Which Tires are best?

[Gary-Val]

I need to replace my 245/70 19.5 tires on my Class A motorcoach. The originals are Goodyear 670 RV and they've done well but are 9 years old now according to the DOT date code. I'm considering Cooper RM170s and TOYOs. I believe both are 16 ply.

Do any of you have experience with Cooper or TOYO tires? I can save about 30% by going with either of these. I look forward to reading your comments.

Gary in Texas

[kalynzoo]

I can only suggest from my own past experience to get tires designed for motorhome use. Once a local tire shop convinced me I would save considerable money purchasing truck tires. I did. The result was a ride so stiff that even though I could not stop on a dime, I could tell if it was heads or tails.

I was just about to junk the tires and take my lose after only a year, but then for many reasons we decided to purchase a new coach.

Again, just my opinion.

Happy Trails

[MGJBeaver]

I would like to know what you go with. I have the Goodyear also, been happy so far. How do the Michelin's compare in price?

[lpfdon]

Personal preference only. Would go with Goodyear or Michelin. Used Cooper in the past for car tires but motorhomes have always had Michelin, My new one has Goodyear.

[roadmap]

Gary,

I twice before ( when owning a coach that took that size tire ) was convinced by a tire dealer, that he did not think it was worth the price difference to put Michelins back on, and so I let him install six Toyo Truck tires and the time before on a different coach let him put on a six Kelly Truck tires. Both times, he said he had trucking companies that were very satisfied with both brands. What he did not tell me, is that it did not make any difference to the Trucking Company owners how they rode, simply did they last the way the wanted them to. They did, but the ride was HARD on both brands. I now have a coach with 22.5 Michelins on it, and there is not any chance they will be replaced by other than Michelins and the RV tire. There is a difference.

Ken

[twalton@povn.com]

I need to replace my 245/70 19.5 tires on my Class A motorcoach. The originals are Goodyear 670 RV and they've done well but are 9 years old now according to the DOT date code. I'm considering Cooper RM170s and TOYOs. I believe both are 16 ply.

Do any of you have experience with Cooper or TOYO tires? I can save about 30% by going with either of these. I look forward to reading your comments.

Gary in Texas

This is a post by Doggydaddy in another part of this forum.

I contacted Michelin and asked the question;

If large truck and RV tires come in the same sizes, what is the difference?

THEIR REPLY:

Thank you for your email. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.

Joseph,

We would like to first thank you for your question.

Michelin offer many tires that are used for both applications such as the

Michelin XZA1, XZA2, XZA3 and the XZE.

These tires listed are used on some of your larger recreational vehicles

even though they are classified as truck tires.

The Recreational vehicle tires we offer like the XRV has emollients in the

tire that will slow down the aging process. The Michelin XRV is one of our

most popular tires used for recreational vehicles.

Again, it really depends on the size of the tire in question because the

majority of our tires can be used for both truck and recreational vehicles.

It is our goal to ensure that your issue has been resolved or your question

answered to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond

to this email or call us at 1-800-847-3435 (toll free) between 8:00AM and

8:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday or between 8:30AM and 4:30PM

Eastern Time on Saturday.

Michelin North America

Consumer Care Department

I replaced my front tires recently with Cooper RM 170 and was dissapointed to find out they weren't round. When we jacked the rig up and spun the tire you could see the distance between the tire and the floor fluctuate by an inch as the tire spun. Fortunately for me the dealer I bought them from found a Cooper tire dealer in the area where I was when I finally decided that there was really a problem. They exchanged them no charge and the replacements seem fine. I think now when I buy any new tire I will insist that I can watch them spin balancce them so that I can watch for any abnormalities

[wolfe10]

Yes, it is always a good idea to check tires for RUN-OUT (how "egg" shaped vs round they are). A perfectly balanced tire that is egg shaped will not ride smoothly.

Professional tire dealers have run-out gauges (mounted dial indicators) that can check this in a matter of minutes. And it should be done with the wheel mounted on the vehicle, not off. You really don't care if it is the tire that is out of round, the wheel out of round, the wheel's centering on the hub out of round or the hub itself.

Net, net-- you want it within about .035" of round when mounted on your vehicle. And if it is outside that spec, you can rotate the tire on the wheel (seeking to match the wheel's low spot with tire's high spot. You can also put the tire's high spot at the top, loosen lug nuts and retorque. Lastly, you can have the tire trued-- almost a lost art.

And I much prefer to see the tire balanced ON THE VEHICLE, as again you want ALL rotating mass (tire, wheel hub, brake drum or disk)) in balance.

Brett Wolfe