New RV Tires

[Rory]

Howdy, I am brand new to Rving and about to purchase a used National Surfside 29a. It needs new tires and am looking for any recommendations. It needs 245/70/19.5. I was looking at Goodyear G670 RV ULT and there is a huge price difference between Goodyear Commercial Service Center and purchasing them online. I also have had no luck navigating this size tire on Goodyear's website to get the Escapee 15% discount. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Kirk W]

The tires that were constructed by Goodyear for use on a motorhome are quite different from those for a truck because the truck uses tires much differently than do most motorhomes. Truck tires spend very little time sitting still and a generally designed for high mileage in a short time. Most RV tires are replaced due to tire age, well before the tread-wear reaches a critical point. For that reason the rubber is compounded much differently as are the belts. You may be interested to know that Michelin also has a tire designed for motorhome use and there are probably others. I used the G670 tires on our fulltime motorhome with great service and wear. I replaced them at 7 years with no visible cracking and good tread. The next set were on the RV when we sold it to downsize. 

[Ro and Joe]

Based on what I've read and heard from one owner directly, we will be going with Toyos when the time comes for replacement.

[Barbaraok]

They were OEM for our coach and we still run them. Usually change out at 7-8 years, when we get to Oregon to save the sales tax! 😎

[docj]

With all due respect, IMO there's a lot of misinformation traded on these forums about tires.  Michelin used to have a lock on the RV community as a result of good marketing and the claim that they made "RV tires" rather than "truck tires".  Since Michelins are seriously overpriced IMHO, now there are lots of people going to Toyos, without any specific evidence other than "I heard they are good tires."

In reality there are a number of high quality tire manufacturers in the world who make tires that will work well on Class A (and other) MHs.  ~6 years ago I changed out my steer tires for Hankook tires which provided a quieter smoother ride than did the Michelins they replaced.  For 4 years we rode on 6 Hankooks.

Those steer tires served us well and now have been replaced by top-of-the-line Bridgestones which I bought primarily because my daughter had been the manager of a Firestone store and was able to get me a great price on them.😁 (More on that later)

What I look for when buying tires are those that are rated for "all position" use and I prefer styles that are advertised for "regional or urban" use" rather than those primarily focused on long haul trucking.

As for price, let me say that the price I paid for my new Bridgestone tires was <40% of the lowest online price I could find for the same tires.  So when you get excited about getting a modest discount because you a buying through FMCA or some other buying group, think you're getting such a good deal!  It's still typical retail selling where the markup is at least 2x the wholesale price! 

[DanZemke]

1 hour ago, docj said:

What I look for when buying tires are those that are rated for "all position" use and I prefer styles that are advertised for "regional or urban" use" rather than those primarily focused on long haul trucking.

I think this applies to HDT RVers, like me, as well.

Thanks.

[Barbaraok]

Joel, you are describing the type of tires we get for our coach.  The regional-urban description fits our driving of the coach.  We move 200 miles or less each time we move, a region, and we are often going through or near urban areas, which is stop and go traffic getting off the highway to whatever park we will be staying in for the next few days.   We don't do the "long-haul" type of driving at 75 mph for 10-12 hours a day!  

Interesting, when we first bought our RV, TOYO  marketed an "RV" tire, but received a lot of complaints because one manufacturer went with this tire which wasn't appropriate for the coach they put it on.   So TOYO stopped marketing them (still built the tires) but since we were happy with our tires (which weren't the 'RV' tire model) , we went with them when it was time to replace.  

[Kirk W]

This interesting to me because I owned a class A for 20+ years, even though I have since downsized and have a travel trailer once more. Travel trailer tires are a very different subject than those for motorized RVs, so much of this only applies to them. 

12 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

So TOYO stopped marketing them

If that is the case, they must have changed policy back to advertising them again, as there was a large, factory poster promoting Toyo for class A RVs in our local tire shop when I was there getting tires on our car a couple of weeks ago. In looking about the internet, I also found that they publish a tire inflation chart specifically for the class A as well as the commitment to satisfaction, or tire warranty.

[Barbaraok]

Kirk, I haven't looked at TOYO advertising in years.  That is interesting.   Guess they realized that there really was a market for their tires in the RV area.   

[Kirk W]

1 minute ago, Barbaraok said:

I haven't looked at TOYO advertising in years.

I haven't followed big tires since we sold the class A, but do take some notice of what is happening. Early on, I think that Michelin got their big lead with the class A world as they were first to compound a large tire for the lower mileage use of the RV community. That was followed a couple of years later by Goodyear with the introduction of their G670. It doesn't seem that long, but it has been more than 10 years since I last shopped for tires to fit a class A. One major advantage of the little travel trailer we use now is the cost and number of tires required!  😊

[Captain Happy]

Back in 2009 when we bought our first used Gas Ford powered MH, it came with Goodyears tires that really needed to be replaced. We made a few trips with the Goodyears, all over the road. 

We finally got the new Hankook AH-11 tires mounted. Man, what a difference in the way it road and over all better stability over all. 

and in 2014 I bought another Ford MH. It already had the Hankook AH-11tires on it. I drove the MH for another 5 years with those same tires.

The only really bad handling problems I ever had was with the side winds, and trucks passing by. 

[SWharton]

We needed to replace our fronts last year and were hung up in Provo, we were going to wait until we got to Phoenix but we had a Les Schwab across the street. Called at 9, had 2 new Toyos installed by 3. No discount but then there was no hassle and the tires were in their warehouse. Easiest tire purchase we ever made. Forget a discount, convenience and speed sure won.

[Barbaraok]

We’ve used Les Schwab because most of their stores, at least on the west coast, can handle logging trucks.  Big covered side area for pulling in and they have jacks and other equipment for big tires and the one we stop at in Suthlin, OR is used to motorhome since there is an Escapee Co-Op park in the town so lots of RVers coming through taking advantage of no sales taxes! 😉

[Kirk W]

If you are buying a set of tires but can wait until you get somewhere more favorable to get them, check your itinerary to see if you can avoid the usual sales tax.

Quote

• Five states do not have statewide sales taxes: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. ...
• California has the highest state-level sales tax rate, at 7.25 percent.[2] Four states tie for the second-highest statewide rate, at 7 percent: Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.

 

[ARGO]

Whatever you buy (if more than 1) check that the mfr dates are all similar & with an acceptable time. 

[Barbaraok]

3 hours ago, Kirk W said:

If you are buying a set of tires but can wait until you get somewhere more favorable to get them, check your itinerary to see if you can avoid the usual sales tax.

 

When we put 4 new rear shoes on our coach last year, we waited until we were in Sutherlin, Oregon.  Not only didn't we pay sales tax, but that was the quarter that Discover Card was giving 5% cash back on purchases at service stations - which evidently Les Schawab Tire Centers are considered to be!.   A little extra change back never hurts the travel budget. 😎

[TXiceman]

4 hours ago, ronaldos said:

I am using Goodyear Unisteel G614 RST and very satisfied with it. We've given plenty of mileage on these tires without flat tires, poor tire wear, or other issues experienced with basic Goodyear RV tires.

We have GY G614 on our 5er and no issues.  The prior set was Hankook and no issues with them either. One thing that will benefit tire life is keep them at the proper pressure and make sure you are weighed and not overloading the tires or   axles.

Ken