Hankook tires are just as good but less expensive.
Any thoughts would be appreciated before shelling out the 3600.00 for Michelin.

TCi in Fort Worth has dropped the ball three times now, getting my six rear tires. This latest failure stems from them not being able to spin-balance them.

I'm fed up, looking to alternate sources.

Here in Japan, the busses run on a mix of Dunlop, Hankook and Toyo.

I've already got brand-new XZA2s on the steering positions, think it might be better to put a nice set of new Hankooks on the drives/tag. People who've done this seem happy with their choice, and it's a LOT cheaper.

Opinions?

JRMEDPHYS · 08-14-2013, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVNeophytes2

TCi in Fort Worth has dropped the ball three times now, getting my six rear tires. This latest failure stems from them not being able to spin-balance them.

I'm fed up, looking to alternate sources.

Here in Japan, the busses run on a mix of Dunlop, Hankook and Toyo.

I've already got brand-new XZA2s on the steering positions, think it might be better to put a nice set of new Hankooks on the drives/tag. People who've done this seem happy with their choice, and it's a LOT cheaper.

Opinions?

I like the logic. In fact, i have 2 new firestone transforce HT on the steer axle and am considering toyo, hankook or Dunlops for the rear dually provided the price crushes the price for four matching firestones. if it's a matter of a couple hundie i'll probably go for the firestones instead.

However, I would add a spare that matches the steer axle tire. That way it can be used in any position in the event of a flat.

hosenose · 08-14-2013, 05:40 PM

I just replaced my 7 year old Michelins with the Toyo M-143's today. If you are running 22.5's then you would need to look at the M-154 design. Mine are 19.5's and only made in the M-143 tread design. The drive home was like a new coach but then I think almost any new shoes would ride better. My dealer says he sells them three to one over the Michelins and at a much reduced cost. Nothing wrong with the Michelins as they have served us well.