Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #25 – March 15, 2013, 06:56:57 pm After asking advice from Jim Freytag (retired from the tire business) we put on Bridgestone and couldn't be happier. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #26 – March 15, 2013, 07:00:02 pm I prefer the term "seasoned" or in Wisconsin it would be "fully Krauesened" Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #27 – March 15, 2013, 08:33:21 pm I had the r280 29r/75r22.5 on the front of our 98 u295 and had no problem with clearance Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #28 – March 15, 2013, 10:30:01 pm The XZA3+ is a great tire evolving from the XAZ1, XZA2, etc. as Michelin's fuel efficient long haul all position tire. We sell lots of them fleets like Swift because of the benefits to fleet operators and the carcass is very popular with retreaders like Bandag and TCI who uses the Michelin retread process. It is a long haul commercial tire but does make a fine RV tire because the application (usage) is similar. It is made in Canadian and/or U.S. plants depending on the way the company balances overall capacity loading of each plant. It also can come from Europe, but there is not much of a market for this tire in Europe their operational characteristics are more like what we in the U.S. call a regional application with a mix of long haul and urban driving. Aftermarket (replacement/dealer) and O.E. (original equipment) markets do compete for the same manufacturing capacity. So when Freightliner or Volvo have a large order for Michelin spec'd trucks, that does put pressure on the capacity and usually the dealers lose the tug-of-war. Ironically, dealer business is generally more profitable the O.E. business but when you dance with a Guerrilla you know who gets to lead. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #29 – March 15, 2013, 11:54:55 pm Ordered 6 new XZA3+s three weeks ago via the FMCA designate in Las Cruces and have arrived via Houston. Date stamped 7th week of 2013. Will be mounted and spin balanced midweek next week. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #30 – March 16, 2013, 11:39:40 am Congratulation on the new Michelins! If you haven't done so already have all 4 wheel positions weighed to aid you in setting the tires pressures. Escapees does weighing for (SKPs and non members too) in Livingston and at their national rally. FMCA always has someone weighing at their big events too. If that doesn't work for your schedule, you can always weigh each axle on a Cat scale at Pilot, Flying J, etc. Add 500 pounds to the estimated wheel position weight (axle weight/2) to compensate for side-to-side weight differences and use that value in the Michelin load and inflation tables. My previous coach (not a Foretravel) had over 1,000 pounds difference in side-to-side weights!!I have never heard of a difference that big on a Foretravel. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #31 – March 16, 2013, 11:44:12 am Quote from: 2Escapees – March 16, 2013, 11:39:40 amIf you haven't done so already have all 4 wheel positions weighed to aid you in setting the tires pressures. Escapees does weighing for (SKPs and non members too) in Livingston and at their national rally. FMCA always has someone weighing at their big events too. +1We used RVSEF for our weighing since they happened to be at a campground the same time as us. You can check/watch their calendar for a convenient location Weighing Schedule | RV Safety.com (looks like they're due to be in Elephant Butte, NM next week)Michelle Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #32 – March 16, 2013, 12:09:05 pm Yep, RVSEF is great and it really helps to support them as a lot of their funding comes from manufacturers (including Michelin) and that money had been under pressure the last few years due to economic conditions. They had to reduce their schedule because of funding issues - so definitely use them.They also keep statistics and use them during their seminars - I believe they say approximately 50% of the rigs they weigh have an overload situation; most are wheel position overloads but they see it all. They don't break out statistics by brand, but the overload percentages are about the same for trailers and motorhomes. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #33 – March 16, 2013, 03:15:04 pm I just saw they will be at the grandvention in TN this year.Weighing Schedule | RV Safety.com Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #34 – March 16, 2013, 03:24:45 pm You can simply get your weight on the CAT Scales at most truck stops, fore & aft also left & right. just position what you want. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #35 – March 16, 2013, 03:26:21 pm Yes, I agree with that but most scales make it hard to do each wheel position. They will do each axle but you have to weigh twice if you can get over far enough to get one set of wheels off. Many of the cat scales I have seen make it hard to do. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #36 – March 16, 2013, 07:42:02 pm Should be taking possession of the coach (finally) on Tues. Tires should be going on Wed of next week. Tow brackets/brakes go on the jeep on Thurs/Friday. We will stay in Las Cruces for a few days then off to Livingston for domicile stuff at SKPs. Didn't know they do scaling. However, we will only have a minimal amount of gear in the coach as everything we own in in a 4 x 6' Uhaul trailer. Would it still make sense to have each wheel scaled? Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #37 – March 16, 2013, 07:57:52 pm I've been told that the ideal arrangement is to weigh each corner with full fuel, propane, and water, people, and nothing else. That will let you know how to load the coach. Then, when you are all ready to hit the road, weigh each corner again. That will tell you whether you have overloaded a corner, and whether you are reasonably in balance fore-and-aft and side-to-side. Should you find a major discrepancy, move stuff around and weigh again. All the weighing could get a bit expensive until you balance that cost with the cost of a blow-out and damage to the coach. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #38 – March 16, 2013, 08:49:56 pm David,Caveat: You check and adjust ride height (three ride height valves) BEFORE you weigh. An out of adjustment ride height valve can move a lot of weight from one side to the other. And since it only takes a couple of minutes to check, it should be done at least once a year.Brett Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #39 – March 16, 2013, 09:03:05 pm Thanks, Brett. That's something else on my to-do list now. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #40 – March 16, 2013, 09:15:39 pm Quote from: Dave M – March 16, 2013, 03:24:45 pmYou can simply get your weight on the CAT Scales at most truck stops, fore & aft also left & right. just position what you want.I've not found truck scales where I could one side of the coach off the scales. What am I missing? Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #41 – March 17, 2013, 02:23:46 am We have weighed our coach many times at closed State weigh stations that keep scale open and readout visible. We 9 points. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #42 – March 17, 2013, 08:40:05 am December 19, 2012, 06:01:16 AM »Installed 4 XZA3+Directional tires before leaving home in Nov.2012. Had all 6 tires set to 120 psi as recommended by dealer. That PSI was also confirmed by the Michelin rep at the Tampa RV show in Jan 2013 as the recommended pressure.The 2 front XZA3 Directional tires were installed 1/18/10. They were are now in the rear inside position.On our 1,500 mile drive South, the ride was much firmer and steering more stable. Less wandering on the road.Still may have the factory check the alignment if & when we get there. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #43 – March 17, 2013, 09:20:32 am Quote from: Dick & Sue – March 17, 2013, 08:40:05 am December 19, 2012, 06:01:16 AM » That PSI was also confirmed by the Michelin rep at the Tampa RV show in Jan 2013 as the recommended pressure.Still may have the factory check the alignment if & when we get there. Huh, that seems to be in direct contrast to Michelins own recommended tire pressure by weight chart. We have one year old XZA3+ too and I keep the pressures about 10lb's over the chart's which equals 85 rear, 100 front. I thought about running higher pressure for stiffer sidewall better tracking but after reading the Michelin Rv tire data it seems they recommend their data for best tire life and ride. Getting an alignment in Nac on Tuesday so I may revisit pressures. Dean Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #44 – March 17, 2013, 09:27:46 am Quote from: Dick & Sue – March 17, 2013, 08:40:05 am December 19, 2012, 06:01:16 AM »Installed 4 XZA3+Directional tires before leaving home in Nov.2012. Had all 6 tires set to 120 psi as recommended by dealer. That PSI was also confirmed by the Michelin rep at the Tampa RV show in Jan 2013 as the recommended pressure.Just curious-- what FACTS did they use to determine that 120 PSI was the correct pressure for YOUR tires.If they did not ask for wheel position weight (best) or axle weights, they did you a great disservice. Confirm this by going to Michelin's own inflation table and note the huge range of factory recommended pressures, ALL BASED ON ACTUAL WEIGHTS. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #45 – March 17, 2013, 09:36:09 am Their "reduced" air pressure is for ride comfort, not tire life. We had the old tires at lower pressure, like you did, but incurred sidewall cracking. Even tho we cover the tires when not in use.We like the ride now. Lot less side to side rock & rolling and pitching front to back.Anyway, that's my opinion and with a cold beer, I'm a happy camper. p.s. Still "Stuck" in the Florida Keys. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #46 – March 17, 2013, 10:00:00 am Quote from: Dick & Sue – March 17, 2013, 08:40:05 am December 19, 2012, 06:01:16 AM »Installed 4 XZA3+Directional tires before leaving home in Nov.2012. Had all 6 tires set to 120 psi as recommended by dealer. That PSI was also confirmed by the Michelin rep at the Tampa RV show in Jan 2013 as the recommended pressure.The 2 front XZA3 Directional tires were installed 1/18/10. They were are now in the rear inside position.On our 1,500 mile drive South, the ride was much firmer and steering more stable. Less wandering on the road.Still may have the factory check the alignment if & when we get there. You got it right. Lower pressure contributes to less stability and handling, longer stopping distances, less fuel mileage, higher heat in warm weather making the tire more prone to failure, more prone to pothole damage, slower acceleration, faster tread wear. You can't have a cushy, super soft ride with the higher pressures. The Michelin rep and your tire dealer are living in the real world, not an election year world where promises are made that everyone wants to hear.Bus companies, truckers, emergency services all run the pressures recommended to you. 80 psi vs. 120 psi will see a big loss in fuel mileage.New tires will always use more fuel for several thousand miles until they "break in". This is a point GM brought up along with front end alignment as factors causing a decrease in fuel mileage. Pierce Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #47 – March 17, 2013, 07:14:41 pm I think most tire dealers tell people to run the max pressure on the tire's sidewall to cover themselves legally and most (if not all) RV dealers don't have a clue about the subject. Handling is very sensitive to tire pressure, too high and you are riding on the center tread ribs and will have poorer tracking plus a harsh ride. Too low and you are running more weight on the shoulder ribs and risk exceeding the tire's weight carrying capacity.They assume most RV drivers are too lazy to check pressures frequently and a high starting pressure gives them a bigger safety margin. Trucking fleets never know how heavy their next load will be (will it weigh out or cube out?) so they go on the safe side of tire pressures. The weight of your motor home is not going to change anything like a commercial tractor-trailer so you can be more precise in setting tire pressures to get optimum ride and handling characteristics from your tires. Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #48 – March 17, 2013, 08:06:43 pm Boy, some compelling arguments both ways here. I remember seeing, way back, a comment made about driving your tires through a puddle and then looking at the tread pattern to see distribution of load. That seems to have some merit, don't recall the poster but would sure be interested in hearing him expound on it. As far as ride, 85 psi vs 120 psi, I don't see enough difference to matter one way or the other, it still rides like a Foretravel on 8 air bags...nicely. Higher pressures sure seem to give better side to side stability through curves, for me the jury is still out on tracking stability. Chuck Quote Selected
Re: Michelin xza3+ tires Reply #49 – March 17, 2013, 08:52:08 pm I found that my coach was much better tracking on the road at 105 psi in the front. Quote Selected
Topic: Michelin xza3+ tires