I personally think that Michelin Tires are way overpriced and the program does not give a "deal" as many think. There are lots of tires out there made by other companies that will give you as good a ride etc as them and the one thing I have trouble with is that most change their tires way before they are needed. Talking too different tire dealers have all said the same thing, Michelin are well known to have sidewall cracking well before others, and they give a nice soft ride but are way overpriced.
The Toyo dealer Les Schwab in Oroville just over the border here said they will give a full life warranty (prorated) against sidewall cracking on Toyo's but not on Michelin. I am putting the Firestone FS591s on the Duals and the Toyo Rep from head office back east recommended them as a direct replacement for the M147 which I cannot get here in Canada. In fact Toyo Canada cannot get any of the Tires I would like for maybe 6 months. Buying in US adds $105.00 for us canadians to every tire bought there.
JohnH
"I personally think that Michelin Tires are way overpriced" I think so too.
I put 6 new Toyo's last July and they ride great! We have Toyo's on all of our cars.
I would change RV front tires every six years and drive tires every eight years regardless of the low mileage.
When I bought my coach it had Toyo on the front. Did drive well. Powers Tire in Nacogdoches gave me twice as much for the 2 Toyo tires over the Michelins on the rear. Not sure of the age of the Toyos but they had no cracks. Just wanted all the same. Would feel fine about buying Toyo tires. Powers highly recommends. DAN
I have Bridgestones on my 95 and am having no problems.
A lot more excellent tires out there that are not mentioned here. I don't watch any kind of TV commercial (that's what remotes are for) or read magazine ads but a lot of folks must.
Pierce
What would be your top 5 for performance / durability / price
One thing I think helps the life and safety of any tire setup is the well discussed here use of dry air or dry nitrogen when filling or adjusting the tire pressure.
I have seen rusted inner carcasses on Rv tires that failed many times.
I think it was mentioned hers but just in case it has slipped from current thought I want to restate the importance of keeping any water out of the tire.
The Michelin tire mounting liquid requires dilution with water according to its data.
No way personally. Truck tires wear out. Rv tires age out.
So I bought a tub of this to supply whoever mounts my tires a non water based lube.
http://www.myerstiresupply.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=479&info=4-1-2-Lb-Myers-Lube-
Look at the data sheet. No water. No rust.
$30 is cheap insurance for a $4k set of tires
I have BF Goodrich on the U280, very good service, good ride and lots cheaper than the big M.
Do new Foretravels still come with Michelins? I guess, if so, it because they get a better price for them than any competitor tires? Or do they believe they are better?
And what about competitor motorhomes, what do they have? Newmar web site says Michelin or Goodyear. Newell says Michelin, as does Foretravel Phenix. Not checked any others.
Gotta wonder why, maybe because they think that is what we expect, not because of any real quality differences.
mike
The new 2015 ih45's listed for sale on Foretravel's website show Michelin tires. The new 2015 Realm's also show Michelin tires.
The main reason for the Foretravel's and the others offering Michelin as original equipment is not because they may be better, but because they have a much greater load capacity at a lower inflation rate. As an example I have Michelin 295-80-22.5 Energy tires on my coach. At 110lbs inflation In the front tires they have 500lbs greater load capacity than Toyo's. Those of you with lighter coaches this probably doesn't mean anything but after 40,000 lbs of actual weight it makes a whole lot of ride difference. On the duels of the drive wheels there is again about 500 lbs difference of load capacity at same rate of inflation with the Toyos. So with the Michelin tires the manufactures can give a smoother softer ride than with other brands, and have a safe safety margin with the huge weights they now carry. By the way that's almost 1000 lbs carry capacity on the drive wheels alone!
How do the Goodyear Rv specific tires compair to Michelin regards price and load rating
For load rating, charts on the manufacturers website (see links below and be sure you are comparing same size and LR):
http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf
Michelin RV Tires | View Michelin RV Tires load and inflation tables for... (http://www.michelinrvtires.com/reference-materials/load-and-inflation-tables/#/)
For LRH 275/80R22.5 Goodyear require slightly higher inflation pressure to achieve same load capacity, maybe 5 psi.
5 to 10 psi more for equivalent load for Continental.
The over the road truckers are getting 220-300k miles out of the xza-3's before being below 5/32's tread depth and Michelin guarantees 700k casing life and three retreads.
They are on national back order it seems.
Obviously not our issue but I do intend to get a full ten years out of my next set with dry lube for installation and dry air/nitrogen in the tire.
Worth it to me.
We normally have six aluminum rims so the inner duals do not run as hot as the steel inner wheel brands according to my TPMS temp/pressure gurus gauge. Heat kills the tires quicker it seems.
Bill mentioned 15-20 more degrees temp buildup on steel inners and a corresponding pressure increase with the higher temps.
His setup attaches to the rim with the tires dismounted and sends the pressure and temp for each wheel. One relates directly to the other he says...
$1500 system plus wiring plus tire removal. One more thing to monitor while driving....
I really like my Bridgestones. I think this is what I will be using in the near future. Ours are eight years old and look like new. I think most tire blowouts I have seen on the forum have been Michelins. I like them on my Mercedes but I don't think they are the best for RVers on a budget. I found this link someone posted here to be informative. It matches what the tire expert told me at a Lazy Days seminar.
Top 10 Best Commercial Truck Tire Brands. | This is just the beginning of... (https://mdcsiteuno.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/top-10-best-commercial-truck-tire-brands/)
Mark
275/80R22.5 comes up with "unable to find any matches" when I do a search for that size on http://www.bridgestonetrucktires.com/us_eng/truck_radials/index_2.asp
Which Bridgestone model are you running?
My understanding is 275/80R22.5 is a Michelin size. The Bridgestone 295/75R22.5's are very close in size, easier to get, and a bit less expensive from dealers in my area.
275/80R 22.5 is a valid size. Go to the BF Goodrich web site and use their selector. Two tires will come up in that size. I have the ST231's on the U280
Correction--- the tire I have is the BF Goodrich ST230. They also have the ST244in that size.
Michelle, I think they are R280's but I will look tomorrow and post the exact one's I have. I don't know if they still sell the same one. The Bridgestone site is down right now.
Mark
25 years in the trucking and motorsports businesses, I would say that Michelin are the best tires. But it most cases are not worth what they cost given the quality of brands like Bridgestone.
I appreciate deals can be found on both Michelin and Bridgestone , but what is the average price difference ?
Michelle,
I looked at my tires for you today. They are R280 Low Profile Radials. Size is 295/75R 22.5. I don't see them on the web site. Their is a R283 in that size called the Escopia. I will have to ask the tire experts what is similar to mine today.
Mark
Our '97 U295 has run the Toyo M147 in size 295/75R22.5 in load range G for seven years. There have been no issues with the tires. The handling is fine under all conditions. I've some very small weather checking which is presently inconsequential. The tires have plenty of reserve weight capacity for our GVWR. These tires have exactly the same weight/pressure rating as the Michelin XZA3 in 280/75R22.5. This year I expect to start pricing replacements. I got this set from a local Les Schwab dealer who beat any price around Sacramento. I believe it was the best tire for the money at the time. My experience with Les Schwab service is excellent. I ordered the tires at 3:45pm on a Thursday, and they arrived at 9:00am Friday morning shipped from their warehouse in Prineville, OR. The six tires were $2151.06 out the door with rebuilt valve stems and all taxes. I'll certainly check out the Goodyears too.
Bob, those Toyos are the ones I wanted but cannot get here in Canada. I agree totally with your comment on L Schwab and 4 of the 147 are now $2200 US (quote for me) but $2684 cndn. This is for H 16 ply but it is only a few Dollars extra than the G.
I have the 147 on the front and they are 2 yrs old.
JohnH
Bob, Have you had any problems with clearance in the wheel wells and or height of tires. I have a 1999 U295 that is running Michelin 275 / 80R 22.5's and am not sure about changing to the 295 / 75R 22.5's. I have read a lot on the forum about tire size changing but do not know who to talk to that has changed there size of tire with out problems. I would like to go to the Toyo.
Thanks
Bob, Have you had any problems with clearance in the wheel wells and or height of tires. I have a 1999 U295 that is running Michelin 275 / 80R 22.5's and am not sure about changing to the 295 / 75R 22.5's. I have read a lot on the forum about tire size changing but do not know who to talk to that has changed there size of tire with out problems. I would like to go to the Toyo.
Do not know about the toyo's, but I put 295/75r 22.5's goodyears on my 99 without any problems. Difference in height is
very small, and does not affect clearance with airbag mounts.
Don, As I recall, the M147 Toyo 295/75R22.5 is 0.1 inches taller in Inflated Overall Diameter (40.2) than the Michelin 280/80R22.5 (40.1). Here are the specs on the Toyo: M147 Commercial Truck & Trailer Tire | Steer Position | Toyo Tires (http://toyotires.com/tbr/tire/pattern/m147)
There is not much room between the tire tread and the air bag mount. Nothing touches or rubs in travel mode. But this brings to mind a possible issue. When parked for a week with the 12v off, not in "Level" mode, the coach comes down to rest on the tires. Is that normal? Is there a stop somewhere to prevent the coach coming down on the tires? Or, does that 0.1 inches in diameter actually matter?
The coach is designed to sit on the tires when not aired up.
Don et al, I have been running the Toyo 295s on the front of our U295 without any rubbing so do not see it as an issue.
JohnH
In my 1995 U-300 there is no structure over the tires to support the weight of the rig and I suspect yours is the same. The construction consists of a thin piece of fiberglass and rigid foam. The weight of the rig will crush the foam and allow the fiberglass panel to open at the edge. Poor design in my book. I never let the rig sit on the tires. I will be looking for a slightly smaller diameter tire next time around.
Before I went that route, I'd be looking at how to mount polyurethane bump stops on the frame member to keep the frame from members from getting that close together.
Thanks to all. I will do a little more measuring and comparing tire sizes.
102" vs 96" makes a difference on the rear when the bags lose air. The 96" coach may rub the edges of the fenders as the bags deflate. All coaches will allow the tire to make contact with the top of the fender well with a deflated bag whether a 275/80-22.5 or a 295/75. Front tires may rub at certain coach angles and turns on the air bag plates on both 295/75 or 275/80 but no harm will be done unless there has been damage from an accident.
Yes, the factory should have installed stops to prevent the tires touching with bags deflated. Also, makes a significant rub problem if the coach is towed without bags inflated. A big rear air bag leak may allow the rear tire to touch the top of the wheel well as the remaining bag may not be strong enough to keep coach up even with the bad bag air hose capped. Easy to make stops if you have time and resources.
The diameter difference between brands of the same size will be greater than any diameter difference between 295/75 and 275/80. This means a 0.1" difference is of no consequence.
Pierce
This also means that if the parking brake springs were caged for towing but the air pressure was not restored to normal, the top of the fender well could be damaged and a fire could be started from the tire interference.
Going to a smaller diameter tire would not solve the contact problem but would change speedo and odo readings, effect performance and may not have the load carrying capacity needed.
Pierce
Well finally got the FS 591s installed on duals along with balance and stems. Thought I would try to sell the old casings but the tire guy showed me that side wall around the Michelin Man was almost thru (the cut out figure) so timing was perfect for new shoes. Sprayed the slide pins while I could get at the top caliper with wheel off and they are fine. Pads are about 3/4" thick. The date code on insides show mid 2003 and outside ones 2006 so I got the PO monies worth out of them. Feel better now for our big trip in Sept till maybe march.
JohnH