Michelin tires

Smitty77 wrote:
OP - Sorry your tires were cracking at that age - no doubt about it, the wallet gets dipped into when this happens:)!

Can you share whether or not you exercise your coach, and tires, on a semi regular 4-6 week interval? Or, does your coach sometimes sit for longer periods between trips. Or are you a full timer and put many miles on per month? I'm asking, because how the tire is maintained/exercised, could have a baring on how long it will last.

And just a general comment. Naming a brand of tire, like Michelin, and saying anything about it - is relatively meaningless without knowing the specific model. (Sort of like some driving a Ford Pinto, saying that 'Ford's are slow!' - Well a GT40 owner might have a differing perspective on 'Ford's'...) Specific's matter, and can help others as they research. (Just my opinion:)!).

And tires are very much like Dino vs Syn, or Chevy vs Ford, or (Whatever vs Whatever) - people have different experiences with a 'Brand' - and anyone who does not see the wisdom in using 'that brand' - well, they might as well just move on down the road...

And larger manufactures of any product, have many variants and models - sometimes one will suck. But to say all of the products from that manufactures 'suck' is not always true and or fair.

Ford for example, had the Pinto Fuel Tank issue. Chevy had the Nadar(SP?) Corvair issue. Audi had the false Sudden Acceleration of I believe the early 5000 issue. Michelin certainly had problem with their 'Passenger like XRV tires for RV's, believe this was the famous Zipper Tire. Heck, Ford Explorer's had the evil Firestone tires...

To say everything is bad from a manufacturer from a problem with one product, well...

Many good tires available. Many times at different price points. And lower cost, does not always mean lower quality. And higher cost, does not always mean high quality.

I do have mostly Micelin's (And practicing what I preached above, first set I put on were XZE*'s. Due to a deep sharp edged pot hole I had to replace two tires during a Michelin tire shortage period. Ended up with 2 BF Goodrich ST230, which also seemed to be a solid, good bang for the buck tire. The current set of tires, are Michelin XZA2's.)

My next set? Well, it's out about 5-6 years - and who knows what I'll go with. No problem with Hankook's, Cooper, Toyo's, Bridgestone, Continetal, Yokohama to name a few. I don't shop by price alone, I research and shop based upon several criteria, of which price is towards the bottom of the decision process.

I suspect that if I'd bought a set of any tires, and felt I had maintained and exercised them well, and they started to crack earlier then I felt they should of - yep, I'd be not too anxious to try another of the same 'model' of tire. But I would not eliminate the manufacturer based upon one set of of one model that had a problem...

OK, done rambling. And now excuse me, I must get over to my HiFi forums. Some members are insisting that Digital can sound as good as Analog - well, what are they thinking???!!! (LP's a spinning, tubes a glowing - oh yeah HiFi:)!)...

Best to all, have fun, be safe,
Smitty

Well said.

On your last note, I too am an analog man (with tubes and LPs). I have a D to A converter and a tube headphone amp in my MH and take a pair of Audioquest NightOwls with me when we go out. Long live analog!!

Al

OP - Sorry your tires were cracking at that age - no doubt about it, the wallet gets dipped into when this happens:)!

Can you share whether or not you exercise your coach, and tires, on a semi regular 4-6 week interval? Or, does your coach sometimes sit for longer periods between trips. Or are you a full timer and put many miles on per month? I'm asking, because how the tire is maintained/exercised, could have a baring on how long it will last.

And just a general comment. Naming a brand of tire, like Michelin, and saying anything about it - is relatively meaningless without knowing the specific model. (Sort of like some driving a Ford Pinto, saying that 'Ford's are slow!' - Well a GT40 owner might have a differing perspective on 'Ford's'...) Specific's matter, and can help others as they research. (Just my opinion:)!).

And tires are very much like Dino vs Syn, or Chevy vs Ford, or (Whatever vs Whatever) - people have different experiences with a 'Brand' - and anyone who does not see the wisdom in using 'that brand' - well, they might as well just move on down the road...

And larger manufactures of any product, have many variants and models - sometimes one will suck. But to say all of the products from that manufactures 'suck' is not always true and or fair.

Ford for example, had the Pinto Fuel Tank issue. Chevy had the Nadar(SP?) Corvair issue. Audi had the false Sudden Acceleration of I believe the early 5000 issue. Michelin certainly had problem with their 'Passenger like XRV tires for RV's, believe this was the famous Zipper Tire. Heck, Ford Explorer's had the evil Firestone tires...

To say everything is bad from a manufacturer from a problem with one product, well...

Many good tires available. Many times at different price points. And lower cost, does not always mean lower quality. And higher cost, does not always mean high quality.

I do have mostly Micelin's (And practicing what I preached above, first set I put on were XZE*'s. Due to a deep sharp edged pot hole I had to replace two tires during a Michelin tire shortage period. Ended up with 2 BF Goodrich ST230, which also seemed to be a solid, good bang for the buck tire. The current set of tires, are Michelin XZA2's.)

My next set? Well, it's out about 5-6 years - and who knows what I'll go with. No problem with Hankook's, Cooper, Toyo's, Bridgestone, Continetal, Yokohama to name a few. I don't shop by price alone, I research and shop based upon several criteria, of which price is towards the bottom of the decision process.

I suspect that if I'd bought a set of any tires, and felt I had maintained and exercised them well, and they started to crack earlier then I felt they should of - yep, I'd be not too anxious to try another of the same 'model' of tire. But I would not eliminate the manufacturer based upon one set of of one model that had a problem...

OK, done rambling. And now excuse me, I must get over to my HiFi forums. Some members are insisting that Digital can sound as good as Analog - well, what are they thinking???!!! (LP's a spinning, tubes a glowing - oh yeah HiFi:)!)...

Best to all, have fun, be safe,
Smitty

wolfe10 wrote:

navigator2346 wrote:

Bruce Brown wrote:
^^^ Just wondering what other brands you've tried. In our case both times we've taken the Michelins off the ride was improved with the other brand tire.

Really hard to tell the difference in ride quality when comparing an old tire to a new one of any brand.

In my case, I just replaced 92,000 mile Michelin's with new Michelin's of the same model and the ride improved.

Explain that

You just did-- new rubber is more flexible than old rubber! That is why virtually all comments are "my new tires ride much better than my old ones"-- irrespective of brand.

That is what I am getting at. Hard to compare old with new.

In our case, the Michelins we took off our '03 were only a few months old. The Yokohamas we replaced them with were noticeably better.

Age wasn't an issue in that case.

navigator2346 wrote:

Bruce Brown wrote:
^^^ Just wondering what other brands you've tried. In our case both times we've taken the Michelins off the ride was improved with the other brand tire.

Really hard to tell the difference in ride quality when comparing an old tire to a new one of any brand.

In my case, I just replaced 92,000 mile Michelin's with new Michelin's of the same model and the ride improved.

Explain that

You just did-- new rubber is more flexible than old rubber! That is why virtually all comments are "my new tires ride much better than my old ones"-- irrespective of brand.

Bruce Brown wrote:
^^^ Just wondering what other brands you've tried. In our case both times we've taken the Michelins off the ride was improved with the other brand tire.

Really hard to tell the difference in ride quality when comparing an old tire to a new one of any brand.

In my case, I just replaced 92,000 mile Michelin's with new Michelin's of the same model and the ride improved.

Explain that

I used Toyos for a couple sets. They improved handling.
I now run Double Coins. Their ride is very similar to Toyos and get a little better wear.

^^^ Just wondering what other brands you've tried. In our case both times we've taken the Michelins off the ride was improved with the other brand tire.

sailor_lou wrote:
Even if it is true the cause of the Michelin cracking is due to the low mileage. Doesn't logic dictate they are a poor tire choice for a majority of RVer's who only average around 6k miles/yr?

Based on what I have read and some personal experience with other tire manufacturers, I don't see that Michelins are worth the additional cost for your average RVer. Just my $0.02.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

Frankly, I'm not really interested in the majority of RV'ers, just with what works best for me. And the Michelin's do just that. Their softer sidewalls give me a better ride when inflated to the pressures I need for the weighed axle loads. This translates to less wear and tear on the RV body and interior and less shake, rattle and roll as I go down the road. A smoother ride also means less overall daily fatigue as I run repeated 600-700+ mile days, which is our standard mode of travel. For others who travel differently to different destinations at different frequency, other choices may work better. This does not mean that Michelin's are junk, but rather might be the ideal choice for some and a very bad choice for others.

Even if it is true the cause of the Michelin cracking is due to the low mileage. Doesn't logic dictate they are a poor tire choice for a majority of RVer's who only average around 6k miles/yr?

Based on what I have read and some personal experience with other tire manufacturers, I don't see that Michelins are worth the additional cost for your average RVer. Just my $0.02.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy