tireman9

Brett Bout time you got the TPMS. Wouldn't bother with the IR unless you just need an excuse to get out of the way when Dianne starts cooking. Surface temps are not really meaningful as rubber is a great insulator so it doesn't transfer heat quickly to the surface which is cooled by the moving air. The other problem is that you would need to be sure to target the same small spot on the shoulder of the tire every time you get a reading as surface temps will vary by over 50°F within a 0.25" distance. This info based on my use of a $10k IR camera that could take readings every 0.01 sec over very small areas (down to 0.03") and do this on a tire running on a test drum at 50 mph. RE: Thumpers. Controlled testing has shown that 95% of experienced truck drivers, most of whom claim to be able to accurately tell if a tire is OK, are usually off by 20 psi or more. Being 20 psi low on a tire that requires 100psi means it is considered "flat" as far as tire companies are concerned so if you can't identify a "flat" tire the thumper is really not much value. But glad you made it to the 21st century.

You didn't say if you have steel or aluminum wheels. Tire Rack has a nice post (aimed at cars & LT) but still worth reading. Personally unless I was installing new wheels or had painted the wheel or hubs other than a check after 50 miles I have never worried about re-torquing wheels but then again I use a torque wrench and not just an impact wrench when installing my wheels. New wheels and anytime you applied paint would dictate checking torque as the wheel needs to seat fully against the lugs and the paint does squeese out a bit which will change the torque value. Never torque a hot wheel as the metal has expanded so you will get a false reading.

On my Blog RVTireSafety I have two brand new posts that address the question of Tire Quality. The first is "How good are Chinese tires?? and the second responds to some comments from individuals that took exception to my first post. It is titled "Why are bad tires on the road" In the second post I issue a challenge to the RV community to actually make the effort to report accurate details and information to the US Dept of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on any tire failures they have experienced. If you believe the posts about "China Bombs" you will be especially interested in both of these blog posts. Note in the second post there is even a mention on 84 claimed "failures" of Michelin XRV tires (many of which are actually Run Low Flex failures,so this is not just about tires made in China). If you have had a tire failure, not due to puncture, valve failure, run low, impact or overload, here is a link to the appropriate form to file an official complaint directly to NHTSA. You will need ACCURATE tire information if you want NHTSA to consider starting an investigation. Here is the list of the information you need to collect before you start to fill out the form: Tire Brand such as Big Round Tire Company Tire Line such as Mud Wumper 4 Size w/Load Range such as LT225/75R13 LR-D not 295-16 22 ply Component. Identify the area that failed such as Tread, belt, Sidewall or Bead Full DOT ALL 11 or 12 letters and numbers <Most important to be accurate and complete Vehicle Year, make & Model Vehicle VIN The link is also is provided in the second post along with some examples of what not to include in your complaint. All I ask is that if you file a report, please make the effort to provide complete and accurate information. NHTSA bases the use of their limited resources on the severity of injury or damage and the quantity and quality of data included in the complaint form. Do not expect there to be an investigation if you are the only person reporting a problem with a particular tire. Remember they are focused on safety so just some inconvenience is not as important as a fatality or injury crash caused by a defective product.

Here is a full DOT for those not sure what they are looking for. This tire was cured the 51st week of 2007 3rd week in December. This is from a passenger tire but DOT marking codes are esentially the same for all tires sold for highway use in the USA.

mrboyer Find yourself a new tire dealer. RE Balance I expand on the topic here. The comments about first checking for runout is spot on. Remember you can balance a cinder block but I think the ride would not be great. General info on TBR size tires for Class-A motorhomes

Here is a link to more detailed info on Elevation (Altitude) change. Brett offers good advice on the minimum suggested inflation pressure. If you want more detail you can check this link.

Brett I only have limited information as I was not directly involved. The best I could discover was it was definately a larger tire. The Adjuster used that as the excuse that since the mileage was no longer accurate and the warranty was based on miles, the change voided the warranty. The Owner said they tried to argue with the adjuster and said they would accept a couple % decrease in the warranty life but according to the owner the adjuster was adamant. The current repair estimate was large enough that the Ins co would not approve the repair until the adjuster viewed the RV so it obviously was not a small claim. It appears the policy cancelation definitely worked to the insurance company benefit. In the brief discussion with the owner the conclusion we came to was that the insurance co was just looking for an excuse to avoid paying for repairs. The owner did say they were told they would get got a partial refund of their payments. (payments minus previous claims). Looks to me the Ins co was looking for a loop hole. My advice is to get something in writing from your insurance co if you are considering changing tire size. Nothing saying they have to be logical on their exclusions. Sorry I can't provide more details.

New Information for Don and possibly others. This week while at the Gypsy Journal Rally in Celina, OH I spoke with an RV owner who had their Extended Warranty canceled. They were having warranty work done but the adjuster who inspected the problem took a picture of their tires and of the RV placard then informed the owner that their policy was canceled because they had changed tire size. I’m not saying this is reasonable or that it will happen to others but in my opinion if one company uses this as an excuse to not cover some repairs others might also. People might want to take a close look at their policy before making a tire size change.

Are you sure the wheels are OK? According to Michelin data http://www.michelinr...tion-tables.jsp their XZA2 295/80R22.5 LRH tires are rated 7830# @ 120psi single and 6940# @ 120psi dual for each tire and their XZA2 315/80R22.5 LRL is rated at 9090# # @ 130 psi single and 8270# @ 130 psi dual for each tire. You didn't mention the brand wheel but if you have Accuride I am surprised that you were given 9.00" "Heavy Load" rims from Newmar/Spartan as that is what would be required to carry the 9090# at 130 psi. If you have Alcoa I wonder if you can provide the wheel part number as according to Alcoa their 22.5x8.25 wheel is rated for 8,050# max. http://www.accuridew...om/hubpilot.pdf http://www.alcoa.com...3901&cat_id=918 Also Michelin specifies 13.8 vs 13.2 minimum dual spacing. I think the Accuride wheels deliver 14.1 spacing but the Alcoa seems to be 13.32 which is OK for the 295 but not for the 315. Note its been a while since I figured dual tire wheel offset so I could be off on this dimension. Given the general level of "lowest cost part" mentality in the RV industry I would be very surprised if even Newmar would spend the extra bucks to provide the heavier wheel as OE, when your coach didn't need the increased inflation or capacity to meet DOT placard requirements. Would really like to see part numbers and data so I can learn where I might be wrong.

I have a post that covers rotation and matching duals. Pictures of the result of the RV manufacturer not setting alignment of the RV when new in the post.

I have a different brand TPMS but also occasionally lost signals. I traced the problem to radio interferance! I had installed a small back-up camera that was wireless from the rear of MH to the control box up front. Never had problems if the camera system was powered down. Ended up removing the camera and have had zero lost signals from TPMS in last three months which included two week long trips.

Wayne You might find my Sept 1 post on my Blog of interest. Focus on "I had a blowout"

I understand the reports of valve extensions leaking. However is the bolt in metal valves in the wheels have new rubber O-rings and the braded steel extensions are carefully threaded onto the valves and the hose is firmly mounted to prevent movement I see no reason for them to leak if they don't leak when initially attached. I have 15,850 miles on mine and my TPMS - inside tire mount - check tire pressure about every 15 to 30 seconds while driving. A quick spray with soapy water will show a leak. By the way I will use your experience as a teaching opportunity (minus your name) in my next Tire Seminar at Madison FMCA Convention and hopefully others will be able to avoid tire failure and the expense of replacing two tires by installing a TPMS.

I have read your post on the subsequent "Zipper" failure. I note in this post you say the tires were inspected. Did the tire tech dismount the tires and inspect the interior or did he just look at the outside of the tires?

Dayton is part of the Bridgestone/Firestone family. I believe Dayton truck tires are made in same plant with many of the same materials as used in other brands from the company. You can check HERE to see which plant made the tire. A few things to consider when selecting a tire brand: Where can you get the tire serviced or have Warranty work done? Does the company offer or include any road-side assistance? How big is their dealer network? Will you be able to get service near-by or will you have to return to the store that sold you the tires originally?

A general comment on Truck vs RV tires from a Tire Development Engineer. If we stay with the same size and Load Range, some tires may have some extra anti-ozone chemicals built into the sidewall but I am not aware of any meaningful structural difference other than advertised differences such as tread depth and pattern, both of which can affect ride & handling as well as long term durability and fuel economy. If you read the materials listed on the sidewall you will see that most tires for Class-A have one body ply of steel. The tread area may have three or four steel belts but usually the difference here is also related to expected usage which also involved different tread depth and tread pattern. Given that most tires on RV "age out" rather than "wear out" I would probably shop around for the tire with the shallowest tread as that would in all likelihood also give best fuel economy as well as be of lower cost with the possibility of better ride too. When you are inflating a tire to 100psi there is not too big of a difference in ride between tires when you do controlled back to back tire evaluations which in the real world probably no one here has ever done unless they have worked as a tire development engineer for one of the big tire manufacturers or a big car manufacturer. This type of testing involves running at identical loads & speeds over a specific set of road conditions with no traffic to hinder the test. When you get to the fine points there is no radio playing and the AC is off and all windows are closed so noise is not masked either. While an experienced & trained evaluation engineer might be able to feel a minor difference, most times the difference is well below the sensory threshold of 98% of every day drivers. Switching from shallow tread 6 year old tires to new tires is apples to oranges comparison as tread depth alone will vastly overshadow any possible construction difference.

I agree with Brett and have more extensive info on Nitrogen in my Blog

Haven't heard of any RV going that route. SIGNIFICANT up-front costs associated with buying the new wheels. Weight savings is only of real concern to truckers who are weight limited by most state laws. Fuel economy is probably improved but you will need lots of miles to offset the up front costs. Do you drive 50 - 100k a year? If so it might work out otherwise I doubt it. Note I worked designing "Wide Base" singles many years ago and there are savings to be had at the OE level where the cost of the special wheels and special tires is partially of-set by savings in the cost of 4 standatd wheels and 4 standard tires. but if doing a changeover you don't get thatat savings.

John No reason to be confused. What size are you currently running? ( Note to anyone reading this post. It ALWAYS is a good idea to include the current size and type and load range of the tires you currently are running when you start a thread on tire replacement)

Well so far I have received one PM with actual corner loads. Since I am presenting a seminar "Tire Basics for RV Owner" at Madison, WI Convention, I would really like some data from FMCA members and not have to depend on the other club members to provide actual data. I am sure there must be a few here who have had their coach weighed by RVSEF at a convention sometime.

Gary, FYI To my knowledge with the exception of a few passenger size tires going to OE with volumes exceeding aprox 10,000 a month, all tires are batch made, no matter the company. I have heard of similar supply issues with some Bridgestone, Goodyear and some Firestone items so this situation is not unique to Michelin.

John if you look at the Michelin listing you can then look at all the Micheline tires. If you click on the left ALL TIRES you will see the full list X XZ XZU XZY3 XCA XPS XRV XS XTE2 (wb) XZA XZA-1+ XZA1 XZA2 ENERGY XZA3 XZA3 ANTISPLASH XZA4 XZE XZE 2 XZE* XZE2+ XZL XZL (wb) XZU XZU wb XZU2 XZU3 XZY XZY3 XZY3 (wb) XD XDA XDA ENERGY XDN2 XRV XD2 XD4 XDA ENERGY XDA2+ ENERGY XDA3 XDA5 XDE M/S XDE M/S* XDE2+ XDL XDN2 XDN2 GRIP XDS XDS2 XDS2 (11R) XDY-2 XDY-EX XDY3 XPS TRAC X One XTA X One XTE X One XTE* XT-1 XTA XTA ENERGY XTA2 ENERGY XTA2 ENERGY (wb) XTE XTE2 XTY2 NOTE I have nothing to do with Michelin design nomenclature so don't blame me it they are a bit confusing. Looking at the XZE2 we see MI claims Enhanced application-specific compound to help promote resistance to aggressions and longer tread life. 6% wider tread for improved wear and handling (when compared to Michelin® XZE® tire). Matrix™ and micros sipes protect against irregular wear.™ Zig-zag grooves and sipes help increase traction in new and worn tire conditions. North American design. Approved for use on EPA SmartWaySM certified equipment and meets California's CARB requirements Sizes 11R22.5 11R22.5 275/80R22.5 11R24.5 11R24.5 275/80R24.5 Looking at the XZE2+ we see MI claims Outstanding resistance to high scrub applications from large solid shoulder. Exceptional traction throughout life of tire promoted from full-depth sipes in center ribs. Lower downtime and protection from bruises and penetrations fostered by full-width protector ply over the working plies. Improved resistance to curbing and sidewall scrub from raised curb guard feature Sizes 265/70R19.5 285/70R19.5 275/70R22.5 295/80R22.5 Now I am a bit confused why you are looking at these two lines when according to Michelin specifications they do not share a common size. But to be specific yes there is a major difference between these two lines. Size.

The XZE2+ and XZA are clearly not the same thing. Tread pattern, Tread depth are just two of the obvious differences. As long as you have decided on Michelin and not one of the other brands, I would be inclined to go with the one Michelin suggests for RV usage

Initially I just wired to the back-up light to test the system. Since I have a C and can see out the back window (have one of those special flat lens things) plus good rearview mirrors, having the distraction of a small monitor while driving isn't needed.

You didn't say if you were dealing with Michelin company owned store or independent dealer selling Michelin tires. The dealers may each have a reason to push one type over the other. I prefer to look at the corporate spec sheets as this is reviewed by Mich Engineers and represents the design intent of the tire. Looking at the MI spec sheet http://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck...o.do?tread=XZA2 ENERGY I note the "Energy" tag for improved fuel economy and that Michelin suggests this tire for RV application http://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck...o?tread=XZE2%2B Michelin does not clearly ID this design for RV application and no mention of better than normal fuel economy You didn't mention your size or Load Rating so you will need to look at the details.