RV Tires vs. Truck Tires

[Gary-Val]

I'm getting ready to replace the tires on my coach. I have 245/70 19.5 Goodyear 670RV on it now. Is there a difference in a tire for a motorhome and one used on a truck? I had one person caution me to only buy tires made for an RV. Is this true?

Is anyone using Cooper or Toyo tires?

Gary

[tbutler]

Our '94 Dynasty had the same size tires as standard truck tires. The truck tires were cheaper and worked fine. We were advised to get the "steer" tires, not the drive tires. If you can find a standard truck tire to fit your RV, there is no reason I can see to go with the RV tire. The claim is that the RV tires give a softer ride but honestly, I can't tell the difference. We have the 670RV on our rig now, came on it when new and I'm replacing them with the same size RV tires. I'm on a rotation replacement plan of my own design. I had a flat tire in 2006 and replaced two tires. Last year I replaced two more and next year I'll replace the last two original tires. As a result, I only have to buy two tires at a time. The down side of this is that I need to keep the same size/type of tire so I can move them from the front to the rear axle.

As to the Cooper or Toyo tires, I believe many motor homes come from the manufacturer with Toyo tires. I'm a Goodyear fan myself (If I buy six more I get a free ride in the blimp! )so no experience there.

[Walt2137]

Gary I agree with Mr Butler I have Dunlop 11R 22.5 (GoodYear company) on our Dynasty and would have liked Toyo but could not get them so ended up with the Dunlop. I cant tell the difference in the RV tires (on two coaches) and the truck tires that I replaced them with. I had the Toyo tires on our other coach and they performed better than the GoodYear that came on the coach.

Walt N Will

F191141

[kalynzoo]

I can only offer my personal experience. A few years ago a local tire shop convinced me to replace my worn RV 19.5 tires with truck tires. The savings was significant. I found that the new tires gave a horribly stiff ride. I tried changing the tire pressure, incrementally, to no avail. I realize that a motorhome cannot stop on a dime, but when I drove over one, I could tell if it was heads or tails. After about a year, we were about to throw in the towel and repurchase new tires, but we saw a new motorhome at an RV show. End of story, we traded in the Holiday on a Fleetwood.

From my experience I will alway purchase RV specific tires.

Just my opinion. Happy Trails.

[pkunk]

I have Hankook 245/70r/19.5 truck tires on my coach and have to say that they track like they're on rails. I can't speak for tire wear as they only have about 8000 miles (still look like new), & I hardly ever have to add air.

[jomarfl]

This is interesting indeed. Didn't know about truck tires, never even thought about them. So my questions would be:

1. Where do you purchase them from locally (truck tire center, sears, etc..)

2. How significant were the savings?

3. Do you think it would be easier to find a spare if you needed one with truck tires versus RV tires?

Thanks

[wolfe10]

This is interesting indeed. Didn't know about truck tires, never even thought about them. So my questions would be:

1. Where do you purchase them from locally (truck tire center, sears, etc..)

2. How significant were the savings?

3. Do you think it would be easier to find a spare if you needed one with truck tires versus RV tires?

Thanks

Actually, with the exception of the Michelin XRV and Goodyear G670RV tires, to my knowledge ALL tires are "dual use" (truck and RV).

And it is easy enough to compare prices of the RV vs "other series" tires at any tire dealer.

BTW, we do purchase our tires at a tire dealer specializing in trucks-- simply because they have the equipment and expertise to handle our size rig and it's tires and wheels.

One other point when buying new tires-- make sure they ARE new. I do not accept any tire whose DOT.... number indicates it is older than 3 months old because you will likely be replacing them based on TIME, not tread wear. The last FOUR DIGITS of the number molded into one sidewall of each tire indicate the WEEK and YEAR of production. So a DOT number of DOT...........2308 were made the 23rd week of 2008.

Brett Wolfe

[kathietula@netzero.net]

I was a truck driver for 20 years before I became a rancher and rv'er. I've never heard of motorhome specific tires, and that sounds like a sales gimmick to me. Like buying genuine auto parts from the dealer is better than buying generics from the auto part store. If you can get a good tire from a tire store, and get it cheaper than the rv manufacturer recommends, go for it. The only thing that made me bounce around in my truck, was when I was carrying half a load of something liquid. I used all kinds of brands of truck tires, and did not experience any significant difference. I have Kelley tires on my motorhome with a gvwr of 16,500 lbs. I've probably had more like 18,000 lbs on them from time to time, and so far so good.

[wolfe10]

I was a truck driver for 20 years before I became a rancher and rv'er. I've never heard of motorhome specific tires, and that sounds like a sales gimmick to me. Like buying genuine auto parts from the dealer is better than buying generics from the auto part store. If you can get a good tire from a tire store, and get it cheaper than the rv manufacturer recommends, go for it. The only thing that made me bounce around in my truck, was when I was carrying half a load of something liquid. I used all kinds of brands of truck tires, and did not experience any significant difference. I have Kelley tires on my motorhome with a gvwr of 16,500 lbs. I've probably had more like 18,000 lbs on them from time to time, and so far so good.

YES, there are RV specific tires-- no sales gimmick. That does not mean that non-RV specific tires should not be used, but there are legitimate "RV specific" tires.

You might want to look at these two Websites for information on the Michelin XRV and Goodyear 670RV:

http://www.michelinrvtires.com/michelinrv/...fo.do?tread=XRV

http://www.goodyear.com/rv/products/g670.html

Brett Wolfe

[jimkate]

I could sure use some insight here. My Goodyear dealer told me that there is no difference between RV tire and truck tire. He also told me that an H Load Rating tire is overkill for my Monaco with a GVW of 29,500 lb., and will cause a rough ride. He said that if I went to a G Load Rating Tire, with a softer more open tread, the ride and handling would be much improved. He said the H tire is 16 ply, and intended for big trucks carrying a tremendous weight. The G tire is 14 ply, made to carry a maximum of 6175 lb per tire, which exceeds the GVW of the RV. He said that some of the new RV's are coming out now with G Load Rate Tires. He suggests using Dunlop tires, because they are the same tires as Goodyear tires, but less expensive because they have a shorter mileage warranty, which I'd never use on an RV anyway.

Well, I sat down and thought about this a little bit.

My front axle is GVW 10,000 lb. Two G tires used as singles are 6175lb X 2 = 12,350 lb.

My rear axle is GVW 19,500 lb. Four G tires used as duals are 5675lb X 2 = 22,700 lb.

The GVW of my RV is 29,500 lb. The GVW of the tires is 35,050 lb.

What he says seems to make sense. ????????????????????????

[tbutler]

The only comment I can make here is that if your tires are near their capacity, you will have them inflated to near the maximum allowed and they'll likely be pretty stiff at that point. If your tires are rated for more weight than you are carrying, then you inflate them to carry the load which is less than maximum inflation. That should give you a softer ride.

What inflation pressure do you have to put in each tire to carry the load and is that practical for your equipment? I have to work hard to get 110 pounds into my tires using my engine air compressor. I recently inflated my front tires to 114 pounds in the evening so they would be a 111 pounds then next morning when we departed (a cold morning). I wouldn't want to have tires that I had to inflate to 120 pounds to get the weight carrying capacity that I needed. I would have to inflate the tires at a truck stop if I needed 120 pounds pressure and that is not convenient at all. Not only is it not convenient, if you are driving to the truck stop to inflate the tires, they will be hot and when they cool, the pressure will drop significantly. The only way I would inflate tires at a truck stop is if I had a tire that was low and I wanted to get to a repair shop with that tire.

The maximum pressure for my tires is 120 pounds and the maximum pressure rating for my rims is 120 pounds. The pressure required for my front tires to carry their load is 100 pounds, add 10% for 110 and that is my target pressure when I start driving in the morning. For my rear tires, the pressure required to carry the load is 90 pounds, add 10% and my target pressure is 100 (99 pounds rounded up to 100 for memory purposes) pounds. Look at the statistics for the tires you are considering purchasing and see how it all works for you. The 10% covers slight changes in weight, tire gauge errors +/-, etc.

If you don't have a tire pressure/load chart for your tires (or the ones you are considering), get one from your dealer. It will show you what pressure you need to carry any specific load. Tires that carry 6175 pounds load at 120 pounds pressure may carry 5850 pounds at 110 pounds pressure. Using 110 pounds instead of 120 pounds makes the ride a little softer.

[jomarfl]

Great information, thanks everyone!

[banditrider776@gmail.com]

Definately good information, I plan to replace the rear tires in the spring and will be going with Toyo tires.

[DoggyDaddy]

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

(Please Do Not Delete the line below.) Case number: 2275007

---------------

SO MY summary is: RV tires have more emollients in the side walls so the tire

will last 7-10 years as the tread is not likely to wear out within that time,

WHERE AS truck tires usually will wear out their tread before the side walls deteriorate.

SO if one does not put a lot of miles on their RV every year, RV tires are recommended.

[wmpbauer]

Hey, this is REALLY good stuff. We purchased our RV new, but it had sat on a lot for over a year. Should I expect there to be any substantial damage to the tires from just sitting? It's a Damon Essence 40ft/built on a Freightliner chassis with a Cummins 425 Diesel and an Allison 6 tranny. My tires are H rated Goodyears and after weighing the coach, it appears I need 80psi in the front 2 and 85 psi in the back 4. From what I'm reading, we aren't anywhere near the load limits of these tires.

There is so much stuff out there that seems to be hype.......tyron bands for blowout control (1,995 a pair), remote pressure sensors, Nitrogen inflation instead of straight Air.......

Seems to me one really needs to keep the tire pressure at the right levels and check each day before driving.....Inspect them monthly for deterioration......easy to do while you're "exercising" your generator under load.

I don't see any advantage to using Nitrogen......which is simply not available everywhere......

I can possibly see where the remote sensors are valuable.......but are an expensive technology that is subject to faulty readings.

[garykd]

Hi wmpbauer,

Welcome to the FMCA forum. Consider rethinking your view of the tire PSI sensors. If they save you one time, you'll break even on the cost. In 5 years, they have saved me 2 times. The main concern is the towed vehicle tires. If something happens, while traveling, you'll never know it (even with the backup camera on) until hundreds of dollars (maybe more) is done. The diesel powering your coach will just hunker down and pull harder. The driver will not "feel" anything. It is also good to have them on the dual rear wheels, for the same reasons already mentioned .

You have the right thoughts about the tires. The damage they may have suffered depends on how much direct sunlight they were exposed to. You'll get a bunch of opinions on tire care. For me, I use a tire dressing 3 times a year. In addition, if we are at the same place for more than two weeks, the tires are covered.

For the tire PSI, consider calling Goodyear or going to their web site. I have Michelin tires. Michelin minimum recommended PSI is 85 PSI regardless of weight.

[tqleal@yahoo.com]

Two years ago I had six 295/80/22.5 Toyo tires installed and am very pleased. I have a friend whom had eight installed four years ago and he also has had no problems .

[bobsea43]

I had Toyo's put on my DP in Nov and have been very pleased. My cousin now runs the tire store his Dad started 55 years ago and I had been discussing replacement tires with him for 6 months, mainly thinking along Goodyear or Michelin tires and about $3100+ out the door. After one blow out I decided it was time now to change. While we were discussing it his son (3rd generation now working in the store) came in and said "Dad, you know we have been having good success with the Toyo on trucks!" We checked into it and my cousin agreed, did warn me that the truck tire might give a little rougher ride and might age out a little earlier then the RV tire. I don't expect to have the RV over 5 more years so age out is not an issue and DW has not detected a ride difference. And, total out the door cost was a little less then $2100! I had figured if the cost delta was $400-$500 I would go with the Michelin or Goodyear, but $1000 is hard to ignore!

[landrew15@hotmail.com]

Being the NEWBIE I pose one question actually one observation... are the truck tires retreads! I see a lot of rubber on the road from the truckers. and have witnessed the explosion of a trailor tire. it's scary when you consider that most truck trailors under heavy load travel on retreads.

[pianodan]

Being the NEWBIE I pose one question actually one observation... are the truck tires retreads! I see a lot of rubber on the road from the truckers. and have witnessed the explosion of a trailor tire. it's scary when you consider that most truck trailors under heavy load travel on retreads.

Sometimes the truck tires are retreads, supposedly the retread technology is so good that they aren't supposed to come apart like that. Truck tires are also regroovable, in other words, when the tread depth is down to the wear indicators they can be regrooved and used for another 50,000 miles. Overall, what causes a tire to shed its tread (retread or not) is overheating of the casing due to damage, low pressure or overloading. On my pickups I've thrown 4 tire casings (not retread) two were old tires, two were because GM installed load range "C" tires from the factory on a 3/4 ton truck that should have had at a minimum load range "D". Most tire shops won't even install less than load range "E" on 3/4 ton pickups now.

On my motorhome (it has 19.5 tires), I replaced the front tires (had Michelin 8R19.5 XVA load range "F") with BFG 255/70 R19.5 load range "G" so I have a wider footprint (4 rib vs 3) and more room in load range. I run 90 psi in all my tires as the plate in the coach recommends, it works best. My rear tires are still the Michelin 8R 19.5 XVA load range "F". I found that maximum tire life in years on my coach has been 7 years, that's when I start having tire failures. I've also done somewhat like TButler, I replaced the two front tires two years ago, one pair of duals last year, the next pair of duals will be this spring. That way I have good rubber on the road all the time. The only drawback is I can't rotate the tires as my front tires are lower profile than the rear. I do carry a mounted spare to use in case of flats, however it's the same as the rear duals.

[hermanmullins]

Hey, this is REALLY good stuff. We purchased our RV new, but it had sat on a lot for over a year. Should I expect there to be any substantial damage to the tires from just sitting? It's a Damon Essence 40ft/built on a Freightliner chassis with a Cummins 425 Diesel and an Allison 6 tranny. My tires are H rated Goodyears and after weighing the coach, it appears I need 80psi in the front 2 and 85 psi in the back 4. From what I'm reading, we aren't anywhere near the load limits of these tires.

There is so much stuff out there that seems to be hype.......tyron bands for blowout control (1,995 a pair), remote pressure sensors, Nitrogen inflation instead of straight Air.......

Seems to me one really needs to keep the tire pressure at the right levels and check each day before driving.....Inspect them monthly for deterioration......easy to do while you're "exercising" your generator under load.

I don't see any advantage to using Nitrogen......which is simply not available everywhere......

I can possibly see where the remote sensors are valuable.......but are an expensive technology that is subject to faulty readings.

Yes there is a lot of valuable info on this subject. As for the sensors, I'm not sold on them yet. In the summer I have checked my tire pressure in the morning. I have my fronts at 90 psi and the rears at 95psi. Later in the day after several hours of driving I checked them again all were 120 to 125 psi due to the heat. Sensors on cars only have a very small window of difference before they send a warning, as I understand. I don't know about the after market units.

As for Nitrogen, race cars use nitrogen in their tires because it is not effected by heat. So if you have your RV tires filled with nitrogen you will have the same smooth ride all the time. However it is expensive to have your tires filled with nitrogen and there are not many places to have then filled or added to. You can go to your local Welding Supply store, purchase a Nitrogen cylinder (very heavy) for about $300.00 and a regulater for about $100.00, have a long air hose (50 Ft.) and you can service your tires yourself. Oh you also have to find a place in the coach to carry the cylinder and you have to take it to a W/S store to swap it out.

So from this post I know that truck tires are OK for an RV. Recaps are not good. Sensor are up in the air. Nitrogen is expensive. And we all love our RVs and care about their shoes.

Man I love this forum.

[wolfe10]

As for Nitrogen, race cars use nitrogen in their tires because it is not effected by heat. So if you have your RV tires filled with nitrogen you will have the same smooth ride all the time. However it is expensive to have your tires filled with nitrogen and there are not many places to have then filled or added to. You can go to your local Welding Supply store, purchase a Nitrogen cylinder (very heavy) for about $300.00 and a regulator for about $100.00, have a long air hose (50 Ft.) and you can service your tires yourself. Oh you also have to find a place in the coach to carry the cylinder and you have to take it to a W/S store to swap it out.

Let me correct some of the misunderstandings out there about the use of Nitrogen in tires.

Let's start by looking at the options for inflating tires:

1. Nitrogen

2. DRY air

3. "Normal" WET air

There is virtually no difference between Nitrogen and dry air when it comes to PSI change with temperature change. Both follow Boyles law (Physics is physics, irrespective of what sales literature says).

Now, wet air (like from any air compressor without a dryer) is a very different matter. And most air from those convenience store coin op compressors is WET. Water is clearly not an "ideal gas" and PSI changes more with temperature than for a gas.

Nitrogen molecules average very slightly larger than "air" (which is 78% Nitrogen anyway), so leakage will be slightly less.

Nitrogen is not reactive so filling a tire with it will be slightly better for the tire and rim than air which has Oxygen which will deteriorate the tire. But most tire oxidation/cracking occurs from the outside of the tire. Clearly, wet air is much worse.

My opionion-- Nitrogen is slightly better than dry air for your RV tires. Dry air or Nitrogen are both a LOT better than regular "wet" air from those 7-11 coin operated compressors.

Whether Nitrogen is worth it is up to your budget and what you will have to pay. If you are a welder and have it in your shop, great idea.

Brett Wolfe

[twalton@povn.com]

Hello All,

I use Acu-Pressure saftey caps on all six tires and I have a laser thermometer that I use to chek tire temperature and I check them all when ever I stop. While it's not as good as electronic monitoring, it's better than nothing, and at $8.95 per tire they are very affordable. The only downside is that they are only available in 5lb increments, which works for me since I run all my tires at 90lbs. If it were 92 they wouldn't work. They are available online at http://www.accu-pressure.com/cgi-bin/Store...5088&pid=16

[tbutler]

Hey, this is REALLY good stuff. We purchased our RV new, but it had sat on a lot for over a year. Should I expect there to be any substantial damage to the tires from just sitting? It's a Damon Essence 40ft/built on a Freightliner chassis with a Cummins 425 Diesel and an Allison 6 tranny. My tires are H rated Goodyears and after weighing the coach, it appears I need 80psi in the front 2 and 85 psi in the back 4. From what I'm reading, we aren't anywhere near the load limits of these tires.

There is so much stuff out there that seems to be hype.......tyron bands for blowout control (1,995 a pair), remote pressure sensors, Nitrogen inflation instead of straight Air.......

Seems to me one really needs to keep the tire pressure at the right levels and check each day before driving.....Inspect them monthly for deterioration......easy to do while you're "exercising" your generator under load.

I don't see any advantage to using Nitrogen......which is simply not available everywhere......

I can possibly see where the remote sensors are valuable.......but are an expensive technology that is subject to faulty readings.

To answer your question about the life of the tires on your new Damon. There is a discussion topic on tire age that has information on how to read the date of manufacture on your tires. Every tire and safety expert I have heard or read says seven years is the life of a tire. After that, the tire becomes unsafe. Check the date of manufacture stamped on your tires and you will know how old they are and when they will need to be replaced. This advice/information also applies to "brand new tires" you purchase at a tire shop. The seven years start at the factory. If the tires have set on the shelf at the dealer for a year, they have six remaining good years of use in them. Check the "new tires" you get to be sure they are "new." It isn't so much damage to the tires as it is aging of the material in the tire that is getting them from time of manufacture on. Once manufactured they begin to slowly lose strength.

[skyking8]

I will echo the comment of a couple of other posters. This is good stuff. For future reference, I am bookmarking some of the URL sites given. I especially appreciate knowing that "truck tires" are an option. My rig is seven years old with 60K original tires which are Michelin. I have plenty of tread and the sidewall condition appears in good shape, but I am still going to get them inspected as has been suggested.

I had recently considered replacing the tires based on some suggestions that it was wise to do so at about the 5 year mark. Now, I'm taking a page out of the Michelin manual where it states: While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a simple precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear limit.

I'm for common sense safety and would never put money over personal protection, but I emphasis common sense. When there is a two grand or more price tag associated with discarding what appears to be perfectly good tires, which I have maintained well, I call time out. It's kind of like discarding six phile mignon steaks because they are a bit past the sell by date.