Community Forums

ReneTampaBay · 01-01-2022, 05:43 PM

Hello, I am trying to determine the right tire with the safest load rating for our 35 foot 1994 Coachman Santara on Ford F53 chassis. The tire size on the plate is 235/85R16 load rating E but I was told that I would have to step up to load rating G for example on the Hercules 14 ply tire made by Cooper , the only problem is I am being told that putting a 14ply tire on a 35 ft motorhome is going to give a very stiff ride , being told that the 14 ply sidewalls are very stiff,

The 14 ply would definitely give me the 20 or 25% buffer on the load rating as they hold around 3750 load range vs the 3068 for the 10 ply. I have never had 14ply tires , however the tire guy told me that after he installed 14 ply tires on his motorhome the items inside use to rattle when they were moving

can someone tell what is the average added weight above the empty weight of the coach on average for a family of 3. We don't overpack the motorhome just normal for going on short 1 or 2 week camping trips

Mudfrog · 01-01-2022, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReneTampaBay

Hello, I am trying to determine the right tire with the safest load rating for our 35 foot 1994 Coachman Santara on Ford F53 chassis. The tire size on the plate is 235/85R16 load rating E but I was told that I would have to step up to load rating G for example on the Hercules 14 ply tire made by Cooper , the only problem is I am being told that putting a 14ply tire on a 35 ft motorhome is going to give a very stiff ride , being told that the 14 ply sidewalls are very stiff,

The 14 ply would definitely give me the 20 or 25% buffer on the load rating as they hold around 3750 load range vs the 3068 for the 10 ply. I have never had 14ply tires , however the tire guy told me that after he installed 14 ply tires on his motorhome the items inside use to rattle when they were moving

can someone tell what is the average added weight above the empty weight of the coach on average for a family of 3. We don't overpack the motorhome just normal for going on short 1 or 2 week camping trips

You really need to go and get the rig weighed so you can see exactly what you're looking at.

I imagine that it'd be easy for a 35 footer loaded with supplies to weigh in at 18k lbs. If so, that would be cutting it close with the 10 plies. Especially since each rear tire's carrying capacity would most likely be below 3k.

ReneTampaBay · 01-01-2022, 11:30 PM

Thanks your right I need to get it weighed however it's empty now and I don't know what the added weight would be after we load it, thanks for the advice

theroc · 01-02-2022, 11:40 PM

Welcome to the forum.

I believe, actually guessing off the top of my head, that the GVWR of your coach is 17,000 lbs. being on an F-53 of that era. The GVWR is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and is the maximum weight that the entire motorhome should not exceed. It is determined by the manufacturer and is a static figure (does not change). Look through your documents or the manufacturer's ID plate to see if you can confirm that your coach has a 17,000 lb. GVWR.

Assuming that the GVWR is 17,000 lbs., we know that you should always be under that total weight for safety reasons. If that's the case, It my opinion that that load range E (10 ply rating) would be fine. It's what the manufacturer originally specified for that coach knowing that it would be loaded within that 17,000 lb. GVWR. Most if not all the F53 with the 17,000 lb. GVWR chassis back then were fitted with 235/85R16 "E" tires leaving the factory.

Sure, if you want to now go to the "G" load range and it makes you feel better, there's nothing wrong with that but as you've pointed out, the ride might be harsher and the handling may (or may not) suffer.

If you are overloading the coach, yes, your tires correspondingly will be inadequate but you really shouldn't be loading the coach so it will weigh over that 17,000 lb. GVWR for safety reasons. If you are within your GVWR and your front and rear axle weights are within the manufacturer's specifications, the load range E should be adequate if not ideal for your specific application. I'm thinking you'll be happier in the way the coach will handle and the ride it gives if staying with load range "E" ...but again, just a guess.

And a "14-ply rating" tire doesn't actually have 14-plys. The terminology is from the old days of bias ply tires and is used now just for comparison purposes and that's why you'll always see "rating" after the ply number. Modern radials will have nowhere near 14 plies.

We have several tire experts here on the forum and hopefully they'll chime in and correct me if I am giving the incorrect information.

BTW ...not a criticism but just for information purposes in the future, it's CoachMEN rather than Coachman.