Truck Steer Tires on diesel Pusher

[dieselclacker]

I run Toyo truck tires front and rear on our motor home. No complaints. I had sidewall cracking issues with the oem Michelin XRV tires. Replaced originals with Michelin XZE's, same cracking sidewall problems. Lesson learned

[jptuttle]

Originally Posted by dennis45

My coach is on it's second set of Michelin XZA3 truck steer tires since the originals were replaced in about 2006. They tend to ride a tad stiffer and have a higher profile than an RV tire.
When I first bought the coach used, every time I made a sharp turn, it would knock the level jack pad off from the jack on the inside of the turn. After some head scratching, I finally concluded the tire was touching the jack pad causing the pad to release from the jack. Removed both from pads and trimmed the corners off a bit and problem solved.

However, they are slightly less expensive and, are readily available at almost all truck tire shops. Works for me.

Michelin XZA3 tires are not available anymore! I am in the process of replacing all 8 tires on my Tiffin Phaeton on a Spartan chassis. I called Spartan and they couldn't recommend anything specific, which I thought was weird. Anyway they said the tire manufactures they would use is Michelin, Goodyear and Toyo...in that order.

The Michelin tire that comes close to the OEM ones, would cost close to $5,000 with FMCA discount!

Someone said Michelin makes an all steer truck tire (Uniroyal LS24) and that would only cost me around $3,000. (Both prices I gave includes labor, balance, taxes and disposal fee.)

Has anyone used the Uniroyal LS24 tire? Any suggestions other than this tire that would give a nice ride at 110psi and age out before wearing out?

FYI - Tire size is: 275/80R22.5

[ladagobago]

Originally Posted by dieselclacker

I run Toyo truck tires front and rear on our motor home. No complaints. I had sidewall cracking issues with the oem Michelin XRV tires. Replaced originals with Michelin XZE's, same cracking sidewall problems. Lesson learned

Not sure that truck - and as some are calling out RV tires have many differences.
Drive tires are those with strong tread design and are used on the rear power drive wheels of tractors. Most trucker run steering tires on the drive wheels.
Steering tires are generally straight rib design to discard water. they also my have less tread than drive tires.
In general, most all RV should use steering tires all the way around.
My tires are toyo steering tires. Tires should be the same or similar size as directed by the RV manufacturer. Always consider the overall diameter of the tire as that will affect your shifting points and registered speed on the speedometer. Some tire manufactures have unique design features that you may prefer over other.
Position - Tire Selection Tips | Michelin Truck

[W5CI]

IMHO RV tires is just a Sales gimmick to get more cash from some RVer who don't know the difference. I ran every brand of tire there is on my Kenworth for millions of miles, a Low Pro 22.5 tire is the same for every tire brand except maybe a minute difference that you would never know if you put them on in pairs. as for as running rv tires on the rear of a diesel pusher because of the torque is all I cant say. But trucks run 12K on their steer tires on 34K on their rear tandems all of the time. there is no DP that comes close to that I don't think. Toyo and Hankook both are very good tires.

[Fyrflie]

Sumitomo steer tires for me. Second set and couldn't be happier.

RV specific parts are similar to Marine specific parts. Limited market = more $$$

[mpierce]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

I haven't paid much attention to whether the tires were RV or truck tires. Lots of RV's use truck steer tires at all positions. Replaced all 8 tires last year, put the same brand and model back as it came from the factory. They worked for 47,000 miles so why mess with success, but it was expensive at close to $900 per tire, but I also had new internal TPMS sensors installed.

"almost $900 per tire"? WOW. What tire do you use?

[Crasher]

Originally Posted by danny285

IMHO But trucks run 12K on their steer tires on 34K on their rear tandems all of the time. there is no DP that comes close to that I don't think. Toyo and Hankook both are very good tires.

I'm not sure what you are trying to say here, but I carry 15,000# on my steer tires which I think is higher than 12,000#. Also @ 34,000# on the truck tandems, that's only 17,000# per axle or just 4250# per tire. I carry 20,000# on my rear drive axle that is rated for 22,000#. When I dump the tag for a turn, it goes up over 22,000#.

[Big Dude]

My 4 year old Michelin's (14 ply) had sidewall cracking and I put 16 ply Yokohama truck tires on the steers at a price of $485/tire plus mount and balance. Only drove them about 300 miles so far but they seem fine and I plan to use truck tires from now on. Also based upon their tire pressure chart, I run them at 100 vs the previous 110 psi. According to the tire guy, they can carry about 700 Lbs/tire more than the Michelins.

[CountryFit]

have always been using truck tires on our coach in its entire life. 12r22.5 tire all around. any differences on handling? dunno as never used rv tires, but ours run smooth like a silk.

[DENSHER]

I have been comparing tires, have Goodyear G647 RSS truck tires on MH now and comparing to the G670 RV tires. The 2 differences I see are The RV tire has more UV, anti-oxidant and anti-ozone treatment to help withstand cracking. The truck ties has less additives in compound to resist cracking due to age and have a different tread to reduce scuffing to increase overall mileage due to wear. I'm also finding similar differences in the new Uni-royals that came out in Jan. 2016. Neither company makes any mention of difference in how tire is constructed for RV vs Truck and have same load rating. It seems to be the type of compounds used and some what tread pattern.
I general terms a truck tire is made with high mileage use in mind and a stiffer compound reduces tread wear and commercial trucks tend to wear down the tread long before they age out due to cracking. An RV on the other hand tends to age out before tread wears out so extra additives are used to enhance anti-cracking plus the reduced mileage requirement means a somewhat softer compound can used giving a little softer ride at same tire pressure.
No the question is; does the difference in tire compounds cost that much more for a RV tire or are tire companies charging that much more because they can? Only the tire company knows for sure. Is this price and ride difference worth the cost? That decision is left up to each individual.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I don't think there is any meaningful difference in UV protection is modern tires, whether they are labeled "RV" or not. Besides, tire models such as the Michelin XZA and even the XRV are sold for truck applications as well as RVs. It's not an exclusively one vs the other. Some tire models are designed for high mileage or better traction, but in general any tire designated for highway use or regional delivery applications are highly suitable for a motorhome.

Choice of steer and drive tires vs general use is also not an RV vs truck thing. It is possible to optimize the tire tread design for steering or for traction, but most designs are a compromise that works quite well for both. A "steer tire" is simply one that is optimized for steerability and not recommended for use on the drive axle, where traction is more important. Likewise, a drive axle tire must not be placed on a steer axle because it has been optimized for traction and lacks the flexability needed for steerability.

The drawback to using steer or drive tires is that they cannot be moved to different axle, i.e. no steer tires on the drive axle and vice versa. IMO, motorhomes don't benefit enough from the tire tread optimization to make that limitation worthwhile, but your opinion may differ.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by danny285

IMHO RV tires is just a Sales gimmick to get more cash from some RVer who don't know the difference. I ran every brand of tire there is on my Kenworth for millions of miles, a Low Pro 22.5 tire is the same for every tire brand except maybe a minute difference that you would never know if you put them on in pairs. as for as running rv tires on the rear of a diesel pusher because of the torque is all I cant say. But trucks run 12K on their steer tires on 34K on their rear tandems all of the time. there is no DP that comes close to that I don't think. Toyo and Hankook both are very good tires.

My front axle scales at 18,000#'s on it's 20,000# front axle with 365/70 tires.
My tag is rated for 14,000#'s on it's 365/70 tires.
My drive axle is rated for 20,000#'s on it's 315/80 tires.
My empty weight is 46,700, GVWR is 54,000#'s and GCVWR is 69,000#'s.

[Crasher]

Many motorhomes are heavier and carry more weight than a semi tractor. My son's Newell weighs in at 60,000#. The steer is rated at 20,000#, the drive is 28,600# and the tag is 16,000# and I believe the hitch is rated at 26,000#.

[ladagobago]

I have to say - there is so much B$ in this conversation that it is nauseating.

I start to enjoy the beginning but now somewhere in the middle it got just to thick.
a close relative and RV'er was an engineer for Michelin and he is having a good laugh reading all these expert statements.

does anyone know why some tires sing and other don't. (whine) and what manufacturer has the quietest tire?