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Michelin XRV To XZE

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A friend who is looking to buy new tires told me two nites ago that XZE tires are primarily for medium and local distance haul commercial vehicles and XRV are for long distance. True or not, that was the information he was given.

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I have the XZE on mine, 315 front and 295 for drive and tag axle. I think it's a nicer drive. As for distance, my coach is not a long haul 18 wheeler and regardless of mileage, they will all be replaced in 6 to 7 years!

My continual health and life depends on the condition of the rubber I ride on!

So your choice!

Carl

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I have a 2008 Newmar DutchStar with 305/70/22.5 Michelin Tires and would like to change to 315/80/22.5 Michelin's. Any guidance? Any concerns in size difference? I am looking for a better ride.

Bill

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I did a fair amount of research on this very subject (XRV to XZE) within the last 30-days. "Research" included reading blogs (here at FMCA and iRV2), talking to the only dealer in my home city to participate in the Michelin Advantage Program, speaking by phone with 2 different folks at Michelin and digging deep in various web-sites of both Michelin and independent tire "authorities". From the factory tires were Michelin XRV 235/80R22.5's, and the alternative was Michelin XZE 255/70R22.5's.
I went with the XZE 255/70's, picked the coach up yesterday.

Reasons for my decision:
1) The 235's, by Michelin's own admission, are built for RV use only and not in constant production. They are therefore subject to periodic shortages in supply. A tire failure on the road could result in a multi-day & multi-state hunt for a tire. The XZE's are reported to be in greater supply.

2) The XZE 255's have a slightly larger (1/2-inch tread width) footprint for road contact, than the XRV 235's.

3) The XZE 255's are slightly smaller (1/2 to 3/4-inch) smaller diameter, which results in speedometer overstatement of about 1.5 mph at 60 mph, and more revolutions per mile. While these are negatives, they were not significant enough to sway me.

4) Both the XRV 235 and the XZE 255 will, per Michelin, fit my 7.5" aluminum rim width, and both fit my dually rear axle without problem.

5) And the Main Reason, the XZE 255/70's carry a significantly higher load and speed rating. I understand load ratings are a function of rim capacity, axle capacity and tire capacity and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. BUT, the extra capacity and speed rating gives me a little peace of mind as I cruise along at a leisurely 60-65mph.

Last bits of info..... The XZE's were about $90 more per tire than the XRV's, so I paid for that extra load capacity. And, I fully expect to replace these tires based on age, not mileage, in about 6-years so I don't care about mileage.
Hope this helps and I welcome other thoughts, opinions.

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I did a fair amount of research on this very subject (XRV to XZE) within the last 30-days. "Research" included reading blogs (here at FMCA and iRV2), talking to the only dealer in my home city to participate in the Michelin Advantage Program, speaking by phone with 2 different folks at Michelin and digging deep in various web-sites of both Michelin and independent tire "authorities". From the factory tires were Michelin XRV 235/80R22.5's, and the alternative was Michelin XZE 255/70R22.5's.

I went with the XZE 255/70's, picked the coach up yesterday.

Reasons for my decision:

1) The 235's, by Michelin's own admission, are built for RV use only and not in constant production. They are therefore subject to periodic shortages in supply. A tire failure on the road could result in a multi-day & multi-state hunt for a tire. The XZE's are reported to be in greater supply.

2) The XZE 255's have a slightly larger (1/2-inch tread width) footprint for road contact, than the XRV 235's.

3) The XZE 255's are slightly smaller (1/2 to 3/4-inch) smaller diameter, which results in speedometer overstatement of about 1.5 mph at 60 mph, and more revolutions per mile. While these are negatives, they were not significant enough to sway me.

4) Both the XRV 235 and the XZE 255 will, per Michelin, fit my 7.5" aluminum rim width, and both fit my dually rear axle without problem.

5) And the Main Reason, the XZE 255/70's carry a significantly higher load and speed rating. I understand load ratings are a function of rim capacity, axle capacity and tire capacity and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. BUT, the extra capacity and speed rating gives me a little peace of mind as I cruise along at a leisurely 60-65mph.

Last bits of info..... The XZE's were about $90 more per tire than the XRV's, so I paid for that extra load capacity. And, I fully expect to replace these tires based on age, not mileage, in about 6-years so I don't care about mileage.

Hope this helps and I welcome other thoughts, opinions.

Sorry for slow reply but just back from trip out of the country. It looks like the above post covers most of the items that would be of interest.

A couple of comments.

Not sure about the tread width dimension difference as this is not listed in the Michelin RV booklet. It's important not to confuse the tire width i.e. 235 or 255 with tread width. It is entirely possible to have two tires of the same "size" have different tread widths.

I did note the difference in tread depth. Depending on which sizes are being compared the XRV has shallower tread than the XZE. This is one reason for the cost difference with more tread rubber costing more $$. More tread depth can give sightly lower fuel economy but I note that Michelin uses the term "Fuel Efficient" and "Extra Fuel Efficient" on some lines of tires while no mention of fuel efficiency is mentioned for other lines. These terms can be used to understand the "relative" levels of fuel economy but as they say your mileage may vary.

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"This Michelin guide gives the "facts" on their tires. The two are quite a lot different in size, revolutions per mile, etc:

https://www.michelinb2b.com/wps/b2bcontent/PDF/RV_Tires_Brochure.pdf"

Thanks for the link. I'm working on replacing five tires before our big trip, this summer. I does seem to me that Michellin stops manufacturing RV tires during the winter months and so they are harder to find, then. But, the local Michellin Advantage participant says that even though they've been on back-order "since before Christmas" they should have some in within about two weeks. I do hope he's right.

Tom

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