Need Tire Rec's for Class C Motorhome Tires?

2,833 Views | 9 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by 1agswitchin4lanes
AgTech88
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TLDR - Blew a tire, need new ones, Rec's?

Blew an outside dual tire today so will be looking for new ones all round.

Main question - need new tires all 'round for MH. What is the go to Brand/Make/Model, load range, etc. these days for MH tires?
Also I have read other info where folks have gone up a size to something like 215/85R16 LRE to get a little extra ground clearance. This is very appealing to me as our rigs plumbing etc. hangs very low and my driveway is very steep and I have to use wood ramps to back it in. Is going up a size a good idea? What would be the downside - I am thinking tire availability? It might be an issue as the 225/75 R16's are standard on the E450 chassis and readily available, where the next size up 215/85R16 LRE might not be?

Rig: 2017 Leprechaun 317SA Class C 32' - original tires are LT 225/75 R16 Load Range "E". . We haul a rock crawling Jeep on a trailer so run loaded heavy - Legal and within specs, but right at the limit.

Outcome - Come to find out the inside tire was flat, had 2 splits in the sidewall . So the outside tire was carrying all the weight and probably just got hot and blew. Ended up having to put on the spare and buy 1 tire. Good news is the sidewall blew so tread didn't separate and beat the MH causing more damage.

Lesson - I don't have TPMS (maybe I need to make that investment) but I am very diligent about checking cold tire pressure every morning and keep tires at max rating. Every time we stop I visually check all of the tires and feel the temperature on each one, but I have not been bumping the inside duels. Blow out happen at 10 AM so I know the tires were good when we pulled out at 6 AM. MH is a 2017 so I assumed the tires were a couple years old. Come to find out the manufacture date on all of the tires was February of 2015. Tires were 4 1/2 years old. Also the rig is a former rental so no telling how the tires were maintained and was probably stored outside.

Any help and advice appreciated!
JB
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Michelin Defender LTX M/S is my go to for highway tires
TRIDENT
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You need to stick with at least load range E
CATAGBQ04
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After my experience towing two Jeeps on a goose-neck 4000 miles across the country with LRE tires right at their limit...I'd go F or G and not worry about it again.

We still had 2 blow outs with Michelin LT LRE tires.
The Wonderer
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CATAGBQ04 said:

After my experience towing two Jeeps on a goose-neck 4000 miles across the country with LRE tires right at their limit...I'd go F or G and not worry about it again.

We still had 2 blow outs with Michelin LT LRE tires.
This. Jump to F at a minimum for peace of mind. MRs tend to get overloaded because nobody weighs their crap (i've been guilty of it twice resulting in blowouts.)

*I'm a lawyer, but not your lawyer. This is not legal advice and an attorney-client relationship does not exist between you and me*
FunnyFarm14
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Load range E at a minimum. E is a ply rating, not necessarily that it has 10 ply. Not all tires are created equal.

Check the "Load Index" - This is more indicative of the actual carrying weight/capacity of the tire, whereas the Letter is the ply "rating". Higher L.I. = Better. You can have an E rated tire that has the Load Index higher than that of a F or G.



Big fan of Coopers. We pull a 12k horse trailer behind the truck just about every weekend. I've got 3 sets to go over 50k miles.
1agswitchin4lanes
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Annual mileage?
AgTech88
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Around 10K. Majority of those miles are pulling the trailer, in summer months (Hot). Also a couple of those trips Go through Louisiana - I have no Idea how any vehicle makes it on I-10 from Beaumont to New Orleans. By far the worst roads I have ever driven.....
AgTech88
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TLDR - Info on weights, loading, and tires I chose. Hopefully someone will check my math and logic and might find helpful.

Update - did a little more research and ran the weight numbers on my Rig and tires. No wonder we blew a rear tire. Since the tires were OE I assumed they were rated for the loads with plenty of cushion...

Motorhome Specs
GVWR 14,500 Front 5,000 Rear 9,600
GCWR 22,000
UVW 12,250
CCC 2,280
Hitch 7,500/750

As I mentioned, when we are pulling the trailer with the Jeep on it we are maxed out especially on the back axle. When we first got it I ran the fully loaded rig across the scales several trips and learned we had to be very careful what we carry, how we load MH, and how Jeep is loaded on trailer. If I load it right we are legal all round. Since then I weigh it occasionally and have found that sometimes we are a little over on the rear axle and GVWR - front axle and GCWR are good. The reasons are 1) We add some gear we think we cant live without (usually me adding heavy tool bags) and forget to subtract something of same weight, 2) It is difficult to shift weight to the front axle since all of the storage areas are in back, and 3) I struggle to keep weight off the trailer tongue - It has a tool box on the front with a winch/battery mounted in it and that is where I store straps/chains etc., and there is a very narrow window to position the Jeep so the trailer doesn't get squirrelly.

Now the numbers - The OE tires were the Michelin Defender LTX M/S LT225/75/R16 Load Range E which, from what I can tell are the most used and recommended for Class C's.

Here is where I learned thanks to FunnyFarm14 - The Load Index on those tires is 115 which means at max inflation of 80psi the
weight rating is 2679 # per tire.
Front - 2 tires @ 2679 = 5358# - Front axle spec is 5000# so OK as I have never been over 4500 #.
Rear Duals (couldn't find exact rating for dual setup but usually about 125 # less than max) - 4 tires @ 2554 = 10,216 # - Rear axle spec is 9,600 # so again OK but not much wiggle room.

Looking back at weight tickets, on the rare occasion when I do screw up loading and not get everything right I have been as high as 10,300 # on the rear axle. In that case I am right at or over max load for tires.

I used all this info and went shopping for tires that would give me a little more buffer on the rear axle.

1. I first looked to go up a Load Rating as some of you have suggested, but found a couple issues. 1) There are very limited options for size needed, 2) it sounds like the ride quality is horrible on MH's, and 3) LR F tires usually have max inflation of 90 psi or more but stock wheels and valve stems are only rated up to 80 PSI. Basically I would have to buy new wheels all around in addition to tires.

2. I learned that Nexen (Roadian CT8 HL) and Continental (VancoFourSeason) have come out with new tires designed for Commercial Vans/Trucks that have a Load Rating of 120/121 - 3086 #/3197 #. 4 of these on the back gets 12,000+ # capacity. They also have a Max inflation of 83 PSI.

I went with the Continental for the rear - made in America and lots of good reviews and recommendations. The Nexen were $100 less per tire but they are made in S. Korea and, since newly released, I couldn't find many reviews nor anyone that had personally tried them on a Class C MH. NOTE: I actually heard good things about Nexen tires in general - considered much better than other imports from China etc. and they have a better warranty than the Continentals.

I went back with the Michelin Defender LTX M/S on the front as the weight rating is acceptable and they will maintain as much ride quality as possible. This will mean I can't rotate them (shouldn't mix tires on same axle) but I cant find anywhere that rotating tires on MH is recommended.

Before I get lectured about intentionally operating over weight - I did not go into this to find a way to run overloaded. I have enough experience with trucks and trailers of all kinds to understand the importance of staying within specs. This is why I actually go through the trouble of weighing the rig on a regular basis and continuing to work with the loading plan. This is also why I am comfortable operating at or near the max specs - I know the MH & Trailer are well set up & maintained and the trailer is top of the line with properly set up brakes on both axles. Upgrading the tires is just another step in keeping the entire rig in the best possible condition/set up. I also know and easy answer would be to just get a big Diesel Pusher - just not in the cards...yet.

Please feel free to double check my math and logic and let me know if it is flawed.
AgTech88
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I just thought I had it all figured out....
I am using Discount Tire and had ordered the tires. They just called and told me they called Michelin and the Defender LTX M/S has been discontinued and they can't find any anywhere even in inventory at other stores. They said Michelin told them the new replacement is the Agilis CrossClimate.

Has anyone tried this tire?

I see it has a max inflation of 90 psi - I thought the stock wheels on the E450 MH's have an 80 psi max?

Am I missing anything?
1agswitchin4lanes
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Agilis is their commercial grade tire for sprinters and motorhomes. Probably a decent choice.

Don't rule out the Koreans. Hankook, nexen and Kumhi make decent stuff. Did you see if the Firestone Transforce HT was available in that size?
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