Michelin XPS RIB vs. LTX M/S2

[Moflash]

Originally Posted by Echelon73

We have a few sports cars with Michelin Pilot summer tires. The compound will get stiffer in cold weather, but they warm up fine once you start driving. We drive them at temperatures well below freezing, but never in ice or snow. I would not worry about the rubber compound on the RIB having trouble in the winter, but the tread design does not look like it will grip in snow as well as the LTX. That may be a concern if you need to stop on snow, but then again, maybe not. My experience with summer tires is just on sports cars.

High speed V rated tires are a different softer compound designed to be sticky when warn like racing tires.You are right when they are cold or old they are hard and have no traction.This is what contributed to the death of Paul Walker the actor as it was determined his Porsche Carrera Gt was riding on the original tires that were 10 years old and hard as a rock.
UPS and Fed Ex use Michelin Ribs in our area on their delivery trucks.


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[RossFam05BH]

Originally Posted by KYAirstream

We're the RIBS showing signs of dry rot at 8 years?

Our tires showed no signs of dry rot, or decay of any kind. Just some tread wear; about half the tread was gone. XPS Ribs are designed to be retreaded to extend there usable lifetime. So the rubber compounds Michelin uses are very long-lived. We are still running a set of 14 year-old XPS ribs on a utility trailer. They still hold 80 psi and look great even though they are exposed to the sun and weather. Weather damage is just not a concern.

[KYAirstream]

Putting tread wear aside, is it generally safe to assume then that the Ribs will last significantly longer than the LTX M/S? What would the year limit for the two tires be if degree of tread wear isn't a concern?

[jcanavera]

Typically the wear factor with RV tires is the sit factor and UV exposure. Tires contain compounds that resist UV exposure. When the tires roll, those compounds work their way through the tire to the surface. So a tire not rolling is slowly deteriorating. A tire rolling is of course losing tread. So its hard to figure what the life of either tire would be since it depends on how much time your tires sit.

Another example of a tire slowly being depleted is consider a tire sitting for long periods of time on a concrete surface. Typically you will see a black footprint where that tire sat. That represents the tire leaching its composition. One of the reasons why I put something under the wheels to break the contact between my tires and the concrete garage floor.

So to me, the more the tire rolls, the better chance of that tire lasting longer. Mine does sit a lot albeit indoors out of the UV. However I'm still not comfortable in keeping tires more that 5 years due to their inactivity.

Jack

[KYAirstream]

Makes sense. So regardless of Rib or M/S, five years sounds like a reasonable timeframe.

[ASTailgate]

I just purchased a 34' excella 1000 can I put 16's on that without any issues? It has 3 axels.


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[Lance M]

Originally Posted by ASTailgate

I just purchased a 34' excella 1000 can I put 16's on that without any issues? It has 3 axels.


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You can use LT225/75/16 LRE tires and rims of your choosing if you wish. With a triple axle, I would use LT215/75/15 LRD or LT235/75/15 LRC.

[blkmagikca]

There is only one minor issue to address when swapping out the 15" wheels for 16" - the spare tire carrier that is located under the front of my Excella had to be modified to accept the larger tire/wheel. had made the change at the same time as I had new axles installed at JC, and they adjusted (bent??) the spare tire rack to accommodate the 16" tires. Obviously, the spare should be the same size as the running gear.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by blkmagikca

There is only one minor issue to address when swapping out the 15" wheels for 16" - the spare tire carrier that is located under the front of my Excella had to be modified to accept the larger tire/wheel. had made the change at the same time as I had new axles installed at JC, and they adjusted (bent??) the spare tire rack to accommodate the 16" tires. Obviously, the spare should be the same size as the running gear.

I did buy a 16" wheel that looks just like the "15 wheel that Airstream supplies. I've yet to buy the 16" tire and make the adjustments necessary to allow me to carry the bigger tire. Some of that delay is from posts from others who say that you can get away with using the 15" tire as a spare, for limited speeds and distance.

Does anyone with 16" wheels and a 15" spare have any updates? Seems like the 16" LT tires are running so well that we don't hear much about failures.

Jack

[blkmagikca]

Jack, how far would you be willing to travel with one tire smaller than the others? Frankly, I like to err on the side of safety, so I wouldn't do this. Having experienced a blowout (albeit with a 15" GYM), having the right size spare meant that I could continue on and get the blown tire replaced once I arrived at my destination.

In the days when I had my Landyacht motor-home, I had equipped the car I towed behind with a full-sized spare (no donut rated to 30 mph for me).

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by blkmagikca

Jack, how far would you be willing to travel with one tire smaller than the others? Frankly, I like to err on the side of safety, so I wouldn't do this. Having experienced a blowout (albeit with a 15" GYM), having the right size spare meant that I could continue on and get the blown tire replaced once I arrived at my destination.

In the days when I had my Landyacht motor-home, I had equipped the car I towed behind with a full-sized spare (no donut rated to 30 mph for me).

I do the same as Jack. I would only travel to the next exit/closest repair establishment. I have done this 3 times over the last few years.

[Action]

I would drive 50 miles with an off sized spare and have done so to get me to a tire dealer. With an off sized spare the goal is to get to the nearest tire dealer, not to complete the trip.

>>>>>>>>>Action

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by blkmagikca

Jack, how far would you be willing to travel with one tire smaller than the others?

How far would you drive without a spare?

[xrvr]

Only to the next flat Tire!

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by blkmagikca

Jack, how far would you be willing to travel with one tire smaller than the others? Frankly, I like to err on the side of safety, so I wouldn't do this. Having experienced a blowout (albeit with a 15" GYM), having the right size spare meant that I could continue on and get the blown tire replaced once I arrived at my destination.

for me).

Quite honestly, I would replace it at the first opportunity. If the spare was the proper size, I'd probably replace the bad tire once I got to my destination. Obviously I would also tow at a reduced speed to play it safe. I guess the trailer with a 15" wheel would sit about a half inch lower on that axle, I would assume that the other tire on the same axle and the tire on the same side not replaced might be picking up some more load?

We know that Airstream states we can tow with a missing tire on a tandem axle for limited distances at 45 mph max. That speed is important since technically you are exceed the remaining tire's weight limit. However keep in mind that as a tire rotates slower its weight capacity actually increases at max inflation temperatures. That's why slower speed is mandatory.

I'm not a physics person but my D rated spare is rated close to my E rated Michelin's capacity. I think the biggest downside would be more of a control issue than anything else.

Jack

[JamuJoe]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

I did buy a 16" wheel that looks just like the "15 wheel that Airstream supplies. I've yet to buy the 16" tire and make the adjustments necessary to allow me to carry the bigger tire. Some of that delay is from posts from others who say that you can get away with using the 15" tire as a spare, for limited speeds and distance.

Does anyone with 16" wheels and a 15" spare have any updates? Seems like the 16" LT tires are running so well that we don't hear much about failures.

Jack

Not exactly the same, but I retained my 14" GYM spare when I upgraded to 15" Michelin LTX MS2 tires on my FC23FB. Dexter Axle advised that this would be no problem. A road hazard blowout on one of the Michelins at dusk in a rural location caused me to drive 60 miles the next day on the spare to get to a town with a tire shop. Drove it at 45 mph and had no problem.

I then reconsidered my spare philosophy, due to the remoteness of much of our travel, and purchased another 15" Michelin on matching wheel for my spare. It fit in my spare carrier just fine.

BTW, getting the spare in and out of the spare carrier is a lying on the ground, knuckle scraping PIA. I surely could wish for the rear bumper carrier on my last trailer, or at least a cable suspend system common on many cars.


Safe Travels,
Jamu Joe

[blkmagikca]

Originally Posted by JamuJoe

BTW, getting the spare in and out of the spare carrier is a lying on the ground, knuckle scraping PIA. I surely could wish for the rear bumper carrier on my last trailer, or at least a cable suspend system common on many cars.
Jamu Joe

After JC adjusted my spare carrier, unloading or loading it from under the front of the AS is the same as it was beforehand, when I had the OEM 15" tires/wheels. Maybe you just need to have the rack adjusted.

[JamuJoe]

The spare tire access holder is just the same as originally with the 14" tire. It is simply an awkward design with several inherent safety hazards. Airstream could do much better for little added cost.


Safe Travels,
Jamu Joe

[Ted S.]

As mentioned earlier, Michelin states the XPS Rib tire is a "Summer" tire. What was not mentioned is that there appears to be a comparable tire which is "All Season". It's called the XPS Traction and is slightly more expensive.

I'm curious what makes the tire suitable for its environment. If it is just the tread, the the Rib would be my choice for a trailer because I don't need as much traction. But if it is tire composition, then I'd go with the Traction.

What is interesting is that they state 'not intended for cold temperatures first' then talk about snow and ice. It's as if they are saying stay out of the cold...period.

Crack. Pop. Bang.

[xrvr]

Possibly the rubber compound gets harder as it gets colder?