Clas C and tires
I have been doing online research for the purchase of a new to us RV. A Class C is high on my list. Probably an E450 from about 2000 to 2004. I really want a dinette, sofa and a chair. That would mean...
Forum Discussion
Funny you mention Futura Scramblers... We cared for a friend's Class C for two years while he was deployed overseas. Ran it all over Florida with zero tire problems, even though the tires were old. Plenty of other problems, coach was 25 years old, just no tire problems. Till he got back and decided to sell the coach (Class C on '83 E350). Price was good, we knew everything we'd fixed, so we bought it. First time out after we'd bought it, left rear outer tire blew! Tore out the fender molding, loosened but didn't ruin the waste tank valves.
I called around, and ended up with Pep Boys and Futura Scrambler All Season Tires. They were 8.75R16.5D, very close to the price they gave you on 16's. They went on in 2000 and we sold the RV in 2009 after only about 12000 miles. Tires looked new, had even wear, and no sidewall checking. If you can get all the DOT information, you can learn Who made those tires and (in my opinion more importantly) Where. Everybody seems to have factories everywhere, and if Michelin had a plant in China, I don't think I'd buy those Michelins.
Big trucks (18-wheelers) run Steer, Drive, and Trailer Tires. Steer is more like Highway Rib, Drive can be more like All Season, and Trailer is well, Trailer. I'd heard that RVs tend to wander on the road and running Steer tires helps keep them straight. That'd apply to the 22.5" tires. Still, I went Rib on our current coach, hoping for better tracking on the road. That said, those Scramblers never let me down, and were better in rain than our current Ribs.
Oh, I got a price for six tires and had them mounted same day. Delayed our trip, but problem resolved. I told them the price was OK but I needed them to throw in a seventh tire for spare. They did. I never rotated the rears. Rotated Spare to Left Front, Left Front to Right Front, and Right Front to Spare a few times. You don't want a tire failure then find your spare fails in 50 miles when you have 100 to go. No point in not running a new spare either. They deteriorate in storage about the same as in use.
Which is WHY you want Fresh Production Dates on your new tires!
I called around, and ended up with Pep Boys and Futura Scrambler All Season Tires. They were 8.75R16.5D, very close to the price they gave you on 16's. They went on in 2000 and we sold the RV in 2009 after only about 12000 miles. Tires looked new, had even wear, and no sidewall checking. If you can get all the DOT information, you can learn Who made those tires and (in my opinion more importantly) Where. Everybody seems to have factories everywhere, and if Michelin had a plant in China, I don't think I'd buy those Michelins.
Big trucks (18-wheelers) run Steer, Drive, and Trailer Tires. Steer is more like Highway Rib, Drive can be more like All Season, and Trailer is well, Trailer. I'd heard that RVs tend to wander on the road and running Steer tires helps keep them straight. That'd apply to the 22.5" tires. Still, I went Rib on our current coach, hoping for better tracking on the road. That said, those Scramblers never let me down, and were better in rain than our current Ribs.
Oh, I got a price for six tires and had them mounted same day. Delayed our trip, but problem resolved. I told them the price was OK but I needed them to throw in a seventh tire for spare. They did. I never rotated the rears. Rotated Spare to Left Front, Left Front to Right Front, and Right Front to Spare a few times. You don't want a tire failure then find your spare fails in 50 miles when you have 100 to go. No point in not running a new spare either. They deteriorate in storage about the same as in use.
Which is WHY you want Fresh Production Dates on your new tires!
