Michelin LT 225/75r16.....your opinion?

[stew9483]

Hey all, I am sure this has been posted somewhere before but I just purchased a 2015 32 foot Thor Chateau model 31E in September. It has 3000 miles on it and comes equipped with the michelin lt225/75r16 tires. For those of you who have had these on there Class C, what is your opinion of them? Do they hold up well? Just curious since mine is a large Class C if they will last. Scared to death of a potential blow out so I keep them aired up and clean and covered all the time. Please share your opinions if you have personally had these on yours. Thank you in advance.

[stew9483]

Thanks j-d, I will look for that label and yes I plan to have it weight in the spring. I do know ours has a 223 inch wheel base and the manual says its axle weight rating is 5000 front and 9,600 on the rear. Thanks for the info.

[j-d]

stew9483 wrote:
How do I know if the axles are at maximum load? Shouldnt the manufacture take that in consideration when they build these Motorhomes?

I don't know if it's a mandated item these days, but at least some RV builders weigh each unit before shipment and print that number on the INTERIOR label. Much larger than anything that'll fit in a cab door jamb, it's usually glued to the inside of a cabinet or closet door. The number may be called "UVW" for Unloaded Vehicle Weight. But say somebody opted in on a spare tire and it's on a rear bumper rack. That's not only nearly 100-pounds. It's also nearly 100 10- or 12-feet back of the rear axle. That weight applies a leveraged amount to the rear axle and actually reduces weight on the front axle.

All this is why I suggested earlier: GO WEIGH THE THING!

Some coach builders leave very little carrying capacity, and some use such a short wheelbase that the rear is overloaded and the front doesn't carry the 1/3 of loaded weight that it needs for proper tracking on the road.

GO WEIGH IT. If you have a toad, tow it onto the scale. Report will say:

Steer - Your Front Axle weight
Drive - Your Rear Axle weight
Trailer - Total Weight of Toad

[stew9483]

pnichols wrote:
On a 32 foot Class C motorhome I would not be completely happy with only Load Range E tires either - but good luck finding a way to install Load Range G tires on it without an expensive rim change to go along with the tire change.

What is really needed (by some of us Class C owners), is a Michelin Load Range G tire that is made for 16 inch rims. I would even like that on our small Class C motorhome.

Of course another concern with a Class C motorhome that large is being near maximum load on it's rear axle, or front axle, or both axles. This is the case whether it be on the Ford E450 cbassis or the Chevy 4500 chassis.

How do I know if the axles are at maximum load? Shouldnt the manufacture take that in consideration when they build these Motorhomes?

[pnichols]

On a 32 foot Class C motorhome I would not be completely happy with only Load Range E tires either - but good luck finding a way to install Load Range G tires on it without an expensive rim change to go along with the tire change.

What is really needed (by some of us Class C owners), is a Michelin Load Range G tire that is made for 16 inch rims. I would even like that on our small Class C motorhome.

Of course another concern with a Class C motorhome that large is being near maximum load on it's rear axle, or front axle, or both axles. This is the case whether it be on the Ford E450 cbassis or the Chevy 4500 chassis.

[stew9483]

Thank you all for the input and comments. Makes me feel better. I have always had good service from Michelin tires. The GVWR on my coach is 14,500 lbs and the GCWR rating is 22,000 lbs. I pulled it up on Thors web site. Its the same on models 26B thru 31W.

[midnightsadie]

I have the mich ms 2 on out MH ,ours weighs, 10k and there just great, ride smooth ,you can,t buy a better tire. back some years mich had a recall ,but the M S 2 is the newer tire.

[352]

The best there is. But please look at the tire closely. There is a place on the tire that says DOT with numbers thereafter . It is on one side of the tire or the other. Call your local tire shop and ask them what year the tires were manufactured in. If over four years old replace them. I can tell you from experience from two blowouts on 5 year old tires that it is not worth it. The blown out tires were garaged with no dry rot and 5 years old. And if someone on Facebook said I lied would you believe them?

[3oaks]

chinook440 wrote:
Just my opinion of course but that size tire on a 32' motorhome is pushing the limits . .That same size tire and load range is used on 19' passenger vans .

That's what I thought too. Of course, I don't know anything about motor homes. Does the placard inside the door frame specify what size tire the motor home originally came with?

[chinook440]

Just my opinion of course but that size tire on a 32' motorhome is pushing the limits . .That same size tire and load range is used on 19' passenger vans .

[j-d]

Once you are set up for a trip: People, supplies, equipment, fuel... Go weigh the coach at a truck stop (politically correct term is Travel Center). Adjust tire pressure to match load using Michelin's RV Tire Chart. Bear in mind those weights are individual corners so half the scale weight or double the corner weight, then set the pressure. New tires, new Michelins, no doubt MS/2's, no worries. IF it turns out you're very close to max axle loads (see door sticker, should be 5000-Front, 9500-Rear), then on replacement, I might do an upgrade to a higher line tire in the same size like Michelin XPS Rib or Bridgestone Duravis R250.

IF you have a spare, I'd suggest rotating it with the two front tires. Leave the rears in place.

What do you have for Valve Stems? The BORG (Dually Valve) or Tire-Man is the way to go with rears. For Front and Spare, just be sure they're all-metal (fastened with a nut) and at least 2" long, 2-1/2" better.

[IAMICHABOD]

On that year they are probably the new ones. Most are now.Here is an earlier thread on them.

Clicky

[stew9483]

Not scared of them but just heard from someone on facebook that claims there not a good choice. I trust real RV people on here. So I am asking the people that have owned them. Date is good. Its on a 2015 model.

[Itchey_Feet]

Have you checked the date on the tires yet, what is the reason you are scared of them?