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mayco · 06-20-2014, 03:30 PM

So, its time to bite the bullet for new tires on my 310. Man its hard when they look almost brand new but they are way past due according to the DOT date code. So ive been doing my reading, and i think that for my intended use over the next 4 years or so that i am going with a cheaper tire. Ive been looking at the Kumho brand. Do any of you have an opinion on this brand or any other of the cheaper brand tires that i should be looking at. I just dont see us coming close to putting the miles on to justify going with a michelin or something of that quality. They will be due for replacement before they will wear out im sure.

Would love some feedback on tire brands that are in the lower price range, good or bad is much appreciated.

Be safe and drink your water, its hot as heck here in central illinois.
(Ill be replacing Bridgestone 8r 19.5s)

r carl · 06-20-2014, 06:02 PM

How many yrs old are your tires? Are they weather checked?

pappy19 · 06-20-2014, 06:45 PM

I would not waste my money on cheap tires. The regular ST trailer tires are cheap at around $100 each and even the ones made in the USA are cheaply made. Forget the Chinese made ones. I would look at LT tires at a reasonable value; too many problems related in this forum with ST tires.

TG Twinkie · 06-20-2014, 06:53 PM

I think a 310 is a motor home. They don't use trailer tires.

mayco · 06-20-2014, 07:55 PM

Yup, its a 31.5 ft classic motorhome. From reading here on the forums, the accepted standard for tire replacement is somewhere between 5 and 7 years regardless if the tires show visible deterioration. Its about the breakdown of the tires strength due to a number of different environmental factors and very nature of the rubber and structure of the tire. Mine are over 10 yrs old according to the DOT date stamp on the side of the tires. So for motorhome owners who may only put a couple thousand miles on your rig per year, you should be replacing your tires that may only have 10,000 miles or less on them. Due to the age and NOT the mileage. Thus my decision to buy cheaper tires for the immediate future with the idea that the next set will be of higher quality when we are traveling many more miles per year.

pappy19 · 06-20-2014, 07:56 PM

Shows how much I know, sorry.

Pap

mayco · 06-20-2014, 08:01 PM

No worries, i was totally unaware of this until i bought my 310.

Waipio Rim · 06-20-2014, 09:55 PM

Our 310 has had cheap Chinese tires on it since we bought it. Picked it up in Denver wearing a new set of Double Coin tires. Drove to the west coast and then across to Delaware, where we replaced the steer tires after fighting the steering wheel over a worn steering coupler for several hundred miles. The only ones our size in the shop were another brand of Chinese tire, don't remember the name. Drove from there to Montana without incident. No problems so far, have not had to even add air.

tevake · 06-20-2014, 10:59 PM

I stopped the other day to see if I could help some folks broken down with SOB of motorhome. They had a blow out on the drivers side outside rear tire. It was a hot day heading north from Phoenix on I 17 and the tire was shredded and had lost most of the tread part of the tire. Looking at the other tires they all seemed the same vintage but with lots of tread still there but all were quite checked on the sidewalls. And had big cracks where the tread build up started emerging from the sidewall ( hope that makes sense )
At any rate if going by the tread still on the tires one could think there were lots of miles yet to be had from those tires. But the age had clearly been their demise. So don't wait or flinch at replacing those older ( getting ready to fail you tires). Much safer and cheaper than waiting and risking body damage or worse.
Sorry no details on the cheaper brands, have seen lots of threads here about tire failure tho mostly on trailers. Good luck finding tires you are comfortable with at a good price, they sure do add up in cost with six or worse yet 8 needed
For some of us.
Cheers Richard

Air Dog · 06-20-2014, 11:37 PM

I agonized over tires and finally splurged and bought the Goodyears on the recommendation of a friend in the truck tire business. He's 1300 miles away so he had no vested interest. I've been very happy with the way they drive, ride, and sound compared to the hodgepodge of cheap tires it had. I've run them about 8000 miles over the last 2 years. They still run and look like new. I park it inside on an asphalt floor. I use 6 cheap flexible cutting boards to park on and take about 1/2 the weight off with the jacks. Those plastic sheets keep the asphalt oils from attacking the tires.

Smartstream · 06-20-2014, 11:44 PM

I run the Goodyears but then I have put a few miles on them. In Washington you can get Toyos for just a few bucks more than the Chinese Double Coin. I think the Toyo is a much better tire for the bucks.

mayco · 06-21-2014, 03:39 AM

Thanks so much for the input folks. Im still doing the research here. I woud like to buy locally, but its going to depend on availability. Ive read and heard good things about those toyo tires.

mayco · 06-21-2014, 03:43 AM

Is it realistic, where ever i end up buying the tires, to tell the dealer that i wont accept any tire with a date stamp earlier than 2014?? Is that something that y'all have done when buying.

Smartstream · 06-21-2014, 12:18 PM

If they have to order them in it may be more difficult but if they are in stock demand it. Last two I bought at Camping world, they had a sale going with a couple of pallets of tires out front. I went through the whole stack and picked out the two tires. I took them home and mounted them myself and used Dyna Beads for balancing. Camping World has some decent sale prices but they rip you on mount and balance.

Kota · 06-21-2014, 12:29 PM

Goodyear makes some claims on long life formulations in their G670 RV tires. Ride, road noise, and handling characteristics should be considered. I think a few bucks more can be worth it. I also believe 10 years is not unreasonable to run a well cared for tire. Check out the Goodyear tire care guide ever if you buy Krapahamas!

Big O matched the Camping World Good SAMs sale price for me with free mounting. Make sure you go to a shop with a machine designed for truck tires. Most will handle 19.5 rims but the lighter machines can loose their grip and mess up Alcoa rims.