Old but like new tires

[HeatherRourke]

I purchased a used 1999 class A. Last year.   Other than being dated it was in great condition with only 60k miles on it.  

A family member stated I need to purchase new tires, but they look excellent. Goodyear’s with Deep tread and There’s no sign of cracking or dry rot at all.  The make date is 2108. 

 

Should i get a new set now, or is it safe to wait? 

 

I dont want a blowout, but they seem in excellent condition. The replacements are quite pricy,  so if I can safely hold off  I would rather put the money on a couple other things that need updating. Like the fridge that won’t run on the LP and only runs when plugged in.🤔

[wolfe10]

HeatherRourke,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Suspect 100% of advice here or anywhere else is that you MUST replace 10+ year old tires. Same advice from all tire manufacturers.

[richard5933]

Even me, who is trying to nurse a set of tires just a bit longer than most, would draw the line hard at 10 years.

There's just not a good reason to use those tires any longer.

[wildebill308]

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately even though the tires look great and I know it is a big expense to replace them but the damage could cost several times what replacing them does.  

 

51 minutes ago, HeatherRourke said:

Like the fridge that won’t run on the LP and only runs when plugged in.🤔

Does your fridge have an ice maker?

Bill

[wolfe10]

1 hour ago, HeatherRourke said:

I purchased a used 1999 class A. Last year.  

Like the fridge that won’t run on the LP and only runs when plugged in.🤔

 

Have you done the "burner area tune-up"?  That addresses the vast majority of issues with refrigerator operating on propane.  No parts and no special tools required.

[HeatherRourke]

2 hours ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately even though the tires look great and I know it is a big expense to replace them but the damage could cost several times what replacing them does.  

 

Does your fridge have an ice maker?

Bill

I was really not sure since they looked in great condition.  My car I drive so much the tires never hav a chance to get old and are replaced every couple years due to wear. 

 

As for the fridge, it does have an ice maker.  I keep it off to save the space the ice bucket takes in it. 

[HeatherRourke]

2 hours ago, wolfe10 said:

Have you done the "burner area tune-up"?  That addresses the vast majority of issues with refrigerator operating on propane.  No parts and no special tools required.

I have not,  I am completely new to The RVing world.   I will Definitely look into how to do that and give it a try.

Thank you!

[HeatherRourke]

Thank you guys for the advice.  I was not sure if the tires would be ok because they looked good even though they were older.  I am going to play it safe and get all new tires when I get the new springs. 

Reading some forums I’ve heard many recommendations for “SumoSprings”. 

 

Any recommendations on where to get tires? My local RV repair shop? What about the Michelin tire club here on FMCA? If I order tires online I assume I would have a hard time finding someone to mount them. I know car tires no one wants to mount them unless you get them from the place itself.

[wolfe10]

Tell us why you think you need new springs.

Read through the FMCA tire programs-- they will give you a lot of information on your choices: https://www.fmca.com/rv-tires-discounts

One of the links is to dealers who work with the program: https://www.michelintruck.com/tools/dealer-locator/

Same information is available for Continental and Hankook tires as well as Michelin.

 

[richard5933]

Any commercial tire dealer should be able to properly mount, balance, and install the tires for you. I prefer commercial tire dealers over RV repair shops since tires are their specialty and they typically have better training.

[wildebill308]

3 hours ago, HeatherRourke said:

What about the Michelin tire club here on FMCA? If I order tires online I assume I would have a hard time finding someone to mount them.

Follow the links that Wolfe10 posted. It is easier than trying to explain how it works. But no they don't ship you the tires. I suggest you look at the Continental program. I used it not long ago and saved over $100.00 per tire over the Michelin sale price. 

Where are you located?

Did the fridge work on propane when you bought it? The tune up is a good place to start. 

Bill

[kaypsmith]

9 hours ago, HeatherRourke said:

The make date is 2108. 

I assume that this is a typeO! If so, yes replace those tires before hitting the road, much more important than Sumo springs unless the coach is dragging. If it doesn't handle and drive well, then consider these. Hard tires, (old) do not drive or ride well either.

[wolfe10]

2108 would have been manufactured the 21st week of 2008.  So, well past 10 years old.

[wildebill308]

18 hours ago, HeatherRourke said:

Reading some forums I’ve heard many recommendations for “SumoSprings”. 

Lets start with some more info on your class A. Like make and model and what chassis it is on.

Just so you know, if you add this info to your signature you won't need to type it every time you have a question. It will help you to get better answers quicker. Look at Wolfe 10s signature as an example.

Bill

[HeatherRourke]

9 hours ago, wolfe10 said:

Tell us why you think you need new springs.

Read through the FMCA tire programs-- they will give you a lot of information on your choices: https://www.fmca.com/rv-tires-discounts

One of the links is to dealers who work with the program: https://www.michelintruck.com/tools/dealer-locator/

Same information is available for Continental and Hankook tires as well as Michelin.

 

I will check out the links.  Thank you.  The same one who told me I needed the new tires says I should get new springs.  The rear drags some and the rig is extra bouncy and sways more than it should. 

[HeatherRourke]

6 hours ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

Follow the links that Wolfe10 posted. It is easier than trying to explain how it works. But no they don't ship you the tires. I suggest you look at the Continental program. I used it not long ago and saved over $100.00 per tire over the Michelin sale price. 

Where are you located?

Did the fridge work on propane when you bought it? The tune up is a good place to start. 

Bill

I’m located in a small town in northern New Hampshire.  Stark,Nh. 

 

I did not check that it worked on propane when purchasing it.  I went through everything with the previous owner but he had plugged it in.  He said it had been sitting there and the house batteries would needed to have been charged more to make the slide out work and he wanted to show me it all worked properly.    

 

[HeatherRourke]

8 hours ago, richard5933 said:

Any commercial tire dealer should be able to properly mount, balance, and install the tires for you. I prefer commercial tire dealers over RV repair shops since tires are their specialty and they typically have better training.

[HeatherRourke]

9 hours ago, richard5933 said:

Any commercial tire dealer should be able to properly mount, balance, and install the tires for you. I prefer commercial tire dealers over RV repair shops since tires are their specialty and they typically have better training.

Thank you,  I will see what commercial tire shops I can find up my way so I do not have to drive to far on them.  

[HeatherRourke]

1 hour ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

Lets start with some more info on your class A. Like make and model and what chasey it is on.

Just so you know, if you add this info to your signature you won't need to type it every time you have a question. It will help you to get better answers quicker. Look at Wolfe 10s sig as an example.

Bill

Thank you Bill,  that is a great idea.  I did not notice there was a section to add a signature,  let alone add my rig info to it.  

It’s a 34’ 1999 tiffin allegro bay on the ford chassis. 

[rayin]

If you have 22.5" tires, there are several choices available that are less expensive than Michelin or Goodyear tires. Hankook, Sailun, Toyo, to name a few. For example, I had 6 new Sailun S637 275/70R22.5 load range H regional tires put on our MH, total cost was $1,360; that is close to what the other brands I mentioned cost.BTW. I've seen all those brands on the steer axle of semi-trucks, and many of us here have them on our RV.  If you have 19.5" tires there aren't many choices but the expensive brands.

As to your fridge, first go to bryantrv.com and download the service manual for your specific make and model. It has troubleshooting charts to help identify problems, and much more. The first step is to determine if the gas valve is actually getting LP, then if the gas valve is opening as designed.

Bryant RV has manuals for virtually every appliance in your RV.

[HeatherRourke]

8 hours ago, RayIN said:

If you have 22.5" tires, there are several choices available that are less expensive than Michelin or Goodyear tires. Hankook, Sailun, Toyo, to name a few. For example, I had 6 new Sailun S637 275/70R22.5 load range H regional tires put on our MH, total cost was $1,360; that is close to what the other brands I mentioned cost.BTW. I've seen all those brands on the steer axle of semi-trucks, and many of us here have them on our RV.  If you have 19.5" tires there aren't many choices but the expensive brands.

As to your fridge, first go to bryantrv.com and download the service manual for your specific make and model. It has troubleshooting charts to help identify problems, and much more. The first step is to determine if the gas valve is actually getting LP, then if the gas valve is opening as designed.

Bryant RV has manuals for virtually every appliance in your RV.

Thank you.  They are the 19.5’s.  I used the link Wolfe sent and found a tire dealer 20minutes from my house that has the Michelin’s in the 19.5” I’m goin to call them today and see if they have any other options.  Out of the three on this site the michelins were the cheapest.  

I will. Check out the. Bryant RV as well for a manual. That site sounds like it will come in incredibly handy. 

Thank you

[richard5933]

When you are at the tire dealer, be sure to ask them about the date codes on the tires. You want them to be within the past few months only - you don't want to buy old tires.

For your fridge - another thing to confirm is that you have 12vdc at the fridge when you are trying to use it on LP. In an earlier post you mentioned that your batteries needed charging/replacing. I'm not sure, but I don't think your fridge will function on LP without the 12vdc so that may be your problem. Start with the simple and work up from there.

[HeatherRourke]

3 hours ago, richard5933 said:

When you are at the tire dealer, be sure to ask them about the date codes on the tires. You want them to be within the past few months only - you don't want to buy old tires.

For your fridge - another thing to confirm is that you have 12vdc at the fridge when you are trying to use it on LP. In an earlier post you mentioned that your batteries needed charging/replacing. I'm not sure, but I don't think your fridge will function on LP without the 12vdc so that may be your problem. Start with the simple and work up from there.

I did not think to check the tire dates.  I assumed they would be new dates because they were new. I called the tire place and they said they would have to order the tires. How can they insure they are new made tires if they have to order them? 

Also,  I am curious as to their pricing compared to the Michelin quoted price I received before calling them.  Which through Michelin I found the tire place as an authorized dealer.  The prices they are giving me are higher per tire than the quoted price says . Even on their base price let alone the FMCA discounted price.  Even though I gave them the numbers and quoted prices.  I asked to confirm their prices did not include the mounting or anything.  And it was the base tire prices. They had some off brand tires that were still more than the quoted Michelin prices.

are they supposed to give the same price as the quoted prices, or is that just a guide? 

 

As for the fridge,  I know it has power to it, the panel is lit up bright and it makes that god Awful noise letting me know it is not running on the LP.  I’m not sure how to check exactly how much dc power it is getting. 

I read on another forum that said to check for  corrosion on some terminals and wiring, that could effect the voltage received,  but I did not see any  corrosion anywhere.  Not really 100% sure where I should look. But I didn’t see any when removing the outside panel and looking around. 

[wildebill308]

13 hours ago, HeatherRourke said:

I’m located in a small town in northern New Hampshire.  Stark,Nh. 

Didn't make it through Stark last summer but was in the area. Drove across just south of you on 2 to Newry and spent a week exploring the area. Nice area.

 

13 hours ago, HeatherRourke said:

I did not check that it worked on propane when purchasing it.  I went through everything with the previous owner but he had plugged it in.

So it worked on 110 when plugged in? Ok this is going to sound silly, do you have propane? Can you light the stove? Sometimes it takes a while to get the air out of the line going to the refrigerator. The burner will try to light but if it doesn't will shut off after a set number of tries.  You have to turn the main switch off and try again. Look and see if there is a valve on the propane line just before the fridge. It could have been turned off for some reason. You should be able to hear the spark igniter trying to light if you go outside by the fridge. People with good hearing say they can hear the gas valve opening. That is something else that might be stuck from setting for a long time. You could try taping it with a screwdriver handle if you can't hear it open/smell propane.

If you are plugged in to shore power even if it is 15 amp you should have enough 12V power to power the refrigerator. 

Bill

  

[kaypsmith]

If the flue (chimney) is restricted it will not light, as Brett indicated, go through the flue cleaning process, something as simple as a mud dauber best or bird nest can really mess up the thought process for making the fridge work on LP. Sorry for the change in subject, but other mentions here made me do it.