Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: frecklestweety on August 02, 2013, 10:05:58 am
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I wrote recently about camping world telling me that my tires are starting to dry rot. They are 2008 tires that look like new in tread etc and only have 22,000 miles on them. Well I took it to my local service shop, family owned, and they inspected them and said they look fine and did not see what camping world was talking about. I since have coated them with 303 protectant as suggested in this formum and they look fine. Wash the MH and took care of the cleaning the tanks and we should be good to go to the reunion I feel a load has been taken off my back. I have covers and will use them as I have always done previously on my other MH.
thanks for all the suggestions previously made.
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Happy to hear that your second opinion worked in your favor. I went through the same thing on my 2008, some places will do anything to make a sale. My local tire dealer is owned by a former Michelin salesman, and I trust in what he says.
See you in Petoskey
Bill G :)(:
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That's great, tks also for letting us know what happened. Your Cruiser is the same age as mine, and no matter how many miles,,, when I hit that 7 +/- couple of months, year mark I'm buying new tires. We are nearly 15k and will not get that many miles next two years,
David Sparks
2008 PC 2350
Houston
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Had an older Appolo once with great looking tires. The local Michelin dealer said they looked fine and we headed out on a trip. We blew four of the six tires out on that trip and had a hard time finding the right tires available each time. Never take that chance again.
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I hope I don't eat my words, but I hope to go a lot longer than 7 years.
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A buddy of mine went 12 years on a set of tires. Then one day the left inside rear blew going down the highway. The flying tread took out both his gray and black tanks, the tail pipe and part of the side wall. He could of bought several sets of tires for what he paid in repairs. I don't think he will ever go over the 7 year mark again. I know I won't go pass the 7 year mark.
Penny wise, pound foolish.
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A buddy of mine went 12 years on a set of tires. Then one day the left inside rear blew going down the highway. The flying tread took out both his gray and black tanks, the tail pipe and part of the side wall. He could of bought several sets of tires for what he paid in repairs. I don't think he will ever go over the 7 year mark again. I know I won't go pass the 7 year mark.
Penny wise, pound foolish.
Tom, Your point is well noted.
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Ron
On some of those readings I posted they both talked about 7 year life. I have just seen too many post re 7year life. I am planning a couple of trips next year or two,, 2/3000 mile trips, so probably will get more that 10k on the current tires Were going back to Alaska in 2 years and there is no way I would take a chance. I also want to get a couple of 1000mile break-in before I make that trip,, last time we drove over 11,000 miles. I had a pick-up tread came off, tore the wheel well, muffler up,,, scared me to death haha... I am more worried about tread separation, like Tom mentioned that a blow out of the sidewalls.
Since a lot of us have 08's lets all save $50 amonth next two years then we can all start looking for tires together and get the best bargain haha
Just an observation,,, I have a mini van,, Toyota Sienna, has 106,000 miles on it, the current tires have over 60k on them and look great I think I might get another 10k out of them.... 90% driving highway,,,,, just like our RV's we drive mainly highway my guess 80%,, so the tires do not get the same wear on our daily drivers with all the stop and go that you do in the city
Sparky
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When I reach Petoskey in September my 08 PC 2350 will be near 40,000 miles with the original Michelins. Am I pushing it ??????
Bill G >8)
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Bill
you may be the only person who get's the actual mileage those Michelins will go haha... Based upon my theory, lots of highway miles on our units,, I bet your tire treads look great??? Probably good for another 10 to 15,000. Do you have the original tire papers, I wonder what the tire mileage is for those tires? I know Ron purchased new, maybe he still has the papers that give the mileage guarantee.
Did you rotate your tires? How do you store your unit? inside/outside
Again I am not an expert. but,, heheh, first thing is miles on the tread,,, the more miles sooner they wear out, the older the tire sooner the tire goes out, since my tires have 15,000 miles on them, the chance I would have tread separation should be lower for my unit than yours
your tires are gong on 5yrs getting close to 6,,, so in other words your in the old What the Heck Do I Do? quandary,, hahah.... if it was me, I think I would finish the falls season 2013 or short season (mileage wise) Spring 2014 and buy some new tires. I only have 15,000 and probably want do more than 10/12,000 next two years and feel good about my tires,,,
Hopefully a few more people will put their two cents in and give you some options and advice.
sparky
PS Let us know how much your new tires cost, haha
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Here is a reprint from Michelin Tire website (http://www.michelinrvtires.com/assets/pdf/TB-Service-Life-for-RV-Tires.pdf)
Hard to put an exact end of life time on tires but this seems to be what Michelin is trying to say.
1. 1-5 years - Perform Normal Maintenance
2. 6-9 years - Get Annual Inspections, Watch for changes in tire performance and characteristic, Perform Normal Maintenance and Use at your our risk (NO WARRANTY).
Vehicle and Tire manufactureres recommend tire replacement.
3. 10 years - Replace
Service Life for RV/Motorhome Tires
The following recommendation applies to RV/Motorhome tires. Tires are composed of
various types of material and rubber compounds, having performance properties essential
to the proper functioning of the tire itself. These component properties evolve over time.
For each tire, this evolution depends upon many factors such as weather, storage conditions,
and conditions of use (load, speed, inflation pressure, maintenance, etc.) to which the tire is
subjected throughout its life. This service-related evolution varies widely so that accurately
predicting the serviceable life of any specific tire in advance is not possible.
That is why, in addition to regular inspections and inflation pressure maintenance by
consumers, it is recommended to have RV/Motorhome tires, including spare tires, inspected
regularly by a qualified tire specialist, such as a tire dealer, who will assess the tire’s
suitability for continued service. Tires that have been in use for 5 years or more should
continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually.
Consumers are strongly encouraged to be aware not only of their tires’ visual condition and
inflation pressure, but also of any change in dynamic performance such as increased air
loss, noise or vibration, which could be an indication that the tires need to be removed from
service to prevent tire failure.
It is impossible to predict when tires should be replaced based on their calendar age alone.
However, the older a tire the greater the chance that it will need to be replaced due to the
service-related evolution or other conditions found upon inspection or detected during use.
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.
For tires that were on an original equipment vehicle (i.e., acquired by the consumer on a
new vehicle), follow the vehicle manufacturer’s tire replacement recommendations, when
specified (but not to exceed 10 years).
The date when a tire was manufactured is located on the sidewall of each tire. Consumers
should locate the Department of Transportation or DOT code on the tire that begins with
DOT and ends with the week and year of manufacture. For example, a DOT code ending
with “0304” indicates a tire made in the 3rd week (Jan) of 2004.
Here is a link to a Michelin Bulletin for Service Life of Passenger and Light Truck Tires:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/52062585/Service-Life-for-Passenger-Car-and-Light-Truck-Tires
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Barry that is a great post for RV tires. RV tires are made differently than truck tires including light truck tires. Our PCs come with light truck tires on them. Mine are Michelin LTX M/S LT225R16 with a DOT date of 1511 (March 2011). We picked up our PC on 11/11/11. My understanding is that because motorhome tires are expected to sit longer than LT tires, Michelin adds more oils to the compound. As one drives these oils work there way to the surface to keep the tires from drying out. When motorhomes sit for long periods of time they tend to dry out and crack. All this being said, Michelin does not give any advice on LT tires on a motorhome, just motorhome tires on a motorhome. Again all this being said, I plan on following the advice that you gave in your post.
P.S. Those who have PCs made in 2012 and 2013 should look at this Michelin recall notice. http://www.michelinman.com/voluntary-safety-recall.page
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Barry
good article and informative, ,and it adds more FUEL to the decision on when to pull the trigger and buy/replace our RV tires
Tom
RE adding more oil/stuff to the tires due to them sitting makes a lot of sense,, like you say we use the LT tires, but most trucks, in most circumstances wear out due to tread life in 3/4 years,,,, did you read about that process in an article somewhere, it sure would help all of us (RVers) knowing that info and help on our decision making process.
sparky
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Sparky, after I retired the first time, I went to work selling RV at a small dealer here in Maryland because i was not really ready to just sit around waiting for my wife to retire. I am now fully retired. At one of the shows for RV dealers there was a rep from Michelin and he was telling everyone about the added oil compounds in RV tires and why they add them. I hope this helps in deciding what to do. I am just passing on what I know and you can do with it as you see fit.
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Tom,
Thanks for the heads up on the recall, Will be looking at mind on Monday. Need to make sure the tires are OK getting ready to head west to OR and CA for 2 months. Will be driving between 6000 and 7000 miles. don't need a blow out on my new (March 2013) PC3100. Again thanks a hole lot and save traveling.
Jim & Rae Anne
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I bought my 2350 new in Jan. 2008. Today, after a careful inspection I feel that the trip out to Petoskey and back to Mass. will be the final trip for them :'(.
I am considering Michelin's as the replacements. I do rotate my tires, and feel that is why I have had great luck with them. Although the motorhome does sit in the driveway between trips, I do take her out for her weekly exercise trip once a week on I 495. 15 miles south and 15 miles north, back to the driveway, up on her blocks, tire get cleaned and covered. Yes I do check the air pressure before and after.
I'm grateful to frecklesweety for starting this thread. So many great replies and info.
Thanks to all
Bill G :)(:
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I wrote recently about camping world telling me that my tires are starting to dry rot. They are 2008 tires that look like new in tread etc and only have 22,000 miles on them. Well I took it to my local service shop, family owned, and they inspected them and said they look fine and did not see what camping world was talking about. I since have coated them with 303 protectant as suggested in this formum and they look fine. Wash the MH and took care of the cleaning the tanks and we should be good to go to the reunion I feel a load has been taken off my back. I have covers and will use them as I have always done previously on my other MH.
thanks for all the suggestions previously made.
This post has brought up many thoughts and suggestions on the tire issue. It has been very informative . I plan only two more trips before putting MH to bed for the winter in the Pole Bran. So lets hope all goes well and might consider new tires for the spring. There have been many pros and cons on the subject and food for thought.
thanks
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When we bought our current PC from a large dealer in Tampa, they have a rule that no motorhome leaves their facility with tires older than 5 years, regardless of mileage. They are concerned about liability. (WH)
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Bill
Sounds to me based upon your circumstances there is nothing else you could do in regards to taking care of your tires.....I am still curious as to how your tread looks after 40k,,,,, also you mentioned putting the RV on blocks. Are you lifting the whole RV or just parking on blocks. I know they recommend taking all the weight off the tires, but for most of us nearly impossible, I usually schedule a monthly visit to the storage to exercise the genie and drive the Beast,,, might start a bi-weekly My two cents, I think your making a wise choice on replacing in the spring....
Very good thread for all of us,,, I can see the threads coming next few months ,, great deal on tires at ????? hahah...
David Sparks
2008 PC 2350
Houston
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We are currently in our 31 day trip. I filled all tires to 80psi to improve our fuel economy. The tires look proper rather than under-inflated as before. The ride isn't much rougher and handling remains good, but I see the front tires over-inflated for the weight on them has the middle threads wearing a bit more....oh well. At least they are again making better contact to the road. :) I am not worried over this given the tires will be replaced due to age, long before tire wear. I hope the money saved in fuel will cover new tires when it's time. Early estimate in fuel saving is 1/2mpg or 5%.
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3>:) 3>:) 3>:)
Look out some one let Ron lose. Who let the dawgs out.
Have a great trip Ron.
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ron
I'm jealous,, sitting on my porch 530pm 99.9 degrees it's hot, but shady haha..... with the Scan Gauge I'm assuming you can monitor the mpg very easily,,, meaning if you only inflate to 75psi you can see the difference. I have to get one of those.... when your doing it by tank it is ather difficult... and your probably right age will get your tires before mileage... have a good trip,,, waiting for October
sparky