New to me 1988 sport

[Norm1988]

So I just purchased a 1988 32 foot coachman. I have a few questions. 1st, I need to replace all 6 tires. The original placard calls for 8r19.5 on all wheels. They have 8r19.5 on the back, but have 245 70 19.5 in the front. I have to replace. The rear he put retreads on and the front are dry rotted. My question...do I go back to the original size tire in front. I am doing this on a budget, so I have no desire to buy new rims. The steering...sloppy. it drives sloppy. They put a different steering gear box in back in 2001, so I am assuming that owner did not like the way it drove. I drive buses, but do not feel I could make a quick maneuver safely in this. They have the exhaust coming out both sides in front of the rear wheels. Is that legal? And finally, back to tires. If I swap out the fronts to the 8r19.5, all I can find are 12 ply f rated. Is that sufficient for a 12000 lb vehicle?? Thanks in advance!!

[Skip426]

Welcome to iRV2.

12 ply rating is a strong tire , but I wonder if the 12,000 lbs , you've posted is the coach GVWR ( Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ) or the FRWR ( Front Axle Weight Rating ) because a 32' coach should have a GVWR in the range of 18,000 to 22,000 lb.

If you post the tire brand, your looking at , perhaps we can get more info in the way of ; max load at max inflation. That would be better than the 12 ply info you have.

[theroc]

I also welcome you to the forum.

I would tend to agree that you shoud be fine with a 12 ply-rating, load range F tire.

However, many who had 8r19.5 have gone to a 225/70R19.5 size tire. And they've also gone with the popular Toyo brand where in that size, you can get the M143 with 14 ply-rating/load range G.

For a description of the Toyo M143 in the 225/70R19.5 ...go HERE (randomly chose Priority Tire to get the description)

You may want to consider doing that --changing all tires to the 226/70R19.5 Toyo M143, load range G, 14 ply-rated. That way, you'll get an excellent quality tire at a good price with a 14 ply-rating and load range G.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Norm1988]

I prefer to not switch from the 8r19.5. The tire shop is trying to sell me sailun. The toys are more than I can afford right at the moment having to replace all 6. I dont know why they put 245 70 16.5 on the front. I think they are too big. Is there anyplace that I can get correct info on this rig? I have a ton of paperwork on each component, but really nothing on the chassis. It is actually a total vehicle weight of 14500. I dont want an issue with the 225 in the rear being too tight on the duals. Anyone know of a place to get a replacement drivers door window?? Thanks a ton.

[153stars]

The big tires confuse the crap out of me ,you can plug in sizes in many tire online stores. They have a comparison table / spreadsheet will tell you the difference in outside circumference. widths . change in speedo reading ect.
not sure if this is best one
https://tiresize.com/calculator/