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Old 09-28-2020, 08:42 AM   #1
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Truck tires versus motorhome tires

I've been RVing since the early sixties and have pretty much adhered to the 7 year rule regarding tires. I think this rule applies mainly for tires manufactured expressly for Rv's. I now use Toyo tires on my coach that are truck tires. Does the 7 year rule apply to them as well . I would like to hear some opinions regarding this subject.

Ken Hurst
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Old 09-28-2020, 09:01 AM   #2
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You'll hear thousands of opinions I'm sure. Hah!

Here's one now...

I think you are right, tires made for RVs are designed to give a softer ride. And hence have a shorter life. Whereas truck tires are made to last even undergoing all sorts of abuse. After 16 years of reading the three big forums about tires, and having owned 2 class A RVs while full timing, I've ended up buying several sets of tires. Have also owned Michelin's XRV tires. So I've used Double Coin, Toyo, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin, and recently, Roadlux.

What I've found is that depending on how they were/are treated, it's pretty easy to get 10 years out of the XRV's...but I don't buy Michelin's. They came on my recent RV and I nursed them along for 3 years to reach the 10 year mark. The reason I don't buy them is because the price is way too high, IMO. Instead I always buy truck tires. And they've given me years of service and excellent rides. With the design of the undercarrriages of today's RVs, with the great shocks and air ride bags, the nice cushioned drivers seat, the built in antisway, the heavy duty front axle and whatnot I don't think it's necessary to buy special tires designed to give a cushy ride.

I'm pleased to have saved thousands $$$$.
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Old 09-28-2020, 09:04 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Hurst View Post
I've been RVing since the early sixties and have pretty much adhered to the 7 year rule regarding tires. I think this rule applies mainly for tires manufactured expressly for Rv's. I now use Toyo tires on my coach that are truck tires. Does the 7 year rule apply to them as well . I would like to hear some opinions regarding this subject.

Ken Hurst
1995 CC Magna
I've not seen any evidence that tire rubber formulation for tires designated as RV tires last any better than a truck tire in the same size. Michelin and Bridgestone/Firestone state a nominal service life of 10 years with conditions for their regular truck tires. Those conditions are that after 5 years the tires are inspected annually.

I don't know where the 7 year rule came from but it is probably a good safety option. I think I will buy new steer tires at 5 years and all tires at 10 years. That seems like a safe way to do it and spend a little less money.
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Old 09-28-2020, 01:28 PM   #4
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The tire changing rules seem kind of crazy when they still appear to be in good shape. The issue is that you can't always see the dry rot and general material break down that is happing and that's what's dangerous.

I store my MH in the driveway under a cover. My MH gets ran a couple hundred miles almost every other weekend during the summer and I plan on following the 5yrs for steers and 7years for drives. I currently run Michelin 16 ply dump truck drives and will still change them out no matter how much tread is left.

I've seen a lot of tires just dry rot from sitting.. We have race cars with drag radials and slicks, daily drivers that sit a lot because I work from home (even before COVID), really nice cars with super low mileage that never see the rain and now the motorhome. If you have the ability to keep whatever it is indoors and the weight off the tires you might be able to get a longer run on them.

I know it blows to shell out the money but it's well worth the piece of mind to know they're in good shape.
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Old 09-28-2020, 04:44 PM   #5
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Nearly all the tires used on RVs are standard tire models and used on trucks as well as RVs. Even the Michelin XRV is a general use tire installed on medium duty trucks s well as motorhomes. Probably te closest to a tire designed specifically for a motorhome is a Goodyear G670 - it is seldom used on commercial vehicles.


In any case, there is no inherent difference between RV and truck tires, but some tire models are designed for high mileage or rugged terrain or whatever. RV usage is classed by the tire industry as a part of the "regional delivery" vocation and the recommended tires will be models designed for that category.





Tires age as well as wear, but in most commercial vocations mileage is a much more critical factor than age because the tires wears out first. This may not be true in certain off-road vocations, though. Dump trucks used in sand mining or local delivery may never see 40k miles before they reach age 7-10.
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Old 09-28-2020, 06:18 PM   #6
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The 7 year age thing was originated by tire manufacturers and dealers. It is based upon the upper limit of the manufacturer's warranty.
Quote:
WHEN DOES THE G670 RV WARRANTY END?
The new tire coverage of this warranty ends when the
treadwear indicators become visible or five (5) years
from the date of purchase, whichever occurs first. The
only exception is weather cracking, which carries a
seven (7) year warranty from the date of purchase

or when the treadwear indicators become visible,
whichever occurs first. Without proof of purchase, date
of manufacture will be used to determine eligibility.
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Old 09-29-2020, 05:24 AM   #7
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The Goodyear G670 RV online tire brochure says the rubber compound has "anti-oxidants and anti-ozidant compounds" I don't know if this is special to the RV tire or maybe all their truck tires have these compounds too.
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Old 09-29-2020, 06:02 AM   #8
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The Goodyear G670 RV online tire brochure says the rubber compound has "anti-oxidants and anti-ozidant compounds" I don't know if this is special to the RV tire or maybe all their truck tires have these compounds too.
Marketing, Michelin states the same. Spend $300 more per tire and rots out just as fast
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Old 09-29-2020, 08:29 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vibeman View Post
The Goodyear G670 RV online tire brochure says the rubber compound has "anti-oxidants and anti-ozidant compounds" I don't know if this is special to the RV tire or maybe all their truck tires have these compounds too.
Not special to G670's, they all do. Think of the rubber bands which you put in a drawer for later use. Some months later, you find some sticky/mushy/crumbly while some are good for years. This is the difference between little/no Aox/Aoz protection vs good. By the way, this is also some of the stuff that gets removed each time tires are scrubbed to a nice clean appearance!!! As a rubber compounder, I've wanted to say that for years, but the tire cleaning discussions can get a bit touchy. My tires get rinsed only; no scrubbing!
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Old 09-29-2020, 05:50 PM   #10
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Like Gary stated, commercial trucks virtually never hit age limits before tire tread is gone. As a over the road truck owner I would replace steering tires normally in less than a year and drive tires about every 1 1/2 year due to mileage, so age is rarely of any concern to trucks. I use the same brand tires on my mh as I did on my truck
Tom
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Old 09-29-2020, 08:39 PM   #11
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I replace my old Goodyear G670 tires with Sailun truck tires. IMO the ride is the same, handling the same, road noise the same. The only difference is, these 6 Sailun S637 22.5" tires cost a total of $1,280 mounted, balanced, installed, final bill in 2017. Same all-steel construction as Michelin, made in Vietnam.
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Old 09-29-2020, 10:01 PM   #12
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Quality of the tire and whether you trust the brand is also important. I personally will NOT run Chinesium brands like WindPower, Double Coin, or others. But then I also am buying USED truck tires and have the ability to be very selective in what I accept.

I last purchased (at the end of last year / early this year) 4 Goodyear Marathon RSA which are all on my drives, and a Continental and Goodyear Marathon RST which are on my steer b/c they were virtually brand new when I got them and date-coded to 19/2019.

For all of these PLUS mounting, I ended up with a total cost of just under $1000. I subsequently sold 5 of the take-offs (WindPower) for $300 which I was satisfied with.

Point being... I sold those b/c I had experienced a failure when the Chinesium tires were only 4 years old. But the Goodyear G670 that I had taken off the coach after I bought it... Were from 2003! They were thirteen years old and still looked amazing both inside and out. The trucker that bought them was happy as a clam to have them.

I don't expect to be swapping tires again until around 2026, and these drive tires that HAD been somewhat rivered when I got them - with live balancing from a set of Centramatics are now smooth all across the surface. Can't argue with that!
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