Bridgestone vs. Michelin

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TJ10EC

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Posts
7
Location
Hephzibah Georgia
On my Vectra I want to replace my Michelin 230/70R-22.5 with Bridgestone 245/75R-22.5. Has anyone done this or know if it will create a problem. I am told they are the same height and only slightly wider than stock. I really do not want to use the Michelin if I can get away from them! I am sure this has been discussed on here before, so I appologize for using up space but need an educated answer before I buy.
 
When I was shopping for motorhome tires, it was my experience that most of the large truck tire shops had charts that would detail which tires could safely be substituted for others.

I would consult the manufacturer's website...you can usually find a lot of technical info there.  I can at least tell you that we did the same thing on our Journey.  Our Goodyear G670's are slightly larger in circumference and slightly wider than the OEM Michelins.  However, the minimum distance between the duals was met.  We went from a 235/80/22.5 to a 275/70/22.5 and have had no problems in 30K miles of travel.
 
I am skeptical about them being the same height because the numbers indicate otherwise. A 75 profile tire is slightly taller than a 70 profile of the same tread width. On top of that, the Bridgestone is a wider tire, which means the 75 profile increases the sidewall height even more.  That's because the profile number ( 70 or 75) is a ratio of sidewall height to tread width, i.e. 75 means the sidewall height is 75% off the tread width. The Bridgestones have a higher ratio (75) of a larger tread width (245), so the tire ends up measurably taller. That increases the circumference, which in turn throws the speedometer & odometer off and even affects the performance a tiny bit. Usually when you go to a wider tire, you decrease the profile (ratio) slightly to compensate.

A Bridgestone dealer should be able to give you the exact "rolling circumference" for that tire and you could compare it to the Michelins circumference number.
 
The math will show that the difference in tire width and diameter is as follows.

230/70 R22.5  = 9.05" wide and 35.170" dia. and 110.5" circ.
245/75 R22.5  = 9.65" wide and 36.975" dia. and 116.2" circ.

The diameter is fairly accurately calculated from manufacturer to manufacturer, assuming proper inflation, because it is just math .  The actual width can be a bit tricky since the width given is tread width and sidewall construction can have a larger impact on tire spread.'

Check those dual spacing requirements well.
 
We put 60k on Bridgestones on our Tradewinds with good results. They handled well and had no other issues.

I did replace them after 6 years with Goodyears that do seem to ride a bit softer, probably becuase of softer sidewalls than the Bridgestones.
 
Nothing wrong with Bridgestone tires.  Unless your vehicle manufacturer recommends you run them below the tire manufacturers recommended tire pressure and you comply.  I have never had a problem with Bridgestone tires.  Michelins are the ones I will never have on a vehicle again.  Currently have Goodyear G670RV tires and the previous G159 tires were replaced at over 95K because of age.
 
Maybe I am not a connoisseur of tires. I have had Goodyear and Michelin's and I can't tell any difference......... ::)
 

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