Michelin RV tire site: XPS Rib?

[tjdonahoe]

My as is a13 31’ 7800#’s on the axles...thr original marathons went 20,000 miles in 2 years..50% tread..but they started a wearing pattern...replaced with 16” michelins 30,000 miles , a ramp fell off a trailer in front of me on a 4 lane interstate ..I run over I it..bump, bump...it did leave small cuts in the bottom of the tread.of the tires..28% wear at 30,000 miles.I replaced all of them..50% cost...it wasn’t cheap..but I have never had a failure..the gy endurance may be more economical if you factor in the cost / mile, or cost/ year..5-6 year life span on all of them

[gypsydad]

Love the Endurance 15" now, after switching from Marathons that came on my 2017 28'FC model when new. Michelins were great at 15" when they still made an LT tire that size several years back; but they don't offer anymore in that size. I ran them on my 2008 25' FC.

When I replaced my Marathons with the P rated 15" Michelins on my previous 2014 25'FC, it felt very "mushy" towing on the highway. Softer sidewall for sure in that tire. Not the same as the LT or ST tires. Bottom line for me is staying with the 15" wheels. The Endurance at 57psi cold, are working out fine. 38K miles now on this set. No issues. TST TPMS with rubber steams, also working fine.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Gene

Glad to see Tireman9 has chimed in.

And yes, I share Larry’s concerns about Michelin. I just looked at Consumer Reports on tires and while they do not rate ST tires, they do rate for just about any other kind of light truck and car tires. Michelin’s may have overall higher ratings, but others are challenging them. Living in snowy Colorado and having a steep driveway and 8 miles down to Grand Junction on a curvy county road with steep grades up to 15%, I want great winter traction and Michelin’s have always provided that, even when down to minimum legal tread (3/16”).
I am still trying to figure out what to put on a Subaru Forester when the tires it came with wear out—an unknown (to me) brand much cheaper than Michelin’s or other quality tires and yet has great traction, rides well, handles very well, and wears slowly. Sometimes things aren’t what you expect.

Interesting to see ST’s are now speed rated. The 65 mph limit on Goodyear’s was not officially speed rated years ago, but recommended by Goodyear as I recall. They also said if you increased tire pressure, you could go faster, but I can’t remember the specifics of that. At that time I don’t think LT’s were speed rated either, but are now.

The "Speed Rating" is nothing more than the results of one type of drum test. The test was designed to give relative level of heat resistance for passenger car tires. Tires run for 30 min at a given speed then the speed is bumped up till tire tire fails. This test is only run on brand new tires and not on tires that have been subjected to road service and have internal structural damage due to pot holes or overloading. In reality the "speed rating" is only of some value when making a purchasing decision with the tire with the higher rating maybe indicating it is a bit more resistant to higher heat. Since tires only need run 30 minutes at a speed to achieve that "Speed Rating" I don't put a lot of faith in long term use at that speed, just as I don't run my engine at 90% of red-line for hours on end.

RE Interply Shear. Glad to see that some are paying attention to my blog post where I introduced the term to the RV community and the engineering and science behind why this shear force is higher on multi-axle trailers.

"Spin test". I trust people are reviewing my video and not thinking you just need to spin up the tire. It is a way to make it easier to visually see out or round and excessive Lateral run out that can sometimes be an indication of internal structural problems.

GY Marathons. I believe they went out of production in 2017 so they would be pretty old by now. I also do not think they have the Nylon layer under the tread that the GY Endurance and many P and LT tires does. I have not inspected other brands but you can simply go and read the material list that is printed on the sidewall of tires to see if Nylon or Aramid is listed. Note Common aramid brand names include Kevlar, Nomex, and Twaron.

Interply shear is between the two steel belts in the tread and in general the sidewall has little or nothing to do with the belt Interply Shear forces.

[Gene]

Thanks Tireman for clarifications. Some I don’t entirely understand, but am thinking about them. You may have retired after 40 years, but now, like me sometimes, work for free educating people.

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

I looked at the listed diameter and it looks like too tight a fit for the wheel well. Am I wrong?

I just went out and measured. The front edge of my wheel well only has 1/2" of clearance for my LT225/75R16. The size you mention has a diameter 2" greater. No go. I cannot put any tire on there with a larger diameter than I have.

Larry

The problem is with the wheelwell, not the wheel - hence my confusion.

[lsbrodsky]

No problem really, I have been running LT's since I bought the trailer. Ditched the Marathons before I even hitched up. I am fine staying with LT's.
Larry

[gklott]

Originally Posted by LNBright

I’ve just come across a Michelin RV site, that in the size, lists both the Agilis, and also the XPS Rib. Thoughts? Suggestions? Opinions?

After going through 9 tires in 2 years due to a defective axle, we went with 16" Michelin XPS Ribs as we changed the axle. We have used XPS Rib since 2012 without a single failure. Replaced original XPS in 2019 due to aging.

You won't go wrong with the Michelin XPS Ribs. Got the entire package, wheels and tires, from Discount Tire.

Check out the Michelin inflation chart.

73/gus

[Vlamgat]

Originally Posted by gklott

After going through 9 tires in 2 years due to a defective axle, we went with 16" Michelin XPS Ribs as we changed the axle. We have used XPS Rib since 2012 without a single failure. Replaced original XPS in 2019 due to aging.

You won't go wrong with the Michelin XPS Ribs. Got the entire package, wheels and tires, from Discount Tire.

Check out the Michelin inflation chart.

73/gus

Same exact experience and also from 2012. Only replaced this year. I traveled for the last 8 with a spare XPS mounted and an unmounted in the truck as they are impossible to find on the road but have never needed them.

[Life is a Highway]

26,000 miles no problem with the endurance tires. I think Goodyear stepped up
and Airstream no longer installing 16 Michelin tires in service.

My only minor complaint is when turning or backing up man they scrub and leave nasty rubber marks.

[Native143]

I have a 2013 FC 20. And have been running the XPS rib 16” on mine since I bought it. Just replaced the tires after 15,000 miles due to the age of them. They perform fantastically hence the reason I bought them again.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Native143

I have a 2013 FC 20. And have been running the XPS rib 16” on mine since I bought it. Just replaced the tires after 15,000 miles due to the age of them. They perform fantastically hence the reason I bought them again.

Not enough miles....figure your cost per mile...then give a report...

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Life is a Highway

26,000 miles no problem with the endurance tires. I think Goodyear stepped up
and Airstream no longer installing 16 Michelin tires in service.

My only minor complaint is when turning or backing up man they scrub and leave nasty rubber marks.

Don’t turn so sharp...that hard on the axles

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Vlamgat

Same exact experience and also from 2012. Only replaced this year. I traveled for the last 8 with a spare XPS mounted and an unmounted in the truck as they are impossible to find on the road but have never needed them.

How many miles..?..

[Gene]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

Don’t turn so sharp...that hard on the axles

True, but sometimes unavoidable. Backing into a federal lands campsite can be an ordeal because the roads are often narrow and the site may be tight because of rocks, posts, etc, defining it.

One time, because of lack of instructions on their website and poor signing on the ground, I ended up going down the wrong access road to a Santa Fe campground and ended up in a collection of apartments with nowhere to turn around with a trailer. Impossible not to back up with trailer at a 90˚ or so angle to get turned around. Backing out the whole way would have been a major challenge with cars coming and going on narrow access road. These things happen at some campgrounds too. Travel enough and you will find yourself backing into a very difficult place and stressing the tires. Nevertheless, Michelin LTX tires handled it fine. Surely XPS Ribs would and do go many, many miles. When the casing times out on any specific tire can be different than the usual 5 year recommendation. Retreads are for vehicles that go many miles, not necessarily many years. The Ribs are made for miles, not necessary years and can be retreaded many times. A delivery truck may go 20,000 or may more miles annually and 150,000 in five years. People with travel trailers will rarely ever use up the tread on a set off tires, local delivery drivers will.

[Mount'n Man]

So, I got some fresh Michelin XPS Ribs on our '06 Safari 25' this afternoon. We bought the trailer in 2016, have put over 30,000 miles on it, and I was under the impression that the tires were new when we bought it. Turns out they were "born" in 2012, so I guess it was time to replace them after all. Tread had plenty of life left, but at 9 years old and a full year of travel scheduled for 2021, I figured better safe than sorry. I guess the economy at Discount Tire got "stimulated" by our Covid relief check...

Some of my camping friends razz me for spending the premium price for "overrated", "overpriced" Michelin's that are "too stiff" and "too heavy" for the trailer. I can't help but disagree what with the track record we've had. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Besides, I'm uncomfortable watching those wimpy 15" load range C tires that always look underinflated!

Only issues with the Michelin's have been 2 slow leak flat tires attributed to faulty rubber valve stems (I had Milton metal stems installed with this round as per recommendation of our TPMS manufacturer). I've had ST trailer tires come apart on me in the past, so I'll stick with the Michelin's, thank you very much!

One side note; contrary to the old rule of thumb I've heard of replacing trailer tires every 4 years or 10,000 miles, I understand the Michelin recommends an 8 year cycle. Anyone else familiar with that?

[Adiredneck]

You'll love the XPS Ribs. I inflate mine to 72 lbs and am well within weight rating. Mine are going to be 5 years old this year, and I plan on changing them out next spring.

[Mount'n Man]

Originally Posted by Adiredneck

You'll love the XPS Ribs. I inflate mine to 72 lbs and am well within weight rating. Mine are going to be 5 years old this year, and I plan on changing them out next spring.

Yep, that's why I stayed with the XPS Ribs for our second round. I ran the last set at 74psi; the tire shop set them for 80 at installation. I guess that's a whole 'nother can of worms open for discussion...

Still curious about the 8 year recommended replacement cycle for Michelins vs. the traditional 4 year with ST tires. Assuming it's because the XPS are LT truck tires rather than trailer specific? Still better to be safe than sorry.

[gypsydad]

Know your AS weight and follow your tire mfg recommended psi for the load to avoid popped rivets, broken hinges, open/broken doors/drawers, etc. I run my tires at 58 cold, per mfg recommended for load of my AS from scale weight. No more issues...second set of tires now, 50k miles. Max psi is a warning "not to exceed "psi; not the recommended use psi...

[Steamy1]

Originally Posted by BayouBiker

How do you justify disregard of the manufacturer guidance against using light truck tires on trailers? Is it like the kindergartener who says, well Joey did it too?

Note that the Airstream supplement manual on tires states that the LT tires can be used for trailers.

Also, Airstream offered the Michelin LT 16" LRE Defenders as an upgrade option.

[n2916s]

Originally Posted by Steamy1

Note that the Airstream supplement manual on tires states that the LT tires can be used for trailers.



Also, Airstream offered the Michelin LT 16" LRE Defenders as an upgrade option.

As you noted, Airstream says it’s okay and did in fact offer them for a while as an option. But, if you contact Michelin they will (and always have) respond that they do not recommend the use of any of their tires in trailer service.

It’s a pickle.