Tires: Date Code approaching 10 yrs. Toyo or Yokohama?
Hey gang,
The Rig:
2004 Winnebago Journey 34H DP on the Freightliner / Cat chassis running fairly close to the GVWR of 27,910 (10,410F & 17,500R)
Original Tires:
Michelin 255/80R22.5 (proprietary size)
Current Tires:
Toyo M-154 265/75R22.5
Installed March of 2013, but have a 2012 date code.
Of course they appear to be in perfect shape with the standard, "whopping" 10,000 miles on them in all this time. They were babied and constantly covered. Zero checking. The rig runs super smooth down the road and I don't see any balancing on the 2013 invoice... though I'm leaning towards beads (with the appropriate stems) for their replacement.
1. I know most would have already replaced the steers a few years back, if not all 6. But I also hear folks talking about going over 10 years with tires in this kind of... exterior, visual shape. I'm inclined to err on the side of caution, but would like to hear your opinions.
2. I've narrowed the choices down to 2 models, primarily due to how closely they spec in size and load rating to the original Michelins; The aforementioned Toyo M-154s and the Yokohama RY103s. Both come in 265/75R22.5 and both are known to be made in the USA at last check. The tread appears to be a hair deeper on the Toyos... which MAY help in the rain, but it's not like that'll help with longevity on a motorhome. The tires spec at 99 and 98.3 lbs respectively. The Michelin at 90.
I had come across ONE... post on another site where some guy said Les Schwab (a western U.S. company) quit carrying Toyo because Toyo switched rubber compounds with adverse effects.
However, other posters state that it was Toyo who dropped Les Schwab, possibly because Schwab wouldn't agree to the Toyo warranty?
Others still... believe it came down to a "profit deal" for Schwab. Were Toyos getting too expensive for them?... vs. their current Falkens / Sumitomos?
So basically one poster out of a zillion... has called into question the quality of the Toyos for me.
I understand FIRE UP is a fan of the RY103s.
What are your thoughts on these 2 tires? And any others close to this size and price / quality range that I may have overlooked?
The Rig:
2004 Winnebago Journey 34H DP on the Freightliner / Cat chassis running fairly close to the GVWR of 27,910 (10,410F & 17,500R)
Original Tires:
Michelin 255/80R22.5 (proprietary size)
Current Tires:
Toyo M-154 265/75R22.5
Installed March of 2013, but have a 2012 date code.
Of course they appear to be in perfect shape with the standard, "whopping" 10,000 miles on them in all this time. They were babied and constantly covered. Zero checking. The rig runs super smooth down the road and I don't see any balancing on the 2013 invoice... though I'm leaning towards beads (with the appropriate stems) for their replacement.
1. I know most would have already replaced the steers a few years back, if not all 6. But I also hear folks talking about going over 10 years with tires in this kind of... exterior, visual shape. I'm inclined to err on the side of caution, but would like to hear your opinions.
2. I've narrowed the choices down to 2 models, primarily due to how closely they spec in size and load rating to the original Michelins; The aforementioned Toyo M-154s and the Yokohama RY103s. Both come in 265/75R22.5 and both are known to be made in the USA at last check. The tread appears to be a hair deeper on the Toyos... which MAY help in the rain, but it's not like that'll help with longevity on a motorhome. The tires spec at 99 and 98.3 lbs respectively. The Michelin at 90.
I had come across ONE... post on another site where some guy said Les Schwab (a western U.S. company) quit carrying Toyo because Toyo switched rubber compounds with adverse effects.
However, other posters state that it was Toyo who dropped Les Schwab, possibly because Schwab wouldn't agree to the Toyo warranty?
Others still... believe it came down to a "profit deal" for Schwab. Were Toyos getting too expensive for them?... vs. their current Falkens / Sumitomos?
So basically one poster out of a zillion... has called into question the quality of the Toyos for me.
I understand FIRE UP is a fan of the RY103s.
What are your thoughts on these 2 tires? And any others close to this size and price / quality range that I may have overlooked?
