TLC For “The Beast” Part II – New Tires
One of the things about owning a big rig is that repairs tend to be expensive and one of the bigger $$ items is tires. Our girl weighs a pleasant ~32,000 lbs and to support that ample mass we have BIG tires….BIG HONKING tires. Technically they are 275/80 R22.5 16 ply tires which can handle loads up to 7,160 lbs. These babies run around $600-$700 a piece, depending on manufacturer, and when you think about the fact that we have 6(!!) of these on our rig, you’re talking a nice chunk of change.
Phew!
RV Tires AGE Out Rather Than Wear Out
Even more irritating than the cost factor is the quirk that RV tires tend to age out rather than wear out. Compared to truckers who rack up hundreds of thousands of miles each year, RVers are total amateurs. Most folks don’t drive more than 15,000 miles a year and then there’s people like us who do even less (~3,000 miles). So, our tires get almost no real wear at all. Despite this, they still age. The rubber ages & weakens over time and you start risking blowouts as they get older even if they look just fine.
This issue is a HUGE point of discussion on the RV forums. In fact if you start a thread asking “when should I replace my tires, you’ll usually start a near-all-out-war of 25-pages of heated comments. Some people say you should replace at 5-7 years regardless of looks, while Michelin recommends yearly tire check with a max life of 10 years from date of manufacture (usually printed on the side of your tire). Either way age is a real factor.
We Originally Decided On ~6 Year Limit
We err on the conservative side and back when we got the RV we decided to replace all our tires on or about ~6 years of age. Given we had a late 2007 date code on our original rubber that meant around late 2013 for new ones. We replaced our front tires last year, just shy of a catastrophic belt failure, but decided to run one more year on our backs pushing the limit to 7 years on those. This year the time was up and we could dilly dally no more. It was time to belly up….
The Three Golden Rules Of Tire Replacement…
Now, there are many ways to replace tires on a “beast”, but if there’s three things I think are the most important they are these:
- Choose a tire guy who knows how to work with big truck tires.
- Make sure the load specs of your new tire are rated properly for your rig.
- Ensure the date code on your new tires is NEW (within max. 6 months of manufacture).
I’ve seen or heard of people getting in trouble on each of these items.
For a Class A you WANT a guy who can handle big rigs & big tires. Most truck guys are capable and have lots of volume, so they’re good places to go. Also, make sure you match the specs of your new tires with the weight of your motorhome. Your tires are the #1 safety item in your rig, so you want to make sure there’s plenty of leeway in carrying capacity. Whatever you do don’t downgrade. As an example I found Toyo (Les Schwab brand) tires that were marketed as an “exact replacement” for our old tires, yet when I looked at the specs the load rating was 550 lbs lower than our originals. A big no-no.
And the datecode is KEY. One of the advantages of going with a big truck guy is that they do LOTS of tires (think lots of turnover), so they’re unlikely to have old rubber lying around waiting for some unknowing schmuck to come in and buy them. Since RV tires AGE out rather than wear out, you want a datecode that’s as fresh as possible. Learn to read the datecode on the side of the tire and CHECK with your installer beforehand (then CHECK again before you get the tires installed). The last thing you want is old tires for a new price!
And Our Choice Was?
Last year we worked with Les Schwab and they were great (I recommend them). This year we wanted to take advantage of the Michelin discount program through FMCA. If you decide on Michelin tires, this program will save you a nice chunk of change and it’s recommended often on the RV forums. The program is fairly easy to get into, as long as you follow the right order. First you pay for your FMCA membership ($50), then find a participating tire guy and order your tires. The only other item you need to do is call and register your credit card with FMCA within 30 days of getting your new tires. When you get to the tire place they will install the tires, charge you for installation and that’s it. The actual tire bill comes from FMCA.
And the other secret way to save $$?? If you buy your tires in Oregon, there is NO sales tax. Whoo hoo!
We went with Superior Tire in Eugene, OR who had a ton of good recommendations on the forums. We also bought Dyna Beads (some people prefer spin balancing which Superior Tire does offer, but we like the beads) and decided to replace our old braided tire stems (a poor design) with brand new Borg stems (the gold standard in tire stems). Both of these things we bought with us. The guys at Superior were super friendly, took good care of us in just over an hour and only charged $149 for installation of our 4 back tires. Date code on the new tires was a nice 17th week of 2014 and, for those that care, they were made in Canada (also printed on the sidewall). Great stuff!
Our final costs:
| 4 New Michelin XZE Tires (275/80, 16 ply) | $2,157.44** |
| Borg Tire Stems (DL4AKW incl. shipping) | $130.25 |
| Dyna Beads (4 12 oz bags, incl. shipping) | $115.06 |
| Installation (@ Superior Tire) | $149.00 |
| TOTAL | $2,551.75 |
** This Michelin tire typically runs around $650-$690 a piece, so we saved nicely with the FMCA program at only $539 each 🙂
Related Posts:
Nina…How far does your new stems stick out from the inside tire?
They only stick out about an inch and a half through the front. Enough to put on the TPMS and add pressure (if needed).
Nina
Sorry, forgot….I was also curious as to why you chose the 12 oz. beads..
That’s the rating of beads for our size tires on the back. If you go to the Dyna Bead site they have a page that shows what size beads you need for each tire.
Here: http://www.innovativebalancing.com/chart.htm
Nina
Hello Nina – what are you axle weights ? Do you have 275’s on the front as well ? I would have thought that our beast (02 Windsor) would have weighed the same as your beast. Just thinkin’.
Alan
Yes, we have 275’s on the front too. We weigh around 11,800 lbs on our front axle and just over 20,000 lbs on our rear axle, fully loaded. Your ’02 Windsor may well be heavier especially if it has a steel frame.
Nina
To All: Have you ever had a blow out on a big hunk’n motor home? We have. On the front? We have. And guess what? The tires looked brand new, but they weren’t. We just pushed our luck…as I’m recalling, probably 10 years.
Granted, ours is not the high dollar coach that Nina’s and yours might be. But it’s still a 32 ft. Bounder. When you blow out a front, the first thing you find out is that you might not get it stopped before you can no longer steer it. I’m 6’2″ and about 240 lbs. And it took all I had to keep it under control to get it over to the shoulder. If there IS a shoulder. And we were only doing 55 and already in the slow lane.
The second thing is that you WON’T be changing to your spare on your own. Because the front of the coach will be completely on the ground. No room for a jack, assuming you have one.
And third, there will probably be collateral damage. In our case, the right front tire blew. The wheel well did not just house the wheel and tire. It also contained smog-related stuff, charcoal canister,plastic tubing, etc…….all gone or at least damaged beyond repair.
Not really worth the alternative which might be to start putting aa few dollars at a time in a “New Tires” can, maybe replacing them two at a time. In our case, font-size, we can get two tires for each one that Nina and Paul will need.
Enough said?
Jeesh! I hate this Kindle keyboard. Last paragraph should be “a”, not “aa”. And it should be cost-wise, not “font-wise”.
Ouch! So sorry to hear you had to go through that. It’s one of my worst nightmares and exactly why we don’t push the envelope on tire age. We did also install a Safe-T bar which *should* help keep the coach steering straight in the event of a front tire blow out.
Thanks for sharing your story, painful as it is.
Nina
I wonder if it makes any difference if my rig is kept inside, out of the sun, most of the time..Except when on the road of course.
And my last front tires were from Les’s house..They were 2yrs old b/4 I got them. I was not aware of the date issue at the time, I’m sure they were.
I will make certain of their date the next time “Lucy” needs new shoes.
David
David: Ours has almost always been garaged. That’s probably why we got 10 years BUT….my opinion is that beyond 6-7 years is risky.
It definitely helps to keep the tires out of the sun (it’s the same reason we always cover ours), but on the other hand inactivity is also a detriment. Tires actually do better with more use since the action of driving helps to distribute the natural oils in the rubber. Sitting still will age the tires faster than moving. So, it’s a mixed bag.
Nina
Just a smile… Thanks for the info…..
What effect does inflating with nitrogen have on tire life?
Absolutely none in my opinion. Regular air is 78% nitrogen and unless you’re planning on driving your rig at racetrack speeds, it really doesn’t make a difference. It’s a common topic on the RV forums and the general consensus is the same.
Nina
Balancing or using beads is completely unnecessary on your drive (rear) wheels. Superior Tire should have told you that. Not trying to be flippant but it is true. Save your money. Steer tires yes, drives no.
They did let me know it wasn’t necessary to balance (and they said they typically don’t on rears), but also said it was up to me if I wanted to use beads.
Nina
Aren’t you supposed to periodically rotate the tires front back? If so, makes sense to balance all of them.
There’s not much rotation that goes on in big rigs, although I know folks who replace the steers and then rotate those back to the inner duals to run them a bit longer. Since we replaced our steers last year we may well do that when the time comes for our next big tire purchase.
Nina
We just went though the same thing replacing all of our tires this Spring. (We have the same “beast”, an 08 HR Endeavor). In some cases the old tires may have value. The Michelin dealer that we used paid us $50/tire for our old tires which covered a good portion of the installation on the new ones. They use the old tires on farm (semi) trailers. It took a little bit of “encouragement” to jar loose their willingness.
What a fabulous tip! I’ve heard rumors of others occasionally selling their old tires, but not specifics. This is excellent info. Thank you!
Nina
Thank you very much Nina! I’ve been looking forward to this post on tires since you mentioned it when you left WA. Good point on OR no sales tax. It’s very informative.
We actually planned to replace all 6 tires in Oregon originally, but were forced to replace our steers last year in ID when we “discovered” the tire bulge. Sadly ID has sales tax and there was no one in Boise (at that time) who participated in the FMCA program, so we paid quite a bit more last year {gulp}. Doing the 4 rears in OR with the program this year saved us a bunch of cash.
Nina
Does The Beast even have a spare tire?
No spare here. It’s just too big and heavy for us to carry around. I know folks that do keep a spare, even in big rigs, but there’s not many of them. At our Monaco gathering last year in Quartzsite I think there was only one guy who did it.
Nina
Informative post. At least tires are a cost that only comes around every 6 years or so. We have been pondering moving up to a smaller Class A, but after crunching the numbers for maintenance and repair costs, decided our 30′ Lazy Daze Class C would just have to do.
Gayle
Yeah, all the costs go up in a big rig. You can’t buy regular car tires anymore, can’t get your oil changed in a regular shop anymore etc… specialized and bigger means more $$. Plus then you have to worry about campground size. We could only fit into *one* of the National Forest campgrounds on the Olympic Peninsula this summer. Most of the spots you got into (e.g. Mora, Heart Of The Hills etc.) we couldn’t fit at all.
Nina
Nina – Another neat informative post, with a keen eye on safety.
I’m the one in our family that keeps bugging everyone to not cut corners on tires. Simply put. Buy the best quality tire that you can for your car (coach). Cut corners on budget items that don’t impact your lives! Tires, those little tiny ‘contact patches’ that hit the road – are the only thing that moves you, turns you and stops you. And, I beat in PSI, PSI, PSI (CHECK YOUR PSI’s) regularly!
Please let me add a few comments to this post for others to consider, as you do have such a great following:
– Four corner weight, and PSI set per your tire MFG PSI Chart. And IMO, + 5 PSI for added safety edge.
– For your duals, research Crossfires, and see if they are something that you feel you want. (They constantly balance the inner/outer PSI setting, based upon changing driving conditions. The infrared heat gun temps of before and after Crossfires are very different. The inner tire of your duallies, will run at much higher temps, and grow to higher PSI, as you do freeway driving. The Crossfires really reduce the differential in temps and keeps the PSI’s balanced per axle side.)
– On the rears, and tags if appropriate. Check to see if the XZE* tires are available in your size and load rating needs. The “*” adds a bit thicker sidewall to the XZE, which adds strength for the sometimes clipping of curbs, or other items, when making tight corners. They do ride a bit ‘stiffer’, but not noticeable on the rears. (We have them on our fronts, and I next set in 4 more years, I will not go with the stiffer front end tires to enhance front end ride.)
– I look at the cost of balancing to be a one time cost that spreads over 7 years of usage. I balance all wheels, including duals. I went with the Centramatics Rings, vs the beads or powder. But feel the beads also provide a good added assistance to help in total tire balancing.
– Also ask the Tire Manager or Tech if you talk with them directly, to take extra care on ‘centering’ the tire on the rim. Balancing helps on side to side out of balance. But a tire just a tad but off of the rims true center, becomes an egg rolling down the road.
I endorse every other comment in Nina’s posts. And I noted all of the other good advice and knowledge sharing on how important tires are to overall RV’ing safety.
Best to all, and Nina – as always, many thanks for your value adding blog!!
Smitty
All good tips Smitty. I hadn’t heard about the Crossfires so that’s an interesting (and new) idea for me. Cheers.
Nina
Hi Nina. Really enjoyed your tire post. Most people get facts vs opinions confused You have really done your homework! I haven’t written before love your blog ! Right now we are at cape perpetua just up the coast from cape blanco We stayed there a few weeks ago. Great park! RussellG
Now, that’s one of the areas of the Oregon coast we haven’t yet stayed at (and we’ve stayed at alot!). Will have to put it on our “list” to explore.
Nina
I wonder what real purpose the Crossfire valve serves? Seems to me that if you just connect both dualies with a simple hose—perhaps with a tee for a single TPMS sensor—you will maintain the same psi in both tires.
I think if you look at the pics for Crossfire that’s essentially what it does, just with more robust materials and a few extra features (e.g. an automatic safety shut-off). Most RV tires run ~95-120 PSI (cold) so you’ve got to make sure whatever you connect to them is pretty robust. I’m not real keen on “extra” connections mostly because I consider every additional point as a potential leakage point. That’s partly why we got rid of our long braided tire extensions. But, I can also see the advantages of equalizing the pressures.
Nina
My old tires were like new 12,000 miles ,but I changed them because they were 2006.
Be safe than sorry.
Yup, I’m right with you. Ours looked perfect and had tons of tread when we changed them, but I just can’t face pushing the age limits.
Nina
Great post, as always. At the risk of asking a dumb, newbie question, what are “Dyna Beads”?
Thanks, again, for all the great stuff you write and post.
Regards,
Bruce & Melissa
They’re a type of small ceramic bead that you put inside your tires to help keep them balanced. The theory goes that as you drive down the road, they redistribute themselves inside the tires and rebalance as needed. Many RVers like them, although you’ll find an equal portion of RVers who prefer good old-fashioned spin balancing (where they put your tire on a big spinning machine and then add weights to balance).
And don’t fear…no such thing as a dumb question. We all start not knowing and learn down the way 🙂
Nina
I like this bead idea a lot! I found the same ceramic product on eBay at about half the price, considering they provide free valve cores, free applicator and free shipping there.
Your are absolutely wright indeed… tires are dangerous as they get old. I experienced this with a my 39′ Newmar back in 2003 when I had a blow out front tire on the 95 in Georgia. We changed all ten tires… as a remedy. But I also learned that we do not need the most expensive tire on a RV since we are light weight and low mileage travellers, its useless and a waste of money. I had the good idea to purchased refurbished good quality tires a 100$ each and save a bundle. They worked great and I sold the rig in 2006 with these tires on.
Thats an approach I haven’t looked at, but it sounds like it worked out for you. Cheers for sharing your story.
Nina
Howdy, Kiddos! T minus about 25 days and counting. Kids are moving to their new apartment [they are all excited] and we are counting down the days [daze].
Thanks for yet another informative post. I found out that the Goodyears on our MH are 2002….so looks like we will be doing some serious tire buying. How so you maintain the pressure in your tires? Do you carry compressor equipment with you? Just a question that has bugged me because there just doesn’t seem to be stations around that can handle 95psi in our area.
Thanks again, Nina & Paul…maybe some day we’ll meet up.
We actually have a built-in air compressor in our motor home for our air bags and brakes. So, all we had to do was add an attachment which allowed us to use that same compressor for our tires. If we didn’t have that feature we would likely carry a compressor with us.
Nina
Thanks Ed for your comment…My Winnebago has a spare Michelin that is at least 20yrs old and still looks brand-new.I thought of getting rid of it because it must weigh 300# and there’s no way I could pick it up.Then the thought of having a tyre failure and a road service having the tyre I would need..I’ve just decided to keep it on board in case, then drive real slow to find a replacement.
Cape Perpetua is an excellent campground, back off the road noise and the weather, if its bad, yet close to the beach.
David
You’re welcome David! And thank you Nina & Paul for bringing this topic to the fore. As we prepare for the Great Escape in 2016, “Tires” is now part of our To Do list.
In our case, we did have the spare that our motor home came with stored in its compartment. Still do. We did have to call Auto Club, and you are correct David. Had we not had the spare, we would have required a tow with a truck much bigger than the one AAA sent out. Plus, we were beyond our free tow range.
Be careful when comparing load/inflation tables. My understanding is this; there are three commonly used standards. In the US, the common standard is the Tire and Rim Association Standard (TRA). In Europe, you’ll find the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization Standard (ERTO). In Japan, they use the Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association Standard (JATMA).
When Michelin converts their ERTO ratings to USA specific TRA ratings, discrepancies can arise. “H” load rated tires under TRA specification generally carry a maximum load of 6,610 pounds in single application and 6005 pounds in duals. Is the Michelin really different or is it a matter of mathematics in the conversion? I don’t know for sure, but it’s something to ponder!
Actually all the tires I looked at for our rig carry the same load rating, **except** Toyo. Goodyear, Michelin, Continental all specify 7,160lb load rating (6,610lb dual) for our size and rating. The Toyo’s are the odd ones out and the only ones with a lower rating. That said the Toyo’s are also slightly different size (295/75 versus 275/80) which, although compatible and able to exchange with our current tires (less then 0.2″ difference in diameter) is still not exactly the same. All are H-load.
My thinking is that since all tires sold in the US must be rated under the TRA, as long as you’re not looking at foreign load tables or buying out of the country, you can compare directly. That’s what the standardized system is meant for, after all.
Nina
Great informative post. You do great things!
Hi Nina, I don’t mean to be argumentative, but this post from an expert (tireman9) on the FMCA forum (below) has some great info on the differences in the ratings. From what I’ve seen, Michelin seems to be the odd man out. Physics dictate that the volume of gas (air) and pressure contained within the tire dictate load capacity. Michelin’s tables are inconsistent.
http://community.fmca.com/topic/3692-a-little-confused-over-g-vs-h-rated-tires-and-loadinflation-data-updated-at-end/
As I see it we’re talking two different things here -> Max load rating versus inflation tables.
When I considered different tires I looked at max. load rating so I could compare the overall carrying capacity. The tires I bought (275/80) happen to have exactly the same max load rating for Michelin, Goodyear, Continental etc. Toyo’s are the odd man out. The max load rating allowed me to compare manufactures directly when choosing my tires & ensure I had adequate margin for my rig weight. At least, on a top level.
However, this does not mean all the inflation tables are identical!
Once we actually decided on the Michelin tires & installed them, we consulted the Michelin inflation tables to get the right inflation. The PSI we inflated to, for the same rig weight (which we knew exactly from our 4-corner weigh), was different compared to our old Goodyear tires (same size). This is, essentially what I see explained in that thread you listed. Inflation tables vary between manufacturers and you have to consult your manufacturer’s inflation tables to get the right inflation. Or, another way of putting it, if your old tires were perfect for your rig at 100PSI that doesn’t mean your new tires will be perfect at 100PSI, even if they are exactly the same size. Manufacturers differ somewhat in the specifics.
So, as I see it two different things. I compared manufacturers based on max. load rating (Michelin, Continental, Goodyear 275/80 were all identical -> Toyo 295/75 was 550 lbs lower), but I inflated based on manufacturer-specific inflation tables (which do differ from manufacturer to manufacturer). I’ve covered this same idea (making sure you use manufacturer-specific tables when you inflate your tires) in previous posts.
Nina
And by the way I’m not denying that tires can get complicated. Start talking about cold inflation and what exactly that means…and well…you’ve opened up one more can of worms.
For the purpose of this post I’m just talking top-level -> comparing max. load ratings and making sure you don’t buy a lower overall load.
And once you install -> follow the manufacturer’s inflation tables.
Nina
Hi Nina, enjoying the Instagram posts. Keep them up!
First I have a question about those stems. Do we only need two for the inside rears?
Second, I just want to comment on sidewall cracking. I have a set of Michelins on my passenger car date coded 1510 with less than 15,000 miles on them. The car is garaged, driven sometimes only 3 times a week and never parked in the direct sun, yet I have severe cracking on my side walls. My point is, garaging, shade, all the stuff people do, like sunscreen does nothing to beat mother nature and the effects of the ozone. My theory, albeit very unscientific, is that I live in a very smoggy area. I think the air itself has components that are damaging to the organic compounds in the tire.
We decided to replace our coach Michelins with Goodyears this time around. I want a softer ride and we are currently rolling on the 245 70R 19.5 original Winnebago supplied standard tire for our 20W 33 footer.
As to waiting toooooo long: my exhaust guy has a no-slide small older rig. He replaced the outer 4 to save money. He had a major blow out of the inside right. Took out half his john. Not too much longer, he had th inside left blow out. Took out the other side of his john. Insurance covered all but the cost of the tires but I think if you cannot afford the Michelins and are thinking of only getting 4, think again. I would rather buy 6 and get a good quality tire than buy 4 to save a few hundred bucks.
Love the idea of Oregon but our tires scare me. I found something interesting though – there is a FAQ at goodyear
http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/tire-care-guide.pdf
that tells you to measure the depth of the cracks.
Sadly Goodyear just had a rebate program that ended the end of August. We just missed it.
Thanks for the heads up whoever said it about the Toyos from Les Schwab. I appreciate that. They tried to talk me into those when I visited there earlier this week.
Oh, it’s been ages and ages since we discussed GEO method and you probably forgot me, but I started using Walex stuff from amazon.com auto ship program and it is heavily perfumed at first but once you flush who cares. It works! My coach sits in storage when we are not on the road and it can get pretty rank if I don’t drop those in often enough. We cleaned and cleaned but it’s still a black tank and will never look like a Tupperware bowl right out of the dishwasher. At least the sensors are behaving.
You guys have been so much help to us – and Cherie as well. I got all set up with my WifiRanger and I got my cell signal amplifier. Last summer, at a NASCAR race I was able to pull in a wifi from god only knows where to use when everyone else was banging their heads on the walls and pounding their phones on their foreheads! So a shoutout to @technomadia as well.
After a few days experience can you still recommend the DynaBeads vs. lead weight balancing? I’m getting either four or six tires this next week and am considering the beads for the first time.
Honestly I think it’s a bit of a toss-up. I tend to prefer the beads (and still do…we’ve had them on our front tires for over a year). Others prefer spin balancing. If you start a thread on this on any RV forum you’ll end up with the same mixed result.
Nina
Nina I thought I’d pose this question to you in the tire post but it has to do with CRV tires on your and my towed. We also have a CRV (2011 AWD)we tow behind our coach and with only 56000 miles on it are halfway through our second set of tires. The latter set, Michelin Defenders, that are supposed to last forever…but for driving it seems, not towing flat. I am wondering if you also, because I know you keep a keen eye on things, have been subject too premature wear of your CRV tires.
I posed this question to Roger Marble of Tireguy blog fame, here’s his reply:
“The tires, suspension and alignment specs on the CRV as on all other vehicles are designed for the vehicle to be driven not towed. When you drive a vehicle bushings and suspension components all align in one direction due to the driving forces. This results in all the various tolerances and compression of the rubber bushings moving slightly to result in proper loading of the suspension and tires.
When you tow a vehicle you are dragging the tires around each and every bend and corner rather than the tire being turned into the corner by the steering. Since the engine is not running the tire has to force the non moving steering gear to move. This extra force is one of the major contributors to the irregular tire wear.
If you had a front wheel drive car and had a dolly the tires would not have this extra force on them. The rears would be pulled along just as they are in regular life. With AWD your rears are also being dragged rather than driven.
Hope this clarifies the situation. This tire wear is one of the things that i never see mentioned when a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of towing 4 down vs dolly is made.”
It does clarify the situation but why aren’t other RVers, who tow their vehicles flat complaining of this also. Probably like you, I read several motorhome RVers blogs everyday and never have I read about this… nor in RVing magazines etc etc… not even a small complaint from someone.
What say you?
So, I’ll be honest we’ve not personally seen this on our CR-V, but that may be a result of the way we RV. With our go-slow travel style we tow WAY less than most other fulltime RVers. Last year we traveled a total of ~4,200 miles, the year before only ~2,700 miles. After 5 years of RVing we only have a total of ~26,000 miles on our motorhome engine. So…not much at all. I’ve seen some cracking on our Michelin tires (on the toad), which definitely worries me but absolutely no signs of excessive wear. Our toad tires are also only 2 years old. Roger’s comment makes sense, but we may not be seeing it much with our style of driving?
I’d say this would be a great question to pose on the RV forums. Would be interesting to see what others say.
Nina
Great, now I’m conflicted! Our 2010 WGO 30W on a 2009 Ford F53 chassis came from the factory with Goodyear 2008 tires. After lots of research, I decided on Hankook AH11 tires based on many good forum reviews. However, I was determined to have them spin balanced until I found that most shops can’t handles large tires. As I was pondering this, I read your comments about DynaBeads which S&S Tire recommends but my mechanic emphatically dislikes. I currently have some “sand-like” stuff in the fronts that, while it seems to work, creates a hassle when changing flats (don’t ask how I know.) Decisions, decisions… I think I need another cup of coffee.
I can’t deny that this topic is a huge discussion topic on the RV forums. You’ll hear folks with very strong opinions either way. The one thing I do feel sure about -> the sandlike stuff sucks. The beads we used are pretty large and won’t clog up your tires and valves the way the sand stuff does, but you’ll still hear plenty of folks who don’t like them (and conversely many folks who love them). We’ve been very happy so far, and I really don’t think you can go wrong either way. Spin balancing is a tried and true method and most reputable truck tire shops should offer it.
And yes, the Hankook are solid tires. They showed up in my research too.
Nina
As usual, pondering the imponderable with a good cup of coffee has helped me reach a decision. Based on your recommendation & experience, I’m going to have the Hankook tires installed with beads because I have high regard for S&S Tire in Surprise, AZ with the caveat that, if I don’t like the feel after an upcoming trip, they’ll send the tires to their other location where they can spin balance but I don’t like their staff. This meets my definition of PLR (path of least resistance) and avoids the ajita of riding on old tires. Thanks for a great blog.
Lee
Sounds like a solid plan!
Nina
Can you tell me what PSI do you run your front and rear tires at? I know it is best to weigh first and look at the charts….just curious.
Thanks!
We run 105 on the front, 95 on the rear.
Nina
Thanks for the recommendation to use Superior Tire in Eugene. We took advantage of the FMCA discount and saved some moola. Everyone there is super nice and accommodating. We called a week in advance to make sure they had the tires we needed. They did and set them aside for us. They were manufactured in May of 2016 so we were happy about that! No appointment was needed and we stopped by on our way to the campground. They immediately pulled us into a huge bay – we didn’t even have to unhook the toad 🙂 Happily, we were in and out in an hour. Highly satisfying experience!
Outstanding! So glad they worked out well for you. Cheers for reporting back on your experience too.
Nina
Hi and thanks for the informative blog.
Any recommendations for tire shops in South Florida for my 23ft, 22r Winnebago and a place that could do “ four corner” weight ?
Thanks
Tim