Michelin or Toyo for Journey?

[monarchman53]

I have a question for you guys about tires. I have read that XRV's are supposed to have special uv inhibitors that a lot of the other brands don't. Does this sound true or have I been given bogus info? All my tires are dated mid-'03 and I'm going to start by replacing the fronts next season and am considering all brands. I currently have XRV's.
thanks,
Rod

[BlueLine]

Also replaced Michelins on our MH. I immediately noticed a positive difference in handling.The service manager at the dealarship spoke very highly of the TOYO's and said they've had no problems whatsoever with them. They also deal Michelins, but told me I could save a ton of money....they were right. I put TOYOs on everything I own. If you look up the service letter on the TOYO site they recommend using exact same air pressures listed on the placard on your coach.

[pawpawboyce]

my xrv's have 16,000mi., 5 yrs. old, and cracked on sidewalls. called dealer he gave me know help, wrote an email to michelin and heard nothing. tomorrow morning intalling new bf goodrich. i alway thought michelin's were great tires and most probably are, but they will not get my business anymore.

[Vegasdan]

Originally Posted by Phelpo

I have a follow up question, my 2004 Vectra is new to me, front tires are 2 yrs old and the rears need to be replaced they are org.. Fronts are Michelins, rears same, what problems would I have if I replaced the rears with a different mfg, say Toyo??

Phelpo

You'll have no problem doing this. No reason to throw away the fronts as they will give you another 4 years of service.

[movin-on]

I replaced my XRV's with Goodyear G670's...One of the best things I ever did and worth the money...They do have uv protection...

[RickyR]

Originally Posted by pawpawboyce

my xrv's have 16,000mi., 5 yrs. old, and cracked on sidewalls. called dealer he gave me know help, wrote an email to michelin and heard nothing. tomorrow morning intalling new bf goodrich. i alway thought michelin's were great tires and most probably are, but they will not get my business anymore.

BFG's are made by Michelin here in good ole' SC

Ricky

[jimmccreary]

Boyce,
Would you please tell me if your original tires were 255/80R22.5 XRV LRG?

Did you replace them with 275/80R22.5 LRH? This tire is 1" wider and 2" larger in diameter, I believe. Is this correct?

My question is do you have adequate clearance for the larger tires? Is the turning radius reduced? Do the tires scrape any portion of the chasis when air is dumped.
Thanks so much for your reply.

jim & debbie, 04 Journey, 34H

[pawpawboyce]

jim, yes there is room when i dump my air bags. i will be putting my tire covers on before i deflate the bags. lol there's room but a bit tight.

[wddogger]

Thanks for the posts folks.

I am new to RVing & am concerned about sidewall cracking on all my Michlin 255/80R22.5 XRV outside mounted tires. Crack depths average approx. 5/64"(1.9844mm) (depth > 2/32) determined by inserting the corner of a paper strip into cracks, scribing the paper with fine point pencil against the sidewall & measuring marked depth with a micrometer. Tread depth was also measured and found to be 11/32". As I understand it, according to the Michelin Sidewall Cracking Chart (see photos at URL http://www.irv2.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13769 ) my tires are on the verge of "Suspect"! According to the DOT stamp on mine, they were manufactured the last week of Aug '05 and my odometer is 31,730 miles. That's 5 years & 4 months from manufacture date! Seems a bit premature to me.

I wrote Michelin and gave them the facts with a request for advice. Here's their reply:
"The warranty on the Michelin XRV covers defects in material workmanship for up to 5 years or 2/32 remaining tread, whichever comes first.

Sidewall cracking is not covered under the limited warranty.
However, for consumer satisfaction, we would recommend you present the vehicle to an authorized tire dealer for an inspection and have the dealer call us while you are there so we can review the condition of your tires and any possible offer of assistance in replacing your tires."

I've requested that they give me the names and locations of two or three dealers in a 50 mile radius of zip 92835. We'll see what they have to say once they see the tires. If no satisfaction, we will likely shift to Toyo tires.

We'll keep you posted. Drive safely!

[wddogger]

With sidewall cracking of my Michelin tires, I too am considering Toyo. Michelin's decision regarding how much to "help" me will be the decision "driver". (See my other posts on the subject.) Meanwhile, I found this and thought I ought to share it with others facing the same decision.

"*Toyo 265/75R22.5 is equivalent to Michelin 255/80R22.5"

Also, for those not quite sure how to decode the DOT Code (age) on your tires, go here.

Drive safely!

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by wddogger

"*Toyo 265/75R22.5 is equivalent to Michelin 255/80R22.5"

I'm inclined to think they are referring to the revolutions per mile in regards to the speedometer reading.

The 75 series is not going to have the ride quality of the 80 series and their reference in your link to using the manufactures placard tire pressures I feel is also inaccurate.

I've ran Toyo tires on trucks in the past over the years and while they are a good tire I'd find myself pretty hard put to do this particular substitution unless that was all that was available at the moment.

[Sammie]

Originally Posted by JohnRR

I'm inclined to think they are referring to the revolutions per mile in regards to the speedometer reading.

The 75 series is not going to have the ride quality of the 80 series and their reference in your link to using the manufactures placard tire pressures I feel is also inaccurate.

I've ran Toyo tires on trucks in the past over the years and while they are a good tire I'd find myself pretty hard put to do this particular substitution unless that was all that was available at the moment.

Why do you say the ride quality would be noticeably different? The two tires measure exactly the same size in dimensions. Just curious.

Sammie

[Theberrys]

Sidewall cracking is not covered under the limited warranty.
However, for consumer satisfaction, we would recommend you present the vehicle to an authorized tire dealer for an inspection and have the dealer call us while you are there so we can review the condition of your tires and any possible offer of assistance in replacing your tires."

Even with this assistance the Michlins will probably cost a pretty penny more than the Toyos.

I went Toyo last year and they ride nice, hold air fine and cost over $1000 less for six. Of course there still pretty new so I can't speak for cracking.

Dick

[JohnRR]

Back in the day cars had very skinny tires and higher tire pressures over the decades they got fatter and lower air pressures for a softer ride (a very simplistic explanation).

The 75 series is a narrower bodied tire than the 80 series however in the larger truck size tires the ride quality for the very same exact size tire and ply rating can be astronomical given the stiffness manufactured into the tire between different manufacturers so all in all you could say may comparison is a fairly poor one.

[mfire1339]

I did what Michelin recommended and drove to dealer for review. They gave me 50% discount on new Michelin's. I bet that is cheaper than switching to Toyo's.


Mike

[JohnRR]

Thank you for the positive update

[frankdamp]

Since we live in Les Schwab country, when I went to replace the original 01 chassis tires in 2010, when we bought the rig, we went with Toyo. Our local Schwab store went the extra mile and found some tires in the distribution center that were only 4 weeks old.

The improvement in ride quality and reduction of road noise over the OEM Goodyears was immediately noticeable. The main reason for the buy, though, was Schwab's after-sale service. We've been buying tires from them for the last 30 years.

[Sammie]

Originally Posted by mfire1339

I did what Michelin recommended and drove to dealer for review. They gave me 50% discount on new Michelin's. I bet that is cheaper than switching to Toyo's.


Mike

So what was the total cost?

Sammie

[Smitty3509]

Anyone considering the Michelin X One? The wide single rear tire. The price I heard from Michelin at the Winnebago rally, with a new wheel would be about the same price as two new tires, but then the second time you buy one you only have to pay for the tire. They guarantee they will get a tire to you if you have a flat.

[mfire1339]

Sammie, they were $225ea. +misc. BS. I think just under 2 thousand.

Mike