Thinking about new tires

[Mark3101]

Mark what part of small did I miss 205 tractors? Just joking. I bet you had your hands full. The boys have 35 cattle trucks and all I hear them complain about is I can't wait to just get sub- haulers. That's all they run is Michelin on their trucks. They used to run retreads on the trailers but quit doing that a couple of years ago.

I guess I was comparing to the big guys like JB Hunt and the likes. Yes, we did have our hands full much of the time! We had four shops and did ALL our own maint./repair/tire work. We used the Michelin retreads and they performed very well and we used them on drive axles and trailers. You had to really look to even tell that the Michelin was a retread...they looked identical to the new tire. We routinely got 10 years out of a Michelin casing! Lots of time we could cap 3 times and get good life. Michelin just keeps getting better all the time.

I can see where the price could chase people away from Michelin if they are priced as high as what some have posted here. Our buses won't usually get the kind of miles or wear and tear that a truck gets, so maybe another brand could work for some people, but I plan on sticking with what I know is a good product....even if it costs a little more than the others.

I have not yet priced tires for the bus, but I am sure I can get a good deal from the dealer we used when it is time.

[Will Garner]

Andre, think buses not trucks. If you have a tour bus company nearby give them a call about pricing on Michelins. I bought some from a local tire dealer and yes those were to me on the high side. I needed two more and spoke with the tour bus company where I have maintenance work performed. Prices were about 2/3rds that of the tire dealer. Sure wish I had gone there for the other tires, I could have saved hundreds of Lewbucks!

[garyde]

Prevost in Mira Loma has always had fair pricing on Michelins. Including balancing and mounting they are my choice.

[Pete]

Kevin, I took your advice and just had 8 new Continental HSl 1 Coach tires installed, with Equal. All info I could gather seemed to be positive and the ride is very quiet and smooth. Hope they are as good as most folks say they are!
Thanks,
Pete

[AmeriStar]

Pete, you won't be disappointed. This is the BEST tire we've found for motorcoach application, hands down. Pricing is somewhat higher than Firestone or Toyo, but the Continintals will give your many more miles.
As for our friends at Michelin, WAKE UP, you are no longer the best tire available, and your pricing needs to reflect that.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

What we need is not long tread life, unlike the needs of commercial operators, we need tires with a high resistance to the factors that cause sidewall cracking, and ultimately tire failures as a result.

I know it can be done because I am using a set of tires with snow treads that are now 18 years old on a trailer I use to haul my Bobcat and trackhoe. They have no evidence yet of cracks in the sidewalls due to age despite the fact the trailer sits outside. Aircraft tires last years with no evidence of sidewall cracking. My Bobcat tires are 12 years old, no cracking. Ditto for my Gator tires.

I think POG members would be pleased as punch to only get 100,000 miles of tread life if the casings would go 10 or 15 years.

Listen up tire manufacturers.

[truk4u]

My friend in the tire business sells the take-offs from his Bus and RV customers to local and long distance trucking companies that then run them until they are wore out who then get a casing credit for re-capping. At least he gives the RV customer a credit for the take-offs. This is a normal practice for the tire companies and if you don't get a credit for your take-offs, your getting hosed.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Forgot to mention........Double Coin tires still hold air. At the time Roger and I bought ours they were about 1/2 the price of comparable Michelin tires. I have tag axle Michelins with a 2003 date code with zero signs of sidewall cracks so I continue to watch them very closely, but continue to run them. When I do decide to replace them I will shop for the best price and this time the new ones will go on the steer axle. The last time the Double Coin went on the drive and Michelins went on the steer, but unless someone knows why Michelins can justify their pricing I cannot bring myself to pay what they want.

[Seabyrd]

Have you tried Sam's Club.? They were by far the cheapest for us but we had to order them and wait a week for them to come in. Michelins for under $675 a piece !! Same tire quotes from other places were up to 150 more. We also specified manufacturers dates being new etc. They don't install them here in Lufkin ( they might in Houston) so we had them picked up and installed by Gateway tire.. Saved many $$$$$

Andre, Just a scattering of prices I have gotten thus far.....Prevost Michelin $897.51 including FET...does not have labor, mount, and balance in the price. Firestone 607.93 includes mount, balance. Toyo 562.00 includes mount and equal. Bridgestone 692.52 includes mount and balance. Continental 556.58 includes equal. All prices except Michelin include mount and balance or equal, and taxes.

I am still waiting for quotes from other suppliers, and will post as soon as I get them. As best as I can tell, the brand preferences are as scattered as the prices. Some claim good service, and some claim bad service on all brands. I just have difficulty paying almost twice the price for the Michelin tires, when few of us put a limited number of miles on our coaches, and have to replace tires based on age rather than miles.

[Seabyrd]

Pete... here is the link to Beasley tires in Houston... they gave us a good price a few months ago and they will install too.. http://www.beasleytire.com/ good luck..