anyone have any experience with these or know anything about them? a local tire dealer said he would sell me brand new ones 12R22.5 for $300 each........
Does that price include FET, sales tax, mounting, valve stem, and balancing (always balance ALL tires)? While I've never heard of Hercules tires, it appears they are in with Toyo tires. Please remember that tires are much more then big black round rubber things that support your bus. Tire technology and tread design are foremost whether your tire will have so-so traction or great traction. On a bus, the power from the engine is low, but braking is what a tire has its' work cut out for. I've been in the trucking industry for over 33 years, and have come to learn that Michelin is at the forefront of tire design technology. They do actual testing on new tires. When a new tire from Michelin comes out the other tire companies sit back and see if it works, then they bring out their own version (like the super single X-Ones of Michelin). For these reasons, I run Michelins on my cars, Michelin on my bus, and have BFGoodrich on the front axle of my truck (also made by Michelin-like XZA1). When I buy the 8 tires for my tandems in the rear, I'll be using Michelin XDN2 since they have the highest traction possible. In stopping, saving a few inches can make the difference between hitting something or not. Personally- of anything on your bus, tires are NOT the place to be cheap with. Good Luck, TomC
HCB:
Back in March, someone raised a similar question regarding Alpha Tires, and it might be a worthwhile read for you. http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=11289.0
Like the Alpha brand and their marketing arm Rakla, Hercules is a private label brand built by somebody else and then distributed under the Hercules name. I know that Cooper Tire manufactures some of the Hercules SUV/Light truck tires here in the U.S. But I believe that the Hercules' truck tires (12R22.5) are manufactured in China. I am not aware of any connection between Hercules and Toyo, and would be interested in any follow up info anybody has on this subject.
I'd ask the tire dealer who builds it and where. If he can't answer that, or if it is some company you've never heard of, I'd keep shopping for something else.
Not always a good idea to buy the cheapest thing out there.
I'd pass on a tire like that.