i've got 8 michelin xze tires dated 02 and 03. stopping at wingfoot, they can put new on for $410 G395. Michelin says their tires have softer sidewalls and the goodyears will vibrate and ride rougher. Michelin xze2 $550. mounted and balanced, each.
my plan is to replace front 2, moving the old ones to drive axle. in 6 more months, buy 2 more and do the same until all have been replaced. Can't afford to buy all at once.
obviously, there are cheaper brands which some of you have indicated before, but i'm hoping these tires will never rot or i doubt if i'll wear them out, so i'll never have to buy new tires again before i hang keys up. Michelin says their tires are good for 10 years, 7 years under warranty.
any thoughts on hardness of ride, or firm experience opinion on other brands. i'd much rather pay $250 per tire, but i'd also like to have a smooth and safe ride more.
by the way, the Michelin man says all the brands he sells, including michelin, are going up by about 15% or more june 1st. bus, truck, atv, lawnmower, all of them. so buy now?
I hear tons of good things about Kuhmo. Another Asian brand also gets the nod. I have not a clue about ride. And, you need to know that. I rode in a bus that had LOG TRUCK tire on it and it was profoundly harsh and unbearable.
You should also pay attention to NOISE. Boogie the Cat had spendy Mich on his Crown and he thought the noise was just a characteristic of a Crown. WRONG. He replaced his Mich with a different model Mich and everything went to hush quiet going down the road. Heads up!
John
Moderator Edit: Replaced an ethnic slang reference with a more acceptable official one in response to complaints. I don't believe any disrespect was intended, but such slang ethnic references are offensive to many people and therefore best left out of the forum.
why are they going up?
PROFIT!
just profit for that individual store or is all the stores having to raise their prices? the reason I ask is because in the next couple months I too will be replacing all my tires.......
I hope that that word was a slip of the tongue and not a derogatory slang against the Chinese!
Do you really think a sidewall on a tire that you can deflect with your weight when it is not mounted on a rim will make any difference in ride? I don't think so! The biggest determining factor on ride is proper tire inflation. I have Michelin 11R-24.5 16 ply tires that can be inflated to 120psi. But because of my bus weight (10,500lb front, 20,500lb rear), I run 90psi all around and the bus rides great. Personally, I always will stick with Michelin-they are the fore front of tire technology (meaning they come out with something new and then the other tire manufacturers sit back to see if it works, and when it does, they too bring it out-think X-ones). I used to use Dunlap tires on my truck and bus (since they were automatically 16 ply in 11R-24.5), but since Goodyear bought them out, my tire guy will not carry Dunlap anymore since he feels Goodyear are junk (my sentiments too). Yous gets whats yous pays for. Good Luck, TomC
Quote from: white-eagle on May 06, 2010, 08:22:26 PM
by the way, the Michelin man says all the brands he sells, including michelin, are going up by about 15% or more june 1st. bus, truck, atv, lawnmower, all of them. so buy now?
Looks like either the dealer is adding some increase of their own or he is exagerating to push an immediate sale, but a Google search did turn up that most major tire brands are increasing the prices in May/June:
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/News/Story/2010/04/Nexen-Pirelli-announce-tire-price-increases.aspx (http://www.moderntiredealer.com/News/Story/2010/04/Nexen-Pirelli-announce-tire-price-increases.aspx)
QuoteIn addition to Nexen, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc., Yokohama Tire Corp., Hankook Tire America Corp., Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Falken Tire Corp., Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC and Continental Tire the Americas LLC also will raise tire prices on June 1.
Kumho: Passenger and light truck tire prices will be raised up to 8% effective. A company spokesman says there also will be additional inline adjustments.
Yokohama: The company will raise its consumer prices up to 8%, and also will make some in-line adjustments.
Hankook: Passenger, light truck and medium truck tire prices will be increased up to 6%, although specific increases will vary by product line and tire size.
Cooper: Prices on all of Cooper's passenger and light truck tires will increase by up to 7.5%. The company says only its tires sold in North America will be affected.
Falken: Consumer tire prices will increase up to 6%; radial medium truck tire prices will rise up to 4%.
Bridgestone: The prices on the company's Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand passenger and light truck tires in the United States will be increased up to 6%.
Continental: Passenger and light truck tire prices will increase up to 6%, while medium truck tire prices will increase up to 7%. All Continental, General and proprietary brands will be affected.
Michelin North America Inc. announced it will raise prices on replacement truck tires sold in the U.S. by 3% to 7% on May 1. The same day, Michelin also will hike its U.S. and Canada ag tire prices by an average of 4.5%.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. also will raise commercial truck tire prices effective May 1. Increases up to 8% will apply to the company's truck tire brands in North America. In addition, Goodyear will increase tread rubber prices by up to 7%.
I have Firestone FS560 Plus on my bus, rated as an all-position urban/regional tire. I like them a lot but it's not like I've tried a bunch of different tires. My guy can get them for about $450 CDN, installed.
edit fixed stupid price typing error... $50 I wish! I'd buy people 12R-22.5's for birthday presents if they were $50!
Brian
no Goodyears My vote ....I run recaps on drivers..Michelin 225 ea with warranty..315 80R 22.5...FWI I went junk yarding yesterday..saw a truck axle with two near new 315's next to building with hud pilot wheels...told him to price wheels..he said a grand..I said wow that's steep...he said that's for all 6 tires and wheels ...I said sold...09 tires matched set 90 percent tread(Michelin)
i'm convinced Michelin's are only a few bucks more, and you get more. i ordered 2 xze2's for the front, and a wheel alignment checkup, possible adjustment while i'm there. $525 mounted and balanced. each. $95 for the front axle alignement.
My drives have spider cracks all around and are 02's. Don't know what the inside duals look like, but i don't ever want a front blowout, so as i said, i'm starting a rotation of 2 tires every so often until all 8 are replaced.
just in case anyone has any comments about why i should or shouldn't do this.
Tom you should have gotten tires while down here! I just got 6 coopers for 2500.00 mounted, balanced with new stems!
What size??could have deal..
Ace, is Cooper made by Michelin? if we're just buyin tires, i could have gotten some other off brands for $340 each, Goodyears for $410 each out the door price. it only costs a little more to go first class. You of all people should know that; that's why you hang with Susan isn't it. ;D ;D. it's for sure why i stay with Fran and have an Eagle. :D
Hargreaves,
I hope that that word was a slip of the tongue and not a derogatory slang against the Chinese!
Well, no,actually, it wasn't a derogatory slang statement and it wasn't a slip of the tongue either. Though I do tend to make those. But, I am admittedly cavalier in my regards to that topic. My generation of cousins has adopted just about every race on the planet and in half breed mixed blood to boot. I am 1/4 Indian and I have been called various terms. Also, various terms due to my other conspicuous ethnicity. I adopted a Mexican American and she various terms to refer to herself and us. The three black crack babies my cousin adopted call each other "the N word" in every other sentence but none of the rest of the family use the term on agreement. "Black", and various other terms are all OK in the family and among friends or most times but the N word is out. My cousin Charles adopted half breed Chinese and Vietnamese and a Korean. Various terms are used around there. Again, that is their choice. I honor their choice and I think my close family ties give me latitude. I, myself, have rules in that regard and all seem amicable to following them: MY NAME IS UNCLE JOHN or SIR. Mr. Grabe was my father and I say those things with a smile. I guess I am in solid as they bring their sweethearts around for me to meet and they pridefully introduce each of us to the other. ....or at least they did. Perhaps it would be different if this slang speech was limited to the family but I hear it used commonly in the neighborhood and it doesn't raise even an eyebrow. I did see a man lose front teeth for calling. Mr. Gabriele "MISTER Gabriele" cause he seemed to spit out the word MISTER and Italians don't take kindly to disrespect. I guess you can make a slur out of anything. All of those minority nieces and nephews have WHITE step brothers and sisters born to my cousins so it isn't like we had no choice. All except one has gone to college and all are upper middle class so please don't think they are low life trash.
If you have a chance to see a movie starring Clint Eastwood that is titled "Gran Torino" please don't pass that one up. It largely demonstrates what I am saying and is, in fact, where I was born and raised. Given that we are all products of our environment, I am one of the all and the north east was the site of my beginnings. Still, perhaps we can come to an accommodation. I have pet peeves and maybe we could trade considerations. Who knows? Contact me off the forum..my email and phone numbers are listed as well as my address. You might also want to talk to a moderator off forum about your issues and you might very well be within your rights. I am less certain nowadays about everything so I am not betting any money. Hope to hear from you soon :) :)
Your friend,
John
Moderator Edit: Removed ethnic slangs while trying to preserve the intneded points.
I would be carful when you switch the tires around. I am sure that you already know this but you need to make sure that the tread depth is the same on the two tires on each tandum. In a best case if one tire is taller than the other it won't be for long because it will be carrying more load than the tire beside it. In the worst case the increased load may make it overheat and blowout.
I gotta ask you people with experience something about tires for our buses that kinda bothers me. Most bus people say to go with the Michelens that they are they best. Unfortunately they also seem to have the highest price tag and our tires are NOT cheep....... even the cheep ones are not cheep, additionally we need a lot of them. From what I have read too, our tires are meant to go 700,000 in their lifespan of about 7-8 years. Most of us will only put a few thousand miles on our buses and tires a year, which adds up to maybe 10% of the miles the tires are meant for in their 7-8 years. So my question is, why not go with a cheaper tire that will never see anywhere near that kind of 700,000 mileage anyway? If the problem with the cheep tires is that they will only have half the mileage of the higher ticket ones then what is the problem? Unless I am misunderstanding something, please explain. Thank you.
Quote from: trapper on May 07, 2010, 04:27:15 PM
I would be carful when you switch the tires around. I am sure that you already know this but you need to make sure that the tread depth is the same on the two tires on each tandum. In a best case if one tire is taller than the other it won't be for long because it will be carrying more load than the tire beside it. In the worst case the increased load may make it overheat and blowout.
That's a really good warning and I hope Tom will think about not replacing his drive tires 2 at a time. However that's not the reason that its a bad idea. The real problem is that mismatched duals aren't the same diameter and therefore want to turn at different RPMs. Obviously 2 tires on the same hub can't turn at different RPMs so one of the tires has to be constantly scrubbing which quickly turns both tires down to the same diameter.
My personal feelings about Michelins is that the only thing that is better about them is that you get more money back for the casings when you send them to the recapper. Some people swear by them but they never impressed me more than any others. I'd suggest you find a tire man that you trust and deal with him only. I've run Firestone and Yokohama with good success but I don't see why Toyo or Kumho wouldn't work for the few miles that are put on them over the life of the tire.
Bob,
i'm taking 2 xze's off the front and putting them on the rear, on 1 side. next switch, i'm putting 2 xze2's and putting them on the other side. then next i'll be taking 2 xze2's off the front and putting them on the bogey's. at that time, i'll have 8 xze2's. i think i understood what you said, and that shouldn't be a problem with my method????
trucktramp,
front tire blowouts are what cause most bus crashes due to equipment failure instead of driver error (yes, you could say failure to control is driver error). i don't want a blowout, and i don't want it on a front. that's my rational for replacing front's always. i don't ever expect treadwear to be an issue. i do expect scrubbing, road hazzard, curbing and sun rot to be issues. i doubt if any tire i put on will go bald. Many of them would either not ride as well or not tolerate the real hazzards i expect to subject them to as well as i hope the Michelin's will over the next 8-10 years. afaik, michelin's the only one with a 7 yr warranty and have twice told me they expect them to last 10 years.
if anyone can unequivocally recommend something else beside $550 Michelin's, and support it more than just a feeling, i'd be happy to spend less. nobody has said they've had Toyo's/Bridgestone/Goodyear/Cooper for 8 years and they haven't cracked while the bus has been outside for the whole time, that the ride was great and they resisted nails, boards, and potholes for the whole time. no one has really said why Goodyear's are junk, but i've heard TomC has lots of driving/truck experience, so i'll take his word for it. i already have Michelin's and they have performed well, but this is my first bus, so i really have no experience to compare to.
i once had a Ford dealer pay for Michelin's on my Mustang becuase he couldn't find 4 truly round Goodrich's that didn't vibrate on it. That's proof.
i also don't mean to ignore anyone driving experience. Trucktramp, if you've been driving some rig for 20 years on toyo's and kumho's or coopers, etc, and have good ride, wear, and resistance experience with one or the other, that would certainly push my thoughts toward a less expensive, not cheaper made, brand.
I have Goodyears on now. They were sold with the bus to the PO from Santa Cruz. They are now about 11 years old. The PO didnt drive the bus except about 500 miles to take it home. It sat in the open at his house in Lompoc California (mild climate with higher humidity) for about 5 years. I have put quite a few miles on the bus with the same tires on it. My maiden voyage was about 1100 miles and since then I moved, using the bus as a moving van. I moved about 400 miles into a hot desert near Death Valley. The bus has sat at my property here on the north side of my home outside unprotected for the last year. I dont remember exactly how many miles I have put on it, but will check when I get home. I made many trips across a very hot desert last year back and forth moving and it is about a 4 1/2 hour drive by car..... 100s of miles. My tires look brand new, but because of their age and the fear that they will suddenly give out on me I am changing them before anymore long trips out of town. Also my bus drove on the highways when in service so it didnt have the 55 mph tires on it.
edit: I like the ride too, but really have little or nothing to judge it against so my opinion on that shouldnt count lol
Tom my coach, when I purchased it had 315/80rx22.5's and they were all Goodyears. The dates on them were 02's which I believe were used when I bought the coach and they still looked like brand new when I recently purchased my new Coopers from John. This put them at 8 years old and I believe my coach was the second vehicle they were on. All my tires were run at about 90-100lbs and showed no cracks of any kind with the exception of my tags. They showed the most wear on sidewalls with small cracks and very wavy wear on the treads.
Had I stayed in the state of Florida and drove short runs, I would not have hesitated to keep them and run them. My choice to travel more out of state forced my decision to buy new tires. After pricing Goodyears, Michelins, Toyo's, Kumo's, Bridgestones, and Continental's, I opted to go with the Cooper "RoadMaster". I compared ALL of the above in my size and load range and I just couldn't justify the extra money for seeing a name on the sidewall.
Now that I have about 1500 miles on them, I'm relaxed and feel comfortable in my choice! I paid about 2500 for 6 and keep in mind this is mounted, balanced with new stems! I took the front steer tires and wheels, mounted and rotated them to the tag axle. It rides like a dream to BTW!
Your price of 410.00 for goodyears seems pretty good but then add about 75.00 or more per tire for dismounting and mounting and balancing and new stems which would put you close to 500 bucks each! Then don't forget your taxes which add up quickly! I was quoted well over 500 per tire for Goodyears down here and didn't see that much difference in the actual tire!
It took about a half day to do the job and I am well pleased so far!
The Cooper RoadMaster is just as good a tire in my books as any house hold name brand!
As you might know John and his dad go thru motorhomes and buses like we go thru twenty's and they always use the Coopers! That was helpful in what sold me!
I am positive I will NEVER wear them out before they out date themselves which is what all of us will most likely do! With the economy the way it is, I DO watch what I spend these days!
Ace
Quote from: Ace on May 08, 2010, 11:02:43 AM
purchased my new Coopers from John. I paid about 2500 for 6 and keep in mind this is mounted, balanced with new stems!
Your price of 410.00 for goodyears seems pretty good but then add about 75.00 or more per tire
The Cooper RoadMaster is just as good a tire in my books as any house hold name brand! As you might know John and his dad go thru motorhomes and buses like we go thru twenty's and they always use the Coopers!
Ace
John always gives you great deals, Ace. it's called quantity discount. I think Andy's starting to think you sign his checks. Goodyear @ $410 was out the door except sales tax. I was quoted $650 for Michelin's in Florida, and in TX, so decided to wait for Ohio, but the prices went up in May.
But thanks for all the helpful comments which i am listening to. i really don't think these tires i have are bad, just don't want to risk a blowout on fronts.
I own three Mack dumptrucks and one Mack lowboy tractor and trailer. We ran goodyears until about ten years ago when we noticed that we weren't getting as many miles out of a set of tires as we used to and we also couldn't keep the fronts from bumping. We always balanced them with the balancing powder and kept the trucks in alignment. We switched to michelins on the advise of a logger and have never changed. They are a little more expensive but we get more miles and get a better ride. Changing tires cost a lot of money in labor and down time.
Tom,
What Ace said about John and his dad using Coopers is an awesome endorsement for them.
We haven't had any local "Cooper" dealers in our around Union City for ages, or I would probably use them. (Wynn & John Silver have owned more buses than anyone else I have personally met! Around 100 units at one time!)
FWIW Coopers used to be made by General Tire (my dad worked in maintenance for them in Mayfield,m KY for 19 yrs before they closed the plant) which "Continental Tire" bought out in 1987.
Now not that we know ANYTHING at all about buses or tires, but we have always run Kumho's since the very first set I bought for the first bus we started with in 2004!
That bus was sold later and the buyer thought 5 grand was too much $ for 8 polished aluminum rims w/ almost new tires on them so I kept them. Just 2 months ago I put those wheels/tires on the bus we just re-furbed and put on the road rides and drives great!
Now while I respect TomC's experience and opinion I have a difference of opinion on Michelin tires.
When I was trucking back in the '90's I had some issues with Michelin tires that came new on several new trucks I bought. Michelin would not stand behind their own warranty and gave me the complete run around for months on end (about 12 of 'em!). After that anytime I bought anything that came with Michelin's on it I would "have them replaced or the deal was off!" (just my personal opinion and experience, but what good is a 7 yr warranty if they won't honor it?)
Goodyear; we have a Goodyear plant in Union City, and just listening to the people that work there telling me the things that go on there make me not want any of those tires on my buses!
Back the week before our fine president's inauguration, the former owner of the company we bought out in February of the same year had me have some Goodyear G395's he'd bought somewhere on the road put on for him. (same bus & steer tires it had on it, that I had down @ Arcadia)
Less that a yr later one of those blew out the inner side wall while dad was hauling people in it.
This is 4 months later and I'm still having trouble finding a Goodyear dealer who will honor the warranty on it "because we didn't buy it from them!"
So Tom as you can see the good, bad and ugly of it is that some have good, some have bad, but we all have different experiences! ;)\
;D BK ;D
My main thing is why pay extra for a name and warranty, if they are known not to stand behind them?
John Ed, I happen to live in probably the most ethnically diverse country in the world, Canada. We have chosen to take it to a higher level and call people by more politically correct names such as; Asian, South asian, African Americans, Native Americans, First Nations, Canadians, Americans, etc. Although it may be fine to use those terms in your corner of the world, when you post to this board you are posting to the world and I find it offensive that those terms are used.
Gerry.
Whats your point?
No dog in this fight but I think the point he's trying to get across is, your slang terms are not welcome here nore needed regardless if YOUR family approves of them! Besides, all this has nothing to do with tires, so back to the topic!
Moderator note: Very well said. In response to several complaints I have removed the terms from this thread and am noting it here rather than a new post to minimize the distraction from the thread topic. As Ace said, let's stay on the foucs of this interesting tire related topic.
Quote from: white-eagle on May 08, 2010, 10:21:53 AM
Bob,
i'm taking 2 xze's off the front and putting them on the rear, on 1 side. next switch, i'm putting 2 xze2's and putting them on the other side. then next i'll be taking 2 xze2's off the front and putting them on the bogey's. at that time, i'll have 8 xze2's. i think i understood what you said, and that shouldn't be a problem with my method????
trucktramp,
front tire blowouts are what cause most bus crashes due to equipment failure instead of driver error (yes, you could say failure to control is driver error). i don't want a blowout, and i don't want it on a front. that's my rational for replacing front's always. i don't ever expect treadwear to be an issue. i do expect scrubbing, road hazzard, curbing and sun rot to be issues. i doubt if any tire i put on will go bald. Many of them would either not ride as well or not tolerate the real hazzards i expect to subject them to as well as i hope the Michelin's will over the next 8-10 years. afaik, michelin's the only one with a 7 yr warranty and have twice told me they expect them to last 10 years.
if anyone can unequivocally recommend something else beside $550 Michelin's, and support it more than just a feeling, i'd be happy to spend less. nobody has said they've had Toyo's/Bridgestone/Goodyear/Cooper for 8 years and they haven't cracked while the bus has been outside for the whole time, that the ride was great and they resisted nails, boards, and potholes for the whole time. no one has really said why Goodyear's are junk, but i've heard TomC has lots of driving/truck experience, so i'll take his word for it. i already have Michelin's and they have performed well, but this is my first bus, so i really have no experience to compare to.
i once had a Ford dealer pay for Michelin's on my Mustang becuase he couldn't find 4 truly round Goodrich's that didn't vibrate on it. That's proof.
i also don't mean to ignore anyone driving experience. Trucktramp, if you've been driving some rig for 20 years on toyo's and kumho's or coopers, etc, and have good ride, wear, and resistance experience with one or the other, that would certainly push my thoughts toward a less expensive, not cheaper made, brand.
I understand the fear of steer tire blow outs and crashes. I always kept the best rubber on my steer axle and never had an issue even running in and out of steel mills and scrap yards. Flats do happen even with the best tire care (unless you choose to run solid tires but this is not an option for on road use). If you loose a steer tire while traveling on the roadway at speed, you should know how to react to avoid crashes. I think that one of the tire mfg. has instructions for what to do.
I can honestly say that I never had any tires last for 8-10 yrs on my truck because they were long past worn out. For what it's worth, I can say that I have seen some 25 yr old casings on rail container chassis that were still going down the road but this was many yrs ago and don't remember who made the casings.
Talk to the small fleet owners. They know what works for them and they don't get the big deals that the big guys get because they are not buying tires by the trailer load. Guys like BK can tell you what brands they will never buy again even if they were free and which tires they will spec on every new purchase. Tires are a big chunk of money but peace of mind has a cost too. Get the rubber that you are happy with but remember a warranty is only if the company stands behind the product.
Yes, I have been driving for better than 25 yrs. That was the first career. Now I am a registered nurse (much better hours) but I can still float the gears on a 13 speed or (for the old timers) know how to shift 5+3, 4+4, etc. gearboxes.
Cooper seems to be getting out of the truck line. they're second line Roadmaster is all i could find, even calling Cooper in Findlay. they also don't seem to have a lot of truck tire dealers available for any service work. This is just based on what the customer service rep said, what he could find in the area for dealers.
BK had me convinced to buy Kumho, but i can't find a price with installation around here for my bus.
They guys who wanted to sell me Toyo's said they can't get truck tires right now, problems with production??
they then suggested General or Continental as an extremely good bus tire, almost or as good as Michelin, and i wouldn't have to pay for Michelin on the side of the tire.
Continental is the only web site i've been to that makes a big deal about buses. with pics of buses. granted they are fancy new tour buses like BK's, but they still have to have tires similar to what i need - quiet and safe and economical.
Any one using them or know anything about using continental or general (owned by continental). The General's are $350 balanced and mounted and fet. Continental's are about $410. i don't want to buy just based on price. no one has mentioned Continental good bad or otherwise.
Tom,
Shoot if I could get General's or Continental's that cheap around here I'd be running them over Kumho's any day! (as long as they are made in the US and not at the plant in Mexico! They had a lot of problems with the quality of the tires coming out of Mexico just before dad and many others lost their jobs to the Mexico plant. {but on a side note dad and "some of the others got an extension on their jobs while HUNDREDS of trailer loads of tires were shipped into the Mayfield plant to be quality tested before being distributed! And less than 30% passed! This was all auto tires made in Mexico, and as far as dad knows the truck/bus tires are still made in Mt. Vernon, IL!)
After FET and mounting & balancing my last Kumho's cost me $420 out the door! FWIW.
;D BK ;D
i've found prices much lower in ohio, or maybe it's just that i was getting tourist prices in texas and florida.
i've been posting the prices just for comparison in case someone does know a better place to get tires mounted.
Don't know where the tires are from, just that i'll be checking dates prior to install. No 2 year old tires for me.
Quote from: trucktramp on May 10, 2010, 06:20:57 AM
I can honestly say that I never had any tires last for 8-10 yrs on my truck because they were long past worn out. For what it's worth, I can say that I have seen some 25 yr old casings on rail container chassis that were still going down the road but this was many yrs ago and don't remember who made the casings.
My friend hauled railroad chassis in the last few years and the tires were junk on them. A local tire dealer had a full time guy at the railroad yard fixing and replacing tires on the chassis. My friend would often grab a chassis and have to get another one because it had a bad tire. He also had tire failures on the road pretty often.
I wouldn't doubt if the railroad were using better tires back then, but not today apparently.
Tom, Another Eagle owner got a great price on Toyo's last year at Diamond Truck Center, Howe, close to Sherman TX. $2400 for eight, mounted and balanced. That's where we're going to get ours on our way to TBR 2010. If my memory serves me, they were 11R 24.5. I"m sure the price will be up by the time we get there.
Tire talk is close to politics, every one has an opinion! ;D
Paul
ok, we've finalized our purchase. We ordered Continental hsr2 tires, 11r24.5, for the front. about $410 installed and balanced. I'm sure it will be more because i wnat the old ones put on the right side drives.
Their website is the only one that seems to pay attention to buses. i know that doesn't make their tires run well, but it does show me that they are interested in getting more fleet business. I've got a big mouth and am internet savvy and if they end up being bad tires, all of you will know it.
i'd rather have excellent tires.
guess the Continental update will have to wait. Kaufman Tire, which has a bunch of locations in Ohio, Florida, and Georgia, said they could do a wheel alignment. i talked to the alignment guy. all he wanted is specs. After 15 min, he informed me he could see the left wheel was out by 1.7 deg, but he had no idea how to "shim" it back to 0 deg even with the instructions of the Eagle site.
I think his boss just didn't want him spending a bunch of time when he could be making easier money on trucks. in any case, i declined to put new tires on until i can get it aligned, now that they at least confirmed why it's pulling right and wearing on the side of the tires. on the good side, no charge by them for confirming what i told them. on the bad side, camber still out, no new tires, and 8 gal of fuel wasted.
another good side. we were babysitting my 3 yr old grandson who got to "drive the bus" and blow the horn on a beautiful day.
more later when i re-read the instructions myself and then try to find someone or tools to do it myself.
Plenty of people in the south that can do the alignment! You should always make plans to do work on it B4 you go home! Floridians need and want your money! :)
Bro,
If you can wait until next winter, there is a company in Orlando area that i have heard a lot of positive comments about. I think the name of the company is J0-San or something like that. Jack
ace, i got my bogies done in Lakeland where they work on buses quite a bit and i did leave some cash in Florida. Guess i really should have gone to Webster where they really do know Eagles. next winter, i'm going to suggest the guys in Lakeland get a scale so they know rather than guess when the bogies are adjusted right.
i just have this opinion now that frame/suspension issues are better in webster while engine/transmission are better in lakeland. jmo :)
unfortunately, i don't want to wait until i get back (if i get back, hope fuel doesn't go up much more) for JB to do the suspension.
Uhh Tom, although Lakeland does mechanical work, they DO have a good source for doing alignments! You just have to ask! :)
Webster? Uggghh! Beware of being ripped! BTDT
Tom, have a 3 axle alignment done on your Eagle very few shops can do one but it is worth the money to you if you can find a shop.
I have mine done in Eugene OR at Dick Kaiser's and I buy my Toyo Tires 12rx 22.5 in Oregon where I pay no sales tax, mounting or balancing fees and fwiw they are on sale every June.
The Toyo is the best tire I found for a Eagle for ride and handling like buying ice cream and I think you got a good tire
good luck
Now Clifford, usually your suggestions are great and very wise. However, i just can't see the wisdom in driving from Ohio to Oregon and back at a cost of at least $4k, just to save $500 or so on tires. and there has to be somebody in the vicinity closer that can do a good alignment of front axles.
wonder if MCI which has a facility about an hour south, could adjust the wheels and alignment? Any thoghts out there about it?
Tom, that would not be a smart move I was just pointing out if you are in the area Oregon is the place to buy tires.
With a 3 axle alignment make sure the place has the tapered spacer before letting the shop tear it down or you maybe there while waiting on parts.
good luck
Lots of people in the Great North West read this board. It isn't only "international", as Hargreaves :) will verify. So, if you are reading this in Australia, please don't think Clifford was making a suggestion that was directed directly at you. ??? ::) ;) ;D Lots of people fit a stop at Kaiser's in Eugene into their trans country jaunts, They have a solid rep that extends well outside our vicinity. :-*
John the Eugene resident ;D ;D ;D 8)
i just re=read my last post and the responses. i hope you know my comments were with a smiley that i didn't put on there. i'd love to be able to go where someone can really do it right, and i've never been to Oregon.
unfortunately, i don't think it's gonna happen, but i'm sure a lot of western folks will take note of the location.
i'm gonna read up on the description in the manual as well as re-reading the posts from Dan on the Eagle Board about aligning the wheels before i let anyone start on it again. i hope i will be able to determine who knows enough to make it happen before driving even 30 miles. once it's aligned, then we'll start on the tires.
and i'm gonna order that jack you suggested, probably the shorty version 12ton. i can't believe they're that cheap and every truck/bus garage doesn't have them. i had been looking at scales in the $2000 and up that were well beyond what i could spend for one.
White,
i hope you know my comments were with a smiley
I saw the smiley faces you didn't put in. I put mine in so you wouldn't think there was any seriousness in my post. I'll use a ton more next time. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
There....that should do it. ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
John the kidder :D :D :D :D :D :D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D