Originally Posted by
Jon Wehrenberg
I heard from Goodyear at Sevierville, and Michelin at Pahrump.
The message was the same from the tire experts.
Maintain the air pressure in the tires according to the charts both companies have on tire pressures based on the weight each tire is carrying. That message was made very clear.
A tire life is in their opinion 6 years from the date of installation for service, or 10 years from the manufacturing date code regardless of when it was first put into service. Neither company will warrant any tire beyond those two dates.
To prolong the life of the tire neither company recommended tire dressings, but both were recommending the tires be kept clean. Personally I have no clue as to how we are to keep the inside walls towards the center of the coach clean unless we get under our coaches and wash them.
Tire repairs must be made according to their instructions which include a plug and a patch on the inside.
Any tire that has been run at 20% less than its recommended tire pressure is deemed unfit for future service. That one was a surprise, but after seeing Jim Scoggins pictures I can understand it.
Any cracking in the sidewalls is an issue and Michelin supplied a template to use to measure acceptability of sidewall cracking. Apart from inspections to check tire pressure and wear, I came away understanding that it is critical to look for evidence of sidewall cracking.
Both companies agreed that the best way to get maximum life from a tire was to raise it off the ground when the bus is stored.
When Brian is not out chasing moles he does follow all the guidelines and has been able to get several decades out of his tires.