quote:

Originally posted by Bill N.Y.:
Right now, if you told me the sky was green and rises in the west, I'd believe you. You won't hear an I told you so from me. I hope it works out for you.

Green skies are not uncommon just before tornados or very violent thunderstorms…!

Some people are born risk takers. I'm from that group. As long as you don't whine when the poop hits the rotating blades.

You can manage the risk when you know you're gambling. Keep your speeds low to both minimize the chance of a blowout, increase handling if trouble occurs, and to minimize damage if you have one.

quote:

By the way does $35/tire mounting and $30/tire balance sound like a descent price?

........sounds like a lot to me, about twice of what I would care to pay. Charleston is a big base, doesn't it have a "ships service" were you could have them mounted cheaper?

quote:

Originally posted by sk8er32283:


By the way does $35/tire mounting and $30/tire balance sound like a descent price?

You might skip the balancing and see what happens. My Bridgestone dealer says not necessary.

I've been following this thread with interest. When I got my coach in March the 8.00 x 19.5 Bridgestones on the front and drive axles looked excellent but the tag axle tires were very scary..up to 1/4 cracks in the walls. I never drove them. I pulled those tires (also replaced air bags, shocks, repacked bearings and inspected brakes)

I got two cheap replacements new for $130 each plus $30 each for mounting. I did not have them balanced and have not noticed any problems with vibration or cupping. The tire shop in the Keys didn't have a spin balance rig big enough and bubble balance isn't that effective anyway.(side note: they are not new, they are 4 years old and chinese, didn't know about the date code stamps till I read about it here)

I went with the cheap tires because the Bridgestones are 7 yrs old with less than 15,000 miles and NO sidewall checks. I will run them maybe 1 more year and replace at least the steer tires with new, then the others to follow later. This may be risky but I watch inflation carefully and don't drive over 60 mph, more often around 55.

I see the magic 7 yr number often here but I wonder if that is more important to those in the south. Surely 100 plus temps, high humidity, constant sun and lack of use will accelerate the breakdown of tires faster than the cold temps, dingy dry weather we have here. I have talked to several local RV owners and no one around here has had any trouble with tires in good condition less than 10 yrs old. none.. (This is no endorsement for old tires but maybe locations do matter)

quote:

Originally posted by Steve VW:
Surely 100 plus temps, high humidity, constant sun and lack of use will accelerate the breakdown of tires faster than the cold temps, dingy dry weather we have here.

The only problem I have with Michigan is lack of use in the winter. I am a nut on exercising tires, so the molded-in preservatives can "bloom".

Definitely the cold will cause serious flat spotting and lumpy ride for a while! I agree with the exercise idea. Not just tires, brakes get rusty, belts get stiff, internal engine corrosion due to condensation, etc. I am committed to running at least once a month, at least 10 miles to get engine hot and tires warm.

Since I plan to escape to FLA in midwinter I will have to keep the coach plowed out all winter so I can do this. I will install an engine preheater by then to help reduce cold startup wear.

One of these days I'll have to research the site on winterizing/draindown advice. Since I got back to Mi in April we had some snow and freezing temps but not long enough to freeze anything so I didn't winterize. Not so for this winter!

May I recommend some new valve stems too to complement the new old tires ... while you are at it, a lot of leaks start there.

BTW seen green sky in Kansas (yes there was a tornado nearby). Jim is right!

Called the auto hobby shop and they can't mount and balance a 22.5" rim. It look's like I will be going witht the 65/tire for the two. I think I am going to do the balance because I want to minimize any vibrations and thus heat build up in the tire. Thanks for all the help guys.

Understand the economics of it. Just to let you know the 6 new tires I bought in summer of 09 cost me $1850 installed. (19.5 225r goodyears) . My buddy just bought the same tires last week $2700.
The tire on my rear duals were original 1986s
I made 1 100 mile round trip with them. got lucky.

Doorman

22-1/2" wheels don't require special machinez to change tires. When you defate the tire will simply fall off the rim and with a long tire iron (3' or longer) you (or they) just pry ot over the rim and it literally will fall off. On my last trip through Arkansas I bought new tires from Bobby Henard and he did not even remove the wheels to mount the tires. Just peeled off the tire, removed the valve stem, remounted the new tire and threw in a pack of ceramic beads to dynamically balance the wheel. I paid the tire price plus $3 for each balance pack. He also inspected the lug nuts and replaced about ten of them. He said if he had seen wear or stretch on the lug bolts the wheel would have been removed and those bad bolts would have been replaced. I had the same experience at Goodyear Fleetwise. They had no machines like those used on cars for any of their truck wheels.

Wow how time flies. I got the tires installed on the rear today. The dealer said the front were good to go still and didn't recommend changing them. We'll see how well they perform on our next trip. The ten mile ride back to the storage facility seemed better with the new tires. But it all could have been in my head though too.