motor home safety

[PLankford]

Outside of my lack of familiarity with the steer safe system, I'd agree with what dave is saying above.

Almost exclusively when a customer tells us he is having an issue with blow outs, we can track it right back to lack of appropriate tire pressure. We see it all the time, people not understanding how important pressure is to keeping heat down.

Most tire manufacturers will only rate tires at the max pressure and if you are under pressure, technically your rating is zero. Those that do rate tires at lower pressures, you can see that the rating reduces almost linearly to the pressure to about 40% reduction in pressure from max. In other words- if you are running 125psi tires at 100psi, your rating is 20% or so lower. At 60,000lbs of tire rating, you've just taken 12,000lbs of capacity off of your axles. We see people running them at car like pressures (60-80psi) thinking that it's something other than maintenance that is causing their issues.

Between tire pressure monitoring and age/condition monitoring a lot of problems could be avoided. That being said, sometimes bad things just happen even if you are careful.... It's another risk in the racing that we love...

[Dick Butler]

M.H size new Bridge stones now on sale100 $off. 459/ tire
These are the brand new design to improve mileage.

[Mike Pearson]

I just paid $529 each for Michelin steer tires.

[V M Kauffman]

Originally Posted by Mike Pearson

I just paid $529 each for Michelin steer tires.

Before just going out and buying new steer axle tires do yourself a favor hook up and go weight each axle fully loaded. Michelin has a steer tire 315/80 R 22.5 it is either a 22 or 24 ply good for 15,000 lb load a lot of Prevosts use these as they are very heavy on the front. They aIsland use these for the single rear tag axle. Alcoa also makes a 9 or 10 wide wheel for these tires.

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Mike Pearson

I just paid $529 each for Michelin steer tires.

I put all six on mine when I bought it had them all the way around on my last one also. When Jeff recommended 10 ply 16" LT tires to me when I blew out a 15" Goodyear trailer tire when the trailer wasn't a year old, Jeff Tueton recomended me going to those tires and wheels. Michleans on my trailer too. Motor homes both drove better, trailer tows better. Especially in cross winds. I thing the original trailer tires were rolling over in strong cross winds, and when passing 18 wheelers. None of that now. I have used Michlean tires on our passenger cars for over 30 years now. Won't use anything else now.

[davebw31]

Ed Wright:

Goodyear Marathon radial trailer tires since I do not know when are made in CHINA....! I have learned "due to quality and reliability issues" they are reopening their plant in Brazil to start making them there again.

Three years ago I bought two (was not happy they were made in China) for my Pace 24' trailer and one lasted a little over one year with it being destroyed when it blew! I moved the two older ones made in Brazil to the rear and the China ones to the front and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

On my open 18' trailer I have Maxx brand 10 ply (load range E) 205X75R15 radials that were take offs from a local RV dealer about 4 yrs ago and are doing fine.

I have talked to fellow racers and seen LT truck tires now being used on trailers. Cost more, however they last!

[Dick Butler]

New tires (bridge stones) definitely show much softer ride. Confirms old tires were stiffening or harder w age. Load range G I believe

[jmcarter]

Goodyear Marathons are absolute junk (fortunate one blowout north of Atlanta on I-75 wasn't a bigger disaster)...MAXXIS makes several good alternatives with higher load rating if you don't want to resort to LT tires for whatever reason. Just bought a MH with Goodyears and will be switching to Michelins at first opportunity (after Uncle Sam gets his check of course).