Michelin Tires...Maybe Not

[Gil_J]

It seems that Michelin must be having a bigger problem with the RV tires than I had originally heard. The problem with availability seems to extend well beyond just the 315s many of us run to their 295s and 275s. On another site it was reported that Spartan had to delay rolling chassis shipments due to the lack of tires. Regardless of the number of tire sizes affected, Michelin, a well respected manufacturer of quality tires, has left their customers stranded. If you need tires, due to scheduled replacement or roadside failure, you need the tires now. With our automobiles we would not generally be too worried about brand X not being available. We would simply move to brand Y. For many of us, individually and as manufacturers, we simply insist on Michelin for our motorhomes.

Most manufacturers of almost anything don't take the risk of a single source supply chain. Even if we have a prefered supplier, we always have a secondary supplier; a supplier that always gets a piece of the business. Hopefully this is wake-up call to Prevost, Newell, Spartan and Freightliner that they should have two tire suppliers, if they don't already. With the possible exception of 365s, there are competing tires to Michelin's RV series of tires. I prefer Michelin for everything I have, but I won't be held hostage to non availability.

[lbriant]

Gil,
Yes I ran into that problem a few months ago last winter I belive it was on another forum,
I bought from Loves Truck stop there were no milage max tires available so I received 4 of the other 315s as I said I loved there warrentee, I only paid about $200 for two of the tires, but the manager at loves said they were very hard to find , they said because of there volume of tires they got priority over allot of other places that could not get them, I called Michelin at that time and they said they would be back up to normal soon ?
Looks like they still have some bugs ? I wonder what the problem is ?

[lbriant]

I wonder my tires that started weather checking at 4 1/2 yrs were 2010 year, and they were under warrentee, I had 5 year on the 315s my buddy's on his winnabego elipse were smaller but also 2010 and his were bad also He had a factory 7 year warrentee maybe they have had to replace allot of tires under warrentee ? Maybe 2010 was a bad year for them

[JIM KELLER]

Wonderful ! I need 8 - 315 80 R22.5 tires. TCI in Tampa said they have none. Been on back order since February. Last 315's they got in, and they got only 4, went to Greyhound. He said they need thousands of them and can't get any.

Where do we go for support on this one ?

[JIM KELLER]

Contacted the Michelin Customer Service at 888-622-2306. After numerous rounds of back and forth phone calls I am defeated. I'm sure they were politically correct and withen corporate guidlines but they were not helpful.

[dale farley]

The more I read about the Michelin problems, the more thankful I am that I got 8 new ones from Fleet Tire in Knoxville with fresh dates in December. I gave them a week's notice and told them I wanted fresh dates, so maybe they rounded them up from other stores. Since they are selling as fast as they can produce them, I suppose fresh dates is not currently an issue. Of course, I do realize this doesn't help any of you guys today.

[JIM KELLER]

Man O Man. This gets worse as I continue to do research. Looks like my option is 8- G670 RV Goodyears at 8957 !

[coreygrubb]

Jim, what's the 8957 ? Surely not $.

[Joe Camper]

An uninformed person my think after reading this thread that Mr Michelin is the only guy who makes tires.

[mike kerley]

Guys, I just checked with my source here on the east side of Florida and the Michelin's are three months out. Plenty of Toyo's in stock. In the For what its worth column, he said the GoodYear tires ride rough. Truckers hate them.
I was really missing my bus. For the moment, I'm now OK. :)

[JIM KELLER]

Yes ! Eight Goodyears installed $ 8957.00. The Michelin program through FMCA is hard to beat but what good is it if there are no tires. I just read Mike Kerley's response and I have heard the same thing about Goodyears. I'm starting to hear Dunlops have a SP 345 315/80 R 22.5 that has a softer rubber compound that might ride nice. Still in the research mode but not looking good !



Jim, what's the 8957 ? Surely not $.

[JIM KELLER]

Thanks Mike. From what I understand Michelin has not even started production on the tires. In Jan 2010 - June 2012 they had about 200 failures of 16 inch tires that they did a recall on. Premature tread seperation. Cost millions. The recall to produce replacement tires put them behind on the production of other class tires. I also suspect the FMCA price point has boosted sales more than expected. [ Some of this information my not be exact, but this is what I am gathering as I do my research. ]

[Gil_J]

I didn't have good luck withGY 670s on my steers of my last coach. I think Pete has Continental tires and has good luck.

[Alek&Lucia]

Jim,

You are correct, Michelin has issued a recall on their Michelin LTX M/S LT 225/75R16 115/112R LRE tire. The affected tires were the ones manufactured between the 2nd week of January 2010 thru 4th week of June 2012 (Date codes 0210 – 2512).
Many tires, Ouch !

Alek

[tommybahama]

Aren't B. F. Goodrich tires produced in Michelin's U.S.plants? Rob Russell, at Russell Coach, says they're virtually the same.

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Jim,You are correct, Michelin has issued a recall on their Michelin LTX M/S LT 225/75R16 115/112R LRE tire. The affected tires were the ones manufactured between the 2nd week of January 2010 thru 4th week of June 2012 (Date codes 0210 – 2512).
Many tires, Ouch !Alek

Wow! I wonder how many coaches for sale are still riding on those tires!

[Pete]

Gil is right, I do have continental tires, and have great service from them...would buy them again in a heart beat. Good ride, no balancing issues, (I use equal) and they have no signs of wear. They are the HSLR coach series.
Continental tires are engineered in Germany and made in the US. Worth looking into.

[Reagan Sirmons]

Gentlemen:
I just talked to Beasley Tires in Houston, Texas..... a huge Michelin dealer.... I just acquired 8 315's in the latter part of the month of April / May 2014 from Beasley and got the month of purchase / 2014 dates.... We obviously were fortunate because Beasley buys a significant inventory of these tires in anticipation of the Spring / Summer shortage traditionally experienced for these specific tires so this is not a new problem.... They stated they do not believe there are any of these sizes in the Southern United States at present ... they are a current buyer and have been unsuccessful for the most part of recent date...... their orders are now backed up as well... they have been in contact with Michelin and have been told Michelin is at full manufacturing capacity.... time will tell... they do ride well and I have a great deal of confidence in them... obviously many others do as well...
I know that Pete is very happy with his Continentals.... I had as set of BridgeStones on our Newell and they also did well...I used the Steering tires on the front ...
Very best,
Pres

[JIM KELLER]

Thanks everyone. I will throw Continental, B.F.Goodrich and Bridgestones into the research program.

[Joe Camper]

I have all the wheels and tires off an 07 chassis. 315-80 drive 365s steer & tag. Recent new owner, recent alignment. I see the new shims in the lower a-arm pass side. Same side where the tire has the outer shoulder wore off of it.

Why that tire was left in that location I cant answer.

So the boss says "Think we should check all these tires for balance and move the steers to the tag."

Absolutely.

The left front 365 with the outer shoulder wear that we r moving to the rear took 18 oz of weight to get it balanced initially. Not a typo 1Lb 2oz.

Says the bus drove fine and im sure it did. Isint that amazing.

He had them deflate it, brake the bead, turn the tire on the rim 180 degree and it took 3 oz to balance it.

[JIM KELLER]

The search continues. Seems as though Michelin is 6 to 8 weeks out on back orders. Same statement since February. Bridgestone and Continental seem to be at the top of the list for consideration. Bridgestone makes a tire that seems perfect for our industry but they only lease them. Not available for purchase. Bridgestone owns Firestone and their FS 400 looks like a good fit. Michelin owns BF Goodrich and their ST 230 is under review. Calling FMCA to see if they have a program to supplement the cost on BF Goodrich like they have for Michelin. Having trouble with finding Continental participation.

As I continue to research this topic a company called " Simple Tire.com " comes up. This company will deliver all 8 tires to my location way under the qouted prices of tire stores. A Road Service company could be dispatched to install all the tires on the spot. I Originally wanted to purchase my tires from a tire dealer that mounted the tires with a machine. I thought that would reduce the chances of wheel scratches. The more facilities I talk to the more I am finding out they simply call in the Road Side Service companies to mount the tires at their facilities. If they don't use an outside source they still break them down and mount them on the ground.


Looking for some feed back on this post.

[dale farley]

Jim,

I too was surprised when I bought my tires from Fleet Tires in Knoxville through the FMCA program. They did the mounting in house, but they broke them down on the ground.

[Joe Camper]

Jim believe it or not ive been holding back from comment as best I could. But now I will.

Just had the same conversation with Denny.

U said " This company will deliver all 8 tires to my location way under the quoted prices of tire stores"

Ahhhhhhhhh a whiff of fresh air. I learned to shop for price first and foremost when I was buying tires for my tractor trailer.

When I first bought it I bought good shoes then I moved to off brands

There was no difference in mileage or durability

Will admit the recent deal with FMCA was a hell of a deal If I needed tires thru that period id probably would have tried to afford the Michelins but that seems to be gone.

Go and get the best price u can get for whatever it is for your tag axle and try some I believe U will be more than satisfied.

I would NEVER do any tire thing without first removing all your wheel jewelry yourself and putting it back yourself.

Make the tire guy use a torque stick.

A quick search found 315-80s for 359.95 20 ply all position.

U all R probably not speeding to hard or too often . Nobody drives your bus but U so U know if U might curb one. U R probably very conscious of your tire pressures. Store the bus inside and the bottom half of the tread depth will never even hit the road before they age out.

All adds up to be a decent candidate for a lesser known brand.

Lewbucks

[Pete]

Jim, try Southern Tire Mart. They have locations all over the south, and south east. They have several brands. That is where I got my Continentals.

[Joe Camper]

Whenever U remove an outer duel and wont be removing the inner duel U NEVER NEVER put that outer duel back on unless the inner nuts r first checked for tight.

U folks with the new rims without inner nuts Will not have to deal with this at all.

If U cant spin the nuts up BY HAND, all the way to the seat of the rim. If after inspecting the stud to be fine, throw any nut that wont right in the garbage.

[JIM KELLER]

Thanks Pete, trying them now.



Jim, try Southern Tire Mart. They have locations all over the south, and south east. They have several brands. That is where I got my Continentals.

[Denny]

I have been wanting new drives and finally decided to put new michelin XZA2 on in early spring. Using the FMCA michelin advantage program the cost would be about the same as other brands regular retail price. I contacted a local dealer, Zeigler Tire Co. in Youngstown, OH and was told 4 to 6 weeks wait. Time went on and then it was another 4 to 6 weeks wait. Then another 4 to 6 weeks waiting period. Yesterday i decided i wasn't going to wait for Michelin and ordered Goodrich ST 230s. They were to be installed this Friday. This morning my salesman called and said the michelins just arrived. They had a manufacturer date of July, 2014. So Friday, after a several months wait I will have new Michelin drives.

I had to call and resubmit my credit card info since it is only good for 30 days and several months had past since I began this tedious process. I had heard that FMCA had a program with B F Goodrich since they are owned by Michelin but that is not true according to FMCA. The price for the Goodrich tire was $639 plus sales tax and mounting while the michelins were $628.83 plus sales tax and mounting per tire. Using the Michelin Advantage Program reduces the price to what the others are, if you can wait for the tires to be manufactured.

Updates will follow after I have the tires installed on Friday.

[Gil_J]

Wow, July manufacturing date...the tires may still be warm.

Good to hear they are hitting the stores. However, it doesn't make sense that dealers haven't been told their orders are being filled.

[Denny]

Gil,
The tires showed up today without any prior notice. It's a crime the dealers aren't kept informed of production or status of orders.

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Wow, July manufacturing date...the tires may still be warm.

I wonder if the tires have had enough time to cure.

[JIM KELLER]

Pete, No help from Southern Tire. They are 350 to 400 miles from me. Thanks anyway. Still researching price, rubber compound, construction, country of origin and price. I was shocked to find out China builds tires for almost all the tire manufactures. www.camrunrubbergroup.en.alibaba.com (http://www.camrunrubbergroup.en.alibaba.com).

[Joe Camper]

I think most active members will not be happy till they beat their brains out and empty a significant amount of the wallet persisting to end up with Mr Michelin.

If a guy can afford what is perceived to be the best I certainly would not fault that person for going after it.

Jim noticed " I was shocked to find out China builds tires for almost all the tire manufactures."

IMO the name on the side of the tire dictates the cost more than anything else.

No offense to any other opinions I just find it important to voice a differing one on this issue since I find nobody else doing it.

[JIM KELLER]

I have been wanting new drives and finally decided to put new michelin XZA2 on in early spring. Using the FMCA michelin advantage program the cost would be about the same as other brands regular retail price. I contacted a local dealer, Zeigler Tire Co. in Youngstown, OH and was told 4 to 6 weeks wait. Time went on and then it was another 4 to 6 weeks wait. Then another 4 to 6 weeks waiting period. Yesterday i decided i wasn't going to wait for Michelin and ordered Goodrich ST 230s. They were to be installed this Friday. This morning my salesman called and said the michelins just arrived. They had a manufacturer date of July, 2014. So Friday, after a several months wait I will have new Michelin drives.

I had to call and resubmit my credit card info since it is only good for 30 days and several months had past since I began this tedious process. I had heard that FMCA had a program with B F Goodrich since they are owned by Michelin but that is not true according to FMCA. The price for the Goodrich tire was $639 plus sales tax and mounting while the michelins were $628.83 plus sales tax and mounting per tire. Using the Michelin Advantage Program reduces the price to what the others are, if you can wait for the tires to be manufactured.

Updates will follow after I have the tires installed on Friday.


Denny, how did you make out with your tire order and installation ?

[Denny]

Denny, how did you make out with your tire order and installation ?


Everything went well and was well worth the wait. The tires were ordered in April, arrived last week and were manufactured week 20 of 2014. I had Equal balance put in each tire rather than spin balance with wheel weights. Very happy with the improved ride. I normally have 110 psi in the fronts ( I've upgraded to 365) and 100 in drives and tags. I went to the scale to reweigh and found that I can reduce the air pressure in all tires to further enhance the ride. Using the FMCA michelin advantage program, the price was $10 per tire less then the regular price of B F Goodrich tires. FMCA billed my credit card yesterday and the price was as exactly as quoted. Installation was $35 per tire plus equal and new valve stems.

There was a 4 inch gash on the inside of one of the old tires which could not be seen from a visual inspection looking directly at the tires. This stresses how important it is to closely inspect the inner sidewalls of all tires particularly the duals This tire could have easily blown out under normal driving and causing thousands of dollars in damages.

[Gil_J]

Denny,

If Ruth Ann is happy with the ride, don't be in a hurry to reduce air pressure. If you really want to, make sure you weigh each wheel position. Although most converters did a pretty good on left/right balancing, they have no idea how our coaches will be loaded. I think the worse case I've seen on a Prevost conversion is nearly 1,000 pounds different right to left on the same axle with most being under 500 pounds different. Also, make sure the coach is the heaviest it will be when travelling when you weigh it.

I think folks would be surprised how much affect high tire pressure has on safety and tire life. Some will argue that higher pressures will lead to increased thread wear on the center of the thread. That's simply not the case with a few extra pounds of pressure. Take a look at the sidewall between the wheel and the road. I'm pretty sure you will see the sidewall squash even with a few extra pounds.

[dale farley]

A rep from DOT will be at the St. Louis Rally on Monday morning and will be available to weigh each wheel of our buses, so that should give us an accurate figure for determining the right pressure for each axle. I know I am currently running a little more than what I have to, but I agree with Gil's logic on tire pressures.

[JIM KELLER]

Looks like it is going to be Firestone FS400 tires for me. Made by Bridgestone in Tennessee. Load range " L " a 75 mph tire. No luck with Michelin's in my neck of the woods.

[Denny]

Gil, ok you convinced me to keep the pressure where it is at. Pressures are about 10 psi more than the Michelin chart calls for to compensate for any errors in the weights since I did an axle weigh rather than a four point weigh. I understand the importance of a four point weigh. I had a new 2000 country coach intrigue with one slide and there was a 1500 lbs difference between the driver side and the passenger side. This was a major problem on motor homes with slides and cost CC a lot of money to replace tires and change front end design.

[JIM KELLER]

The end of the story. Found 8 Michelin XZA2 Energy Tires at TCI in Orlando. $ 5469.00 for the tires incl all taxes and $ 600.00 mounting and balancing. $ 6069.00 total out the door. No hill for a climber !

[Denny]

Great ending, Jim.