365 Tires

[Denny]

I put New Michelin's on the front this past August to correct a severe pull to the right. The ride did improve and the pull was gone, but the fact that I have to carry 125 lbs pressure in the front tires is the cause of the heavy thumping in the front when I hit a bridge joint, expansion joint, rough road, etc. As to not enough room for a spare, when do we reach the point when enough is enough? We can carry everything we need to make repairs along the road and all the extra parts necessary for repairs but we can't carve out the room for an extra tire that may be more difficult to find than any of the parts and tools we carry. My Joey bed's floor is full. But in most of it I still have over a foot of room between the top of the stuff and the ceiling above it . I planned on doing exactly what Tuga suggested. Fill the wheel opening in the tire and put a piece of plywood over that and continue to use the new space created by the new false floor. This will give me more usable space than what I have now since there is a lot of empty air space above the existing containers and boxes.

[Sid Tuls]

Has anyone ever thought of putting the spare on top of the bus? I'm not saying to just throw it up there but build something to make it match what's already up there. Something low profile that would go along with the air conditioners or satellite dome. I know it would be a pain but so would it be looking for one when your broke down. I know all my bays are full and so is the back of my Tahoe with all the grandkids living out of state.

[rickdesilva]

Sid,
Just be sure that you are wearing your athletic supporter when you attempt to put that puppy on your roof as my recollection is that those Michelins are heavy. Even without the wheels !

[Sid Tuls]

Rick,
Oh I wasn't going to do that myself! Just wondering if it could work? You could roll the darn thing off--oh well maybe a bad idea. Sure funny that Prevost never thought of the importance of having a spare.

[merle&louise]

I considered putting the tire on top of my Pilot - then I found out that it weighs 165 pounds! I played hell getting it inside the Honda Pilot!

That puppy is heavy!

[garyde]

The Coach makers decided a while ago to not include spare Tires. Larger Plastic Coaches and Prevosts . It does'nt make sense to try to change a tire on the side of the road by a novice when you get into the weights of these coaches and the size of the tires. Too many ways to hurt yourself. Unless you want to carry a lot of special tools you can't even loosen the lugs!
It does make some sense to carry a spare tire with or without the rim if you have 365's on the front only. The a owner just needs to find a Truck Tire Service store to come out and replace the tire.
If you do not have a rim, then a Truck Service Center would need to Jack up your front end, take the bad tire off, take both the good and bad back into town and change it out. Then return to your coach and install it. Very few Service Centers have the ability to change a tire at your breakdown location.
Anyway you look at it it is a pain to have tire trouble, preventitive inspections and replacing older tires wil help to decrease these incidents. A puncture tire repair kit and a air compressor and hose is also a good idea.

[Denny]

Gary,
I agree with you. I do not plan on changing a tire on my bus. That is why I have road service on the bus, toad and any car I drive. I don't remember who it was but a POGer had 365's on their bus and experienced tire problems and had a difficult time locating a tire. Preventative maintenance is the best program and I fully adhere to it. I also carry a tire repair kit, compressor and have a Smarttire pressure monitor system to help avoid any problems. But we all know that "stuff happens". If I cannot plug the tire and get back on the road I will have a spare 365 that a tire company can change for me. As for the other 315's, they are more readily available or we can always revert to using the tag tires and find a suitable replacement for them temporarily. It would be more costly but beats waiting several days for a 365 to delivered.

[joelselman]

Truck road service can change tires at the location of the breakdown; they use a sledgehammer to mount/dismount. When I blew my 315 tag tire this summer, they brought me a used 295 (can't remember the aspect ratio) and 8 gallons of elc (red) coolant which was installed on the spot.

[Denny]

I just got home after having 365 tires put on the front. I drove over 300 miles across I80 and I476 in PA in very nasty weather; rain, winds and even horizontal rain at times the entire distance. I cannot believe the difference the new tires have made. My "new", 5,000 miles old, 315 cannot compare to the 365. The 365 is nearly 2.5 inches wider and I only have to carry 105 psi in them compared to 125 in the 315. The ride is much smother, less noise when hitting expansion joints and bridge joints but the greatest improvement is in the handling. The bus was far less affected by the nasty weather I was in. I would see trucks in front of me get blown by the wind so I would white knuckle the wheel in preparation of what was coming and I would go through it with little affect.

The only problem in the installation was having to carve out some of the foam so they would not rub. There was no problem in hitting the fenders; plenty of clearance.

[Jerry Winchester]

Denny,

I would echo your 365 comments after having just swapped for a coach with them. Good handling, smooth ride and not so much air. Even my neophyte stand-by driver noticed it on her trip back from Alabama.