Tires LT 225/75R16 load range E
Looking into replacing current tires, 5.5 yrs old on a E450. Looking at Michlein, Goodyear, Cooper, Continental, Handcock. They will be Out of Date long before tread wear is an issue. Comment...
Forum Discussion
Hang in there Ron!
I personally feel that there's a bit of a fear factor that's common regarding RV tire life - which nicely helps the bottom line of tire manufacturers. Probably a lot of this comes from the TT and 5'er RV world - which does scare me because of the extreme loads that their small diameter and high-rotational-speed tires have to tolerate from the extra heat generated via sidewall flexing. Of course sometimes only four tires on the TTs and 5'ers ... instead of our six Class C tires ... are having to carry the load and absorb the sidewall-flex heating.
Since Michelin has changed the material formulation of their common LT Load Range E RV tires (now called their "Defender" line), it looks like their premature sidewall cracking problem has been solved.
Our Class C's Michelins are probably coming up on five years this year and like your even older tires, show no signs at all of "being old". I run a full 80 lbs. in the rear to keep heating at a minimum back there.
FWIW, my 4X4 pickup's tires are 10-12 years old and sill have gobs of tread left and no sidewall cracking or bulges, but they are a large diameter to minimize rotational speed, and about the heaviest loads they carry is only around 1/2 cubic yards of quarry rocks in the bed or the tongue weight of a loaded horse trailer. This truck sits out in the weather all the time - and it's paint job looks far older than it's tires.
Other than dry rot and the sun's UV rays, it's sidewall flexing and the subsequent generated heat that ruins tires ... and I'm thinking that the generated heat from travel may be the worst.
All IMHO, of course.
I personally feel that there's a bit of a fear factor that's common regarding RV tire life - which nicely helps the bottom line of tire manufacturers. Probably a lot of this comes from the TT and 5'er RV world - which does scare me because of the extreme loads that their small diameter and high-rotational-speed tires have to tolerate from the extra heat generated via sidewall flexing. Of course sometimes only four tires on the TTs and 5'ers ... instead of our six Class C tires ... are having to carry the load and absorb the sidewall-flex heating.
Since Michelin has changed the material formulation of their common LT Load Range E RV tires (now called their "Defender" line), it looks like their premature sidewall cracking problem has been solved.
Our Class C's Michelins are probably coming up on five years this year and like your even older tires, show no signs at all of "being old". I run a full 80 lbs. in the rear to keep heating at a minimum back there.
FWIW, my 4X4 pickup's tires are 10-12 years old and sill have gobs of tread left and no sidewall cracking or bulges, but they are a large diameter to minimize rotational speed, and about the heaviest loads they carry is only around 1/2 cubic yards of quarry rocks in the bed or the tongue weight of a loaded horse trailer. This truck sits out in the weather all the time - and it's paint job looks far older than it's tires.
Other than dry rot and the sun's UV rays, it's sidewall flexing and the subsequent generated heat that ruins tires ... and I'm thinking that the generated heat from travel may be the worst.
All IMHO, of course.
