Double Coin Tires

[Brett G]

I'm going to put on 6 new Double Coin tires.  Just got a price from a local tire shop for $2650, out the door.  315/80R/22.5 and 20 Ply.  Anyone using these and do you like them?  Also, what can I expect in return for the existing tires that are in decent shape.....just ballpark?  When I asked about the date of tires, he said that some people let them cure if they are really new.  Cure....as in let them sit a period of time before putting them.  He's been in the business for a long time and in his opinion, they last longer?  http://www.doublecointires.com/tire/rr680/

Thanks

[luvrbus]

Those take a 9 in wide wheel for mounting are your wheels 9 in or 8- 1/4 wide they ride like log wagon on 8-1/4 wheels btdt

[Brett G]

Those take a 9 in wide wheel for mounting are your wheels 9 in or 8- 1/4 wide they ride like log wagon on 8-1/4 wheels btdt

How can I tell?  Here are a couple pics of the existing tires.  https://goo.gl/photos/DdT7BHTgQG89AfGC6

[luvrbus]

The width and carrying weight will be stamped on the wheel,a common mistake people make in buying tires is that tires are rated for more carrying weight than the wheels it's  kinda a of waste of monies.IMO you are buying too much tire for a MCI 7  

[TomC]

Brett-the 315/80R-22.5 20ply can have two ratings. 18,000lbs for high speed (over 65mph) and 20,000lbs for under 65mph on the steer axle. Way too much rating for your bus. This is why the 12R-22.5 is still being made. I would guess you don't even need the 12R's. If it were me-I'd switch to 11R-22.5's since they are very common in the trucking industry. The 12R is a 485rpm tire, and the 11R is a 500rpm tire. So if you're turning 1800 rpm at cruise, at the same speed you'd be turning 1856rpm. The best answer to what tire you should be using is to weigh your bus with all tanks full.
Double Coin tires are one of the better Chinese tires. Good Luck, TomC

[chessie4905]

They used to make a tread pattern just like the Michelin xza but don't offer it anymore. That 20 ply is going to ride rougher than a 12,14,or 16 ply.

[luvrbus]

If he doesn't have the 9 in wide wheels the sidewalls will rub on that tire BTDT,it's not a bad tire, it is acutely 20 ply rated not 20 plys still way to much tire for a MCI 7

[DoubleEagle]

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.

[TomC]

Michelin makes around 50 different models of tires for trucks and buses. Double Coin-maybe a dozen. I use Michelin on all my vehicles with never a problem. You can have problems with any tire. The ride, traction and wear (I just had 2 new rear tires on my car that had 75,000 miles on them), is second to none. My opinion-the best traction tire is the Michelin XDN2. But it is also very expensive. Good Luck, TomC

[ol713]

     Hi all;
          I just changed all the tires on my MC-7. (january)   I know the 315/80 22.5 is more tire
          than I need.  But I noticed some newer coaches are running this size and there must be
          a good reason.  For me, it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling that I will not have any tire
          problems.  Also I found that 315/80 22.5  is easer to find than the 12r 22.5.  I put
          new tires on the front and used tires on the rear.  The used tires are less than 2yrs old.
          So far, I don't think the ride is too bad.
                                                                      Merle         

[Jon]

I put Double Coin tires on a previous coach and ran them for five years before selling the coach.

I loved them. They rode well. Unlike my experience with Michelins which tend to ride like rocks as they age the Double Coin rode smooth and nice the entire time. My drive wheels were a 9" aluminum outer wheel and an 8.25 inner wheel. Wheel width was not an issue. For the axle weight I just used the tire pressure specified in the Michelin pressure chart and never had an issue.

Double Coin is partially owned by Michelin. I would use them again. I have the need for tires coming up next year and they will be one of the tires I will shop.

[chessie4905]

Michelin went into a joint venture with Double Coin on a particular tire series, not the whole company.

http://www.ccjdigital.com/double-coin-parent-michelin-team-to-produce-warrior-brand-tires/

[Brett G]

Dang, I thought this would be straightforward.  Guess not.  I've currently got the Firestone FS400 on it right now.  They are a sharp looking tire but expensive.  I don't want to spend that  much.  http://simpletire.com/firestone-315-80r22.5-240623-tires

[bigred]

I agree that Michelin is a great tire ,but my point is why spend all that money for tires that are going to rot off before they are half wore out.If I was running trucks or buses that stayed on the road all the time ,I too would probably run Michelin's but on my Motor Home ,I had six Sailun tires installed and I am well pleased so far .They ride as good as the Michelin's that came off it.They also have a buy back program.Acording to the tire shop that I bought my tires from,a lot of the commercial operators are using these tires right now .I had the 315/80 22.5 put on mine just because that was what was on mine but the 12R 22.5 w0uld have worked.Both these tire sizes require a 9" rim.The 315's were the same price as what you were quoted but the 12 r's are about thirty five dollars less per tire .I used Snider Tire for mine.

[TomC]

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