Tires have gotten expensive

[belfert]

Diesel here is still at $3.99 most places.  Not quite as bad as Canada yet.  I'm wondering what it will be come my next long trip in August.  The last time I took the bus down to Witchita, KS diesel was around $4.25 in 2008.

I'm still waiting to hear how much my trailer tires will cost.  One place quoted $93.  The price now is actually lower than last summer.  The other vendor hasn't called me back.

[JohnEd]

Anja,

There is one "plan" that involves trading your tires in after 5 years.  They are not worn even a little.  A trucker will wear out his new tires in a year or less.  So you trade him your 4 or 5 year old "new" tires for a decent price and swap on his used tires that have 25%.  Supposedly you can substantially reduce the cost of a tire per year in doing this.  Others just buy a used tire that is only a couple years old and run it for 5 years.  That sounded like my plan or at least something close.  $100 for the trade in value plus the vig and mounting and balance and I think you are coming in at less than $200 per tire that will last you 4 or 5 years.  200 X 8=1,600/4=$400 per year for tires.  Sound right?  Your real problem is in matching the tire diameters and model.  You need a large tire store or get lucky with a trucker that is about to change out all his tires and will sell them to you for the trade in allowance.

Many won't mess with recaps or take offs on the steering axle.  They put only new on there.  To me: a good tire is a good tire.  I think recaps don't suffer if the weight is lifted and you will have Hyd jacks on all four corners when parked or stopped over night...right?

You don't need to switch out all the rubber at one time.  Look for a good deal on four hiway traction tires for your drive axle.  Put a couple nice used steer tires on the front and almost anything serviceable on the tags/bogies.  Not all tires ride comfortably and BK could tell you what to stay away from.

If you put a good tire pressure monitoring system on her that will also alert on temp you can be more relaxed with stuff like recaps.  They start to shed a cap and the temp goes up but the pressure rise isn't enuf to trigger the alarm.  Then BOOM and you are crippled and lost maybe two tires.  Just any TPMS is better than nutt'n but I would hold out for temp as well.

If you can create a machine shop to allow you to overhaul your engine then congering a tire shop that is friendly should be no challenge to the like of you, Samantha.

Good luck, young lady,

John

[artvonne]

Diesel here is still at $3.99 most places.  Not quite as bad as Canada yet.  I'm wondering what it will be come my next long trip in August. 

  Ive seen it high, and ive seen it low. I just cant trust anyones crystal ball telling us whats its going to be tomorrow, or whats its not going to be. I am buying a Bus with the full knowledge we may see fuel pushing $6 gallon someday. I feel that if I can roughly double the fuel economy I get now, then it wont cost  much more then.

  I really like Johns idea about used rubber. It isnt so much the cost, though thats a real factor, so much as the trust. I have much greater faith in a tire after its been traveled a ways and proved itself than I do a fresh skin thats never seen blacktop. They dont run race cars, Indy Cars or Formula One cars in a race on new tires for the exact same reason. And no one but a fool will trust a new airplane engine. Many pilots dont feel safe until the engine shows 25 - 50 hours without issues.

[Jeremy]

I have much greater faith in a tire after its been traveled a ways and proved itself than I do a fresh skin thats never seen blacktop. They dont run race cars, Indy Cars or Formula One cars in a race on new tires for the exact same reason.

Actually that's not the reason at all. Race teams 'scrub' new tyres to remove the outermost layer of rubber, which is shiney and slippery and covered with mould-release wax. It only takes a lap or two at most, and I believe it can be done by machine as well. It's nothing to do with not being able to 'trust' the tyre. (Although I understand your logic on that issue, and don't disagree with it)

Jeremy

[JohnEd]

I think you are both right.  Except that I don't believe that a tire can be "scrubbed in" by a machine.  That's the opinion of the man on the street, mind you.

[babell2]

Just in the last two days I payed $326.17 for one off brand Samson tire plus an additional $45.00 for a good used Budd rim.  All just to get the bus in driveable condition. Has any one ever heard of Samson?

[pvcces]

We put a couple on our drive axle. So far, so good. We haven't put more than 200 miles on them.

Good luck.

Tom Caffrey

[JohnEd]

OTOH, in how many other countries in the entire world would owning your own bus for personal use not be the ludicrous idea you could think of?

Now Len,

I admire your posts and appreciate you contributions and we agree with frightening regularity, you gotta small a "but" coming, right?, while I strongly agree with the fact you are stating, I gotta nearly throw up at the inference.  Reminds me of so many conversations I have had where my simple (Ace, take note) statement of fact got met with BLOW JOB, BLOW JOB, BLOW JOB Grrrrr Oral sex.  Or BLUE DRESS BLUE DRESS. OR, Whitewater.  More of late if you say Health care initiative you get BIRTH CERT< BIRTH CERT.  Same-o, same-o.  To the point here, we get all hissy about the price of tires and along comes q defense of the tire industry robber Barons and their price fixing gouging ways and we get America the Beautiful wrapped in a flag.  Our opportunities, such as they are, are a topic change to this thread.  Talk BP oil spill and a Brit will inform you that the British retirement system is heavily vested in BP as though that had a bearing.  Am I ever off topic.....often and heavily...and it is OK to call me on it...really. 

So here is the Axiom that I live by(when I do)  GOOD ENOUGH IS THE ENEMY OF BETTER.  And excellence in one area does not legitimize failure in another or ever lawlessness.  We can buy buses, and that is great, but that doesn't make the price of a tire more legit.  We are TWENTY FIRST in the world in terms of FRIGGEN LIFE SPAN.  France is number 10 and I'll bet the frogs are up in arms and storming the Bastelle over that national disgrace.  THE FRENCH!  The average waiting time for emergency room service in a French hospital is under 6 minutes if not life threatening and instantly if it is.  We have the same expediency for accident and heart problems but our wait time is 12 to 14 hours if I can believe what I read.  And this from the country with the "most advanced health care equip/sys in the world".  Aren't we all to be a little upset about those numbers?  I am.  Or is the answer something like Monica, Monica, Monica.

Not many years ago I was perusing the international stats on child death rates.  I am still short of breath on this but there it was in black and white....Bulgaria was ahead of us at number 48 or some such.  Bulgaria is the most backward of the Soviet states and the Soviets were not anywhere near the front o the pack.  As C. Everett Coop said: "the concern for the life of the baby stops at birth among XXXXX in this country.   XXXX being a political persuasion of he whose name must not be spoken.  That list goes on and on and it gets progressively more and more depressing.  Prenatal care, an absolute must for the health of the babe and Mom is woefully lacking in out beloved.  Post natal care is also abysmal.  Mention this in mixed company and you hear about how much better out TV programs are than those in Europe or how few children die from cobra bites in Massachusetts.  Or the absolute best of answers   "That is just a pack of liberal lies and I won't stoop to refuting it with facts".  And why, I might ask, does my interest in the medical care we provide to children and infants "PROVE" my politics?

See what I mean?

John

[buswarrior]

I guess it all depends on whether you are a robber baron or the victim....

You can't have it both ways.

Capitalism in all it's gory glory, or ??

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[JohnEd]

I guess it all depends on whether you are a robber baron or the victim....

You can't have it both ways.

Capitalism in all it's gory glory, or ??

happy coaching!
buswarrior

BW
I don't follow your post.  And I want to do that....trust me.  Can you repeat your thoughts with a little more ?  Off-line by PM or Email is good as well unless you don't want to do that.  I think we have gotten off topic or at least I have.

Thanks,

John

[buswarrior]

Summarized for the thread drift:

I'll suggest that we proudly pay whatever price it is we have to pay to maintain and use our converted coaches, enjoying the freedom to move about when and where we see fit, in whatever safe conveyance we desire, all over the continent. And be able to invent whatever job or service to facilitate that that comes to mind.

In my last post, I was suggesting that the winners in the games of capitalism are not complaining or worried about the current state of affairs.

Otherwise, wouldn't they be changing them?

And you really don't want capitalism "adjusted" in some way do you?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[JohnEd]

I strongly agree with all except for the "adjust" part. YES, I do most certainly want the capitalist process monitored and policed and "adjusted: in every way possible and needed to allow the capitalist system to flourish.  There is only one law that comes to my mind that isn't designed to limit the power and prevent abuse.  That would be the law of gravity.

History is so full of records of abuse that it boggles my mind that any are not on edge about history repeating.  The Dark ages were an example of the corruption of the Catholic church with power and it led to horrific abuse.  Slavery led to .....never mind.  Read "The Robber Barons" and taxes start to look vital to our survival.  Antitrust?  Monopoly?  Tyranny?  All power run a muck.  And they try to eat away at the LAWS enacted out of desperation to curb the abuses.


Yes, yes I do want Capitalist monitored, controlled to a degree, exposed to transparency and severely punished for transgressions either codified specifically or implied.  "Unjust Enrichment" punishes Capitalists for breaking laws that are not written.....ask the Hunt brothers about silver market manipulation.

You don't need a degree in History.  But you do need to not believe that a degree in History doesn't prove you are a Liberal and untrustworthy.  That is the min.  That this isn't always the case is why so many of us are so thoroughly armed and equipped and proficient.

Are we on the same side of this issue and saying the same things and making the same points?

Thanks for your answer.

[buswarrior]

I don't think so, I'm more inclined to align myself with the robber barons.

In this modern day, I am a serf, a peasant, a commoner.

And I am content with that. Those who have more, set the agenda, not I.

Just as it always has been, just as it always will be.

However, unlike days gone by, with capitalism, I have the opportunity to join their ranks, by the simple application of my smarts and my labour, and a bit of good luck.

If you can't beat 'em, maybe best to join 'em?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Len Silva]

I don't think so, I'm more inclined to align myself with the robber barons.

In this modern day, I am a serf, a peasant, a commoner.

And I am content with that. Those who have more, set the agenda, not I.

Just as it always has been, just as it always will be.

However, unlike days gone by, with capitalism, I have the opportunity to join their ranks, by the simple application of my smarts and my labour, and a bit of good luck.

If you can't beat 'em, maybe best to join 'em?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

That is exactly what they want you to believe, and how the robbers are able to keep power.

If you support us gazillionaires, perhaps one day you too, can become like us.

It is true that a very tiny minority have become wealthy because of smarts, labor and luck, the number is extremely small.  Yes, you can cite Gates, Jobs, Zuckerberg, et. al., they are few and far between.

The vast majority of the robber barons' success depends more on cunning, wiles, accident of birth, lack of scruples, and being connected, than it does with any special talent or ability.

They will feed you crap and convince you it's ice cream, and that one day you can have all the ice cream you could possibly want.

90% of the people are being screwed and 10% are doing the screwing and making you believe it's not rape, it's really true love.

[buswarrior]

Let's move to a new thread I'll title "a discussion about Robber Barons"

Give me a few minutes to copy and paste it together, and this thread can stay about tires.

happy coaching!
buswarrior