Flat tire questions

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NY_Dutch said:
I guess my post #5 doesn't qualify as a tire replacement mention. Or I'm not considered a "person"...  ::) :eek: :p

You are a person and I appreciate your reply. 

I guess because you got a used tire for $50 that I didn't consider that a new tire or realistic amount of what I would have to pay
IF I needed a tire on the road.  Yes it would be nice to get a deal - but that is something that I would never plan on.

I think the PO said when he replaced the tires 2 years ago he paid $3200 for the 6 of them.  So a little over $500 each.
I was looking for someone to tell me the worst case (actual) price they had to pay for one on the road.  Buying them
one at a time on the road - is it going to be $800 or more for one?  And what are the chances of them having the same brand I have?  IDK.



 
Three motorhomes and 14 years ago, enroute to Florida from NC to trade that particular Class A MH, I had a right front tire explode at 65mph at 1:50AM on a lonely stretch of I-95 in SC about 12 miles from the Georgia line. Sounded like a BOMB went off and I wrestled this thing like a bear to keep from flipping the coach. To say the least that was one WILD ride!

Thankfully, I had the presence of mind NOT to hit the brakes at that speed...just let off the gas and let it slow enough on it's own until I could safely use the brakes and pull off to the side of the road.

Called CoachNet. They sent a guy out about 90 minutes later and he didn't have the right size tire but had one that was close enough; and by that time, my nerves were so frazzled I didn't care WHAT size it was as long as it had air in it.

I paid $290 for the new tire on the side of the highway (which to me was the epitome of highway robbery) and I was a nervous wreck until I pulled into Lazydays and got parked.

That was when I saw that a steel piece of the wheel well had been blown back and was pressing in on my propane tank. I almost fainted at the sight of what I had been rolling down the road with; oblivious and happily daydreaming of the prospect of my new to me diesel pusher.

I have never had a tire incident since. That experience was enough to last a lifetime!

Dianne







 
I had a flat!

They had cut a sharp rut into the road during construction. It pinched my inside back tire, ripped the tread off and jammed it between the duallys in my Class C motorhome. The tire never lost air, but with the tread jammed in there between the tires, I wasn't going anywhere.

I called for service through Progressive, it's included in my insurance. Idiot on phone kept calling regular tow trucks rather than truck or RV truck. Finally convinced them to send correct operator but at one point had to get insurance agent to intervene.

My spare used to be mounted on rear of RV with a sun cover over it. However, I had moved it to my basement and it weighs a ton. I carry a unique bicycle on back between my cargo carrier and the bumper, I needed the extra room the spare tire was hogging to make it easier for me to haul my beloved bicycle around. I did not want to part with my spare because I travel in remote locations.

I emptied out basement as it was in far corner, but left tire in there. Nice man with dirty clothes (hard worker!) showed up and on side of interstate he expertly jacked me up, retrieved spare, put it on, reloaded bad tire into basement and we were on our way. He had to remove both rear dual tires to unjam the stuck tread. Then put spare and other tire back on again.

While we were waiting for him to arrive, we ran generator, made lunch. At one point idiot on phone told me to make my own arrangements and get reimbursement for service. I called insurance agent who said yes they would reimburse, then I asked her to look up tow company for me, she got  their flunky yahoo on the phone who was supposed to arrange this to start with. Suddenly things started happening.

I did not pay a dime.

Later I went to buy new tires, I already had 3 new, and bought 3 more new. Discovered my spare was 20 years old! Bought a used but good tire as a spare, stored back in basement again in far hard to reach corner. Also realized that tire well had a big split in it, which opened up to a cabinet under the fridge. Insurance paid for those damages too, and I got that fixed.

Having a flat is NO fun, but having extra gas, since I never drop below a half tank so in the event of an emergency, I can run generator. In this case I did need the generator as it was 90 effing degrees. Also I had tank of water, so we could flush and wash and make lunch and so on. So glad I opted to keep my spare.

If you can carry a spare do it. Otherwise they have to tow you off to somewhere to get a tire.

I've been towed too, but not because of flat tire.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best!
 
RedandSilver said:
You are a person and I appreciate your reply. 

I guess because you got a used tire for $50 that I didn't consider that a new tire or realistic amount of what I would have to pay
IF I needed a tire on the road.  Yes it would be nice to get a deal - but that is something that I would never plan on.

I think the PO said when he replaced the tires 2 years ago he paid $3200 for the 6 of them.  So a little over $500 each.
I was looking for someone to tell me the worst case (actual) price they had to pay for one on the road.  Buying them
one at a time on the road - is it going to be $800 or more for one?  And what are the chances of them having the same brand I have?  IDK.

The price I was quoted for a new tire (same brand as I had) was about $50 higher than I found online. I didn't think that was way out of line under the circumstances, but I opted for the used tire so I could shop for a deal to replace all six tires at my convenience.
 
NY_Dutch said:
The price I was quoted for a new tire (same brand as I had) was about $50 higher than I found online. I didn't think that was way out of line under the circumstances, but I opted for the used tire so I could shop for a deal to replace all six tires at my convenience.

That brings up another question.

Where do you buy your tires online?  Do they carry tires for Class A MH's?  Is shipping outrageous?
And IF I wanted one for a spare would they ship it to my home vs. a dealer which is where I would assume many are sent to.

AND:

How important is it to get the exact same tire size and make?  I assume that size would be more important then make.
Would you buy a cheaper tire for a spare not knowing if you were ever going to use it?  Just something to get you home or to a
Tire shop? 

Maybe you can tell I'm still on the fence about whether or not to carry a spare.  I see mostly pros.  The biggest con would be
buying something that you never used and then throwing it away. 
 
I've read re-ports of people paying $600-$800 for a tire brought by a road service, but without specifics about tire size & brand. Or the situation. Heck, $800+ is the going rate for many of the larger size Michelin's or Goodyear G670 that are used on many big DP's.  The key is you aren't going to be paying a discount store price, nor do you get to choose the brand in most cases. You have to take what is available and pay the asking price. Road service companies are probably going to charge you full retail price.


I have never heard of a 11R or a 12R22.5 can anyone explain? 
 
How to explain a tire size?  It's one of the several standard tire sizing methods. The first number refers to the tread width in inches and the last is the wheel diameter. The tire profile (aspect ratio) isn't stated in the size label but is approximately .85. That means a 11R22.5 would roughly be a 280/85R22.5 if converted to the metric sizing system.  But that doesn't mean the load capacity will be identical, because the size also conforms to a different construction standard. If you look into the detailed specs, though, you will find values such as rolling radius, revolutions/mile, section width, and load capacity and determine if this size will suit your vehicle's needs or not.  11R22.5 is a fairly common size on semi-trailers and some trucking fleets have standardized on them where the specs are appropriate. A 12R is a convenient one step up form that when grater loading is needed. Physical size-wise, the 11R neatly replaces a 295/80R22.5, but has a lower load rating. The 12R has a similar load rating toa 295/80, but is a bit wider and taller.


The tires I have now are 275/70/22.5 - Is that a common size?

I don't have statistics, but I think it is fairly common, used on a number of motorhomes and some commercial trucks & and semi-trailers.

What sizes are "common" can vary by region. If a big regional fleet uses a size extensively, many major tire shops in the area will likely have a few on hand. But tires commonly found on city transit buses probably won't be readily available in farm country.
 
RedandSilver said:
Where do you buy your tires online?  Do they carry tires for Class A MH's?  Is shipping outrageous?
And IF I wanted one for a spare would they ship it to my home vs. a dealer which is where I would assume many are sent to.

Best way to research this online, is to research this online.  ;)  Tirerack.com and Tires.com are good places to check for sizes, costs, and shipping estimates.  Tires.com is affiliated with the Discount Tire retail shop, if you have any of those in your area.  Even smaller tire places might still do large motorhomes, as long as the parking lot is big enough and they have portable equipment to roll out to your rig.  Anyplace online will shop wherever you tell them, whether to your house or straight to an installer.  Just work it out with the installer in advance so they know to expect the shipment.

RedandSilver said:
The biggest con would be buying something that you never used and then throwing it away.

If you end up never needing the spare, that's kind of a good thing.  ;)  And you probably wouldn't need to discard/replace it for 7-10 years... will you even still own the same RV by then?  (Maybe so, just something to consider.)  The annual cost of the spare is pretty low when spread over 7-10 years.
 
I mentioned in my post, that I used a 20 year old spare to get me going again!
It held air and I drove on it a few weeks until I bought new tires.

So if you keep the spare under cover, 20 years later, it can save you a ton of grief. Mine did!

However, I also mentioned in my previous post, that I bought a used tire to replace it. I was planning to keep one of my old tires as the spare since I was buying new tires, but the tire place showed me a used newer tire they had on hand they were willing to let me have cheap, so that is what I did.

I have a spare and I don't have much invested in it. They stored it in my basement inflated and ready to go. Of course any roadside service will have their own air pump.

If you can take a spare with you, by all means do. If it's outside, then invest in a spare tire cover. I had replaced my spare tire cover before I decided to move mine to the basement due to hauling my bicycle out back.

Hope this helps!


 
DearMissMermaid said:
If you can take a spare with you, by all means do. If it's outside, then invest in a spare tire cover.

The nice thing is that these can be purchased very inexpensively now, and breathable canvas material is recommended (vs. the older style vinyl or leather covers) so that heat and moisture are not trapped up against the tire over long periods of time.  I bought a white canvas cover for my trailer's rear bumper-mounted spare for around $10.  It was marketed as parachute-type canvas, and has elastic sewn in the right places/shape to create a very snug fit but still lets water/air pass through.
 
I use Tirerack dot com.  I got a super deal and they delivered to my home.
BTW, I simply refuse to leave home without a spare tire.  Even at my age I can still change my RV tires. Always have Jack. torque  wrench, blocks, etc to handle the job.  I carry tire repair kits also.
Marvin
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/sizes/
 
GA_Boy said:
Even at my age I can still change my RV tires. Always have Jack. torque  wrench, blocks, etc to handle the job.  I carry tire repair kits also.

There's always the important distinction between can I do it? and do I really want to do it? to consider also.  ;)  Heck at MY age (39 now, 29 when I started RV'ing) I can certainly change tires, but that doesn't mean I'd have a good time wrestling with a giant RV tire with 12 lug nuts.  I'd much rather let the roadside assistance guy handle that when he shows up... that's why I pay my insurance company for that extra service, after all.
 
For Class A size tires, try https://simpletire.com/  They have good prices, but be aware that by the time you add FET, shipping, disposal fees, and local installation, there may not be much difference than what a commercial tire shop will offer.  I was always able to get a local truck tire shop to come within $10-$20 per tire and I didn't have to do anything except drive in and pay the bill after.

Discount Tire (tire.com), Tirerack, etc. don't do much with larger sizes. Nor can most Discount Tire, or Tire Discount Warehouse stores install 22+ inch tires - they don't have the equipment to mount of balance them.
 
What is FET?

I looked up my tire (Hankook AH12 275/70R/22.5) on simpletire and it was $295.99 + 32.51 FET = 328.46.
Don't know if tax would be added to that or not.  I put in my zip code (to calculate shipping) but didn't see any numbers
change - although I didn't put it in my cart........

Is there a less expensive brand I should look at (for a spare) or is that not advised?

 
Even at my age I can still change my RV tires. Always have Jack. torque  wrench, blocks, etc to handle the job

It seems to me that what type of towing vehicle makes a difference.  If it's a TT, FW, Class B or Class C, I can see someone changing the tire.  With a Class A it might be a whole different story. With the first group, you may change the tire in minutes rather than waiting hours for road assistance, specially if there are time constraints.  When I had a tire problem I was in a campground and not in a hurry. I waited 1 1/2 hours.  The guy replaced it in five minutes.  Although I don't have the same equipment he had, as he came with air powered tools, I could probably have done it in 10-15 minutes. But I was not in a hurry.... so I could wait.
 
RVRAC said:
Even at my age I can still change my RV tires. Always have Jack. torque  wrench, blocks, etc to handle the job

It seems to me that what type of towing vehicle makes a difference.  If it's a TT, FW, Class B or Class C, I can see someone changing the tire.  With a Class A it might be a whole different story. With the first group, you may change the tire in minutes...

In theory, yes.  That's what I thought when my tow dolly (of all things with small, manageable tires) had a highway blowout.  I had a spare dolly tire already mounted/inflated on a spare rim, a 4-way lug wrench, and figured I'd have it knocked out in 10 minutes.  I soon found out the dolly lug nuts were seized SO tight that my lug wrench "end" cracked and became useless.  I unloaded the toad, my wife loaded up the kids and drove the rest of the way home (where we were headed anyway), and I waited 2 hours for roadside assistance to arrive and change the tire in 5 minutes.  ::)
 
My spare tire on the rim weighs about a hundred pounds!

Good luck manhandling that on side of interstate when it's the inside dually that went flat.

Of course the repairman did handle all this, but he had powerful equipment to help him too.

In the Caribbean I traveled with a tire repair kit and used it once too.

I do have a can of inflatable tire repair. Buy a can for truck tires. IT WORKS.

I had a leaky flat the campground.

We put the can of fix-a-flat into the tire, then drove to the tire store.

It was fully inflated and holding, but we bought a new tire anyhow. That is how I ended up with the odd 3. I had put on new front tires and was waiting for the cash for the 4 rear tires. Then I had the campground flat, I just bought one.

The guy was super busy and worked us in, but his tires were no bargain. But he did have the matching tire like the front ones.

When I got back to Florida a few months later and had the tread come off the old one, I then bought the other 3 matching tires form a tire place and the price was much better.

By the way my insurance road side service is far cheaper than AAA or Coachnet and provides basically the same services.
 
I looked up my tire (Hankook AH12 275/70R/22.5) on simpletire and it was $295.99 + 32.51 FET = 328.46.
Don't know if tax would be added to that or not.  I put in my zip code (to calculate shipping) but didn't see any numbers
change - although I didn't put it in my cart........

When you click Calculate Shipping on Simple Tire, it inserts 2-3 lines above the button with an estimated shipping cost, but the displayed price (below the button) doesn't change. For my zip (34488), it came to $37.35 per tire. 

You have to arrange local installation (mount and balance) and the installer may collect additional state & local fees for things like tire disposal. Technically you are also liable for sales/use tax on the tire purchase price if the state has one, but few people actually declare & pay it.

Simple Tire gives you choices in multiple price ranges and the 275/70R22.5 ranges as low as $156, so yes you can buy cheaper ones. The risk with the cheap ones is primarily that quality is less consistent and warranty service harder to get if you do get a bad one. You have to make your own call on that. Hankook is an internationally recognized brand with a solid rep for quality tires.
 
Gary RVer Emeritus said:
You have to arrange local installation (mount and balance) and the installer may collect additional state & local fees for things like tire disposal. Technically you are also liable for sales/use tax on the tire purchase price if the state has one, but few people actually declare & pay it.
Thanks for the info Gary.

If I only wanted a spare tire to carry JUST IN CASE then I wouldn't be taking it to a "Local" installer.

What is the FET for if you ALSO have to pay sales tax?  OH silly me they like to squeeze as much money out of us as they can, to spend
it on themselves.  I have never heard of car tires having an FET fee added on - unless it's built in and they never mention it

I'm still on the fence yet.  I may call around my local area and see if anyone has a used tire in my size.

I have to believe that the major reason for carrying a spare is so we don't get screwed and pay list price or more when out on the road.
That and if for some strange reason they didn't stock my size tire or were just out of my size, then it would save me from having to be towed,
which would take more time vs. a tire change on the side of the road and then on our way......
 

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