Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

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Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

February 21, 2012, 02:25:45 am

Within the next few months I will be buying tires for my 95 U320.
I was hoping to get some brand advise and if you live in the Chicago area, some suggestions on where to buy.

I will check out the Michelin FMCA offer, but I'm not a dedicated Michelin buyer.
I would like to go with H rated or 16ply tires all around. 295/75/22.5 or 275/80/22.5

I have been researching the Toyo M147, Continental HSR 2, Yokohamos RY-23, and the Hankook AH12.

It seems that some of these tires are difficult to find in stock or in a warehouse. I have located the Continental in the area and from what I have read it seems to be a great tire.

I'm less concerned with a soft ride and more concerned with reliability and performance.

What are your thoughts?
Thanks for your advice!

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #1 – February 21, 2012, 08:02:41 am

Try the Bridgestone R250, I put them on 1996 U280 and they ride and handle great.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #2 – February 21, 2012, 08:33:57 am

Got Continentals had them for 6 years all is good and will replace with the same. Other than seasonal air pressure adjustments they have never lost any air. Just a little note a new tire deserves a new stem, and for whatever it's worth I had all 6 balanced with wheel weights.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #3 – February 21, 2012, 09:17:28 am

I have been running Continental HSL2 LRH's for two years with no problems. Fill to max shown on sideall and check periodically and you should be set for several years. NEW STEMS are a must, and I also run Centramatics for balance.
Good Luck
Gary B

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #4 – February 21, 2012, 09:18:21 am

Quote from: Lon and Cheryl – February 21, 2012, 02:25:45 am

... I would like to go with H rated or 16ply tires all around. 295/75/22.5 or 275/80/22.5 ...

Tire clearances are very small, especially for the steer axles. Our tires are original equipment size. The treads are very close to the air bag hardware during a tight turn. Check carefully for clearance issues if you use something other than original tire sizes and types.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #5 – February 21, 2012, 09:31:56 am

Beware that changing sizes or even brands, with same size, may allow tire corner to touch the front air bag's round mounting plate. Notice that when turning, the tire normally comes very close to this plate, so there is not much tolerance. Most would rather have Michelin XZA-3+ and the FMCA discount is a real value gives one a good price.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #6 – February 21, 2012, 01:15:49 pm

In Chicago Try Pomp's Tire -but you may get a better deal at Waukegan Tire and Supply, and they will know how to do the FMCA Michelin National Account pricing. If you try there, ask for Jerry Nerheim - he may not still be active in the business, it may be that he has retired and his children are running the business.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #7 – February 21, 2012, 07:37:00 pm

I have Bridgestone R280 tires and they are rugged and have a nice ride.

Trucktires.com

Mark

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #8 – February 22, 2012, 03:18:36 am

Thanks for the help!
I will checkout the Bridgestones.
I will also give Waukegan tire and Pomps a call.

How do the tire dealers balance the tire and wheel assemblies?
Do they use wheel weights on the aluminum wheels?
Do they use glue on weights or pound on weights on the rim. I don't see any wheel weights on the current rims and tires.
Do they only put the weights on the back side of the wheel?

Will a tire dealer have the PROPER valve stem assemblies in stock or should I buy them in advance and bring them in when the tires are installed?

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #9 – February 22, 2012, 08:58:21 am

If you go with Michelins and can use the FMCA program the price of the tires is the same no matter which dealer you use. The only variation is the local mount, balancing, valve stems, etc.

To balance they put a package of some dry powder (don't know how large the grandules are) and use a special valve stem core.

In December I purchased 6 Michelin XZA3+s through the Family Motor Coach Advantage program .

XZA3+ 275/80R 22.5 Load Range H
BASE: $521 purchase + $35 FET
plus $30/mount, $30 balance (I did just the front)
stems $9 ...... each

HTH

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #10 – February 22, 2012, 09:46:02 am

I do not believe in internal powder or other material. I would never use such stuff. All kinds of problems can arise with the material and it can interfere with tire pressure monitors and can keep valve cores from closing causing slow leaks. Or it can work ok for a very long time as your will hear from some.

I consider internal balancing a poor alternative to dynamic spin balancing and weights. But it's quicker and less labor to throw in a packet of stuff while mounting tire and it does not require an expensive balancing machine.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #11 – February 22, 2012, 04:17:38 pm

Radial tires with a more flexible side wall will allow the coach to move to the side a slight amount when turning. This can be a little disconcerting when you are high up in a coach. Some drivers may find themselves trying to catch the "sway" until they get used to it. In reading other posts today about the advantages or disadvantage to 36 foot vs 40 coaches, some increase in stability may not be due to the additional length but to the brand and pressure of the tires that are mounted. My U300 came with a set of Coopers on it. They have a very stiff sidewall and don't exhibit the feeling of swaying found in a tire like Michelins. Not to say either one is safer or has any advantage that I know of other than a little firmer ride for the stiffer sidewalls. Really flexible sidewall tires may make the coach slightly more susceptible to gusts from passing trucks.

Pierce

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #12 – February 22, 2012, 08:04:56 pm

Prior to the FMCA Rally at Brooksville Fl., I meet a man named Willis Horton,there are people on the forum that know him, in talking to him for 30 min, I learned more about mounting a tire and taking care of it than I ever new,When mounting a new tire,look inside the tire and find the beginning of the tire lay up,should be a line across the tire,mount this on the opposite side of the valve stem hole,this is the heavyset part of the tire, have the tire installer use tire mounting lube on both beads of the tire and on the wheel rims,this will allow the tire to pop on the rim easily,wash the tire with only soap and water,never use tire shine, only 303 protectent,and run the posted tire pressure on the side wall and you should be good to go for many years.
Just me 2 cents.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #13 – February 23, 2012, 03:36:44 am

I guess I will have to "bone up" on the powder or bead balancing as I never heard of this technique.
I would probably shy away from putting something inside the tire and opt for traditional balancing.

Do you balance the front tires only or are all tires balanced? I would think all tires should be balanced but this is a different beast than the car or light truck.

Probably from the days when I used to drive sports cars I prefer a stiff side wall for steering response and road feel.
The U320 sure aint no sports car but old habits and tastes are hard to break.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #14 – February 23, 2012, 08:01:56 am

On my other post I forgot to mention not to use powder,beads or golf balls,spin balance only or use a dynamic balance system like Centramatics.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #15 – February 23, 2012, 11:09:55 am

I originally balanced my Continentals with Equal Powder, then later installed Centramatics. No problem, left powder in as it has not caused any problems. Tires run smooth, no vibration. Guess both is kind of like belt and suspenders.
Gary B

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #16 – February 23, 2012, 11:11:47 am

Balance all four tires. You won't feel the rear ones as much, but the tires will feel the unbalanced forces and wear unevenly.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #17 – February 23, 2012, 12:13:08 pm

I used "Equal powder" in the tires on my previous SOB motorhome.

On the rough highways in California, the tires would go out of balance and bounce for a few seconds at each rough spot, not bad on rear but annoying on front.

On a smooth highway, over a few miles, with powder, the front tires get sooo smooth, you can not tell they are rolling.

On my U320, I now have a circular balance tube between the duals on the rear and dynamic balance on the front - very happy with this.

I have Michelin XZA 1+ tires which are designated "truck" not "RV". They are less costly than XZA 3+ tires and I am very happy with them. They were installed two years ago by Herman's tire in Nog TX, and have gone 12,000 miles.

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #18 – February 23, 2012, 01:12:27 pm

Hmm... Different makes or models of tires equals different sidewall stiffness. As far as I can tell there is no specification published that you can use as a metrics to evaluate different tire choices. Anyone know where Toyo's are on the spectrum of sidewall stiffness? I believe, although I have only driven our coach a total of 25 miles or so (test drive and bringing her home), that I would prefer the sidewall to be a bit stiffer. The rears are less than a year old, but the fronts are both from 04', so a decision on the fronts will be high on my list when I finish all the bulkhead stuff. All the current tires are Toyo M147 295/75's which don't come in "H" rated, which raises the question, do "H" rated tires typically have stiffer sidewalls than "G" rated tires? I know they have two more plys on the tread walls, but it seems like sidewalls would enter into the max psi and weight carrying capacity as well...
Don

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – February 22, 2012, 04:17:38 pm

Radial tires with a more flexible side wall will allow the coach to move to the side a slight amount when turning. This can be a little disconcerting when you are high up in a coach. Some drivers may find themselves trying to catch the "sway" until they get used to it. In reading other posts today about the advantages or disadvantage to 36 foot vs 40 coaches, some increase in stability may not be due to the additional length but to the brand and pressure of the tires that are mounted. My U300 came with a set of Coopers on it. They have a very stiff sidewall and don't exhibit the feeling of swaying found in a tire like Michelins. Not to say either one is safer or has any advantage that I know of other than a little firmer ride for the stiffer sidewalls. Really flexible sidewall tires may make the coach slightly more susceptible to gusts from passing trucks.

Pierce

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #19 – February 23, 2012, 03:32:30 pm

Don,
I went to a tire seminar at Lazydays in Tampa. The tire guy said that Goodyear has the thick sidewall and the roughest ride. Of course Michelin has the thinnest and softest ride. Bridgestone is in the middle according to the tire expert. Unfortunately he did not mention Toyo brand. Maybe someone else knows where they fit in the sidewall thickness puzzle.

MAZ

Re: Tire Time, brand advise and where to buy ( Chicagoland)

Reply #20 – February 23, 2012, 07:21:45 pm

My 98 u295 had Yokahoma tires and one of the fronts started pulling and wearing. I replaced both fronts with Bridgestone R280's and have been real pleased with the ride and handling

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