Steering Tires

[jsduncan]

I am plonking pro replace steering tires on 45 ft m.h. I have Michelin now however I have heard that a tire made by Copper 'Hercules' is a decent tire. The other nice thing about this tire it is about half the price of the Michelin. Has anyone heard of/have knowledge of this tire?. Looking for some info if out there. Thanks.

[tbutler]

Puzzled by the typo... plonking pro?

Let's see, you have a 45 foot motor home weighing 40,000 to 50,000 pounds and you are looking for a decent steer tire. I'd be looking for the best tire I could. You can use decent tires on the rear where one tire failing is not a big deal. Your steer tires are the lifeblood of your motor home. They are a key component that you depend on for directional control of your vehicle. Lose one of these in a blowout and you have a serious control problem. I know I have had a steer tire blow. I didn't lose control of the motor home but it was by no means certain from the beginning of the event. The Cooper Hercules may be a perfectly good line of tires but my primary concern would be that they be equal in quality to the best tires available, not that they are half the price of the best tire. Think about what you are saving and what you are risking.

[mac2147]

Like your grandmother told you, you get what you pay for !

[akadeadeye]

I can't understand why you would try to save 50% on a pair of tires, steer or drive. There has to be a catch. I want 100% reliable tires all the way around, especially on the steer tires. There is no better insurance. There has to be a reason they are 50% off.

Don

[jc21014]

I am plonking pro replace steering tires on 45 ft m.h. I have Michelin now however I have heard that a tire made by Copper 'Hercules' is a decent tire. The other nice thing about this tire it is about half the price of the Michelin. Has anyone heard of/have knowledge of this tire?. Looking for some info if out there. Thanks.

I have had Michelin tires in the past and have been satisfied with them. Goodyears, althought not mentioned, would be an absoluted no-no on any RV that I own as I don't have any confidence in them and their pricing can be atrocious. Others to consider would be Hankooks, Toyo, Sumitomo which are usually priced very reasonably. I have heard good reports on Hercules tires but have not used them personally.

FMCA members can purchase Michelin tires at a nice discount if your interested.

Go to this link for information: http://www.fmca.com/...onnections/3448

[nalcon]

I have Cooper Roadmaster RM 170 on my rig. No problems.

[skyking8]

I and several friends own large motor homes. When it came time to replace tires, we all went a brand other than Michelin. Those included Kelly, Toyo, and Hankook. They are all 8 ply and we are not having any issues. The cost savings was considerable. One usually gets what they pay for, but that is not always the most expensive thing. Price is sometimes driven by the name and what the market might consider as the best.

The purpose of the drive tire is to provide traction. The steer position provides ride and handling quality. Unless one is going to go four wheeling in a MH, then steer tires can be placed in all positions; which, is what I have done. It has been said that steer tires will wear more if on the rear. I guess I will find out if that is true. But, by using all steer tires, I can rotate without being concerned about mismatching drive vs steer.

[JerryAnna]

I have an Allegro 32 BA with the Hercules 902 H tires which are 14 ply sidewall, 245 x 70 x 19.5 which have a higher load carrying rating then some of the competitors tires, 4600 lbs. With my axles weights I only run 92 lbs air, max rating is 110 lbs. Just got the Coach and therefore can't provide a good report, however they drive well and appear to be a good tire.

Jerry