Tires

prairieschooner · 08-24-2009, 02:21 PM

When we got our Newell the tires showed weather-checking and I knew that they should be changed. After hearing the horror stories about the damages that a blow out can cause I knew to change them before I went very far. My Newell doesn't have any slides and the tires are 11R22.5 so my decission was easy...stay with them.
I was told by the tire manufacturers that there is a lubricant in the compound of the tire that leaches to the surface with the flexing of the tire. I was told that the worse thing for the tire is to not use it even if it were to be put on blocks. So a tire that is 4 years old with very little mileage could be a ticking time bomb. The tire manufacturers also recommended replacing the tires every 5 years regardless of the tread and previous use.
The newer coaches have different requirements that my "old camper" and since I am not familiar with them I will leave that discussion to someone who knows more about it.
Just a simple man's thoughts.

fulltiming · 08-24-2009, 02:37 PM

Steve, there are as many 'expert' answers to the discussion of when a tire should be replaced as there are 'experts'. The 'typical' wisdom is 7 years on a coach but opinions vary from 5 to 10 years. The heavier the coach and the closer the tires are to their max load the more frequently they should be changed. A blowout on a coach can be time consuming and very expensive to repair the damage.

As Tuga mentioned in another thread, Newell recommends on their slide coaches replacing the front tires every 3 years and the other tires at 5 years.

The best way to extend the life of the tires is to use your coach regularly.

chockwald · 08-24-2009, 03:07 PM

I subscribe to the "use your coach regularly" philosophy! I sure don't want to go the the "blowout" scenario again...we kind of dodged a bullet with our left front blowout when we suffered no structural, or cosmetic damage.

prairieschooner · 08-24-2009, 03:11 PM

yes Michael but we have so many new members I felt it would be good to talk about it again. I was able to benefit from a discussion about tires when I got our '82 and thought that others may as well.
There is a date code on the tire that will tell how old it is, how old are your tires?
What about those wireless tire pressure monitors?

fulltiming · 08-24-2009, 05:09 PM

It is a good thing to frequently cover important issues such as tires. I apologize if my message came across in any way as condescending, it certainly wasn't meant that way. (Some engineers don't have as many social skills are they should.)

For others (since I know that you are aware) there is a date code stamped into the sidewall of each tire by the manufacturer (although it is only on one side and some installers make life difficult by putting the date on the inside). For tires manufactured prior to 2000, the code is 3 digits. The first 2 digits are the week (01 through 52) and the final digit is the year. Starting in 2000, the date code changed to a 4 digit number with the first two digits being the week and the last two digits being the year. Example: 091 was made in the 9th week of 1991, 2707 was made in the twenty-seventh week of 2007.

My front tires are dated 1206 (12th week of 2006) and the remainder of my tires are 0106 (1st week of 2006). I purchased all eight 11R24.5 tires in early 2006 but then replaced the front tires with the larger 305/75R24.5 about 8 months later even though their date is only 11 weeks later.

I think that the wireless tire pressure monitors are a great idea. I don't current have them but they are on my acquisition list. Many of the folks on this site have them and the newer Newell's come from the factory with them. The more reasonably priced models have sensors that fit on the valve stem and monitor only pressure. The more expensive models have sensor that require demounting the tire to install and monitor both temperature and pressure. The later gives you more information if your bank account and priorities allow it.

encantotom · 08-24-2009, 06:15 PM

michael's comments about bank accounts is right on. i have the doran pressure pro that goes on the valve stems and works great. the good thing is when the batteries go dead (every 2-3 years) then i can screw them off and take care of it. with the smart tire system with the band inside the tire, you have to dismount the tires. yuk.

the question is....how much is enough.....not a great question for us newell freaks i know

tom

prairieschooner · 08-26-2009, 12:59 AM

Tom,
what is the accuracy of the PressurePro, + or - what %?

encantotom · 08-26-2009, 01:10 AM

plus or minus 2 psi for measuring. alarms at 12.5 and 25% or 2.8psi over a short period of time. the link below is for the newer version than what i have, but i think just the monitor is different. the sensors on the valve stem are easy and do not leak, but do require a battery change by sending them into the factory for a swap. i have had mine for about 2 years so far and they still work good.

http://www.doranmfg.com/PDF/Doran360RVbrochure.pdf

tom

prairieschooner · 08-26-2009, 03:02 PM

To summarize about tires if I am to understand correctly;
The tires on our coaches should be changed due to age between 5 to 7 years as a manufacturers recommendation (I was told by both Goodyear and BF Goodrich that they recommend at least every 5 years).
From what Michael stated; Newell recommends changing the front tires every 3 years and maximum speeds of 65 with slides and tire size 315 and with tire size 365 speeds can increase to 75.
This make me believe that the newer Newell coaches are much heavier at the front end resulting in them being closer to the rating of the tire and the reason that they should be changed more regularly.
Tire pressure is something that we all need to watch carefully and a good tire pressure gauge is a good place to start. The other item that we may need is the pressure magnifier so that we can get the tire pressure up to the proper range.
Larry Bell showed me his pressure gauge and magnifier while we at the Creede rally. I will be getting both of these tools as soon as they can be added to my budget. The plaque on our '82 show 90 psi for the front and rear tires all 11R22.5 (if I remember correctly) so the magnifier isn't as important to me as it would be to someone whose tire pressure is around 120psi.
Tire temperature is also of concern, currently I use a simple approach to checking that but I will probably add an infrared temperature gauge.

fulltiming · 08-26-2009, 03:41 PM

Good summary Steve. With recommended pressure of 100 psi or less, there is not a need the pressure doubler but for those with heavier coaches it is almost necessary. Back in the early 1980's it was not uncommon for the rear tires to require higher pressure than the front tires since the coaches did not have tag axles. At that time front axles were rated at about 12,000 pounds. By the late 1980's front axle weight ratings were 13,200 pounds. By the mid 1990's the front axle was rated at 14,000 pounds. With the advent of slides the front axles were rated at 17,640 pounds. This was increased to 18,180 with the P2000i and to 18,700 pounds by 2009.