Tire Guidance on my Class C concerning Bridgestone Duavis R238s

This summer I had a rear blowout on passenger side dualies  on the interstate and the only roadside assistance for tires did not have the Michelins in stock,  so I had to settle for what they did have:

Bridgestone Duravis R238 All Season Radial Tire-LT225/75R16 115Q 10-ply

which I ended up getting 2 as I did not want dissimilar tires as part of  the duals.  I have never seen a tread layout like this on any tire and I am at the crossroad to whether to buy 2 more for the otherside so the rear is matching or buying Michelins and replacing the Brigestones.  My concern is due to the tread configuration in how the Bridgestones perform with water/ice/snow.  Any and all advice is appreciated as so many online reviews are always questionable.  My remaining set of Michelins on front and driver side rear are all 2014's manufactured date.

We have our Florida trip coming up after Xmas and I do have a couple months to take action.  I put about 500 road miles on the Bridgestones and didn't notice any change except rear "noise/vibration" may have been a tad better.  Those Brigestone tires still need to be balance.

Thanks in advance

No tread on the outside band? Very odd. I would not put those on the front because cornering on a slick surface would be iffy. But probably ok on the back. I wouldn't think wet surfaces would be that big of a problem. If you drive an RV on snow and ice very far or fast I'm hoping you have chains. Since your existing tires are 5 years old why not wait a year or three then replace them all? A mismatch that small on the back won't hurt anything.

If you want to continue with Bridgestone, I suggest the BRIDGESTONE DURAVIS R250. A little better tread design for your application.

I see what you mean (see tire link below), but the outer band on most tires rarely has much tread anyway, often just siping or a few lateral cuts to shed some water to the sides. See the R500 and R265 for comparisons.  The primary tread for steering and traction is the middle section.

Compare also to the Michelin XRV and XPS Rib - they too has almost no tread on the outer (shoulder) band.  The LTX Defender, on the other hand, has a fair amount.  You pay your money and you take your choice, I guess.  Personally, I'd trust the tire engineers.

https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tire/duravis-r238
https://tiretraker.com/michelin.pdf

TheBar said:

No tread on the outside band? Very odd. I would not put those on the front because cornering on a slick surface would be iffy. But probably ok on the back. I wouldn't think wet surfaces would be that big of a problem. If you drive an RV on snow and ice very far or fast I'm hoping you have chains. Since your existing tires are 5 years old why not wait a year or three then replace them all? A mismatch that small on the back won't hurt anything.

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No way they would be considered "steering tires" in my book.  On the rears, ok. Never saw a tread like this before.

I would suggest that you put the two new Bridgestone's on the steer axle (front). And move the front Michelins to the passenger side rear duals. It is my opinion that it is better to have newer tires on the steer axel. And, since you had a blowout on five year old tires, I would suggest that you have the other tires inspected by a tire dealer.

LTG said:

I would suggest that you put the two new Bridgestone's on the steer axle (front). And move the front Michelins to the passenger side rear duals. It is my opinion that it is better to have newer tires on the steer axel. And, since you had a blowout on five year old tires, I would suggest that you have the other tires inspected by a tire dealer.

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Blowout was a combination of hot temps and rough road. We did look at other tires with the tire guy. The tread is so different on these bridge stones, not sure if I want them on the front.

You obviously aren't comfortable with the tread design, so you ought not to buy more of them.  However, if you feel you need to get your money's worth rather than follow your instincts, put the R238's on the rear and use whatever you prefer on the front.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

You obviously aren't comfortable with the tread design, so you ought not to buy more of them.  However, if you feel you need to get your money's worth rather than follow your instincts, put the R238's on the rear and use whatever you prefer on the front.

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I am leaning that way. Pick up 2 more for drivers side rear. I'm talking to commercial truck tire guy Wednesday.  Other thing, I need to be educated on tire chain stuff. Been 30yrs since I thought about tire chains.

I went to my tire people who have a commercial truck side who sell this tire as well. The tire guy has 30 years plus with RV, semis, and everything in between. So from our conversation:
- never a good idea to have dissimilar tires on same dually side. Pretty much I knew that.
- in my case of having a pair of R238s on one side and a pair of Michelins on other should not be of concern.
- R238s are no worse with inclement weather than the Michelins when on an RV.

He did stress as always its time on tires not miles, 6-7 years is the absolute limit for safety. I got another season or 2 and will need 4 new tires, leaning with a pair of R238s on driver side and Michelins for my steer tire in front.

The Michelin XPS was OEM on the older Ford F53 chassis. I have been driving on them for 19 years without rain slick or noise issues.
The XPS handles well with little sidewall flex, as they are ALL steel cord tires.
Forget about the previously mentioned XRV. XRV is 22.5 only

decaturbob said:

I went to my tire people who have a commercial truck side who sell this tire as well. The tire guy has 30 years plus with RV, semis, and everything in between. So from our conversation:
- never a good idea to have dissimilar tires on same dually side. Pretty much I knew that.
- in my case of having a pair of R238s on one side and a pair of Michelins on other should not be of concern.
- R238s are no worse with inclement weather than the Michelins when on an RV.

He did stress as always its time on tires not miles, 6-7 years is the absolute limit for safety. I got another season or 2 and will need 4 new tires, leaning with a pair of R238s on driver side and Michelins for my steer tire in front.

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I wonder if the tire guy said anything about the all position R238s being used as steer tires (on the front axle)?

I suspect the smooth outer tread is much of what yields the 17% improvement in fuel economy this model claims. That lets the tire "wiggle" a little without the tread resisting so much and eliminate the rolling resistance of the siping.  Siping is supposed to improve traction in wet or snow, but it hurts mpg.  Other than the siping, the only real loss are the lateral water-shedding grooves and I've not seen engineering test reports that show how much that helps on wet roads. Most water, of course, merely flows down the groove and out the back.

The Bridgestone engineers presumably have test reports that show how much they sacrificed in weather-handling to gain mpg and feel the tradeoff is worthwhile for those who desire better fuel economy.  If optimal bad-weather performance is your main concern, then forego some mpg for a more aggressive tread. Maybe put snow tires on???  ;D

OK. I thing I now have it. You want tires for wet and snow. Four tires are five years old with some service left and two are new tires that are less than desirable. Michelin just came out with new tires in the size LT225/75R16 LRE, Agilis Crossclimate. They have the mountain/snowflake designation. The almost new R238s can probably be sold to recoup some of the cost of the new tires.

LTG said:

I wonder if the tire guy said anything about the all position R238s being used as steer tires (on the front axle)?

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He said they would perform fine as front tires but keeping michelins isn't a negative