Not just Gas... Tires. Wow!

[creativepart]

The DOT dates on my tires are just over 6 years old on my Adventurer so I've been planning on getting a new set before our trip to Tucson for our Jan/Feb winter stay. Like a good many motorhomes, my RV came with Michelin 255/80 22.5" XRV tires. I don't really want to put Michelins back on so I'm buying some Toyo M-154 tires in 265/75 22.5" sizes. Seems Michelin's tire size is unique to them. But the Toyos are very close in size all around.

I checked prices a year ago but since it was still a bit early I waited until this year to make the change. Turns out that gas isn't the only thing to skyrocket in price in 2022. A set of 6 of the Toyos have gone up a little over $1000 more than last year.

I did a lot of checking around and I know I could save $30 or so per tire if I order them online and have them shipped to an installer but I decided to go with a major regional Truck tire company (Southern Tire) to insure a good purchase and install.

So, one of the major expenses of owning a motorhome has gotten about 25% more expensive during this year. That's no fun but, no one wants to mess around with their motorhome's tires.

[bigb]

Well with the price of diesel being so high and practically everything we buy is transported with diesel trucks, ships & locomotives I'm not surprised. Everyone is complaining about how much it costs them to fill their gas tanks but the cost of transporting goods with diesel will cost consumers far more in the long run yet nobody is talking about it. The general public and the news media seem to be very near sighted, as usual.

[Bones2003]

Is that just the price of the tires or does that include all the installation and disposal of your old tires?

That's as bad as Dollar Tree raising prices the same 25% from $1 to $1.25!

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Bones2003

Is that just the price of the tires or does that include all the installation and disposal of your old tires?

The total package went up $1000. But the tires make up 90% of the increase.

[Americanrascal]

Creativepart- Any problems with them having them in stock or readily available?

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Americanrascal

Creativepart- Any problems with them having them in stock or readily available?

Not really, but only because Southern Tire found some at another of their stores. They said if they didn’t have those it could have taken weeks or even months to get.

[Scotty B]

Deviating from your main point, but were you unhappy with the Michelins?

[creativepart]

My Michelins didn't wear well on the fronts and the sidewalls are prone to premature cracking. I read of enough other people with these problems that I was looking for something different that others recommend and the Toyos are strongly recommended. Plus they are about $50 per tire less expensive.

[lenore]

Just read a long article about tires of your size. Even though dot date is 6 years old Michelin actually says with proper care they can go 10 years. However if you have tread problems or cracks maybe not. They suggest parking on cardboard, rubber mats, or plywood when not using the motorhome. They also say to inflate tires to max pressure on sidewall to eliminate flat spots. Then when you continue journey go back to proper pressure for your rig. Dont use typical tire dressings as they will shorten rubber life, better to cover and wash with mild soap (dish soap). You can use The specialty 303 uv protectant on tires. Tires should be inspected yearly for flaws and determine their life. Interesting read, and great tips on making those tires go beyond the usual 5 or 6 years.

[Americanrascal]

Originally Posted by creativepart

My Michelins didn't wear well on the fronts and the sidewalls are prone to premature cracking. I read of enough other people with these problems that I was looking for something different that others recommend and the Toyos are strongly recommended. Plus they are about $50 per tire less expensive.

X2 Michelin wear. Thanks for the response on supply. I recently bought 4 rear tires to add to my front Toyos for a much better price than Michelins and supply/availability was a concern on Toyos at the time. But I really like the ride on the new Toyos and wish the rig had come from the factory with them.

[creativepart]

Lenore, thanks for the info. But I was already aware of this and decided ages ago to not take any risks with my tires. A front blowout can be deadly in a motorhome and it's not worth it to try to eek out a few more years on tires I don't trust.

Each motorhome owner has to decide for themselves.

My tires are DOT dated March, 2016 which is about the time my chassis was manufactured for Ford. So, this March will be 7 years since then and I have 46,000 miles on these tires.

It's time.

[Morich]

We are all going to have to suffer through some tough economics for a while and there are many elements to the puzzle. Not just politics or supply chain issues but part of it that has always driven me mad is the greed!

We look at the price of gas and oil and it makes sense that it drive all othe prices as well. But until recently, I had a brother in law who had the "job" of monitoring the wells which are already drilled and producing which are then shut down and locked upuntil the price of oil changes!

When oil prices go up enough, the management sends word out and they unlock the gates, turn on the pumps and sell the oil at higher prices!
Supply and demand are not driven only by what most of us think is the supply as it is controlled by the folks who make the decison whether to increase or decrease supply!

We blame the Saudi folks but American companies do it the same!

I can't think of anything that oil and gas prices don't effect!
The price of tires will go up just like everything else.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Morich

We blame the Saudi folks but American companies do it the same!

We live in an interconnected world. Crude Oil is an international product. Here in the US or in any other part of the world Crude Oil is priced on the international price per barrel. A barrel of oil sourced in West Texas is the exact same price as a barrel of oil sourced in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else.

It may seem like greed, but it's capitalism. Pure and simple. If you owned an oil well would want to sell the oil from the well to someone in the US at a price that's less than you could get in Canada or the UK, etc? Of course not. You invested millions and risked a great deal to bring in that well. It's only good business to want to make as much as you can on every barrel sold.

Too many people simplify the economics of oil and gas. They think if all the oil wells in West Texas went into overdrive and we stopped buying from foreign suppliers gas prices here would go back to $1.99 a gallon. And, then they put a political spin on things and blame the people in government. But that's simply incomplete thinking about the whole situation.

The price of gas is near an all time high here. But guess what, it's at an all time high everywhere in the world. It is supply and demand.

But here's the bright spot. When gas prices skyrocket oil producers want to get that money and they open the taps to make as much money as they can for as long as they can. The supply greatly increases. But, at the same time, all of us that buy gas start to cut back on any unnecessary driving. So, too much supply chasing too little demand WILL of necessity make prices fall. It's not instantaneous and War in Ukraine and OPEC cutbacks will only make things worse. But prices will fall.

[Morich]

Fully agree! The simple thinking that, in some way, there is one single place to lay the blame is often what gets me excited the most!

[bigb]

Do you know any farmers or ranchers that could use your take-offs on their farm equipment?

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by bigb

Do you know any farmers or ranchers that could use your take-offs on their farm equipment?

I'd bet I could sell them for close to $100 each to a truck tire shop.

But I don't have a pickup truck or any vehicle that could handle 6 of these tires. I'd have to rent a truck. So, I'm probably not going to bother. Shame.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by creativepart

The DOT dates on my tires are just over 6 years old on my Adventurer so I've been planning on getting a new set before our trip to Tucson for our Jan/Feb winter stay. Like a good many motorhomes, my RV came with Michelin 255/80 22.5" XRV tires. I don't really want to put Michelins back on so I'm buying some Toyo M-154 tires in 265/75 22.5" sizes. Seems Michelin's tire size is unique to them. But the Toyos are very close in size all around.

I checked prices a year ago but since it was still a bit early I waited until this year to make the change. Turns out that gas isn't the only thing to skyrocket in price in 2022. A set of 6 of the Toyos have gone up a little over $1000 more than last year.

I did a lot of checking around and I know I could save $30 or so per tire if I order them online and have them shipped to an installer but I decided to go with a major regional Truck tire company (Southern Tire) to insure a good purchase and install.

So, one of the major expenses of owning a motorhome has gotten about 25% more expensive during this year. That's no fun but, no one wants to mess around with their motorhome's tires.

Have you confirmed that the Toyo M-154 tires in 265/75 22.5 has the same load capacity as the Michelin 255/80 22.5" XRV tires? At what pressure will the Toyo deliver greater load capacity than the Michelin.


This is critical safety information.

[catmandoo62]

i bought 2 toyo m154's in a 245/75/22.5 sept of 21 had new alcoa's so no tire disposal and it was just mount and add balance beads.cost was 375 dollars ea out the door..About a month ago i went to get 4 more for the rear.had 2 new alcoa's and 2 of the original steel wheels with tires on em.cost came out about 450 ea out the door.

[Ray,IN]

Was the tire dates within 6 months of purchase? Aging begins the day after construction.

[catmandoo62]

the first 2 last fall were dated 3 weeks before i got em.these last 4 were dated a month and a half before i got em.