Tires LT 225/75R16 load range E

Ron,

While we agree on most things your continued use of 11+ year-old tires gives me the willies... I know you know better. Your operating load and storage conditions in no way mitigate the fact that tires time out. I hope I am wrong but IMHO: yours are a disaster just waiting to happen.

Given the critical interface between your rig and the road which = "tires' I cannot imagine pushing the envelope much less to such an extreme. I wish you luck but obviously you have already had your share...

But enough thread drift, go buy a new set of Michelins! :S

As always... Opinions and YMMV.

:B

I use XPS rib Michelin tires due to steel sidewall construction and same tires on most UPS/FEDEX trucks. Needing new tires this year as 5 years has rolled around again and tread life is still excellent. Just have always felt safer with Michelin tires on my vehicles and especially going 60mph in a 28' motorhome. I do air down to 20psi when driving on the beaches of NC and another reason for the steel sidewall construction protection. All 6 tires will cost around $1700+ to install but just another cost of ownership.

Hi jcsb,

You did not include some critical information for me.
- What chassis model and year?
- What RV brand, model, and year?
- What tire pressure you operate at with consideration to your actual load
- How do you store your rig when not in-use, indoor, outdoor?

Our rig.......
- Less than 24 feet long
- 158" wheel base
- Operating tire pressure 65psi.
- Rig stored in climate control year round
Because our operating load is significantly less than max, and our storage conditions are ideal, we safely extend the use of our tires. I am "pushing" it, ready to buy new tires before our next major trip out west. I am embarrassed to say that the Michelin tires on our 2007 E350 are all the originals. No bulges, no cracks, no flats (no patches), all has been well. They have 40,000 miles on them with decent thread remaining, even-wear on the 4 rears, not so much on the 2 lighter-loaded fronts from failed front shock absorbers.

If you have a max-load very heavy rig running 80psi in any of the tires, I would consider those higher "E" rated tires which handle an additional ~500 pounds per tire. They have a "C" in the code. Some need 90psi to handle the max load, others need only 83psi. The 83psi tires work with the standard 80psi steel rims on E-series. They would surely be worth a looking into.

You might want to check out Toyo Open Country H/T LT225/75R-16 10 Ply E. I have replaced tires on two Winnies now with these and very happy with them, I have found the ride as good or better than Michelin. I also have gone with Borg "Dually Valves" on the rear duals. The tire store I use installs them with the new tires at no additional charge.

Whatever your final tire decision, confirm with the tire shop before they start the work that they'll have the necessary tire valve stems - preferably by far, metal ones - for your wheels, in the length you prefer. In January, I had all six tires replaced on my RV. The truck tire manager at the tire shop inspected the valve stems and said they all looked OK, but it turned out the two fronts were too funky for re-use. I now have one valve stem that sticks out past the tire, all ready to get knocked off if I lose an argument with a curb, and one that's just the right length to make installing a tire pressure monitoring system valve cap/sender impossible (if I decide to do that later). I've got a Mercedes-based RV, and Mercedes requires oddball valve stems; you may not have an issue with your rig (Ford, right?). But check and be certain.

I've purchased the right length stems, from Borg, and the tire shop's going to put them on for no charge; but it's an extra trip to the next town over (although it is close to the Habitat ReStore, so I can go treasure hunting). I'm currently waiting for the backyard to dry out a little - which it's not going to do soon, since we're continuing to get rain every couple of days - so I can be confident about getting the RV out and back in.

We went with the Michelin XPS rib tires. tried other brands first but the Michelins are the best for us. Ride better, steer much better and are quieter on our 2005 Itasca class c. Plus they never leak air like the other brands did..

Dave

Are you looking Highway/Street, Combo Street/Off road, or Off Road? If the bulk of your travel is on paved smooth roads, the recommendation would be far different compared to if you spend time on unimproved roads. In my case I had the Kumho Creugen HT51 tires but due to the terrain I travel, the tire dealer switched me to Kumho Road Venture MT's. So, how you will be using the tire and the terrain you're traveling will dictate any recommendation, otherwise we're shooting blind.

We do fairly low miles per year so no need for expensive Michelins. Happy with the KUMHO Creugen HT51s.

http://www.kumhotire.ca/en/tire/category/truck-suv/2C47E8C9-EDD6-4094-A41D-F938F1D3231D

X3 on the michelins.

I also like Michelins, use them on almost all my vehicles, but needed to replace tires on my class c before a big trip in 2014 and Michelins were very hard to find due to the recall mentioned above so I bought Toyo HT's. VERY happy with them and, like the M's, they are winter rated so legal for winter trips.