Grover68
Christmas, FL
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Joined: 10/27/2009
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Q1: It is time for six new tires due to cracked sidewalls. Winnebago put Michelin A/T LT 225/75 R16 Load E tires on it out of the factory. It would appear I am ok to replace with the same. Comment?
Q2: I have been unable to locate this particular tire from tire dealers in my area. Any suggestions for a tire manufacture/brand to stay away from or have you had a good experience with any specific tire manufacture/brand. I live in the Southeast USA.
Q3: I am thinking of adding metal valve stems with metal value extensions when I get the new tires. Any comments or suggestions?
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Westronics
Redmond, WA
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Grover68 wrote:Q1: It is time for six new tires due to cracked sidewalls. Winnebago put Michelin A/T LT 225/75 R16 Load E tires on it out of the factory. It would appear I am ok to replace with the same. Comment?
I personally would not recommend those tires. They don't seem to hold up under Class C usage. I would go with Michelin XPS Ribs myself - they are expensive, though.
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Grover68 wrote:Q3: I am thinking of adding metal valve stems with metal value extensions when I get the new tires. Any comments or suggestions?
Good idea, but maybe you should go all the way and get the dually valves from either Borg Tire or the Tireman. Your local tire shop can install them when the replace the tires, but you'll need to get them yourself ahead of time.
2002 Jayco Greyhawk 24SS, Camera, ScanGauge/Blendmount, Inverter, Airtabs, Portabote, SeeLevel II, Tireman valves, Xatnrex Battery Monitor, Aero-flo vent, Trik-L-Start, XPS Rib, Lil' Stanker, Be kind to septic systems Ford: 1-800-444-3311. RV Tires
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raygreg
Seattle,WA
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Joined: 06/30/2003
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I would check with a michelin tire dealer, some of them were warenteed for 6 years against cracks. Do you have a Discount tire store near you they did an adjusment for me,I figured I got 2 tires for the price of 1.
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midnightsadie
ohio
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my LTV has the mich tirs .no problems and it has the metal stems , find a truck tire dealer .he should be able to fix you up.
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john1946
Venice FL
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Joined: 01/25/2005
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I just replaced all six Michelin XLT A/S tires on my View after 49,000 miles. The sidewalls had started to deteriorate after four Florida summers. Did they need to be replaced now?? It's a judgement call, but I opted to replace. Based on tread depth, Michelin gave me 40% off the new tires (where ever I choose to buy them). My understanding is that the A/S are no longer available, so I now have M/S.
I felt that 40% off of new tires after 50,000 miles of motorhome use was fair and I was satisfied with the Michelin response. By the way, you do have to call Michelin customer support and talk to a real person to get a case number assigned to your warranty claim.
Enjoy the View!!!
John
2007 Winnebago View 23H
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catman2130093
Florida
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Joined: 11/22/2007
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I had the Michelin LXs so common to class Cs. 4 years old, always covered, and 10k miles on them, falling to pieces. Michelin does have a 6 year warranty on them, they will prorate them when they fall apart-and they will fall apart. I could not see putting tires I knew to be lousy back on the coach, especially since all the Tallahassee area dealers would not guarantee "fresh" tires. Their mantra was "the warranty doesn't start until the tires are installed." That doesn't help when they blow apart every three or four years, whether you are on the road or sitting on a campsite. It's a pain in the butt to have to deal with the issue! I went with a Cooper SRM-II 10 ply commercial truck tire. It doesn't ride any different than the Michelin, they were $60 per tire less, they have a tread life warranty on them-if the tire has tread, it's warranteed-and they were all built in 2009 in America. I know Coopers to be good tires-I used to be on a racing team, we pulled a 45' gooseneck trailer with the car and the shop in it, behind a GMC Crew Cab Cually with Coopers. Never a problem. So far, I'm very happy with the Coopers. Good luck with whatever you choose.
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tatest
Oklahoma
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Joined: 05/14/2005
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My Michelin LTX M/S tires are weather cracked to various degrees, and somewhat older and about 1/2 worn at 30,000 miles, but I wouldn't call them "falling apart." The local Michelin/Cooper dealer says the cracking is not yet past "cosmetic" and he wouldn't replace them for that on his own truck, but if I want to, he will sell me new tires.
If cosmetic cracking is an issue with you, don't buy Michelin LTX tires. Michelin uses natural rubber, rather than synthetic, for the outer layer of the sidewall on that model line (and many others). They have their technical reasons for this choice, but it means that the Michelin LTX brand shows cosmetic weathering sooner than other brands.
I asked the Cooper dealer about the SRM-II model, he had to research a bit to find them because he doesn't carry that model in his catalog, too few customers for it (most want Discoverers on light trucks). He found some at a distributor, cost is $140 a tire cheaper than LTX M/S, $200 under XPS Rib.
I'm not done shopping until I've talked to the Bridgestone/Firestone and Goodyear dealers, because both lines have tires equivalent to Michelin LTX and Michelin XPS. I'm not replacing tires until spring, because there is no point buying seven new tires now for a vehicle that will sit in storage four months.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B
2001 Ranger Edge
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AstroRig57
near Tehachapi, CA
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Joined: 01/15/2009
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catman2130093 wrote:I had the Michelin LXs so common to class Cs. 4 years old, always covered, and 10k miles on them, falling to pieces. .... That doesn't help when they blow apart every three or four years, whether you are on the road or sitting on a campsite....
...I went with a Cooper SRM-II 10 ply commercial truck tire. It doesn't ride any different than the Michelin, they were $60 per tire less, they have a tread life warranty on them-if the tire has tread, it's warranteed-and they were all built in 2009 in America. I know Coopers to be good tires-I used to be on a racing team, we pulled a 45' gooseneck trailer with the car and the shop in it, behind a GMC Crew Cab Cually with Coopers. Never a problem. So far, I'm very happy with the Coopers. Good luck with whatever you choose.
The OEM tire most commonly used on Ford E-450 Class-C's is the LTX M/S. The LTX A/T2 is sometimes also used as is the X Radial LT. None of the Michelin "LX" series tires are available in 225/75 R16. The LX is designed for passenger cars and minivans. If, for any reason, you had the "LX" on an RV, you were dead before you started.
As for the LTX M/S, I went 32,000 miles and over four years on our OEM tires. I changed them only when they developed what I would call "minor" cracking. Didn't "fall apart", no "blow outs every 10,000 miles", and I probably erred on the side of caution when I decided not to go another season on them. They were well tended on a heavy 31' Class-C.
I'm glad you're happy with the The Cooper SRM-II but there is really nothing special or unique about them as compared to the Michelin LTX M/S in a comparable size. Same load ratings, same ply rating, same steel belts with nylon chord in the sidewall construction.
Westronics recommends the Michelin XPS Rib because they are an "All Steel" tire meaning they have steel casings (steel in the sidewalls). They are more than excellent for most RV use. As the XPS Rib is not Mud & Snow rated, and I need a tire with such capabilities, I have opted for the Goodyear G947 RSS Armor MAX which is also an "All-Steel" tire with true commercial capabilities. As I have said before, I never had problems with my ride and handling on the Michelin LTX M/S but, in comparison, I describe the handling on the G947 RSS Armor MAX as more "surefooted".
2005 31' Coachmen Freelander 3150SS, Stargazer II - Mobile Astronomy Unit
Do you remember when the sky was dark, and the stars were bright?
The International Dark-Sky Association
American by birth...Scottish by the Grace Of God.
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catman2130093
Florida
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The LX was a fat finger typing mistake. They were indeed LTX. That said, I'm SO very pleased no-one else had problems with cracking, except for "cosmetics". Mine were looked at by a Michelin dealer, and were seperating where the shoulder meets the sidewall,according to said Michelin rep.Please note here, I said racing team in my earlier posts, I do know a thing or two re tires,trucks,cars. My point in this, is you don't have to spend $200 or more per tire to have a safe,reliable tire with a good warranty on your motorhome. If you are comfortable riding around on cracked,seperating tires,great. I was/am not. I fulltime,my whole life rides on my tires. I also don't want to spend big bucks repairing under-carriage damage to my rv because of tire failure. It seemed silly to me to replace tires that I had not gotten good service with, with more of the same.
I love it when people say "well I never had any trouble", as if because they didn't, nobody else should either.
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pnichols
Santa Cruz Mountains
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Joined: 04/26/2005
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Are you guys with cracks developing in your tire sidewalls keeping the tires covered as much as possible when parked? The sun can damage tires a lot when sitting around camping or in storage. Cheap insurance against sidewall cracking.
Phil, 2005 E450 Itasca 324V Spirit
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