tireman9
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Posts posted by tireman9
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On 6/6/2020 at 8:12 PM, WILDEBILL308 said:Terry, yes I didn't see an exact match. Some are using LT tires but this would be a great quiston for Dan Ball at the FMCA office. Why don't the 3 offer ST or equivelent tires.
Bill
Bill, You need to be careful. An ST 235/80R16 LR-E is not really an Exact match for an LT235/80R16 LR-E as the load capacity of the LT tire is lower than the ST that you need based on GAWR
There are LT type tires that have greater load capacity than your ST but they either are larger or have a higher Load Range and need higher psi which may exceed your wheel limit.
Do you know your actual scale readings on your tires with your trailer fully loaded? You can learn more about ST type tires on my RVTireSafety.Net blog
My direct email is Tireman9@gmail and as an FMCA member you are welcome to contact me directly so we can see what your options are.
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Tire size comparison.
Nothing basically wrong with web site tire size calculations but for "Dual" (rear side by side on many Motorhomes) "Minimum Dual spacing is a critical dimension that you will probably only find in the tire company data sheets. Most can be found on-line.
I have a post I try and keep up to date with links to many different tire company Load / Inflation and specification information.
(Let me know if you find a broken link)
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6 minutes ago, elkhartjim said:I remember a statement Brett made some time ago--its impossible to balance an egg.
Maybe but I have said it is possible to balance a cinder-block. Finished it this weekend.
Will be posting on my blog shortly but here is a picture of the block and my bubble balance machine.
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RayIN Good memory on my post from Nov 2011. HERE is a link
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While I try and keep my seminars and posts "brand neutral" I will suggest that one thing to consider when selecting new tires is availability. You might save $100 by getting
"Mud-Wumper 3's" from Billy Jo Bob's Cheap tire and bait Emporium, but go ol' Billy Jo will only provide service in a 10 mile radius of his single outlet store.
Go on-line and see if the tire company you are considering has a "find-a-dealer" feature on the company web site and confirm you can get service wherever you expect to be traveling. You can get a sidewall cut in any of the 49 states and Canada but can you easily get a replacement tire without having to Fed-Ex a tire to your location ow wait a couple weeks?
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I have a Class-C (2016) which has 17583 mi which replaced a similar Class-C (2008) at 42,567 mi.
The 2008 had Firestone Transforce HT LT225/75R16 LR-E tires. Made the trip to Redmond OR from Ohio Plus Perry, GA and Madison, WI with no issues.
The 2016 has General Grabber HTS as OE, also LT225/75R16 LR-E tires. Been to Gillett,WY, Perry and Maine coast with no issues.
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2 hours ago, WILDEBILL308 said:How did you know you had no separation issues? Were you dismounting and inspecting them as Michelin recommends frome year 6? What you did, you just got lucky.
Bill
Dismounting and inspecting interior and the exterior is about all the consumer can do. using X-ray or Sherography or Holographic might cost an additional $50 to $200 per tire. That's the level of inspection of the tire structure before I would stick my neck out and claim there were "no separation issues" on a set of tires with undocumented history.
But that's just my opinion.😃
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What Brett said
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5 hours ago, Invent1 said:Agree completely that "TPMS can warn you when driving down the road BEFORE a tire comes apart because of an air leak." but it would cost a lot to add it to my now-old coach.
One thing I do every stop is measure the tire temp with an infrared thermometer - certainly not as good as TMPS but it's fast and would help become aware of a slow leak.
FYI: I've found the temp between the tread is the highest, the tread temp is lower and the sidewall temp is the lowest (holding the thermometer very close to the rubber)
As seen above there are a number of affordable aftermarket systems. Check the warranty and I would suggest a company that focuses on RV market not eBay or Amazon where they just sell items and can't answer questions specific to RV use. I bought and use TireTraker as I like their lifetime warranty.
While hight temp can be of concern the temp will rise AFTER you have started to lose air.
You can lose enough air to consider the tire flat and to damage it if you drive on it in just a few minutes so just gas and rest stops are not frequent enough. IR guns only measure the surface which is many times 25 to 50F cooler than the critical structure. Do you always shoot the identical spot on each tire? if not you can't do an accurate comparison. Also do you collect all your temperatures within the first minute of stopping? More than that and the tire has started to cool down. When I was taking temperature on Andretti or Unser Indy cars my target was 1 minute max for all 4 tires with a goal of 45 seconds.
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If you "shave" or "true" a tire to make it more round you might need to re-balance depending on how much rubber was removed.
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34 minutes ago, eddylucast said:The Michelin coach tires had a UV fighting compound and I'm just replacing 11 year old tires that still have no separation issues. I'm going to tell you how your RV is stored plays into the equation. Outside storage in all kinds of weather you'll replace them much more often than a unit stored indoors where no UV light is present.
Michelin and other tire companies say that no matter what a tire looks like it should be replaced at 10 years of age. Not sure if you are using X-ray or Sherography or Holographic inspections to confirm there are no internal structural issues. Re storage and use play a part in when you should replace tires. That is why some replace starting at 5 years. Others at 7 or 8 or 9. BUT I would be inclined to follow the guidelines from Michelin.
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OK FYI the "BM11588" is a mold number for the curing bladder but is of no value if there were a recall on the tires.
Everyone should get the DOT serial number for all their tires and have that info with the other important numbers.
Glad you never had a low pressure situation but a TPMS can warn you when driving down the road BEFORE a tire comes apart because of an air leak.
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When shopping for tires you can start by checking out the brand on the fronts of the Heavy Trucks. That would give you a little info on what the professional drivers use in the most important position on your RV.
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I have a post on my blog that might work out for you and spreads out the pain in the wallet. Kind of "Flatten the Curve" of tire replacement expense.
It involves getting two new tires each year so in 3 years you will have replaced all your tires. You keep the newest tires on the front and you get to shop aroud for the best deal on your brand of choice.
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Wondering if your "dealers" are independent shops that sell tires or if any are a "company store or part of a large dealer network?
Yes they can't order by DOT date but you can advise the dealer you will not accept anything older than 6 months. When does the tire warranty of the brand you are looking at start? DOT date or date sold?
5 years is when you should start to have the tired completely inspected but is not a "scrap the tires" date.
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Yes I agree that it appears the tires have a belt detachment. What is the full DOT serial?
What is your scale weight reading on that axle?
What inflation have you been running?
Do you run a TPMS? What is the low pressure warning alarm level?
Still looking for the axle weight numbers that were requested previously.
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On 4/28/2020 at 4:26 PM, fagnaml said:This is now week six of working from home using a card table as my desk in a guest bedroom during the COVID-19 lock down of the Houston area. It's also the longest time ever that an RV of any type that I've owned has sat unused -- five months and counting since the Texas A&M at LSU game on November 30, 2019 (what an enjoyable beat down of A&M that was)! Since then I've done the following to keep the MH somewhat alive:
- 30-40 minute drive during which I ran the generator underload with roof A/Cs in heating or cooling mode every 4-6 weeks
- Kept tires inflated to 125 psi
- Kept connected to 120 volt shore power at the storage facility
- Checked fluid levels
- Avoiding great depression not getting to enjoy the MH
These are the things I haven't done but now am wondering if I should have done:
- Have not had wood or rubber "barriers" between tires and the 1" limestone gravel at the storage facility
- Have not exercised slide-outs nor any thing else on the "coach" side of the MH
- Left the residential type refrigerator "off"
- Only water in the black water tank is what remains of the gallon of fresh water put in the tank after the A&M game -- wondering if I need to add more fresh water to prevent any residual "solids" from drying-out?
- Haven't checked water level in conventional engine batteries. Coach batteries are sealed AGM type.
- Haven't avoided the great disappointment from not being able to enjoy the MH
Maybe come June enough of the Texas economy will have safely re-opened and the wife and I can enjoy a long weekend outing to the Texas Hill Country. Until then, anything else I should be doing to keep the MH "healthy"?
As a secondary thought, I never imagined that a noon time walk around my neighborhood (which includes a stop at the mailbox) would become the excitement of the day! Guess I now know why the dogs get so excited for a walk....
I would not worry about a wood or rubber "barrier" under the tires if you are on limestone gravel.. Just be sure the gravel is never under water i.e. tires sits in or on a wet surfact for days at a time.. To decrease tendancy for developing a "Flat Spot" on the tire tread. you can either go out for a drive or at least inflate ti tire sidewall pressure.
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On 4/28/2020 at 7:11 AM, jleamont said:Couple items not mentioned;
- "Professional tire shops" will make mistakes, if you have wheels 19.5" and up you require the metal type valve stem. YES I have had "professional tire shops" install all rubber automobile valve stems in truck wheels. FYI those automobile type are PSI rated (usually MAX is around 65 PSI), and 19.5 and up exceed the MAX pressure rating on those valve stems which is very dangerous.
- There also is a rubber "high pressure" valve stem, it looks sightly different from the one in Rogers hand, those are for an application where 80 PSI is the max rating. You would typically find these on a 16" wheel (class C or 1 ton pickup). This type of valve stem is identifiable by the brass portion is showing above the rubber base (photo'd below). I cannot count how many times I have seen these in the wrong application with well over 100 PSI in a stem rated at 80 PSI.
- If you use TPMS, you will want to have your rubber stems replaced with the metal type. The rubber type stem (high pressure or not) does not like the weight of the sensor whipping around while driving down the road, it will cause premature valve stem failure.
Yes, Some assume that this type of valve is appropriate for use with TPMS but I have a picture of one of these that failed due to the weight of the external sensor (planned for a future blog post). For any motor vehicle application other than standard automotive I recommend a bolt in metal valve. Since 2002 motor vehicles with GVWR less than 10,000 # are suppose to have a Low Pressure warning system. Most of these are "Direct" systems that measure the tire pressure. The "valve" is usually part of that system so the old type of standard "Snap-In" Like TR413 as seen in THIS blog post are becoming a thing of the past.
This leaves some 3/4 ton and 1 ton pickups as the main market for these "high pressure" TR600HP valves as the low cost substitute.
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On 4/25/2020 at 11:25 PM, RayIN said:If I may, Carl a nail, screw, etc that penetrates the steel belts, then comes out, but does not pierce the air bladder/lining of the tire and cause an air leak, allows water into the bare steel strands and cause corrosion/rust, which weakens the belts. It cannot be detected until one experiences a tire failure.
Roger, correct me if that is wrong.
Ray you are correct. I even have a picture of rusted steel belt in my Advanced Tire Seminar.
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12 hours ago, RayIN said:Good video Roger, thanks. You talked about keeping tires out of standing water; constant contact with water will, IMO, cause steel belts to corrode, which in turn is likely to cause tire failure in the future. This is especially true when an object has penetrated the tread to the belts.
Is my thinking correct on this?
Ray, Next weeks post on my blog is specifically on "Moisture" and why it is bad for today's Steel Belted Radials.
4 hours ago, manholt said:Ray, "constant standing water?" Yea, probably after a couple of years in Panama!
😂
Manholt, I have seen moisture damage to a tire steel belt/rubber matrix in as little as 3 months in some circumstances. May be extreme example but it can happen.
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13 minutes ago, elkhartjim said:Huh?
You lost your bet with me at least. I can easily carry my TST monitor to each wheel position on my 45 foot coach and my toad while hooked up without dropping a signal.
If you carry your monitor arouund to each tire you will probably always get the warning as the signal from the sensor is usually strong enough to travel a few feet. However if your monitor is up front in your large Class-A with various levels of wood and metal between the sensor and the monitor, I can't guarantee that the warning of air loss signal will always get to the monitor. Hope that is clear enough. 😁
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Quick YouTube on tire valves since you didn't hear from me in Tuscon.
OOPS
First post had the wrong link
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11 hours ago, wayne77590 said:Roger, does this help Changing Gears Web Site
Great. That's what I was looking for along with the statements that as long as you meet the requirements from the license issuing state.
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15 hours ago, txtiger said:You can carry the sensor with you outside and then don't need a second person inside to help you. As a solo we figure out ways to do things alone, lol lol lol
Yes that can work as long as you never get a drepped signal at the driver seat.
Towables tire discount
in Tires
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Bill, First I have to apologize to you. I misread your post. Too much of a hurry.
OK the load capacity of Terry's ST tires is 3420# @ 80 Psi. I do find an LT285/70R16 LR-E rated for 3640#@80 psi but the 285 requires an 8.5" wide rim while the original ST 235 is probably on a 6.5" wide rims so we would be required to change wheels.
Basically LT tires, with only a couple exceptions, top out at LR-E so we are not going to get an increase in load capacity in LT type tires.
Now maybe a better approach would be to go from 16" to 17.5" diameter wheel and a LR-F truck tire. Hankook AH11 215/75R17.5 F/12PR might be an option but again this requires a wheel change.
Unless Terry has a serious overload program I think that staying with ST type is the best bet even though none of the 3 companies in the FMCA discount program make St type tires.