Forum Discussion

aaronmt's avatar
aaronmt
Explorer
Jun 18, 2019

Tread design?

We have just picked up our first Class A,it's a Damon Challenger 348w.We have been long time truck campers.We tow/launch a 5500lb boat with our current set up(4wd dually) with zero issues.The coach we have has sat for quite a while and needs a lot of work but does only have 4k miles.I will be buying tires this week.As far as tread patterns do people get soley street tires on all 6 or rears with some tread? The tires are 245/70/19.5 it has 14ply on now but I'd prefer to go 16ply since I will be towing. Thanks Aaron
  • You may know this already but if not the Damon Challenger 348w hitch is only rated at 5000 lbs. You are likely over buy 500 lbs or more depending on how you determined your boat and trailer weight. I.E. did you account for fuel, other gear.
  • My class C had a mud and snow pattern tire on it. It was absolutly terrible. I now have a regular street tire on. What a huge differance that makes on the highway with wind.
  • You probably would be served well by a closed-shoulder moderate-block tread pattern. Open shoulders will decrease stability.

    A really popular on-road tire in the NW is the Toyo M154. If you use the coach in the winter, then Toyo M920 is a little more aggressive.

    Stay away from the cheap imports like Double Coin. I've never had one blow out, but traction is terrible and they never balance.

    I also like the Continental HSR, but they are pretty tough to find in the 245 size (225's are all over).
  • IB853347201 wrote:
    You may know this already but if not the Damon Challenger 348w hitch is only rated at 5000 lbs. You are likely over buy 500 lbs or more depending on how you determined your boat and trailer weight. I.E. did you account for fuel, other gear.


    The 5500 is a heavy as it would be fully loaded.I currently use a weight distribution hitch with our dually/ camper combo that is 19,500lb going down the road.I certainly am not opposed to upgrading the hitch on the Damon if its possible.I have been towing boats since I was 16 and am now 46 so I consider myself fairly knowledgeable on it.One thing I know for fact is listening to others that have done it before.Are there more substantial hitches available or is it more so have them made to fit? I looked on Etrailer and don't see motorhomes.I do know obviously I need to check the overall gvw on this as well.