Firestone FS561

chessie4905 · January 18, 2019, 07:03:34 AM

Most new tires put on your coach will be fine, till you have a problem. Going to be difficult to tell difference between them.
How many problems have been experienced by running over a curb or other obstruction, or running low on air? Go with whatever you feel comfortable with.
Personally, I'm a Michelin guy, and my coach lives inside my shop when not in use. And Michelins are around everywhere. Have you tried Les Schawb? They seem to suit many here to the west. We don't have them around here.

richard5933 · January 18, 2019, 09:04:07 AM

Quote from: chessie4905 on January 18, 2019, 07:03:34 AM
Most new tires put on your coach will be fine, till you have a problem. Going to be difficult to tell difference between them.
How many problems have been experienced by running over a curb or other obstruction, or running low on air? Go with whatever you feel comfortable with.
Personally, I'm a Michelin guy, and my coach lives inside my shop when not in use. And Michelins are around everywhere. Have you tried Les Schawb? They seem to suit many here to the west. We don't have them around here.

Do you notice that the Michelins weather more than other brands for those (like me) that have no choice but to park outside?

No Les Schawb around here either. Best I've found so far is Pomp's, at their commercial location.

eagle19952 · January 18, 2019, 11:29:43 AM

Quote from: richard5933 on January 18, 2019, 09:04:07 AM
Do you notice that the Michelins weather more than other brands for those (like me) that have no choice but to park outside?

No Les Schawb around here either. Best I've found so far is Pomp's, at their commercial location.

Thousands of truckers use them without regret.
Most coach users age out before wear out.
I use the XZE for steers.

buswarrior · January 18, 2019, 12:49:15 PM

Over emphasised mythology?

No matter whose tires you wear, it is prudent to shade them from the UV while parked in storage.

If brand A gets slagged for sidewall cracking at 9 years, and brand B shows no cracking at 18 years...

And one is in the desert, and the other is in a garage, and the other sat still 11 months of the year, and the other was driven every weekend, and one was run over-inflated, and one was on an axle with a dragging brake...

Does it matter?

Who is complaining?

Run whatever will fit?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

richard5933 · April 23, 2019, 09:58:37 AM

So, here's the end of the story on my tire decision...

I took the bus today to Pomp's. They have a commercial tire location, and the manager seemed on top of his game. They weren't too sure what they would be looking at when I arranged for the inspection, and they were even more surprised when I pulled up.

Bottom line, he was shocked at the condition of the tires. They are dated 2011, but he could find no sign of weather checking on the sidewalls or cracking in the treads. Without a hesitation, he said that un-mounting the tires for additional inspection was not needed at this time.

My plan is to use them this summer and bank the money to buy a new set when we pull it out after next winter. The only issue remaining is the slight contact between the tires and front air bags on hard turns which will require me to be mindful and avoid hard turns.

Based on the information I got when I bought the bus in Oct. 2017, it sounds like the tires were installed sometime around 2014-5. The original owner of the bus was a charter fleet owner, and the guy I bought it from (Tom) is a used/vintage bus dealer. Not sure which installed the 315 tires that are on there now, but it happened around the time the bus was sold to Tom. I'm guessing that these tires were bought in some quantity by one of them, and then sat on the rack for a couple of years until they were installed. Then the bus was stored indoors for most of the time till I got it. That, combined with the fact that these L-rated tires are way more tire than needed to carry the weight of the 35-foot coach probably has helped them stay in good condition.

I know that some may disagree, but for now this is the plan.

chessie4905 · April 23, 2019, 11:48:29 AM

You can adjust the wheel stops so they don't let the tires hit.

richard5933 · April 23, 2019, 11:56:24 AM

Quote from: chessie4905 on April 23, 2019, 11:48:29 AM
You can adjust the wheel stops so they don't let the tires hit.

That was one of the things we considered, but it involves more than just the wheel stops on our power steering unit - according to the manual the There needs to be a gap of 3/8" at the stops at the point the pressure drops. If the physical stop is hit while the power steering unit is still making pressure it will blow the hydraulics - at least that's the way it was explained to me.

The shop was willing to do it, but cautioned that making adjustments to a power steering unit which hasn't been touched in decades could lead to other problems like leaks from any seals which are moved. I was cautioned that it would be safer to just use caution during close maneuvers.

chessie4905 · April 23, 2019, 05:22:36 PM

Blow the hydraulics? The units have over pressure bypasses built in.

richard5933 · April 23, 2019, 05:30:53 PM

Quote from: chessie4905 on April 23, 2019, 05:22:36 PM
Blow the hydraulics? The units have over pressure bypasses built in.

Maybe I didn't explain it well - probably because I don't understand it well. Best I can tell from reading the manual, when adjusting the physical stops it's necessary to also adjust the relief valve plungers using a pressure gauge.

For now, I'm going to carry on without making the adjustment by being aware of the problem - I will be installing the proper 12R22.5 tires within the next year, and at that point the steering adjustment won't be necessary.

chessie4905 · April 24, 2019, 04:07:38 AM

When it still rubs with proper tires, stop at Luke's and have it taken care of. Does the rim have the correct offset for that coach?

richard5933 · April 24, 2019, 04:25:39 AM

Quote from: chessie4905 on April 24, 2019, 04:07:38 AM
When it still rubs with proper tires, stop at Luke's and have it taken care of. Does the rim have the correct offset for that coach?

Luke's would be the place for that work, especially since Bill would be equipped to handle anything that goes wrong. However, the 12R22.5 is considerably narrower (more than 1/2") so I don't foresee a problem once the tires are changed. The tire is barely making contact at the corner of the tread - move that corner over 1/4" and things should be fine.

Best I can tell, rims are factory steel rims.