Need new tires

[AClayton]

Well, it is time for me to purchase and upgrade to new tires for my 2 yr old Toyhauler. I feel like I have gotten every 'safe' mile out of them before a catastrophic failure occurs. I would estimate only about 13k miles on the 5th wheel but the tires are worn badly. I routinely check my tires for temperature while on the road... ..... largely due to traveling with two young daughters with their tiny bladders, I have to stop every couple of hrs for them to pee. Anyway, I noticed that my chicom tires are doing exactly what everybody on here says they will do... ... . they are splitting and cracking on the sidewalls. I slowed my speed to only 55mph on the balance of the trip and did not have a problem but I need to replace them before my next scheduled trip at the end of this month.



My question is: Will the famed Michelins be ok for a triple-axle RV? With all the sidewall flexing, I feel I need to ask this question. Am I over-thinking this issue? Will the Michelins allow enough sidewall flex while executing tight turns? I have read they are heavy tires but constructed very well and will last but I am concerned about my spindles while turning. Thoughts?



Alan

 

[Cummins12V98]

Personally I would go with GoodYear G614 G tires. I have had zero problems with two sets. GY is the only tire mfg that will pay for damages. They are less expensive than Michelins. On my trucks I run Michelins, GY's on my RV's.

 

[Jim W]

Alan,

I cannot answer you on the tri-axle 5er but I did put them on my 5er this year in the spring. I am very happy with them on my camper and they have improved the towing of the camper with the truck. I have had the 5er out twice for two long trips of 400 miles +, we did not have any issues backing the 5er, nor turning sharp with the camper with the new Michelins tires on. I put on LT245/75R16E, they are expensive but to me they are worth the cost.



Jim W.

 

[RustyJC]

Even though they have the additional weight capacity (3750 lbs @ 110 PSIG), I wouldn't recommend the Goodyear G614 RST tires to anyone. These tires were OEM on our current 5th wheel, and after 3 years of service that concluded with 2 tread separations (the 2nd doing $2500 in damage to the RV), Goodyear replaced all the tires and paid for the repairs of the RV. My experiences with the G614s are pretty commonplace for owners of heavy 5th wheels that have utilized these tires. Also keep in mind that, if you were to upgrade to a G614 and want to take full advantage of its load capacity, your wheels must be rated for 110 PSIG. As an aside, I've since upgraded to 17. 5" Michelin XTA tires and wheels (4805 lbs @ 120 PSIG) and never had another problem. The 17. 5" XTAs are actually shorter in diameter and narrower than the LT235/85R-16s, so fitment is not a problem.



If a 16" load range E (3042 lbs @ 80 PSIG) tire will suffice for your application, I'd HIGHLY recommend the Michelin XPS Ribs. I've used them on a previous tandem axle 5th wheel, and they provided years of trouble-free service. If you check the archives on iRV2 or other RV forums, you'll find that any number of triple-axle toyhaulers have been retrofit with these tires as well, and they work fine. The XPS Ribs are rated by Michelin as an "all-position" tire which makes them suitable for trailer service.



Rusty

 

[CBALLA]

I don't know about a tri-axel, but I had a set of Michelins on my 30 ft Cardinal for 7 yrs. I had a flat last year (screw in tire) when I changed it I noticed small micro cracks in the sidewalls on all 4 of the tires. The tires had about 70,000 miles on them and this was the first problem I had with them. I replaced all 4 tires with new Michelins, and have about 2500 miles on them. I have made sharp turns with those tires and have backed into many camping spaces that were pretty sharp. One flat in 7 yrs Thats my experince.

 

[AClayton]

Even though they have the additional weight capacity (3750 lbs @ 110 PSIG), I wouldn't recommend the Goodyear G614 RST tires to anyone. These tires were OEM on our current 5th wheel, and after 3 years of service that concluded with 2 tread separations (the 2nd doing $2500 in damage to the RV), Goodyear replaced all the tires and paid for the repairs of the RV. My experiences with the G614s are pretty commonplace for owners of heavy 5th wheels that have utilized these tires. Also keep in mind that, if you were to upgrade to a G614 and want to take full advantage of its load capacity, your wheels must be rated for 110 PSIG. As an aside, I've since upgraded to 17. 5" Michelin XTA tires and wheels (4805 lbs @ 120 PSIG) and never had another problem. The 17. 5" XTAs are actually shorter in diameter and narrower than the LT235/85R-16s, so fitment is not a problem.



If a 16" load range E (3042 lbs @ 80 PSIG) tire will suffice for your application, I'd HIGHLY recommend the Michelin XPS Ribs. I've used them on a previous tandem axle 5th wheel, and they provided years of trouble-free service. If you check the archives on iRV2 or other RV forums, you'll find that any number of triple-axle toyhaulers have been retrofit with these tires as well, and they work fine. The XPS Ribs are rated by Michelin as an "all-position" tire which makes them suitable for trailer service.



Rusty

Thx Rusty and everybody... ..... I looked at some of the threads on that iRV2 about toyhaulers and it seems I am right on time for the original tires to go. I use my rig regularly is why my tire tread is worn so badly but the small sidewall cracks are what scared me. I guess when you think about it, a tri-axle probably doesn't scuff a tire any worse than a tandem because the center axle stays with the turn while the for and aft axle take the abuse. Sounds like I will be visiting my local Costco for XPS Ribs!

 

[AClayton]

Looks like they don't have my size. I have 235 80R16 and the closest I can find is their 245 75R16. These tires are rated at 3040@80psi. My chicom 'say' they are rated at 3520@80... not too concerned about that because it's a tri-axle. Overall diameter and rim width is what I was comparing my original eq size to this 245 75R16. The other sizes that were suggested had a load rating under 2700lbs per tire... ... . didn't like that! The 235 85R16 was a little too tall @ 32"... What do you guys think? This info is from Tire Rack - Michelin XPS Rib

 

[RustyJC]

Do you have 3 each 7000 lb axles? The VIN plate at the left (road side) front of the trailer should give GVWR and individual and total GAWRs. If you have the 7K axles and don't want to run an ST tire, you're stuck with the G614 (3750 @ 110 PSIG), but they're only available as LT235/85R-16s unless you want to upgrade to 17. 5" tires rated at 4805 lbs @ 120 PSIG - you could then use any number of tires such as the Michelin XTA or Goodyear G114 in a 215/75R-17. 5" size. These are shorter in diameter by 1/2" and narrower than the LT235/85R-16" tires.



If you have 6K axles, the 3042 XPS Ribs in LT245/75R-16 @ 3042 lbs would work fine if the slight additional width wouldn't be a problem. Depending on total actual weight, they might even work on the 7K axles, but your tires would be rated less than the manufacturer's GAWR which may or may not present some other problems (some installers won't mount a tire with less load capacity than required by the GAWR, for instance. )



Rusty

 

[KYOUNG]

I have the Michelin XPS on my triple axle C-Force they are working out fine, I have about an inch clearance between them on 8k axles. No issue so far!

 

[Mark31]

Someone told me a long time ago that if you thought you needed a triple axle trailer, buy dual tandems. The difference between the punishment that dual axles put on tires (and hangers, etc) compared to triple axles is like comparing the damage a club boxer can do to Mike Tyson after he heard you say something bad about his mama.

 

[RustyJC]

I have the Michelin XPS on my triple axle C-Force they are working out fine, I have about an inch clearance between them on 8k axles. No issue so far!

Since 2 each LT235/85R-16E XPS Ribs are rated for 6084 lbs total (3042 lbs each), I hope your actual weight is nowhere near 8000 lbs per axle.



Rusty

 

[SMasters]

The Goodyear G614 235/85 r16 measures 30. 7". They will fit where you have 235/80 r16. All of the other 235/85 r16 I looked at measured 31. 4" - 32". I have the G614 on my trailer and the axles are 33" apart. I have 2" between the tires.

 

[KYOUNG]

Carriage built my trailer, I guess they would rather over axle, than under axle!

The tires are rated more than the trailer gross weight rating!

 

[RustyJC]

That's certainly better than putting marginal axles under them. Sounds like you're good to go!



On another note, I was sorry to see Carriage close down. They built some nice rigs, and I certainly would have shopped them if I were purchasing a new RV.



Rusty

 

[AClayton]

I have 3 6k axles and the gross trailer weight is 17k. I am nowhere near that even when I was at my heaviest. I will get the 245's

 

[CBari]

Aclayton, I have run both the Michelins and the Goodyears on trailer that was one the boarder of being too heavy for that size tire. Lots of miles in hot summer temps with lots of jack knifing to get in areas. Both are great the goodyears developed some flat spots and wore a little more on the edges. The michelins in the exact same size tire are about 3/4 of an inch taller. I would go with the 235/85 r16 as the also will work on the truck if you need to use them their.

 

[AMink]

but the tires are worn badly.

Do you mean they are just worn down or worn badly (cupping, scalloping, etc. )? If that's the case it might be prudent and cost effective to make sure you have a good alignment on the trailer before plopping down lots of $$$ on shiny new tires.

Also, if you haven't already, check the spring hangers. My friend's triple axle had ovalled out the bolt holes, one to the point of failure. We found it when we were hooking him up and I was going to pull the chock. Looked down and the spring was not attached. Several more hangers were close to failure.

 

[AClayton]

Worn, meaning they are bald. The for and aft axle show the signs of familiar scuffing from turning but all six tires appear to be wearing on the flat tread surface evenly. I noticed on my trailer that the spring shackles and bushings and hardware were all junk. I did the Dexter triple axle upgrade about 18mos. ago! Made a huge difference! My rig rides much better.



I still have tread... . about a 3/16's of an inch..... but the small cracks in the sidewall of nearly every single tire have me concerned. I check my tires before every trip and they were not not noticeable before I took my 3hr away trip last week. My return trip home however, I checked the tires for temp on a routine potty break, and noticed the splits in the sidewall. I guess the heat did them in even though the tire temp didn't appear to be out of normal range... ..... well, for 100+ heat outside.



It really is not a big deal... everybody has warned me about my cheap chicom tires since I bought the trailer. I feel like I have gotten every last mile before a failure occurs. I have to admit, the piece of mind of having quality tires installed and not worrying about damage to my trailer is very satisfying!



Alan

 

[gtoli]

I noticed what looks like cracking between the treads on a couple of the tires while servicing my trailer before a big trip to OR next month. The tires are the stock GY Marathon ST's, actually made in USA. The tires are three years old and have about 10k miles. Guess I got my money's worth.

Can't afford to buy new 16" rims to replace the 15" stockers, so I shopped for a 15" replacement and found 225/75R15 Continental Vanco 2 tires. They are highway rib Are NOT made in China and are rated at 2470 lbs ea. instead of the 1820 lbs of the GY's.

My trailer is 7k max with tandem with 3500 lb Dexter axles. Never run it at max weight.

Gene.

 

[AClayton]

What I think is kind of funny is that the new Michelin XPS ribs have a lighter rating @3042-80psi than my factory Towmaster chicom junk @3520-80psi. Go figure!



Like I said, the XPS ribs are expensive at almost $2,000 but the piece of mind of not having a blowout is by far,well worth it. I heard HB and Grizzly in my head more than once when I accelerated to 70mph on a hot day on a hot road:-laf:-laf. Check your tires regularly for heat and cracks! I bargained with disaster long enough and got my new Ribs