Double Coin Tires

[Brett G]

The most important aspect to getting a good ride is the tire inflation. Do not run maximum tire pressure that is listed on the side of the tire-you're bus will ride like a forklift. Use the tire inflation guide for your tire by your tire manufacturer by the weight of each axle for proper inflation. For instance on my Michelin XZE 11R-24.5 H rated (16ply), the maximum inflation is 120psi. At that inflation, the tires can support 14,320lbs front, 26,440lbs drive axle. Way too much for my weight. My bus weighs 10,500lbs front, 20,500lbs rear. The inflation table says 80psi at 10,620lbs for front and 85psi at 21,040lbs for rear. Hence I bump it up a bit and run 90psi all around for ease of checking and having a bit of a safety margin. My bus rides very well-I know better than GMC transit (not RTS). Good Luck, TomC

Thanks Tom

[opus]

I have never used Double Coin tires on my trucks because I have heard too many negative comments from other drivers who did try them about separations and difficult balancing. Tire dealers that do retreading do not often accept them for retreading, which is a real sign of lesser quality. When I ran dump trucks decades ago, I went through a lot of tires. The Michelin casings would be accepted 3-5 times for retreading; other brands 1-3 times. I just put 8 Dunlop SP160's 11:00R X 24.5 tires (H rated) on my Eagle 10 for about $3800. I do not expect to worry about them for the next 8 -10 years. If you buy Double Coins, your experience might be different.

Meh, thats not true here.  DC have the excellent casings and are very welcome.  Funny, when we ran dump truck and dump trailers, Michelin were the worst things we ran.  We swapped them all out for Toyo and never looked back. 

I have DC steers and I love them.  Reason I went with them is when the ND boom hit here, everyone and his brother that had a truck headed that way.  Of course before they left they all needed tires and DC's were recommended.  Been a good experience all around from all of them.

Thats my story anyways.

[DoubleEagle]

Meh, thats not true here.  DC have the excellent casings and are very welcome.  Funny, when we ran dump truck and dump trailers, Michelin were the worst things we ran.  We swapped them all out for Toyo and never looked back. 

I have DC steers and I love them.  Reason I went with them is when the ND boom hit here, everyone and his brother that had a truck headed that way.  Of course before they left they all needed tires and DC's were recommended.  Been a good experience all around from all of them.

Thats my story anyways.

If Double Coins turn out to be decent at a good price, that would be nice, we need lower prices on these tires. Once a stable history develops for Double Coin they might be worth considering. My experience with Michelins on dump trucks was back in the eighties in the Northeast with highway use, if some had a less than great experience with them it might have related to sidewall injuries as that seemed to be their weak point. Back when I used them heavily in the eighties, new ones went on the front, and Bandag recapped them for the rear along with Toyo's or Bridgestones that they had as casings. Once Bandag accepted the casing, they guaranteed them, but for our buses I think virgin rubber is in order because time will kill them before we grind the rubber off.

When it comes to tire pressure levels, another source of opinion is the vehicle manufacturer. My 1984 Eagle VIN plate recommends 105 psi for the front axle, and 90 psi for the bogies and the rear. I assume those levels are recommended for quality of ride and steering geometry. My coach was originally an entertainer, the pressures might be different for a seated bus.

[sledhead]

I know the revolutions will be a little off but on the drives could you not change to a 11 r 22.5 as they are a lot less money then the 315 80 r 22.5 and it might help with the over all get up and go

dave

[easystreet]

I have been buying DC tires for use on the semi trailers in the fleet that I manage when I run short of tires to cap coming from the power units. They have done a good job for us. I don't look to buy a top end casing for the trailers as our trailer tires usually die from age issues, kind of like RV coach use. I have capped a few DC 1 cap and they are still doing OK. Les Schwab handles them out in the NW so access to them on the road is good in this area. I tried a couple of the Road Lux tires and was disappointed with the wear / low mileage I got from them. This was two years ago. At that time DC had a better warranty and was only a few dollars more. The Road Lux casings seemed to be alright thou as I capped them and am getting better mileage out of the cap (margoni ring tread).  I buy Toyo's for the tractors and have good service from them. I have run Goodyear's, Dunlop's and Toyo's on the steer axles with the Toyo's doing every bit as good. I have settled on a Toyo drive axle tire that is actually out performing the GY and Dunlop's I have tried. We Gross 105,500 so drive tires really get tested for wear characteristics of the rubber compound.  I run Counteract balancing beads in the tires and have had good success with the product as opposed to conventional balancing. Also usually costs significantly less than conventional balancing and you never have to rebalance. Happy Tire Hunting.

[chessie4905]

You could look into Michelin or Bandag recaps for the drive tires to save some money.

[luvrbus]

I have said this over and over if the tires have a DOT number try it if the price is right one never knows,my personal preference are Toyo tires

[Brett G]

I have been buying DC tires for use on the semi trailers in the fleet that I manage when I run short of tires to cap coming from the power units. They have done a good job for us. I don't look to buy a top end casing for the trailers as our trailer tires usually die from age issues, kind of like RV coach use. I have capped a few DC 1 cap and they are still doing OK. Les Schwab handles them out in the NW so access to them on the road is good in this area. I tried a couple of the Road Lux tires and was disappointed with the wear / low mileage I got from them. This was two years ago. At that time DC had a better warranty and was only a few dollars more. The Road Lux casings seemed to be alright thou as I capped them and am getting better mileage out of the cap (margoni ring tread).  I buy Toyo's for the tractors and have good service from them. I have run Goodyear's, Dunlop's and Toyo's on the steer axles with the Toyo's doing every bit as good. I have settled on a Toyo drive axle tire that is actually out performing the GY and Dunlop's I have tried. We Gross 105,500 so drive tires really get tested for wear characteristics of the rubber compound.  I run Counteract balancing beads in the tires and have had good success with the product as opposed to conventional balancing. Also usually costs significantly less than conventional balancing and you never have to rebalance. Happy Tire Hunting.

Thanks

[Brett G]

Got the 6 new Gladiator tires put on yesterday. An added bonus that I didn't expect is that it tracks so much better down the road. There was a ton of play in the steering wheel and up until now it took a lot of correction to stay between the lines. Realize this is the first set of new tires I've had since owning it so I didn't know any better. Here are some pics. The tread is quite aggressive.

https://goo.gl/photos/aYL8Hv7qpUvWrT5C6

[TomC]

Truck/bus tires are so much more than just a pretty looking tread design. Michelin makes over 50 models of truck and bus tires-for a good reason. Michelin has the exact rubber compound, tread design, ply design and strength for exactly the use you want the vehicle to do. Chinese tires are "me too" tires. They copy the tread of many manufacturers, you don't know the rubber compound-if it is correct for buses or on highway or off highway. While yes they may have a DOT number on the side, just the design of the tire can make up to and sometimes over a mile to the gallon difference. And that tread design can make the difference of your bus stopping in time, or the tires loosing traction and skidding into that vehicle in front of you. The only place I would run a Chinese tire would be on the trailer of a big rig. Good Luck, TomC

[TomC]

One more on tire inflation-the suggested tire inflation on the serial number plate on your bus is what the tires will support at maximum weight that the bus is rated (GVW). As said many times before, weigh your bus at a truck stop with each axle weight when the bus is at it's heaviest-typically full tanks and people inside. Then you can go on the tire inflation tables of your tire manufacturer and get the exact pressure to run the tires at. Typically 5-10psi higher in summer is suggested. Good Luck, TomC

[DoubleEagle]

Truck/bus tires are so much more than just a pretty looking tread design. Michelin makes over 50 models of truck and bus tires-for a good reason. Michelin has the exact rubber compound, tread design, ply design and strength for exactly the use you want the vehicle to do. Chinese tires are "me too" tires. They copy the tread of many manufacturers, you don't know the rubber compound-if it is correct for buses or on highway or off highway. While yes they may have a DOT number on the side, just the design of the tire can make up to and sometimes over a mile to the gallon difference. And that tread design can make the difference of your bus stopping in time, or the tires loosing traction and skidding into that vehicle in front of you. The only place I would run a Chinese tire would be on the trailer of a big rig. Good Luck, TomC

I agree, but I am not sure I would put them on trailers. I would be curious to see the accident statistics for buses and trucks in China related to tire failures and whether the more astute Chinese truckers use non-Chinese tires on their rigs. It is probably a government secret.