Tire recommendation and advise

[HRDWRK]

Happy new year to all:
I have a 2016 Thor class C with Ford E450 chassis which came with Michelin LTX/MS 225/75/16 tires. I have about 38,000 miles on them but they still look very decent, I would say another 10-15,000 miles perhaps. I got a slow leak on my inner rear passenger side and when I inspected the tire, I found two small leaking holes in the center of the tire but what has worried me is the cut I noticed right at the center of the tire between (circumference wise) which is about 12-15"! It is not leaking but it is a not a nice looking cut!
Anyways, I have a brand new never used spare Michelin LTX/MS which came with the RV and I thought I just swap the bad one with this one but then I read that on dually wheels the tires should be within certain tread width of each other, then I thought, considering there is 38,000 miles on the tires, I get a new Michelin LTX/MS and then I put the two new ones up front and swap one of the front ones with the one on the back but, Michelin LTX/MS has been discontinued. So, here are few questions:
1- How important it is in real world that  the tires on dually wheel have the same (or certain)  tread depth in respect to each other?
2- Michelin has replace the LTX with Agilis , the guy at Tirerack told me I can use the new Agilis Crossclimate with my New LTX on the front axle. Any idea on that?
3- Since the Michelin is so expensive, I appreciate your feedback on other brands which might be more cost effective.
Thanks

 

[Goodspike]

There is a process called truing that shaves material off the tire.  You could do that to the spare if you could find a shop that can do that on that size of tire.

I'd check out the date codes to find the age of your tires.  Your vehicle is only 4-5 years old, but the tires could easily be two or more years older.  Age may be more of an issue than mileage.

 

[Kevin Means]

A Michelin tire guy / RV owner once told me that if you want your tires to go 100,000 miles, buy Michelin tires, because they'll roll farther than other brands. However, since most RVers only drive about 5,000 miles a year, and all brands of tires should be replaced within 7 to 10 years, he said any decent brand of motorhome tire will last that long. They just won't make it to 100,000 miles.

When a one inch chunk of tread was found missing on one of our Michelin tires (they were 7 years old) the tire guy said you shouldn't replace just one tire on a dually setup, for the same reasons you mentioned. Made sense to me. Since they were all 7 years old, and starting to show signs of breaking down chemically (a few had minor sidewall cracking) we replaced them all - with Yokohamas. Saved money, good ride and never been sorry.

Kev

 

[donn]

Have been very pleased with Yokahama tires for several years.  My Suzuki GeeVee and Ram dually both wore Yokahamas.  Smooth quiet ride.  Your MoHo probably has 3042 load rating tires under it?  As long as your not overloaded on either axle basically any 3042 load rated tire will work just fine.  Because class Cs especially on the Ford E350 chassis can be right at or over axle ratings real easily I would go get it weighed like you travel before spending any mo ey on tires.

 

[HRDWRK]

My tires, including the spare have date of early 2015.
I was also trying to find a way to use the brand new spare tire before it gets too old but unfortunately they have been discontinued.

 

[coxid]

The function of tread width is not as important as the diameter of the two tires of a set of duals bolted together.

Remember from geometry 101.
D (diameter) X pi (3.14) = C (circumference)
For example;
A: a tire that has a D of 30 inches has a circumference of 94.2 inches.
B: a tire that has a D of 30.5 inches has a circumference of 95.77 inches.

When rotated one revolution tire B will travel 1.57 inches farther than tire A.
Now when you bolt both tires together as with duals the tire that has a larger D will be supporting more weight which means less pavement slippage, so when rotated together as in a set tire A has to SLIP about 1.5 inches. The bottom line is that the tire of smaller Diameter will wear out faster than the larger diameter tire.

These these Diameters are strictly for illustration purposes. But, you get the idea.

 

[phil-t]

I have run Yokohama tires before, on a 3/4 ton PU, I liked them a lot.  I run Toyo on our motorhome and like those as well.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Michelin recommends that dual tires be within 1/4" diameter of each other.

https://www.truckinginfo.com/149929/mismatched-duals

I'd replace Michelins with one of the major "second tier" manufacturers, e.g. Toyo, Sumitomo, Yokohama, Cooper, Firestone, General, etc. All 30%-45% less expensive than the Michelin Agilis. Even the BF Goodrich (a Michelin brand) is less expensive.

 

[Doc Roads]

Does anyone have experience with this online tire vendor?

Simpletire.com

The prices are lower than Tire Rack and free shipping from CA to AZ.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I do not have personal experience but see many reports from those who have bought there.  For a price compare, you have to evaluate whether the tires end up cheaper after you pay for local installation, disposal fees, etc.  Based on reports, Simple Tire often ends up cheaper but sometimes a local commercial (truck) tire shop will do as well.  When I looked into using them a few years back, I also got some local price quotes. The tire size I needed was the same as was used by a local truck fleet and I got an excellent price from the dealer who serviced that fleets tire needs. 


An alternative to Simple Tire:  https://rvtires.com/

 

[mrschwarz]

...I'd replace Michelins with one of the major "second tier" manufacturers, e.g. Toyo, Sumitomo, Yokohama, Cooper, Firestone, General, etc.

Out of curiosity, what makes these tires 'second tier'? Which brands are first tier?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Good question and I don't think there is a definitive answer. I'd say its more of a brand recognition thing than quality or service.  The "first tier" are the big name companies like Goodyear, Michelin and Bridgestone. The second tier are additional international manufacturers that aren't as well known, but they certainly aren't small companies or insignificant players in the market.  The third tier are smaller regional manufacturers and the rest are sort of a 4th tier, the also-rans.  Complicating the description, the view of who is forts or second tier may vary in different countries or regions, simply because a tire maker is better known there and holds a higher market share.


Here's an opinion on the subject from a tire-dealer magazine:  https://www.moderntiredealer.com/articles/13766-what-is-a-tier-two-tire-tier-three
And here's yet another view:  https://www.tirereview.com/tire-tier-ranking-study-tire-review-results/

 

[free2bme801]

Anyone had experience with GoodSam tire and wheel protection program? . The cost is reasonable, and according their plan there is no deductible, and covers tires and wheels, mounting, balance, roadside or in a shop. My tires are good, but I ruined one last year, and paid nearly $700, for a roadside replacement, and I would rather not repeat that experience.
It sounds like a good plan, which seems like an insurance policy for road hazard damage.
I appreciate any feedback.

 

[Skookum]

Happy new year to all:
I have a 2016 Thor class C with Ford E450 chassis which came with Michelin LTX/MS 225/75/16 tires. I have about 38,000 miles on them but they still look very decent, I would say another 10-15,000 miles perhaps. I got a slow leak on my inner rear passenger side and when I inspected the tire, I found two small leaking holes in the center of the tire but what has worried me is the cut I noticed right at the center of the tire between (circumference wise) which is about 12-15"! It is not leaking but it is a not a nice looking cut!
Anyways, I have a brand new never used spare Michelin LTX/MS which came with the RV and I thought I just swap the bad one with this one but then I read that on dually wheels the tires should be within certain tread width of each other, then I thought, considering there is 38,000 miles on the tires, I get a new Michelin LTX/MS and then I put the two new ones up front and swap one of the front ones with the one on the back but, Michelin LTX/MS has been discontinued. So, here are few questions:
1- How important it is in real world that  the tires on dually wheel have the same (or certain)  tread depth in respect to each other?
2- Michelin has replace the LTX with Agilis , the guy at Tirerack told me I can use the new Agilis Crossclimate with my New LTX on the front axle. Any idea on that?
3- Since the Michelin is so expensive, I appreciate your feedback on other brands which might be more cost effective.
Thanks

I think it really depends on how much RV'ing you plan to do in the next year or two. If you're planning to do a lot, and you'll see 10-20k miles in the next year, it might as well be time to replace them all.

But if not, and 10-20k miles could be years down the road, here's what I'd do:

I'd buy two new tires for the steer axle (Agilis or whatever replaced the LTX). Then I'd take one of the old front tires and swap it with the leaking/ cut up rear tire, assuming it's worn similarly. Now you've got matched tires side to side on both axles, new tires on your steer axle, a brand new spare, and another backup tire for if you blow one of the older duallies not too far down the road.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

seems like an insurance policy for road hazard damage.

Exactly what it is. If you feel you are at severe risk for another damaged tire on the road, then it's something you want.  Like any insurance, it's only valuable if you have a claim. Otherwise its wasted money.
Note that you only get the $69/yr price if you buy a 5 year bundle - it's $129/yr otherwise.

 

[JoelP]

It seems that there isn’t a big difference between the first tier and second tires in performance, or perhaps that it would be difficult to notice in an RV where cornering isn’t a criteria like on a car. That said, is their any available report on road noise between brands? Do some brands do better holding the road in rain? The other criteria for me is the general availability of that brand as I travel. If I wreck a tire on a trip it sure would be nice to find the same tire for the replacement. I had trouble finding a Toyo when I needed one last year. Which brands are more universally available if we don’t consider the current temporary shortages?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Tire brand isn't what makes for differences in road noise or rain performance - it's the tread pattern, which is associated with the model of tire rather than brand. A tire with aggressive or knobby tread, for example, will be noisier. Rain tires have deep grooves to channel water away. Since those features are traded off against other characteristics, typical tires are a compromise of several attributes. High treadwear mileage, off-road performance and mud & snow performance are usually not key features for RV use, so most RVers should look for tire models optimized for summer highway driving and good rain capability.

Note that any tire's rain performance decreases with tread wear and a worn tire has a greater tendency to hydroplane on wet surfaces.

There is no simple answer for "most available" tires, because it too depends more on model and size than brand. If you need a size that is not widely used on cars, pickups or heavy trucks, chances are you will have to wait a day or two to get a replacement. However, brand can be a factor if the tire maker has a factory warehouse or distributor in the region. Toyo's, for example, are widely availble in Georgia & the Carolinas because they have a huge plant and warehouse near Atlanta.

 

[Ray-IN]

tire tier review IMO it is a pay to play review.
Where a tire is made has little to do with availability iMO. I bought 6 new Sailun truck tires 275/70R22.5 LR H, specified no older than 6 months. Three days later the tire shop called saying all 6 were 4 months old. They are made in Vietnam. Total cost $1,380 in 2017.

 

[youracman]

HRDWRK- Just my 'sperience FWIW:

Both PO's of my rig blew an inside dual while they owned the rig and so did I ...... each of the 3 tires was less than 5 y/o. The original owner damaged the black tank and had to install a new one .... one of those steel belts really did a number on it. Ouch.

I put on a set of Bridgestones on the road when I had the tire failure and never had another problem ..... went a little past 5 yrs on those. I just replaced those Bridgestones with Toyo Celcius Cargo tires. These are the type some of us (longer/heavier) Class C owners are going to for extra margin; e.g., in their load table, the Bridgestone "E" rated tires were rated at 2680 lb at 80psi in a "single configuration" (steer tires) ..... whereas the Toyo Celsius is rated at 3085 lb at 80psi. I bought these on line at tirebuyer.com ....... $1008 incl tax for 7 tires delivered to the installer here in Denver that I chose from their list. The installation was $150 incl spin balancing the steers (I have Centramatics on the duals so no balancing needed there.) Another brand is the Michelin Agilis Cross Climate C-metric..........more expensive.

My daughter just returned from a 2 week/ 2000 mile trip with the grandkids and she says she did not notice any difference in the ride or handling with these "Cargo" tires than in previous years. So we shall see.

Of course these tires do not increase my GVWR or GAWR's 1 pound ..... but I just like the added margin in the tires.........I have always felt those little old 16" dudes were a weak point.... but that's just me. I should mention that I belong to the "tires is cheaper'n bones" club. LOL

Good times and safe travels to ya.

On Edit: Wow! Just now noticed this thread is 6 months old. Bet the OP got his tires long ago. :^)