Firestone FS561 tires

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Firestone FS561 tires

April 23, 2015, 10:31:30 pm

Local dealer has a sale on Firestone 295/75R22.5 FS561 tires until Apr 30th. 6 tires $2600 installed.
These are 14 Ply Load Range G.
Has anybody tried these? Thinking about pulling the trigger tomorrow.

FS561 News Release
Firestone FS561 Tire

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #1 – April 23, 2015, 10:53:29 pm

I have had Firestones on some of our stake body trucks with no problem. Sounds like a decent deal to me.

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #2 – April 23, 2015, 11:14:18 pm

Catalog

seems to be a good price for that tire with inst included, even more so if disposal is included.

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #3 – April 23, 2015, 11:15:15 pm

Lots of truck/trailer experience with Firestone/Bridgestone. Good products.

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #4 – April 24, 2015, 10:25:49 am

We had a rear outside flat on the road, put the spare on, drove to the next town and bought a Firestone FS 507. Has worked well with no additional noise compared to the Coopers.

Here is a quote from a RV owner and his experience with Firestones:

"I just bought 6 new Firestone 507's 295 75 22.5 load range H tires for our rig. I looked for Toyos, Goodyear's or something else with no luck. I replaced the original Michelins XZA2's, which were 275 80 22.5 load range H. I found these tires at a local shop and the price ($ 430.00 each vs $590.00 for Mich ZXE's) was far better than the Michelins so I decided to give them a try. I also found that these 295 75 22.5 are a very popular tire for big trucks and are common at truck stops. So we can get a tire if we're stuck somewhere along the way. All specs are very close to the XZA2 Michelans. They are rated at 517 revs per mile vs the Michelins at 516, so very close. The same spaces between the rear duals. I don't notice any difference on my speed and RPM gauge so I am happy there. I have to tell you at 110 PSI which is what I carried in the Michelins, the Firestones ride far better. If I can get the same service out of the Firestone tire I'll be a happy camper."

Noticed this dealer with Firestone FS590 for $266/ea: 6.99 - FS590 Plus 295/75R22.5 tires | Buy FS590 Plus tires at SimpleTire Have to pay shipping and about $25/ea for installation but for a rig like the 1989 U300 just purchased for $6000, this is a great deal.

Pierce

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #5 – April 24, 2015, 10:33:18 am

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – April 24, 2015, 10:25:49 am

Noticed this dealer with Firestone FS590 for $266/ea: 6.99 - FS590 Plus 295/75R22.5 tires | Buy FS590 Plus tires at SimpleTire
Pierce

Not available from them at this time.

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #6 – April 24, 2015, 04:32:53 pm

We've run 22.5" Firestones on some of our large trucks and have never had any problem with them. Sounds like a great price!

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #7 – April 25, 2015, 10:57:11 am

Tire Update:

I had the 295/75 FS561's put on yesterday. They look and ride great (on the 5 mile trip back home!) This morning the bags had partially deflated and I had a chance to check fender clearance. The previous 295/75 Kumho's just barely cleared the rear fenders. With the FS561's it was too tight. I have spaced the fenders out using 1/2 hex nuts and then 3/8 hex nuts and then washers to blend the spacing over the tires. I think after I seal the gap with white RTV it won't look too bad.

One other tidbit, the dealer suggested I take one of the old tires and carry it...I think I will do that.

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #8 – April 25, 2015, 11:19:22 am

Interesting Peter,
Something for us 96" wide coaches to consider when using 295's. I have Sumitomo 295's and don't have that problem but it is close. An alternative fix might be to put spacers under the air bags. I know if at lease one member who did that to prevent the tire from touching the floor.
Thanks for sharing.
Found the link that talks about spacers: Tire clearance issue

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #9 – April 25, 2015, 11:31:03 am

Looks like those 295's have heavy duty rub strips on them. These are usually used for city delivery and truck service where curbs are constantly being rubbed. Won't do any harm on a MH but looks like clearance is close.
Good Buy I would say.
Gary B

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #10 – April 25, 2015, 12:00:01 pm

Wonder if they kept the same rear axle width/wheel offset on the later 102" models as we have 3" of space between the fender inside lip and the fattest part of the 295/75-22.5 with the airbags all the way down.

Pierce

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #11 – April 25, 2015, 10:28:07 pm

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – April 25, 2015, 12:00:01 pm

Wonder if they kept the same rear axle width/wheel offset on the later 102" models...

Sure seems that way to me. My '91 (96" wide) coach has the rear wheels nearly flush with outside wall just like Peters.

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #12 – April 25, 2015, 11:36:16 pm

I've been watching these posts with a great deal of interest, but haven't seen anything about our problem.

Our info plate in the coach says our tires should be 11R22.5--so what size is that compared to 235/80R/22.5 or 275/80R/22.5
or 275/75R/22.5 or the 295/75R/22.5 item of interest here??

Can't even find 11R/22.5 in the conversion charts.

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #13 – April 26, 2015, 12:10:37 am

11R22.5 G ~ 41.3"

255/80R22.5 G ~ 38.5"

295/275 are mostly around 40.2"
JohnH

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #14 – April 26, 2015, 10:38:21 am

Thanks, John, but would the width of the 295's discussed here fit?

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #15 – April 26, 2015, 03:15:48 pm

11R is about an inch taller than a 295/75-22.5. Could be a clearance problem on the front. I had one as a spare but got rid of it.

Pierce

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #16 – April 26, 2015, 05:40:55 pm

FWIW,
I have FS 507 firestones and have been happy with them. I have put about 10k miles on them and no problems so far.
Best of travels.
cks

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #17 – April 28, 2015, 03:18:03 pm

Finally been able to order some tires to replace the rear Mich XZAs that are way past prime. Was trying to get Toyos but as I mentioned before Toyo Canada Division has "No tires" and it seems we are treated not very nicely by Toyo US (totally seperate company) so had been looking at the Fst FS591. The Toyo rep told me that these are a similar tire and the ribbing is same so should give me the same ride. He actually told me that running H tires compared to G will generate a bit more heat on a long run and actually the G would give a slight better ride. I have ordered the H 16 ply so get them installed next Wednesday. Hope this is the end of a 3 month search for new shoes. I am also getting them balanced with weights instead of Equal.
JohnH

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #18 – April 28, 2015, 05:23:51 pm

John,

Truck tires generally have 5 steel plies. The ply rating now has to do with the load carrying capacity, not the actual number of plies. The rating means the size and number of steel wires in each ply and indicates the load rating. H rating vs G rating means the ply rating is 16 plies vs 14 plies. Since there is more steel in the H, there is a little less flex so lower temperatures but slightly firmer ride. They usually will carry more air pressure and in our 295/75-22.5 size, this means 110 psi for the G rating vs 120 psi max pressure for the H in most but not all cases. Since I usually max the pressure, this will also give a slightly firmer ride. Once the tire has broken in (10,000 miles), it will give better mileage with the stiffer tire giving a little better mileage than the more flexible tire. Fuel mileage will continue to get better until the tire is bald.

In Europe, we were required to mount the tire with the speed rating that was equal to the vehicle's maximum speed. In the case of V (240 km/h) rated tires that our 500SE/SEL/SEC took, they were much heaver to pick up than the same size in a U (200 km/h) rated tire. Now there are W, Y and (Y) with the latter good to over 300 km/h. Naturally, they had to match up with the load capacity.

Pierce

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #19 – April 28, 2015, 05:44:14 pm

He actually did say that the H would get warmer than the G and,yes, it would be a fraction stiffer but as he also said in a motorhome of this weight he defies any "novice" to notice a difference. It would be only noted in a lab test!
JohnH

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #20 – April 28, 2015, 06:25:40 pm

John,

Wonder if the heat he mentions is because of a different tread pattern or tread depth? Especially if the H is at 120 psi, the tire should flex less. I do know that the "green" tires all the companies seem to be making now, generate less heat and get better mileage. Perhaps the increased amount of steel there is to flex in some tires, the warmer they run at equal pressure.

Pierce

Re: Firestone FS561 tires

Reply #21 – April 28, 2015, 07:48:20 pm

Happened on this Bridgestone pressure/load chart and since the size applies to our Foretravels, thought I would quote it. Check the stationary pressures recommendations. Translates directly into off season storage for our coaches. I wonder if low tire pressure in storage might translate into failures while underway? Looks like Bridgestone would like customers to add 30 psi to tires if the they are at max load during storage. They also note the maximum cold rim pressure. Wonder if taking the load off the tires during storage might keep the tires and Bridgestone happy?

Relationship of Speed and Pressure to Load
For Metric & Wide Base Radials [for example, 295/75R22.5]

MPH % Load Change Infl. Pressure Change
71-75* -12 +5psi
66-70* -4% +5psi
51-65 None No Increase
41-50 +7% No Increase
31-40 +9% No Increase
21-30 +12% +10psi
11-20 +17% +15psi
6-10 +25% +20psi
1-5 +45% +20psi
Creep (2) +75% +30psi
Stationary +105% +30psi

For Conventional Radials [for example, 11R22.5]

MPH % Load Change Infl. Pressure Change
71-75* -12% +5psi
66-70* -4% +5psi
51-65 None No Increase
41-50 +9% No Increase
31-40 +16% No Increase
21-30 +24% +10psi
11-20 +32% +15psi
6-10 (1) +60% +30psi
1-5 (1) +85% +30psi
Creep (1, 2) +75% +30psi
Stationary (1) +185% +40psi

* No change necessary for Bridgestone tires rated for use at 75 mph

1) Apply these increases to Dual Loads and Inflation Pressures.

2) Creep-Motion for not over 200 feet in 30-minute period.

Note 1: The inflation pressures shown in the referenced table are minimum cold pressures for the various loads listed. Higher pressures should be used as follows:

A. When required by the above speed/load travel.

B. When higher pressures are desirable to obtain improved operating performance. For speed above 20mph, the combined increases of A and B should not exceed 20psi above the inflation specified for the maximum load of the time. The maximum load and inflation capacity of the rim must not be exceeded.

Pierce

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