Require New Tires

[stephen]

Newbie here towing a 25' pre-owned Airstream--weight 7000 lbs. Need new tires for my towing vehicle Ford Explorer V8. Tire size 235-65R18. Not looking for off road tires: prefer smoother, quiet ride for when not towing. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Also tires I have now require no more than 44 psi and are currently set at 32 psi. What should they be set at when towing? My trailer weight would only be loaded with about 200 lbs of goods. Will not tow with water tanks full.

[TannerBee]

My wife likes Michelin for quiet ride and smoothness, I had BF Goodrich on our 35' class A and liked them but recently switched to Goodyear, and they seem fine. I run BFG on my little Nissan truck. Whatever you get, make sure they are rated for the Explorer loaded down plus the tongue weight from the trailer. You'll want to increase the psi in your tow vehicle as the weight on the tires gets up towards their weight limit. Best way to know is to load up and get axle weights at a truck stop. I check my pressures with a tire gauge first thing every morning and at every stop.
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Floyd and Tanner
Coachmen Santara 35
Rock Hill SC

Time is either spent or invested.

[DXSMac]

If you are anywhere in the West, go to Les Schwab. They have good tires, they give you good warranties, they perform a lot of other services (changed a flat tire for me and refused to take a cent! I had to insist on paying them!) as "loss leaders."

When I used to work full-time at a job where I traveled a lot, one of my co-workers said, "Always buy your tires at Les Schwab because there is always going to be a Les Schwab in every one of these [expletive] little towns we have to go to." And that is a good thing: the "little towns" will always have a Les Schwab, as well as the larger cities.

JJ
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Please check out my blog on RV'ing without a tow car:

http://rvingtoadless.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave me any comments.

[miket]

Your tires should be inflated to your tire manufacturer's specs for the load they are carrying. --- Have you seen the horror stories on Explorers that have had blowouts because tires were underinflated? This has been in the news for a few years now.
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Workhorse Ambassador
2005 Voyage 33V, CR-V, SMI braking, Pressure-Pro

[Ridgely]

I have a set of Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires on my Nissan Titan. Just returned from a 10,000 mile trip pulling our 25' Airstream Safari. Nary a problem. IMHO you can't beat Michelin. Keep them inflated to manufacturer's specs.

Stay safe out there.. Ridge Gardner

[missruth]

I was working at a tire store when the Ford Explorer fiasco was taking place and I learned a valuable lesson. Always inflate the tires to the PSI recommended by the TIRE manufacturer to get the best wear and for the most safety. The vehicle manufacturer may give you a lower PSI but that is for a smoother, softer ride. The higher amount of air cools the tire better and will keep you safer. That was the reason the Firestones fell apart - not enough air for cooling. The people with the proper inflation did not have the probems. We changed out tires on quite a few Fords and kept a record of incoming tire pressures. The ones with the lower PSI had more wear and looked more likely to fail early. IMHO, of course.
We have BFG Long Trail T/As on our F-150. The first set gave us 82,000 miles of wear with nary a problem. We probably could have gotten another 5,000 miles or so, but we were leaving on a trip and decided to replace them early.
DH always checks the tires at every stop we make. That includes rest stops, gas stops, every stop. He feels all the tires - truck and RV to make sure they are not hot. Once he found a tire warmer than the rest so we stayed parked for a short while to allow the tire to cool, then he used our portable air compressor to fill it. That got us to the next exit where we checked it out, corrected the PSI and then continued our trip. Not another problem with any of the tires.
Another lesson learned at the tire store - most emergencies are caused by the tire owner not paying attention to the tires. Just looking at the tires can clue you in to a problem in the making.
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Ruth and Jim
2002 Palomino Colt
2001 F150

[goofycat]

Which begs the question as to tire age. Our newly-purchased used 1998 Class A Safari Trek has its four original rear tires on it. The sidewalls and tread appear to be in good condition, but I am concerned about tire failure due to any internal stresses due to the age of these tires.

If you veteran MH owners recoil in horror about my keeping these 11-year old tires on the Trek, I will get them changed. We have had the motorhome only a couple of months and have not taken it on any trips...yet. We would like to travel from our home above San Francisco to Death Valley for its first shakedown cruise, but not before we get the tire question answered. The front tires were replaced shortly before we bought the unit.

If you suggest that new tires are definitely in order, would Tire Rack be the best place to look for tires? I have purchased automobile tires there, had them shipped to me at my home, then had them mounted very inexpensively by local dealerships. How about Camping World vs. Les Schwab? I have no idea who sells motorhome tires at a reasonabe price, although I know that Les Schwab does charge quite a bit more than Tire Rack.

And...any particular brand that gives the best combination of long wear and good ride?

Thanks,

Barry
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"Shoot low boys, they're ridin' Shetlands."

[Adrienne]

Dear Barry--

I think I speak for all of us in the RV community: get those tires replaced now! I recommend Les Schwab because if you are traveling anywhere and have trouble with your tires or just want them checked, one of their stores can be easily located.

Others will chime in with their brand of choice, I'm sure.
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Best--

Adrienne Kristine
Forum Administrator
http://www.RVTravel.com
http://www.FreeCampgrounds.com
http://twitter.com/AdrienneAXK

[goofycat]

Thanks, Adrienne. Now, all I need to know is which brand is the preferred one. Hope the members can give me their input. The tire size, BTW, is 225/70/19.5. The new front tires are Michelin X.

Barry
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"Shoot low boys, they're ridin' Shetlands."

[goofycat]

TireRack carries the above size in XRV for $319 per tire, plus another $95 shipping to my door. I have no idea if this is a good price or not. TireRack also carries Continental at a lesser price.
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"Shoot low boys, they're ridin' Shetlands."

[bandit1538]

You said your front tires are Michelin X. What are the rear? Do not mix brands or tread pattern, and if your tires are 11 years old, TRASH THEM. The $1200 or so that it will cost to put new tires on is a LOT cheaper than a funeral for a family member.
I like Les Schwab. As stated before, they are all over the West like fleas on a dog's back, and I can't complain about their prices and they have roadside service. I have always gotten very good and fast service from the one here in Longview, WA.
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Pat & Helen
30' 04 Coachman RoadMaster
For NW HOVER-IN updates and info goto
http://bandits-stuff.com

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[goofycat]

Bandit, thanks for the reply. The front tires are Michelin Pilot XRV (these have a straight tread, and a picture is available on www.tirerack.com. The existing 11-year old tires on the rear are Michelin Pilot XZA. I could not find a picture of the tread pattern on the rear tires.

I know from experience that automobile tires handle differently on the freeway and on certain asphalted roads, depending on their tread design. I would imagine that putting new XRVs on the rear so as to match the existing front tires might optimize handling, but I don't know.

Tire Rack lists the XRV as summer tires, so I have no idea how they would handle in rain.
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"Shoot low boys, they're ridin' Shetlands."

[goofycat]

Here is the link for the Costco tires. Both XRV and XZA are listed. Costco evidently does not sell any other brands, such as Continental, for motorhomes.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11218411&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1
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"Shoot low boys, they're ridin' Shetlands."

[kingrokon]

Missruth,

Trying to speak respectfully and not trying to start an argument, but:

If you are referring to the “maximum inflation pressure” stamped into the tires’ sidewalls, this is not necessarily the pressure that the tire should be inflated to for a particular vehicle. This is a piece of misleading, and potentially dangerous, misinformation that has been around for a long time.

The Firestone failures had more to do with poor tire construction and quality control than the actual inflation pressure.

The car manufacturers employ degreed automotive engineers to calculate the “Auto Manufacturer’s Recommended Tire Pressure.” This pressure is intended to make to make the car handle safely AND make the tires last longer.

Inflating your tires to a higher pressure could change the handling characteristics of the vehicle and cause the tires to skid more easily in rainy or slippery conditions. Also, it will also most definitely cause the tires to wear more rapidly. On a vehicle in which the front end is otherwise correctly aligned, over-inflated tires will wear more rapidly in the center of the tread. This could as much as halve the tread life if the tire is grossly over-inflated.

This urban legend has been perpetuated by tire stores that are either unscrupulous (want your tires to wear faster so you have to come back sooner), lazy (don’t want to take the time to find out what is really the right pressure), or just plain misinformed. I’ve been given this “inflate to maximum inflation pressure on the sidewall” line at tire stores several times. Then again, many reputable tire stores have told me “NO! Don’t do that! Use the Auto Manufacturer’s Recommended Tire Pressure.”

However, if you’re carrying a heavier load, the “Auto Manufacturer’s Recommended Tire Pressure” may indeed be too low. This value is usually specified for just one passenger riding in the vehicle. IF THE VEHICLE IS HEAVILY LOADED, YOU DO INDEED NEED TO INCREASE THE TIRE PRESSURE. However, it might not still be as high as the “Maximum Inflation Pressure” on the sidewall. A vehicle that has the smallest option tires available may also require that the tires be inflated to nearly the “Maximum Inflation Pressure” just to be correctly inflated. It is possible one of these situations applies to your vehicle.

The best idea is to weigh the vehicle while it is actually loaded the way it is going to be used. Then adjust the tire pressure by the ratio of how much more the weight of the vehicle is with its actual load compared with the manufacturer’s stated weight. (Most pickups state a tire pressure for both unloaded weight and a loaded condition at a specified weight).

That being said, UNDER-INFLATION IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. A significantly under-inflated tire will eventually blow out or shed its tread. If the tire is really soft, a blowout could happen in just a few miles of travel. So it may be better for the tires to be JUST SLIGHTLY over-inflated than under-inflated. Incidentally, an under-inflated tire will wear its tread more rapidly at the outer edges.

Another frequently repeated message to be obtained from all of this is to ALWAYS CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURE. This should be done at the start of the day if you’re traveling any distance that day; and always at least done before starting off on a trip.

[goofycat]

Excellent post! Great information. I plan to install the tires in the size as recommended by the factory and will weigh the motorhome as soon as we get it loaded with clothes, utensils, etc., on the large truck scales at a local gravel and decorative rock supplier prior to fine-tuning the air pressure. I purchased Michelin XRVs from Costco and will examine the manufacture date before I accept the tires.

Thanks for the information.
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"Shoot low boys, they're ridin' Shetlands."