Travelling is not getting easier

[playaboy]

I am just trying to start a discussion, not an argument.


We are in a REAL new normal where the restrictions on travel seem to be here to stay. These travel restrictions change day by day. There are many loopholes to take advantage of.

Are these continued restrictions going to keep you home? How are you planning to get around them?

As RVers, what is your special place you plan to ride this storm out? Any planning on coming south for the winter?

[charlestonsouth]

playaboy, good deal! But not such a good product.

[playaboy]

Several years ago I had some BFG tires I purchased in MX that were defective. Radial Llanta tried to tell me the tire came apart because I hit a pot hole and would not cover the warranty.

I complained to BFG in the USA and they told me that the USA and MX companies are totally separate. As a courtesy for a long time customer they covered the cost of the replacement tires in MX.

[charlestonsouth]

silversand, here are some excerpts from an article "Are BF Goodrich Tires Made by Michelin?" In "Truck Tire Reviews" dated August 5, 2019.

"Things changed for the brand when in 1988 BF Goodrich (BFG) was sold to Michelin North America, Inc (a division of the larger French-owned Michelin brand)."

"So are BFG tires made by Michelin? The answer is both yes and no. BFG is owned by Michelin, but a lot of their tires are produced separately, with independent engineering and design teams, here in the USA."

[silversand]

Talleyho69 wrote:
Here is a great tip: I bought our new tires on line. First, I had them guarantee the age of the tires by sending photos of the manufacturing date. (look for this information on line.)

....yeah. I hear you. We have an excellent tire place near us (they do tractor-trailers, Class A, and commercial delivery truck tire replacements). All the tire replacements on our SUV and 2500HD have been done there. I order by phone, and specify that all 4 tires must have a manufacture date no older than 8 weeks. I've been lucky, in that every tire I've bought there were never date-stamped older than 7 weeks.

Others: Re. Michelin:

I've had absolutely lousy luck with Michelin tires. I tried 2 sets just to be certain. My (LR E) BF Goodrich TA-Ko's (manufactured by Michelin North America Inc) all failed within 3 years. Horrendous sidewall cracking, and horrendous tread cracking on all 4. I always get full laser wheel alignments (at the dealership, then drive to tire place) before new tires go on. And, our trucks are way under rated loads (the big 2500HD is 1400 LBS under rated payload at all times!). My Michelin AT's disintegrated at 4 years (all 4 tires), too. I'll never touch a Michelin tire ever again. I'm using Goodyear Duratrac (LR E) on every rim. Been using Duratracs now for over 7 years, not ever a crack, split or hair-line on any sidewall nor tread block. Excellent wear, too.

[Talleyho69]

Yes, we agree, Michelin tires are the best, but they are pricey.

[qtla9111]

Wm.Elliot wrote:
Mexico's President on Covid vaccinations

Very similar to his belief that when he took office the pharma companies that provided medicines to our social system were monopolies. He eliminated all 10 of them and since then over 3500 children have died needlessly because he refuses to buy their cancer treatments.

Mexico news is like anywhere else. There are two sides to everything.

Yesterday he held a Consulta Popular, the first in a series of many he will have. It was to determine if the ex-presidents should be investigated for corruption and then tried.

The law in the Mexican Constitution already provides for that.

He spent 26 million dollars on the vote yesterday and no one showed up (only 7% of the population).

That money could have done one of the following things:

Built 1749 low-income homes with a median value of 300,000 pesos

Provided 10,600,000 food hampers

Purchased 59,666 weekly cancer treatments for children.

It is important to stay abreast of Mexican news so that tourists, residents, and Mexicans know where their pesos and dollars go in a country where 50% don't pay taxes and the rest is pilfered away on such nonsense that the law already provides for.

Most North Americans should be appalled at the simple fact that he supports Cuba, the Cuban Revolution, and sent three ships this last week with food supplies, a tanker with diesel, and a ship carrying medicines that are needed just as badly here at home especially for innocent children who are part of our universal health care system.

[Wm_Elliot]

Mexico's President on Covid vaccinations

[charlestonsouth]

Talleyho, Michelin tires are THE VERY BEST tires made. We make them here in upstate SC. Yes, they are not inexpensive, but generally you get what you pay for. I would think Michelins would do well on Mexican roads.

[qtla9111]

Just about everything can be had online but for a price. Rv parts, vitamins, tires, things that used to be hard to come by are found on Amazon Mexico, Autozone and Mercadolibre. Don't forget a Costco and Sam's on every corner. My LTH deep cycle batteries are doing fine and cost me the same as Costco (Costco Mexico doesn't carry them anymore that I know of) plus I get a 48-month guarantee and they will come to the house to install and replace.

Most large tire outlets can now order what you want, and I agree with Talleyho69, we always ask for tires that are less than six months old and the seller always complies.

Ordering from the states in some cases takes time. We have a mailbox in Laredo, TX and the sister box is here in Monterrey. My new rv cover had a $50 import charge including delivery to Monterrey. We can't cross the border now anyway, and I wouldn't drive to Laredo if you paid me. The gas alone would be more than the $50 so it all comes out in the wash.

Teslas are everywhere now, Volts, and just about every other taxi is a Prius.

[Wm_Elliot]

It might be better now but back in the day it was difficult to find other parts for vehicles not commonly sold in Mexico - like an oil filter for a 7.3 diesel engine, or parts for a 3/4 ton pickup.
Maybe the blossoming of Autozone stores throughout Mexico has improved this.

[Talleyho69]

OK, technically these things should be in a different forum, but they are appropriate for here now.

TIRES!!!!!! Anywhere, especially Mexico where some sizes of tires can be difficult to come by and extremely expensive, tires are often ignored and shouldn't be. This is the voice of experience, the hard way, more than once.

RV tires need to be replaced every 5 years. No discussion, no disclaimers that they were always covered, top of the line, not used much. THEY MUST BE REPLACED EVERY 5 YEARS. RV's are heavy, hard to miss potholes, and when a tire fails, a tremendous amount of damage can/will occur.

The year before we moved here permanently and sold our Safari, the tires hit 5 years of age. We talked about stretching another year out of them because they looked perfect, but remembered what we had been through in the past.

Here is a great tip: I bought our new tires on line. First, I had them guarantee the age of the tires by sending photos of the manufacturing date. (look for this information on line.) Then, I called around and found out the cost of having them mounted, balanced and the disposal fees in California. We saved more than a thousand US dollars by having them shipped directly to us and put in the RV. We drove to the tire place who confirmed the age of the tires, and was blown away by the deal we got, and in no time, had great, Michelin tires on the coach.

DON'T RUN ON OLD TIRES!!!!!

[ferndaleflyer]

F250 and 350 have a brake caliper reputation. We have been to Pigeon Forge twice and Knoxville once in the past year 7-10 days each trip. Didn't fear anything and had a good time each trip.

[charlestonsouth]

rocmoc, I wish I had read your message before we left for Sieverville, Tenn. traveling from low country SC. We had not seen our son and his family for a very long time and we met up at The Ridge campground for a few days. Thoroughly checked out the Hi-Lo camper, tires, hydraulics, batteries, etc. But should have paid more attention to the F-250 Ford diesel truck. We don't use it unless we are towing. The problem was the brakes--the calipers were not working properly; lost a day in the mountains sitting in a NAPA brake repair shop. Since Tenn. is a highly contagious state, we wore masks in the grocery store, cooked out on the Webber Q, and talked with and hugged our family, all of whom are vaccinated. If you are cautious, we can all still have some normalcy, but we keep a couple of masks hanging on the truck turn signal.

Hope your RV trips will be happy ones and uneventful.

[playaboy]

bgum wrote:
As a result of covid 19 protocols we have experienced no colds, sinus issues, or other viruses.
I can attribute this to mask wearing, increased washing of hands, and avoiding those who don't.
So the pandemic has had positive impact in our lives.
We have no plans to travel to Mexico or Canada so restrictions there do not impact us directly.

I disagree that mask wearing, handwashing were the main causes of reduced regular flu. The only covid protocol that stopped the spread of colds and regular flu was the closure of public schools, the germ incubator of America.