Replacing Hankook with Michelin LTX A/T2 LT245/75 R16

What Alain said--same for my 2007 Excel. I was also told by Phil not to install a steering damper.

ernie1 said:
I believe that the change PW made to the 2007 and newer Excels was to provide wheel spacers on the rear axles as standard equipment and then in later models rear sway bars. PW does not believe in steering dampers because they say it causes too much stress on the steering boxes.

You are right. I have a 2007 with the wheel spacers and later I added the same rear sway bar that PW installed in the new models 2008+.

Alain

graycountycoy:
I believe that the change PW made to the 2007 and newer Excels was to provide wheel spacers on the rear axles as standard equipment and then in later models rear sway bars. PW does not believe in steering dampers because they say it causes too much stress on the steering boxes.

When we purchased our 2013 PleasureWay Excel TS it come equipped with Hankook tires which I was not familiar with. One of my concerns when we purchased the PW was the poor handling. The comments on the forums varied from people who had no problems with handling to those who were having similar concerns as I was and I was honestly beginning to wonder if we had made a mistake buying the PW. Previously I had driven a 2500 HD Silverado Diesel for 7 years (every day) and when RV'ing pulled a 34 foot 5th wheel with it so one of my concerns was how much the "change" in vehicles was impacting on my expectations.

There are all kinds of "add-ons" people are installing on their vehicles to improve the handling but fortunately I was encouraged by another PW owner with an automotive engineering background to avoid them, do the basics and "just drive it".

The basics consisted of replacing the Hankook tires (the tire dealer allowed me $600. trade in against a set of new Michelins. He also recommended using one size larger (265) once he made sure they would clear the fenders when turning. This would give me a slightly larger footprint with more rubber on the road. This change made an immediate improvement. The next thing I did was an alignment using the PW specs (not Fords) and this made a terrific improvement. After he did the alignment the mechanic took the vehicle out for a drive and his comment was it was now driving absolutely straight but he noticed when it went over a crack in the pavement or a pothole he thought there was too strong a reaction which he referred to as "bump steer" and he wondered if it needed some kind of a steering dampener.

I took the vehicle to our local Ford dealer and after much pushing they installed (at my cost) a "steering damper" somewhat like a shock absorber on the steering. This immediately eliminated virtually any of the "bump" jerking effect on the steering even when we drive over a railway crossing.

Subsequently after doing some digging I learned that up to and including 2007 E350's Ford had been installing this steering dampener to correct the bump steer problem.

Bottom line with discussions I had with the retired automotive engineer, tire dealer, the alignment mechanic, PleasureWay Head Office (who are terrific) and tire change, alignment and finally installation of the steering dampener the vehicle handles very well. I would encourage anyone having problems to read, read, research, talk to PleasureWay H.O. (they are great), and avoid any hasty action which unfortunately you can get into if you just immediately react to the suggestions of everyone you talk to (mechanics and other PW/RV owners). This course of action will get you what you need and save you a lot of money and aggravation (well maybe not so much on aggravation).

studio_driver wrote:


If you make the switch to a different tire, please keep us posted on its performance.

I have finally completed my research and purchased a set of Copper AT3. I have tested them out on the highway and am very impressed with the handling and ride. We are heading west for the true test 4,000 miles and lots of back county camping!!! I will provide an update on the coppers performance.

Fastpaddler wrote:

Arizona Kid wrote:
Not all A/T tires are noisier on the highway. That's why I recommended the Goodyear Adventure with Kevlar.
They are a brand new tire with better A/T traction, and stiffer side walls than the Michelins, and are almost as quiet as a highway tire.
I think Michelins are a good tires, just think the Goodyear Adventure is a better fit for what the OP is looking for.
I will point out that we have had Michelins on other trucks, and they performed well, so I have experience with both.
Fastpaddler, you might find the review I posted of interest.

Thanks. Read several reports including yours. Seems you are correct. The new type A/Ts with Kevlar are going to be stronger and with the tougher sidewall one needs off road. ALso not noisy like most off road tires. Impressive. Haven't seen them locally but will check with KalTire dealer who has Goodyear brand.

AL

My dealer had to get them from Colorado. Only took 2 days.

Arizona Kid wrote:
Not all A/T tires are noisier on the highway. That's why I recommended the Goodyear Adventure with Kevlar.
They are a brand new tire with better A/T traction, and stiffer side walls than the Michelins, and are almost as quiet as a highway tire.
I think Michelins are a good tires, just think the Goodyear Adventure is a better fit for what the OP is looking for.
I will point out that we have had Michelins on other trucks, and they performed well, so I have experience with both.
Fastpaddler, you might find the review I posted of interest.

Thanks. Read several reports including yours. Seems you are correct. The new type A/Ts with Kevlar are going to be stronger and with the tougher sidewall one needs off road. ALso not noisy like most off road tires. Impressive. Haven't seen them locally but will check with KalTire dealer who has Goodyear brand.

AL

I had Hankooks on my 2007 Excel, We drove cross country and back, also east coast from Maine to Florida, fully loaded and we even towed a Jeep Liberty with them. We put on I believe 37,000 miles, rotated at every oil change, I run 80# rear and 65# front and we never had a problem. I also have the Hankooks on my current 2012 Excel with 6,000 miles and no problems to date.

I doubt that these have had any more problems with sidewalls than any other comparable tire. I also doubt that Ford would have continued using them if there was an increase danger of blowouts. I did get better "tread wear" on my 2004 with Goodyears, at 36,000 miles or so they still looked great whereas the Hankooks were near being ready for replacement.

I feel safe driving on them.

Nick

I don't have any real complaints about the Michelins LTX that came on my van. I found that by increasing the front tire pressure from the recommended 55 psi to 65 psi, it fixed the sway problem with cross winds and big trucks.
But, for a premium of $40 per tire I will buy the BFG KOs. If you are looking for increased traction, they will give you as much as you can get and yet be quiet on pavement.

My Michelins are about 4 months old and the date on he sidewalls is 6 months old. I don't drive offroad, what I notice is more sway from passing trucks etc. Yes, I have all the recommended improvements for Excel handling, the rig rode great before the tire change. It does not ride terrible now but I can tell the difference.
Wayne