Tire with higher load index

[nsraja]

Folks,

In my previous posts I had mentioned that I was facing inner wear on my right front wheel and a tire pro at Discount Tire said it should be able to handle 5000 miles. He offered to sell me Cooper tires and take my existing Hancook for $75 each. He said Michelins are not good for light trucks. And he also said "the torque is on front wheels" which kind of explained his knowledge so I did not take his advice on Michelins. I turned down the Cooper offer too. I completed my Wyoming Utah Colorado trip (from Houston) and at about 4500 miles I noticed a few 1 cm size dot like pattern appear on the inner tread where it was wearing fast, each dot about 2 cm apart. I got worried, so I took it to a Discount Tire in Albequrque NM and replaced the problematic tire with Michelin Agelis CrossClimate. After about 50 miles I checked the tires and noticed the Michelin tire was hotter than the stock Hancook - it was a considerable difference. I kept driving and after 300 miles I also noticed the temperature fluctuation was much wider than the Hancook.

The wild temperature fluctuation on Michelin is bothering me. I would also like to go with a 121R/120R load index tires but those are marked as C8 load range instead of E1 load range.

Can anyone please recommend a solution? I would like both front wheels to have the same tread pattern (even though I did not see any impact on my driving with Hancook on one side and Michelin on other side). The rear Hancooks are perfect and I dont want to mess with them unless I have to.

And thanks for all the tips I received from various folks before the Wyoming Utah Colorado trip, I will write more about it in a different post.

 

[ducksface]

Michelin has a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
Just take them back and exchange them.
No cost.
Discount tire is aware of the policy.

 

[16ACE27]

Folks,

In my previous posts I had mentioned that I was facing inner wear on my right front wheel and a tire pro at Discount Tire said it should be able to handle 5000 miles. He offered to sell me Cooper tires and take my existing Hancook for $75 each. He said Michelins are not good for light trucks. And he also said "the torque is on front wheels" which kind of explained his knowledge so I did not take his advice on Michelins. I turned down the Cooper offer too. I completed my Wyoming Utah Colorado trip (from Houston) and at about 4500 miles I noticed a few 1 cm size dot like pattern appear on the inner tread where it was wearing fast, each dot about 2 cm apart. I got worried, so I took it to a Discount Tire in Albequrque NM and replaced the problematic tire with Michelin Agelis CrossClimate. After about 50 miles I checked the tires and noticed the Michelin tire was hotter than the stock Hancook - it was a considerable difference. I kept driving and after 300 miles I also noticed the temperature fluctuation was much wider than the Hancook.

The wild temperature fluctuation on Michelin is bothering me. I would also like to go with a 121R/120R load index tires but those are marked as C8 load range instead of E1 load range.

Can anyone please recommend a solution? I would like both front wheels to have the same tread pattern (even though I did not see any impact on my driving with Hancook on one side and Michelin on other side). The rear Hancooks are perfect and I dont want to mess with them unless I have to.

And thanks for all the tips I received from various folks before the Wyoming Utah Colorado trip, I will write more about it in a different post.

Don't confuse the old passenger tire load ranges (BCDEFGH etc) with commercial tire designations (C8). Many larger Class C RV owners replace their LT passenger tires with Commercial grade tires for the higher load capacity and better wear. Also, get your RV aligned or your new tires will continue the abnormal wear pattern.

 

[nsraja]

Michelin has a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
Just take them back and exchange them.
No cost.
Discount tire is aware of the policy.

Thanks @ducksface. Yes I have called them and let them know I am returning.

 

[nsraja]

Don't confuse the old passenger tire load ranges (BCDEFGH etc) with commercial tire designations (C8). Many larger Class C RV owners replace their LT passenger tires with Commercial grade tires for the higher load capacity and better wear. Also, get your RV aligned or your new tires will continue the abnormal wear pattern.

This is the one I am eyeing - is it something that can handle the 2022 Thor Quantum SE (not the high end Quantum, but more like Chateau/Four Winds) the RV? Weight is about 14500 lbs.

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-wrangler-workhorse-ht/p/137622

Yes I am going to align and also planning on removing the +/- 5% camber RVs are known to have, which is what I think is causing the inner wear. If I should not alter the camber then I will live with replacing the front tires every 20k miles.

 

[taylorbob1]

I traded up to “C” rated tires recently.
Here’s several examples of “C” tires for an E350 or E450.
Max weight is 3200-3400# vs 2400-2600# for E rated tire.

https://www.amazon.com/Firestone-TRANSFORCE-COMMERCIAL-75R16C-121R/dp/B08C37TFZQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_9_sspa?crid=ZZM410P3E5ZE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fsbOVM3GcCfEaWpwwmK3GfxXOno8lhOY2x56boboH6XQ5doJcZc6jULQ5bjmZeAWMdeF12DW5Avh0ed31ZSUfaZArH8YoyUgpjkTD3R8QdFF6rtdJzUKIJLiQ6ifb3350lkVNCeIRkthyUEq2mTTvSurFGax5wxkjw3jqWneMi2TH1L_l3Lqtg7JB8xh32OCEYcGfThfWOdsSTcvehdNsA.GwwfaMpDMwRfbFmldxcA2pM3V8d8EPveU-3qDatJIcA&dib_tag=se&keywords=225+75r16+commercial&qid=1718247245&sprefix=225+75r16+commercial%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-9-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Nexen-Roadian-Season-Radial-Tire-225/dp/B07M8SSV54/ref=mp_s_a_1_20_sspa?crid=ZZM410P3E5ZE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EmIfXQv2UXEI_7ar8y8_OK6Us9tFQx7O4NaTjn7F07EAGATGcpHN3GI2WtoG1D3d8id7q5IfWHxDXpwH_iN_mxSQbl9jDeE5X2a7CvQ5Ycm-G83ELW_5TjqUICd7SZ5zz66JsPUOPd2_vJ54sAzn2TkrEz0GeFo_QUHfZifybe1kSh03ez1pSO9r9oaadCQREy1cTRzyMJ9aDzTPTXLRTw.YQbkjQuuWRrGWQ-Pbk6D72W2EWJ4wDaLZo52-_sV7C8&dib_tag=se&keywords=225+75r16+commercial&qid=1718247437&sprefix=225+75r16+commercial%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-20-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/GT-Radial-Maxmiler-75R16C-120R/dp/B09XC6C6T8/ref=mp_s_a_1_32?crid=ZZM410P3E5ZE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.H0yVoHoEAz8qZyn3MSSK3SYDnkfGwuQIpyI9UoViNLOFotNxYubIutHBF4i-orxuYPfqL1KamG3hTkT6U4QGcv5W1Lx1_38lqVwy_F4hLF1AE4kfLsCqF8L2LF88n00iF7M5GhqPkZHzq4W0CqAgL8rO1hQvPVfaHytu5LMwot_dt2a5C4e5Yry5rbdAV7v2lEOwb9E716LHFxOh0m4gWA.e9hvr9zZaoRha--XGW1vN7SYbO8Z8aQfjsB6fZMdNFU&dib_tag=se&keywords=225+75r16+commercial&qid=1718247535&sprefix=225+75r16+commercial%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-32

One other thing to remember…
Your RV tires will “age out” before they “wear out”

 

[nsraja]

I traded up to “C” rated tires recently.
Here’s several examples of “C” tires for an E350 or E450.
Max weight is 3200-3400# vs 2400-2600# for E rated tire.

https://www.amazon.com/Firestone-TRANSFORCE-COMMERCIAL-75R16C-121R/dp/B08C37TFZQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_9_sspa?crid=ZZM410P3E5ZE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fsbOVM3GcCfEaWpwwmK3GfxXOno8lhOY2x56boboH6XQ5doJcZc6jULQ5bjmZeAWMdeF12DW5Avh0ed31ZSUfaZArH8YoyUgpjkTD3R8QdFF6rtdJzUKIJLiQ6ifb3350lkVNCeIRkthyUEq2mTTvSurFGax5wxkjw3jqWneMi2TH1L_l3Lqtg7JB8xh32OCEYcGfThfWOdsSTcvehdNsA.GwwfaMpDMwRfbFmldxcA2pM3V8d8EPveU-3qDatJIcA&dib_tag=se&keywords=225+75r16+commercial&qid=1718247245&sprefix=225+75r16+commercial%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-9-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Nexen-Roadian-Season-Radial-Tire-225/dp/B07M8SSV54/ref=mp_s_a_1_20_sspa?crid=ZZM410P3E5ZE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EmIfXQv2UXEI_7ar8y8_OK6Us9tFQx7O4NaTjn7F07EAGATGcpHN3GI2WtoG1D3d8id7q5IfWHxDXpwH_iN_mxSQbl9jDeE5X2a7CvQ5Ycm-G83ELW_5TjqUICd7SZ5zz66JsPUOPd2_vJ54sAzn2TkrEz0GeFo_QUHfZifybe1kSh03ez1pSO9r9oaadCQREy1cTRzyMJ9aDzTPTXLRTw.YQbkjQuuWRrGWQ-Pbk6D72W2EWJ4wDaLZo52-_sV7C8&dib_tag=se&keywords=225+75r16+commercial&qid=1718247437&sprefix=225+75r16+commercial%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-20-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/GT-Radial-Maxmiler-75R16C-120R/dp/B09XC6C6T8/ref=mp_s_a_1_32?crid=ZZM410P3E5ZE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.H0yVoHoEAz8qZyn3MSSK3SYDnkfGwuQIpyI9UoViNLOFotNxYubIutHBF4i-orxuYPfqL1KamG3hTkT6U4QGcv5W1Lx1_38lqVwy_F4hLF1AE4kfLsCqF8L2LF88n00iF7M5GhqPkZHzq4W0CqAgL8rO1hQvPVfaHytu5LMwot_dt2a5C4e5Yry5rbdAV7v2lEOwb9E716LHFxOh0m4gWA.e9hvr9zZaoRha--XGW1vN7SYbO8Z8aQfjsB6fZMdNFU&dib_tag=se&keywords=225+75r16+commercial&qid=1718247535&sprefix=225+75r16+commercial%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-32

One other thing to remember…
Your RV tires will “age out” before they “wear out”

Thanks @taylorbob1, I will look at HT tires.

In spite of the inner wear, that right tire I replaced on this trip lasted 26k miles and the left tire also replaced about 6 months back due to inner wear lasted 18k miles.

I do take it out on a regular basis and drive about 12k+ miles every year. Just did a 5500 mile trip, but I think I pushed it too far on this 16 day trip.

 

[Bob Nodine]

I did not like how close the weight on our rear tires was to the maximum rating of the tires so replaced all four rear tires with the commercial ones in the link below. It has been almost 3 years now and they have performed excellent. I was able to sell the tires that Thor shipped the motorhome with and recouped some of the cost.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C37TFZQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Muggs]

Our Vegas had Micheln m/s 2 tires from new. Performed well. I carry a temp gun and would check at gas stops. Wide swing in temps.

Replaced at 6 years (tire date code) with nexxan comercial rib tires. Michelins has started spider cracks on edges of tread. The Nexxans rode smoother and seemed more temp stable. I liked the higher load rating.

Interesting to note, I am careful about pressure but at 42,000 miles, wear on duals was more than either front. Old tires ended up on pals race trailer and are still going.

New RV has Hankooks and also seem temp stable. TPMS shows major increase but no high temp at tire.

 

[nsraja]

I did not like how close the weight on our rear tires was to the maximum rating of the tires so replaced all four rear tires with the commercial ones in the link below. It has been almost 3 years now and they have performed excellent. I was able to sell the tires that Thor shipped the motorhome with and recouped some of the cost.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C37TFZQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks @Bob, @Muggs

I am confused by the C rating which can take 65 PSI but no mention of C8 anywhere. E's take 80 PSI but the max load index I can find is 116/115. The tire specs on C8 say max PSI is 83. Going by manufacturers specs, the Goodyear Workhorse HT seem interesting, I have had good experience with GY on my Mercedes. I once installed cheap tires on Mercedes (thinking I was helping small companies and get new tires more often) it was a big mistake. A steering vibration I could not fix and threw all kids of parts at it, wheel hub, bearing, alignment, balancing etc... One day I removed the front wheels and the tire would not stand upright, it would fall on its side. The cheap tires were not perfectly flat and round... That explained the vibration. No offense meant, but Nexxen is a less known brand no? Or am I just dumb not knowing Nexxen?

 

[dkoldman]

I stop short of recommending any tire, but I can relate to OP wanting higher load index. Additionally, I also wanted higher speed rating, and max pressure allowed. I have had no previous bad experience with Goodyear tires, but my experience after 4 1/2 years of the Goodyear RV G670 lead me to hope there is something better. if it is cheaper a cheaper tire; it is just a bonus.

I am about to have these Goodride tires made in Thailand installed today. I bought one tire about a year ago just to verify Form, Fit and Function. After my second blowout of my 6 year old OEM Goodyear RV G670s, I decided to replace them all.

I have Mobile tech that will come by the house later today after work for me and mount these 5 tires for $225. I bought 4 new 1 1/2" stems ($4 @ O'Reileys) to replace my OEM 1 3/4" stems ($27 ea from Ford with August delivery ) The OEM are too long anyway given I use 45 and 270 degree extenders respectively on front & rear wheels.

When done I will be riding 6 Goodrides 16ply H rating an 120 psi max. The extra load is bonus. I think the tires are about lbs lighter, so I can't wait to see how they ride.

DISCLAIMER: I am not recommending any tire, but just showing what I happen to be doing today in context to OP's question. Like the OP, I just want more from my tires. I don't believe more expensive means best fit for what you need.

 

[taylorbob1]

Look for load index of 121

 

[nsraja]

Look for load index of 121

The pricing on GT Radial is mouth watering. $115???? Shipped and sold by Walmart. However not sure about that brand, may be it is because I am new to RV. Firestone (which is now Bridgestone??) is something I prefer not to consider, given the fraud allegation/conviction they faced twenty+ years ago.

Another observation is tread depth 12/32, 13/32 and even 14/32, while maintaining the same diameter - which translates to reduced volume for air. Not sure how that affects ride quality.

 

[16ACE27]

The pricing on GT Radial is mouth watering. $115???? Shipped and sold by Walmart. However not sure about that brand, may be it is because I am new to RV. Firestone (which is now Bridgestone??) is something I prefer not to consider, given the fraud allegation/conviction they faced twenty+ years ago.

Another observation is tread depth 12/32, 13/32 and even 14/32, while maintaining the same diameter - which translates to reduced volume for air. Not sure how that affects ride quality.

You are waaaay overthinking replacing tires. Chances are you will not wear them out before they age out unless you have an alignment problem.

 

[ducksface]

I know a guy who hasn't eaten at pizza hut in 35 years because even though he lived in Arizona he had read an unauthored 1/16th page story, some random newspaper fluff filler, of someone wiping a pizza, pre delivery, on a bathroom floor, somewhere in New Jersey.

You are indeed WAAAYYY overthinking every aspect of this purchase.

They're tires.

And ford was culpable also:

'After the Explorer rolled over in company pre-production tests, Ford decided to lower the suspension and remove air from the tires to 26 psi compared to 35 psi for the same tires on the Ranger. They did not widen the wheelbase, which would have required a substantial redesign. One consequence of lowering the tire pressure is increased tire temperatures which could lead to a tire failure.'

 

[nsraja]

I know a guy who hasn't eaten at pizza hut in 35 years because even though he lived in Arizona he had read an unauthored 1/16th page story, some random newspaper fluff filler, of someone wiping a pizza, pre delivery, on a bathroom floor, somewhere in New Jersey.

You are indeed WAAAYYY overthinking every aspect of this purchase.

They're tires.

And ford was culpable also:

'After the Explorer rolled over in company pre-production tests, Ford decided to lower the suspension and remove air from the tires to 26 psi compared to 35 psi for the same tires on the Ranger. They did not widen the wheelbase, which would have required a substantial redesign. One consequence of lowering the tire pressure is increased tire temperatures which could lead to a tire failure.'

Hahahah... Thanks for setting me straight guys. It is just learning from experienced folks like you, because the adult-kids (early twenties) at Discount Tire are less informed of what they sell.

It looks like RVers are facing issues with Goodyear more often but those are Class A (some G560...). I want it to be Goodyear but looks like I might settle for Toyo. As long as tires wear evenly and keep my kids safe, I dont care how fast tires wear.

 

[jaynwhite]

When I bought my 2016 Thor Vegas 25.2 (E450) last year, the tires were aged out originals. I had the dealer replace them with Toyo Celsius Cargo's in the Euro Commercial ratings (225/75R16C) and they have been fine for the 5-6K miles I have used them so far. They have a little over 500lbs per tire extra capacity over the LT ones. Was able to reduce pressure a little due to the higher load capacity for a better ride. The Euro spec ones don't have an inflation table, they have a formula.


Jay

 

[nsraja]

When I bought my 2016 Thor Vegas 25.2 (E450) last year, the tires were aged out originals. I had the dealer replace them with Toyo Celsius Cargo's in the Euro Commercial ratings (225/75R16C) and they have been fine for the 5-6K miles I have used them so far. They have a little over 500lbs per tire extra capacity over the LT ones. Was able to reduce pressure a little due to the higher load capacity for a better ride. The Euro spec ones don't have an inflation table, they have a formula.


Jay

Thanks @jwhite. Yes that's then one I am looking at. Going by @ducksface comment (yep, it was Explorer rollover incidents, great memory) I figured my Odyssey's stock tires were Bridgestone which were better than the Michelin replacement, but Firestone's 121 load index are not easily available.

 

[Scamper-THOR]

I did not like how close the weight on our rear tires was to the maximum rating of the tires so replaced all four rear tires with the commercial ones in the link below. It has been almost 3 years now and they have performed excellent. I was able to sell the tires that Thor shipped the motorhome with and recouped some of the cost.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C37TFZQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bob, I assume you replaced all Six of them, right? If so that seems like a very prudent move. The tires on my Delano are also too close the load/capacity factor.

 

[nsraja]

Some additional details worth learning

Load Range E1 - deeper tread (13/32 to 15/32 depending on brand), 80 PSI max, and because of deeper tread it is about 7 to 10% heavier than C8, load index is 115

Load Range C8 - tread is 12/32 to 13/32 (rarely 14/32), 83 PSI max (Continental VanContact is 90 PSI max, WOW!), tire is usually lighter than E1, load index is 121

Both E1 and C8 maintain the same diameter (29.3), so E1's deeper tread means more rubber and make them heavy.

I went with Goodyear Workhorse HT C8. Toyo (which I have seen on many semis, tour bus and Class A) Celcius Cargo had a longer wait time, and GY was readily available - and I was already prejudiced towards GY.

If not for the inner wear which is likely due to camber/alignment issue, I must say the stock Hanhook Dynapro HT tires are great tires.

With both front wheels riding on new Goodyear, the problematic wheel was considerably hotter, the alignment issue is likely causing the tire to run hotter. So it is not Michelin's rubber quality, Discount Tire exchanged it already but I will make up with Michelin by buying Michelin tires for my car.