mtrumpet wrote:
OK. Thanks for all of the informative replies to my initial post/question. Clearly, there were a couple of details that I wasn't considering.
Don't know how this turned into a "this brand is better than this brand" thread (not my original question), but since it has, let me put this question out there....
How is it factually known that Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone/Firestone, etc. are "better" tires than Cooper, Toyo, Yokohama, Hankook, Sumitomo, Dunlop, Continental, etc.? Why? Because they're more expensive than the others? Because marketing literature says so? Perhaps because the popularity of the brand names indicates "popular name=higher quality"? I would like to know. Has there ever been any known statistical testing done on RV tires?
FWIW, I've been exclusively running Goodyear G670RV's on my motorhomes (current size, 275/70R22.5 LRH). However, given the current, ever increasing prices of not only the Goodyears, but the Michelin RV Tires as well, I find it hard to believe that they are the ONLY tires we could/should be "safely" running on Class A DP's as some would seem to have us believe. I feel that because "RV" is included in the model description, we're getting "jacked' for a couple of hundred extra bucks per tire.
Then again, I realize that I could be completely wrong...
The truth is matched pair front - I think you got that message.
The rest is personal preference; IMHO, all tires are SAFE, just for me I've run all the tires listed on something I've owned (from Tractor Trailers - Dump trucks - service trucks - 1/2 to 10 ton road trucks and a number of car, and vans personally.
I like a few others ran retreads on my Dumps and Trailers - many would last as long as 20 years (So if the side walls are still looking good I'll still run them) with multiple re/re/retreads in the end the casings that were normally still good after more than one retread were the Michelins - Thus my personal experience. My son talked me into a set of Toyo's last year for a Prius lasted 25,000 miles before they just fell apart, the 15$/ tire I saved was long gone when I purchased a new set of Michelins (the earlier set of Michelins went for just over 100K)
So my history is with Michelins - have never had one fail - unless it was cut or punctured, I cannot say that about any other tire that we have tried, during the 80's and 90's it was normal to be putting tags on as many as 50 vehicles every year, trust me most of these were "rode hard and put away wet" So today they only tire I will buy is a Michelin, they have never let me down so they will continue to be my choice.
JMHO,