Our First MH 03 Winnebago Minnie 31C

Big Muskie John · 02-26-2007, 05:10 AM

Hello,

Over the weekend my wife and I picked up our first MH, a 03 Winnebago Minnie 31C. I have been reading this and other forums for quite a while and have seen numerous post regarding shocks and tires. The tires that are on there now I think are the original tires, the "Firestones" From what I have read the "Michelin Rib's" are the tire of choice along with the "Bilsten shocks" Are these the best choice for my set up? Any other upgrades that I might want to consider, not only for the suspension, but the MH in general?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

John

Lil'Darlin1972 · 02-26-2007, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Hello,

Over the weekend my wife and I picked up our first MH, a 03 Winnebago Minnie 31C.

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">Don't have any advice for you...just wanted to say hello and welcome to the MH world

</span>

smlranger · 02-26-2007, 07:25 AM

John,

Congrat's on the new rig

. I am sure you will enjoy many happy miles.

At 4 yrs. old, your tires should be OK if they have been maintained well and show no obvious signs of wear/deterioriation/abuse (cracked sidewalls, lots of curb rash, etc.). The general concensus is that 5 - 7 years is the 'normal' life of an RV tire...most get replaced well before the tread wears out.

Personally, I like the Goodyear G670's which are an RV-specific tire. I had Bridgestones on my previous rig with 19.5" tires and they were fine.

Shocks?? Bilstein makes a great shock, Monroe has some RV shocks, and Koni makes a really good (and expensive) shock. You did not state how many miles you have on the rig. If you don't have ride/handling issues, you may not need new shocks yet.

Big Muskie John · 02-26-2007, 04:43 PM

It has 37,000 miles, I noticed that the drivers side rear two tires are cooper tires and the rest are the firestone, that leads me to believe they had problems with the original tires on that side?

smlranger · 02-26-2007, 05:08 PM

Quote:

It has 37,000 miles, I noticed that the drivers side rear two tires are cooper tires and the rest are the firestone, that leads me to believe they had problems with the original tires on that side?

Assuming your rig is on the Ford E450 chassis, the Firestones are probably the OEM tires. You can check the date codes on the tires and determine date of manufacture. If I had any question about tire condition, I'd just get a new set of shoes all around. Also, once you get your rig loaded for travel, suggest you weigh it on some certified scales to determine actual loaded weights on each axle (individual wheel position weights are best if you can find a place to get that done). With actual weights, you can then use the tire manufacturer's load inflation chart to make sure you have them inflated properly for safe travel.

TXiceman · 02-26-2007, 08:06 PM

If you have the Fire BOOM tires, get them off the rear as soon as possible. These tires are dangerous in my opinion. We had them on out 1999 Minnie Winnie 31A and had 3 thread separations in under 20,000 miles. The tires can not run at rated loads when even at full rated pressure. I manged to work out a deal with a dealer to get six new Bridgestone commercial highway tires and never had another problem.

Yes I know the two companies are the same, but my Bridgestones came from Japan, not Ohio. A better tire. We had Bridgestones onour previous class Aand no problems. But please get the FireBooms off the coach.

Ken

Big Muskie John · 02-27-2007, 05:02 PM

thanks guys for taking the time, I have already started calling around for quotes. What size tires do you guys recommend for my rig? Should I stay with the same size that is on there now? what is a good price for the Michelin Ribs or the Goodyear G670?

Thanks again

tps0424 · 02-27-2007, 05:09 PM

Where are you planning to take your new motorhome? Have you made reservations anywhere yet?
My Itasca came with the Michelins so, I guess I got lucky. you probably want to stay with the stock size in order to keep your load rating. If you go any bigger, the duals in the rear may contact each other and that's not supposed to happen. Check tirerack.com for prices and see if you can have them shipped to you. It may be a good starting point for negotiating with a local tire dealer as you won't have to pay them shipping.

tps0424 · 02-27-2007, 05:13 PM

I almost forgot... you should ask to have 'Winnebago Coach Forum Member' added under your username. I think you have to go to the 'welcome to Winnebago...' forum to make the request.

Big Muskie John · 02-27-2007, 05:17 PM

the tires that are on there now are 225/75/R16E

should I stay with that size?

Big Muskie John · 02-27-2007, 05:33 PM

Thanks tps0424, we are going to start planning a trip here soon, my wife is already asking where we going, she wants to head south to some warmer weather, I would like to head to Daytona for the motorcycle race 'The Daytona 200" but that might be a little far for the first trip? I know I want to get the new tires before we go anywhere. I joined the Good Sam Club today and of course picked up a few things at CW

TXiceman · 02-27-2007, 06:36 PM

Keep the same size tire as currently on the coach and be sure you get load range E.

Ken

Avatab · 02-27-2007, 07:33 PM

John, our 2002 Minnie 31c came with Firestones and were fine the entire time we had them. No problems, no cracks or signs they were drying out. When we got our Suncruiser it had the original Michelins and we noticed right away that they were drying and cracking. We replaced them with the G670 RV tires and have been very happy with them so far.