I am still wrangling with which tires to go with. I have run Michelin 295 80R 22.5 for the last 5 years. After my experience with a blowout (blowout on Goodyear not Michelin) I am committed to changing out the tires every 5 years. So if I do so will Toyo tires do the trick? I can get 8 Toyos and save$2800.00. I have heard good things about Toyos but was looking for someone who has run them on a coach of equal weight to my 2006 Phenix. Anyone out there have such experience?
I ran Toyo's & Yokohama's on 18 wheelers (16 ply "steer" tires) and got good mileage out of them.
I switched from Michelin to Toyos several years ago. The ride is harder but they do wear well. BTW I do not have a 40K# unit.
Gerard, I wish there was a definitive answer for what tires to get. I just got 6 new tires and am going to start buying new steers every three years and whatever else I need to never exceed six. Toyos, Yokohamas, and Michelins and others got a good look. The answer is no one knows for sure, everyone's experience is a bit different. The tire guy said for a coach all of them would be OK. I went with Michelins. More $ but over six years maybe $3-400 a year. I could have a blowout tomorrow I suppose but so far these have been good. I had six years on BFG and they were fine too.
I spent the money and not worrying about it or the tires. OK with me. Buy what you are going to be comfortable with. Miles are not as important as ride, handling and peace of mind.
My toyo experience is very old versus the Michelin so take it with a grain of salt.
IMO the ride, quiet, and handling from the Michelin's puts them in the top ratings.
I am not aware of any uni anything from Foretravel that did not come with Michelin's.
The older Toyos had thicker sidewalls to be able to run flat without damaging the sidewalls. Made the steering numb.
Michelin's had thinner sidewalls that allowed the tire to drop onto the tread belt destroying the sidewalls in the process but having no flip flopping and no loss of steering control.
Some are sensitive to the "feel" of the coach. Some are not.
Most do not expect a coach to handle at all. Most assume they always drive like a truck.
Made more deals after I long ,broken surface, windy, twisty, rolling road demo drives with a unihome.
Pretty obvious that the sharp handling and smooth ride and no wind sway was a major difference from most other coaches the customers were or had driven.
I do understand the money part of the decision but my personal driving experience in the coach after three years of work is priceless to me.
If I was buying a used uni the first thing I would look at is the tires.
Trucker friend that owns a 320 claims that Toyo blows away Michelins on heavy truck application. We put Toyo's on our coach last summer.
Then again one must consider that a trucker is looking at tire cost per miles driven vs an RV'r who is mostly sitting and drives once in a while
I have Toyo's on front but Firestone on rear as I could not get the Toyo's here in Canada when I was replacing the rears and to go to US and pay the ex rate made them way too much, but I really do like them. Years ago I took the Mich's off my 735i BMW and put Toyos on and vastly better handling and grip in snow, but that is not what you were asking.
JohnH
Toyo's for all of our vehicles.
Has anyone ever worn out a tire on a motorhome? I don't think tread life should ever be a factor in selecting a tire for our application. UV resistance, on the other hand, is vital. Also, mode of failure is critical. I've had two flats on Michelins but never suffered coach damage or damage to an adjacent tire.
Brett,
You are so right. It is not about tread life. I think the Toyos would be fine but I am wondering about any difference in handling and ride.
Lavocat,
Have you checked pricing on the Michelin with the FMCA program? I am about to put two new steers on my coach. I'm leaning toward staying the Michelins that I have now.
Gerard, as you have noticed most members do not have your model etc so the answers will be a bit screwed, but, my front Toyos do not feel any different than what I remember the old Michelin;s did. They do seem to have a bit stiffer sidewalls but not affecting ride etc.
JohnH
[quote author=Roger & Susan in Home2 link=msg=241621 date=1470 I just got 6 new tires and am going to start buying new steers every three years and whatever else I need to never exceed six. Buy what you are going to be comfortable with. [/quote]
What Roger said. I've run Toyos, Goodyears and now, Michelins, all good tires. ^.^d
Brrving,
I have priced the Michelins through the FMCA program. They are $700.68 a piece and once you add dealer charge to mount etc they are $855 each. For 8 of them it is $6847 and for the Toyos from same dealer they are $3963.11. I am reminded of a statement made by my old Cajun Daddy when I complained of the cost of repair on my first expensive auto which was:
"Just remember, big dogs get big fleas!"
I would maybe consider using the Michelin's on the front axle?
Nope, no tire outlet likes to see "other brands" on our coaches. If you're going to do new tires, pick a brand that you like, and outfit all corners with them. Find out who the dealers are in your travel area. They love to see you, and will take great care, (for free) to check you out. In thirty+ years of wearing tires out, this has worked. I've never bought tires from any "discount tire outlet" that is not a factory approved service center ^.^d .
Gerard,
I'm sure you've already checked, but do make sure the Toyos are the same load range as the Michelins.
Just got 6 new Toyo M177 tires in Chicago,drove home from there ride great.Load range G,much less than the Michelins.
Our tire man at TM tire installed a 1 pound package of micro beads in each tire (newer product),very smooth ride.They even
knew the L on the stud was for left hand thread.
I wondered why Bridgestones were not mentioned in any of the replies. They were the most reasonably priced when I replaced my steering tires. No problems in 3 years.
A good tire, I had them on my Jags. I think a lot of the tire deal is "user loyality", you find a good dealer that offers warranty all over and you tend to stick with them. My grandfather drove Studebakers all his life, traded them in every two years, think they took care of him? ^.^d
All the tires mentioned are good, Bridgestone are the best in my opinion. Most TA truck stops also handle for replacement.
Bill
What about Uniroyals?
I missed the whole ad on t.v., but it appeared Firestone is now the rep for Bridgestone.
Yes, Bridgestone acquired Firestone in 1988: Bridgestone Americas History (http://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/corporation/history)
Replaced the original Michelins on our 96 U295 36' with Goodyears. No problem. Replaced Goodyears with Toyo's. No problems.
Did you notice any ride, noise or handling differences?
Same trucker friend that praised Toyo claimed personal experience with Uniroyal on semi was deplorable.
Tom, That is interesting as my truck tire dealer has over 60 Uniroyal sets out there with no problems. My set is doing just fine, quiet, smooth and straight down the road.
Again he's running a 90's model peterbilt hauling gravel . His Uniroyal issues were exclusively steer axles . His disappointment was compounded by so many other truckers having assured him of how well they would perform.
Different front ends different loads ,roads and driving habits no doubt make everyone's experience unique.
Tom,
That is a bummer. My dealer's number one trucking client is gravel haulers. Go figure.
Well I am going to try a set of Uniroyal steering tires. Will report back with results. After all they are a subdivision of Michelin.
Had Michelins on coach; new when I bought it in 2000.... In 2010 had an inner rear blow out while sitting; also noticed that all the rest had Dry Rot.... And very little tread wear; HATED leaving tires with all that tread behind!!!!
Anyhow, went to toyo's as that was what the tire guy had without a wait to get them ordered (and the price difference sealed that deal)
Have since heard a couple of times that a 10 year life on Michelins' is about it. YMMV...... Of course....
Last service of tires found a great tire crew in TPA. He recommends Bridgestones, too...ps: this was. 1k miles AFTER the bulkhead fix, and yes, he shaved the tires and saved them rather than replacing them!!)
Reid
I replace my Michelins at 10 years from manufacture, but you'll find few others here that run tires that long. No one I know ever wears out tread.
I tried to get 10 years out of my Michelins but lost one at 8 years in a left front blow out (steering) that resulted in $6000 damage. The deductible and the hassle of getting it fixed was not worth the savings of trying to milk five more years out of my sets going forward.
It is great if you don't have a problem, but I did. I used to sell Michelin truck tires back in the 70's and 80's and figured if Michelin said you could go 10 years with annual inspections that was good enough for me. The tires must not have liked sitting 6 months in FL, when it blew, all the steel inside the tire was rusted, an that is why it failed (on a 60 degree AM, inflated properly and just 5 miles after leaving the campground, so inflation and heat were not factors). I have no idea even if you did "annual inspections" per Michelin how you would know the steel belts deep inside the tire and not visible without specialized equipment were rusted to the point of failure. These tires sat on sandy dirt in FL, since then I have made sure my tires are on concrete or plywood. Rusting from the inside is also why so people advocate pure nitrogen to fill tires, but I did not go that far.
When we store wood boats, they do it in buildings with gravel floors, not concrete. The concrete floors tend to dry out the wood boats, the gravel not at all. Moral, try not to park on dirt or gravel, as perhaps that will add to the formation of rust inside the tire. No science on that, just trying to give more reason as to why my tire failed due to rusted steel in the casing at 8 years.
Many run longer with success. As Brett W. would say, getting away with something that amy cause problems for others does not mean you have a best practice. It means you got away with something that could hurt your equipment.
Using dry whatever to fill the tires is a necessary safety requirement in my mind.
Coach air is dry. Had my D2 valve readjusted this week to be from 115 to 130 in its range like it was 20k miles ago.
That way I can air up our tires from the dry air in the coach.
Plus the brakes works better
Has anyone mixed brands/load ranges-H's for steer, G's for drive. Our front axle weighs in at 12,680 which is 300 over the chassis tag. I attribute the extra weight to a 12K generator upgrade. To be safe we went with Goodyear 275-80H's all around. That was almost six years ago. As like everyone else we do not get close to wearing them out. I'm considering the Uniroyals or Toyo's for the drive.
Bob,
No problem running different tires front to rear. As long as all tires on an axle are the same, you are fine.
Thanks Brett!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't speak to running different makes front/rear on the FT, I have no real experience there. I have done it twice in the past, once on an old GMC with tandems on the rear, once on a Sprinter based class B. Neither turned out to be a good experience. Both times it was Toyo on the rear, Michlein on the front. The different sidewall stiffness made the handling erratic, and REALLY accented rut wander, wind, and truck passing effects. My experience only, it may be different on the FT.
I always put high end load range H on the front of my crane and cheaper load range G's on the rear. Never any problems. 18,000 lb. front 38,000 lb. rears.
Does anyone have any updates on the Toyo tires? The coach I am looking at has 12 year old Michelins. The shop near the coach is out of Michelin tires and has Toyo's at a pretty good price.
Thanks in advance.
Use search function on Forum with "Toyo" as search argument. Lots of threads in archives.
Sold Toyos, good customer feedback.
Have Toyo M154 on coach since June,good so far.
7 year old Michelin had some sidewall cracking. My dad (81) was going to replace them when he got back to San Benito from Nac.
He had a right front blowout at 65MPH just north of Raymondville, TX today. He said,"It pulled to the right a little bit, but I had both hands on the wheel at the time". Just goes to show how well an 18 year old FT handles under extreme conditions. Not so well for SOB.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LkLeljt4t0&sns=em
Trying to post pics of the tire but not working so well on my tablet. 😡
I have them, very happy.
Six year old Toyo's no problem with ride or wear will replace with same when the time comes.
What brand is the best? - Commercial Business - Modern Tire Dealer (http://www.moderntiredealer.com/article/311783/what-brand-is-the-best)
7 years old but an indicator. I have been running Goodyear 399's 20% cheaper than Michelin.
Interesting article. My tire dealer rated Michelins and Bridgestone the same way. One of the motivating factors for me in choosing Michelins was availability. If you need a tire can you get the one you want? Which tire is going to make you feel most secure?
This is a very subjective choice. If you are changing tires at six or (shiver) seven years and keeping newer tires up front then there probably isn't much difference. We are doing about 10-12K miles a year. A couple hundred bucks a year over six years was not an overriding considerations.
Agree with you there, front tire blowout not too good, but a back dual or tag is mostly inconvenient. Keep 5 yrs or less on the front but rear tires 5 to 8 years.
While changing the tires at short intervals cannot be wrong of course, just expensive the only way I see tires failing is water getting inside them.
Some greases used to mount are water based, big no no. Bought my own mylers grease because of that.
Then I found that Parkhouse tire the FMCA source in .Santa Ana, ca already uses the correct grease.
The Michelin stuff I think was water based based on its Data sheet. Was surprised if memory serves me,
Use of non coach dry air is another. Small compressors. Truck stops. I doubt if they have dry air.
Turned my D2 controller up to 110-130 to be able to air up the tires from the known dry air source.
Trucks run through them faster?
Michelin guarantees the carcass for seven years, three retreads, 700,000 miles.
All my old blown up tires around my Foretravel store had rusty cord belts inside.
Careful inspection and dry air/nitrogen should allow a longer safer life.
As mine age will dismount them for inspection.
Wow is that the ORED foretravel at a major Houston RV dealer qouted as "tires look good to me". Better take a good look at the chassis corrosion underneath. Better yet hire
Brett Wolf take a peak.
Regarding steer tire blowout: I was on the interstate at 75mph in my car last week a few cars behind a large roll-back wrecker with a car on it. Heard a big BANG like a shotgun--"what the heck was that". Saw the truck slowing down gradually, and moving over to side of road (he was in left lane). He blew his front left tire, no loss of control. The truck didn't even MOVE within the lane. They guy just slowed down and pulled over.
Just an anecdotal to show...don't panic, and drive the vehicle first.