Michelin LTX M/S Tires Issue

bdipper wrote:
I recently had tread loss from OEM 225 16 Michelin LTX on a 2011 E450. 33,000 miles. Did not lose pressure and tires were not hot or overloaded. Discount Tire replaced for $35. RV not at home, so I am not positive but believe original the replacement were M S, not M S 2.
Not sure what is going on here, but I am a bit nervous about the other 5 tires.
Ralph

As a follow-up, dealer did inspect the other tires.
Ralph

pnichols wrote:
Dan,

I know what you printed in your OP, but ... just as a double-check ... was your destroyed tire "M&S" or "M&S2"?

I would have thought that Michelin was no longer making M&S tires and all inventories, everywhere, had been purged by the time your RV was built? Otherwise, why did Michelin introduce the new M&S2 design in the first place? If I'm right, I wonder why/how your 2011 RV still came with the M&S tires?

When my M&S tires needed replacing in 2011 I became aware of the new M&S2 tire and specifically directed the tire shop to NOT install the over-20-year-old-design M&S tire. The M&S2 uses some different materials in it's construction and I'm hoping that this fairly new design solves the aging problems that are occuring with the older M&S tire.

It was the M/S that came apart. They replaced the spare last week with the M/S2. I did talk to one dealer at that time that said they still had at least one M/S in stock.

To bdipper: I would call Michelin and talk to them. I think they know there is a problem with these tires.

To one of the other poster: I have not driven over 65 on this trip, and have never gone even 70 for any length of time.

UPDATE: when I talked with Michelin this morning, the rep suggested that they have a dealer inspect all the original tires.

I recently had tread loss from OEM 225 16 Michelin LTX on a 2011 E450. 33,000 miles. Did not lose pressure and tires were not hot or overloaded. Discount Tire replaced for $35. RV not at home, so I am not positive but believe original the replacement were M S, not M S 2.
Not sure what is going on here, but I am a bit nervous about the other 5 tires.
Ralph

Dan,

I know what you printed in your OP, but ... just as a double-check ... was your destroyed tire "M&S" or "M&S2"?

I would have thought that Michelin was no longer making M&S tires and all inventories, everywhere, had been purged by the time your RV was built? Otherwise, why did Michelin introduce the new M&S2 design in the first place? If I'm right, I wonder why/how your 2011 RV still came with the M&S tires?

When my M&S tires needed replacing in 2011 I became aware of the new M&S2 tire and specifically directed the tire shop to NOT install the over-20-year-old-design M&S tire. The M&S2 uses some different materials in it's construction and I'm hoping that this fairly new design solves the aging problems that are occuring with the older M&S tire.

I recommend moving to an all-steel tire for better durability. All steel tires have steel in the sidewalls, instead of polyester belts, that have the added benefit of protecting your tire should you scrape it against curbs. These tires are designed for commercial use where the vehicle can be operated fully loaded 24/7.

I switched to the Bridgestone Duravis M895 M+S rated tires a while back and have about 2000 miles on them. The weight per tire difference is significant, 53 lbs/tire for these tire vs 40 lbs/tire for the old tires.

The Bridgestones have a Q speed rating which is a limit of 99 miles/hr. The maximum sustained speed I have driven with them is 65 mi./hr.

Here is the tread pattern, note the sidewall protector ribs:

How To File a Tire Failure Complaint

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26576898.cfm

Tire Failure Analysis

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26576852.cfm

If the dealer can't find a cause for damage, I would guess they are defective.

All my tread separations (Cooper STEs, three tires on one trip) have been caused by tire overheating. but they were also known to have this problem. I caught them each as they started riding rough, didn't wait for the separating tread to blow.

You can be within weight limits, properly inflated, and still throw treads because the road is too hot or you are going too fast. At the size and load for these tire on a C motorhome, there is not much safety margin to cover adverse road and speed conditions. Also, with steel belted truck tires, running at highway speeds for just a few miles underinflated by 20% will do damage that can show up much later as tread separation.

I would not replace these with a LTX tire, not even the new ones. I replaced LTX M/S with XPS at six years. This is a substantially heavier tire with steel body cords, as well as the belts, but it has lower speed ratings.Goodyear and Bridgestone also offer all-steel truck tires in this size, Goodyear with an aramid belt ply, but you don't get warranty credit switching brands.