Tire Help

[lloyd&pamela]

I have just replaced the steer tires with 12R22.5 XZ2

We have a flat on the right outside drive and want to replace all the drive and tag tires (it is time)

Currently they have 12R22.5 XZA on them.

I am being told that both these tires are discontinued and not available here in Canada.

What tire should I put on the drive and tag? I would like to keep them all the same brand if possible.

I can have the tire plugged today and drive it to a dealer in Calgary or Edmonton later this week.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If you do an application search on the Michelin site these are the two tires that are recommended.

http://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck/tireSelector.do?veh_type=13&position=Z&size=12R22.5

The 12 inch size is not common and could prove to be a problem since most dealers are unlikely to have it in stock. If you can get an acceptable repair (requires a plug and a patch inside the tire) and can prearrange with a tire dealer or distributor along your way that might be your best bet.

I can remember you when you had money. After buying those new tires you will be broke like the rest of us.:D

[lloyd&pamela]

Thank you Jon. The dealer mentioned the XZE. He said the XZ2 was a long distance steer tire and the XZE was a "regional" tire, i.e. not long distance. I will go with Michelin's recommendation. Thanks as always.

[0533]

Thank you Jon. The dealer mentioned the XZE. He said the XZ2 was a long distance steer tire and the XZE was a "regional" tire, i.e. not long distance. I will go with Michelin's recommendation. Thanks as always.
Hi Lloyd,

We replaced all of our tread, Prevost recommended the XZA2 Energy tires on the drives and the Tag, we went with them as they seem to be the same tires used on the newer buses. have been great and the ride is smooth

Michelin says the tires can be recapped 5 times and that some get the same life out of the recap as long as it has no sidewall damage. they can also be easily recycled I guess. I may never head down the recap route, but have to believe they would be worth more as trade ins if this is so.

There is one downside in my opinion, the tread is really a high speed long distance tread and does not manage well in campgrounds that have wet grass, or when trying to climb steep wet campground hills, mud etc. But on the highway at 70 they are smooth as silk.,

Jon is correct, get your wallet out and close your eyes, and get a good balancing done. And If you have not had a 3 axle alignment about $5 to $700 $$ you might want to consider this after you shell several $1,000 for tires, as a poorly balanced and aligned set of tires can be short lived if these two items are not carefully addressed up front, and it will not take long for problems to appear. Jon may have some additional thought as well.

[Loc]

Lloyd,

We replaced the tires on our XL with XZE's because at the time we couldn't find the XZA's. We had great service from them. We put over 80,000 miles on a set over 4 years and still had 50% tread remaining when we put on a new set of XZE's. We never had any issues with the XZE's. The tread depth on the XZE is the deepest of any Michellin truck tire for the steer axle. I think you would be happy with either if you can't get the XZA2's. Althought the XZE says a regional tire (which the dealer said had a heavier sidewall for hitting curbs) we consistently went long distances.

Loc

[tdelorme]

Lloyd I understand putting Michelins on your steer axle, but you might consider something other than Michelins for your drive and tag. The last Michelins I bought were something over $600 each plus mounting and I bet they age out before they wear out. I will shop around the next time I replace my drive and tag axle tires.
Speaking of aging out, the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Canada was going to be rained out last weekend until Goodyear showed up with a truckload of grooved racing tires so the cars could run in the rain. This was a first for NASCAR, racing in the rain and it was great for a first time effort. They finally stopped the race when parts of the track flooded. But, the tires Goodyear brought were SIX years old. I got a kick out of hearing that Goodyear thought it was fine to be racing on six year old tires. And, there were no tire problems with the old rubber. I expect all the NASCAR Series will race in the rain in years to come and it's long overdue.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I do have some opinions, but they may not work for everybody.

I use Equal for balancing. No machines, no weights, just Equal in all tires and I have zero uneven tire wear. If money is no object I would use Centrimatics or something like them.

When I was racking up the miles doing trade shows (about 30,000 miles in some years) I had a set go 130,000 miles and still had 1/4" of tread. I changed tires at that time because I was selling the business and I wanted the business I still owned to buy my tires. I am sure I would have gotten at least another 25,000 miles.

But now that I am not racking up the miles at the same rate I am running Shanghai rubber. I still have Michelin up front, but when they have to be replaced I am OK with another set of Chinese Double Coin tires. The ones on my drive are doing very well.

I am coming around to thinking (as Peter does) that I will replace the tires on condition using the Michelin guide to what degree of cracking is acceptable. I may get as much as 8 or 10 years from a tire.

If you want to make your tires preform as well as they can and last as long as possible make sure thge alignment is good, the balance is good and that you always adhere to the Michelin or other inflation pressure charts. That is probably the most important thing you can do.

[0533]

Lloyd I understand putting Michelins on your steer axle, but you might consider something other than Michelins for your drive and tag. The last Michelins I bought were something over $600 each plus mounting and I bet they age out before they wear out. I will shop around the next time I replace my drive and tag axle tires.
Speaking of aging out, the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Canada was going to be rained out last weekend until Goodyear showed up with a truckload of grooved racing tires so the cars could run in the rain. This was a first for NASCAR, racing in the rain and it was great for a first time effort. They finally stopped the race when parts of the track flooded. But, the tires Goodyear brought were SIX years old. I got a kick out of hearing that Goodyear thought it was fine to be racing on six year old tires. And, there were no tire problems with the old rubber. I expect all the NASCAR Series will race in the rain in years to come and it's long overdue.
I am next to an manager from the Annapolis Valley Michelin factory here in Nova Scotia. he says the number one reason why tires wear early, it the UV rays that crack the tire side walls. he said that certain products will break down the UV coating that Michelin applies at the factory. He recommends an Armoral product that re-establishes the UV coating to the tire and protects it. He also says to use wheel covers when parked for long periods.

[Ray Davis]

He also says to use wheel covers when parked for long periods

Now that's interesting. I had always heard it wasn't a good thing to use tire covers, as that would tend to keep things hotter?

Ray

[tdelorme]

[QUOTE]He also says to use wheel covers when parked for long periods/QUOTE]

Now that's interesting. I had always heard it wasn't a good thing to use tire covers, as that would tend to keep things hotter?

Ray


Tire covers are for wimps and most tire people will tell you not to put anything on the tires. Just keep um clean and aired up properly and if your bus is parked inside most of the time they will last a long time. Like Jon is saying, 8 to 10 years. I know that some folks buy new tires every five years. That's fine if you have money to burn, or run down the highway with fifty pounds of air in half the tires, but there are a lot of perfectly good tires being replaced on coaches because the owner has bought into the five year BS that has been around for the last twenty years.
Say, Lloyd, I think I've got a set of MaPops out behind the barn that I can make you a mighty fine deal on when your ready. :)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Your Michelin tire neighbor needs to go to one of his company tire seminars.

There is probably some tire damage from UV, but they sure did not stress that in the two tire seminars this year. They stressed tire pressures, keeping the tires clean, and talked about such things as the proper way to store and how to repair a tire.

Running a tire with an air pressure 20% less than the charts call for according to them converts the tire to trash. My guess is low pressures are the biggest causes of premature failure.

Both of the companies that did the seminars said the same thing. Neither was a proponent of putting any dressing on the tires, and in fact dressings that had petroleum distillates probably harm the tires. Both agreed that to maximize the tire life, keep them stored like tire warehouses store them. Inside, away from electrical devices like big motors and welders, and take the weight off them when the bus is not in use.

Ask your friend if UV rays are such a big issue, why do tires crack on the sidewalls just as much on the inside sidewall that is always shaded as on the outside sidewall that has exposure to the sun.

[BrianE]

Lloyd, We replaced our XZ2's just before arriving in Sevierville and in the process I also found that they had been discontinued. The XZE looked like a good tire to me due to its strong sidewall and deep tread but I was also concerned about its regional rating so I called Michelin Tech Support. Was told that the rating was strictly a comparative one and that the XZE was an excellent choice for motorhome use. The tech also said the tires listed in the Michelin RV handbook are all suitable for motorhome general use and all are rated at 75mph.

Like Loc, we have been very happy with the XZE's, they are very smooth and quiet. As we discussed at SVE, I have since installed BalanceMasters and am very happy with the setup. I would think the XZE would compliment your XZ2 steers just fine.

Bottom line, I would call Michelin. The dealers are not always as informed and also may bias their recommendations based on what they have in stock.