Wheels and Tires

[Wayfinder]

Thanks @Hokieman.  I knew that info was around here somewhere.  I just couldn't find it.

 

[routlaw]

Just now caught up on this thread, thanks for all the info.

Oliver may be backing themselves into a corner yet again because apparently from what I have learned not only are 16 inch tires and wheels becoming obsolete but so are 15 inch tires and wheels. This information can be found all over the internet. Apparently everything seems to be moving toward much larger wheels such as 18 inch or larger with lower profile tires. I am right now currently considering putting a new set of tires on the Ollie since my original BF Goodriches are approximately 8 years old albeit in good shape. There seems to be an abundance of 6x5.5 wheels available in the 15 inch size online but I am questioning if this is an appropriate option given this size is also going bye bye. Perhaps just sticking with the 16's is the best option. Its certainly less expensive for now.

Going back to tent camping is starting to look easier. 😂

[Galway Girl]

From Michelin Service Site for those owners with Michelin Tires.

 

———////——-////——-///

 

A few milestones and tips:

1. Keep five years in mind

After five years or more in use, your tires should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year by a professional.

2. Ten years is a maximum

If the tires haven't been replaced 10 years after their date of manufacture, as a precaution, Michelin recommends replacing them with new tires. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator. This applies to spare tires as well.

[Wayfinder]

Ten years for PERFECT looking tires seem very reasonable, but, like so many have said here and else where, we just can't see what's going on under the tread.  Dang it! 

I better not hit something on the road to the OTT rally with my new tires.  I could have done that with my old ones and felt okay about it.  LOL

In regards to rim sizes going away, nothing will happen over night, and I suspect we'll be able to get 15" and 16" in decades to come.  I have NO doubt.

[routlaw]

Took my Oliver in this morning for new tires after 8 years +, just didn’t want the worry of something going wrong.  The only place in my area that supplied the tires I wanted was Les Schwab which tends to be more expensive for what ever reason. They told me 15 & 16 inch tires will always be around for a long time to come. Abundant choices however might be a different issue. 

[Rivernerd]

36 minutes ago, routlaw said:

They told me 15 & 16 inch tires will always be around for a long time to come.

Makes sense to me.  There are millions of vehicles on the road much smaller than both our tow vehicles and our Olivers.  18-inch tires don't work well on small vehicles, like our Subaru Outback.  I, for one, am not worried that I won't be able to find good 16" tires for my Elite II in 8-10 years.

[Wayfinder]

1 hour ago, routlaw said:

Took my Oliver in this morning for new tires after 8 years +, just didn’t want the worry of something going wrong.  The only place in my area that supplied the tires I wanted was Les Schwab which tends to be more expensive for what ever reason. They told me 15 & 16 inch tires will always be around for a long time to come. Abundant choices however might be a different issue. 

Also after 8 years, Wayfinder gets new shoes next Wednesday.  Shiny new Michelins. Party to follow. My current tires would be good for a farm truck or something.  They still took new, all surfaces. 

[Wayfinder]

Well wouldn't you know!  I get my new tires put on next Wednesday, but my local tire shop initially quoted me $261 for each Michelin Agilis, but nearly everyone online was charging $245 to $255.  My local Discount Tire wanted $245.  

I went up to my local family shop and asked if they would at least meet me half way on the difference.  Well, dang, the not only meet it, they beat it.  Now only $240 per tire.  Woohoo!  It's good to be nice and just ask.

"Winning!"

[SeaDawg]

6 minutes ago, Wayfinder said:

good to be nice and just ask.

My dad always said, "the worst they can say is, 'no'. Be polite,ask,  see what happens."

Happy for you!

 

[routlaw]

Tires and their specs are certainly an interesting topic. Over the last couple of weeks I've put new tires on both my tow vehicle and Oliver using the same tire for both which in this case is the Vredestein Pinza AT. Had never heard of this brand until recently while researching replacements on Tire Rack.com but they seem to receive great praise topping out on the list of possible replacements. Vredestein is in the Netherlands. Link below for Oliver if interested.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=59715&width=225/&ratio=75&diameter=16&rearWidth=275/&rearRatio=65&rearDiameter=18&performance=ALL

Thus far I like them a lot. What is most interesting is how the shop had dealt with the two different applications. Install on the F150 kept the tire pressure the exact same of 35 PSI on all 4 as though they were P-metric rather than the recommended 50 PSI for a 10 ply LT tire. At this size LT275/65/18 the load rating is (123) or 3417 lbs per tire. However using the same tire in a smaller size to fit the Oliver (LT225/75/16) results in a load rating of (115) or 2679 lbs while the tire store not only installed heavy duty solid metal valve stems they also went with 80 PSI the max amount for the tire. Needless to say I came home and reduced the pressure to mid 40's on the Oliver. Seriously 80 PSI for a small trailer with about 1500 lbs ± on each wheel!

The odd part at least to me, when I questioned the tire store in this case Les Schwab Tires about the 35 PSI setting for the truck the response was quiet emphatic this is the correct setting for that tire and vehicle. As many of you know this will reduce the load carrying capacity of the vehicle using this tire at 35 PSI. Granted I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact a heavier duty tire actually has less load capacity than an equivalent P rated tire at the same PSI setting but it's the reality of the situation. I could keep the F150 at 35 PSI and just live with the reduced load capacity with no idea of how tread wear plays out for LT tires at this setting.

Just curious anyone else wrestled with this situation? Thanks

[Wayfinder]

I'm no tire expert, but I think you're right in setting the truck and TT to what you did.  I'm running 60 PSI on this short camping trip, and I will be airing down to 45 to 50 PSI to see if I can tell a difference on ride home.  Watching in the mirror closely for rocking of trailer.  But next week the new ones go on.  I'm thinking upper 40s so when they heat up they'll go to around 53-55 PSI.  Thoughts?  Likely the pressure I'll use for the trip out to the rally from Georgia.

 

[routlaw]

51 minutes ago, Wayfinder said:

I'm no tire expert, but I think you're right in setting the truck and TT to what you did.  I'm running 60 PSI on this short camping trip, and I will be airing down to 45 to 50 PSI to see if I can tell a difference on ride home.  Watching in the mirror closely for rocking of trailer.  But next week the new ones go on.  I'm thinking upper 40s so when they heat up they'll go to around 53-55 PSI.  Thoughts?  Likely the pressure I'll use for the trip out to the rally from Georgia.

 

From my experience I have never had any issues 8 years running with the factory tires set between 45-50 so you should be just fine. At this point I am definitely going to invest in a TMPS system though. Had I lived in the SW where road and air temps can really soar I would have done it long ago. Still experimenting with the truck however. Honestly I think I could easily get by with 45 front and 40 rear driving without load or towing. I plan to do the chalk test over the weekend to see what that determines. Good luck.

[Wayfinder]

25 minutes ago, routlaw said:

From my experience I have never had any issues 8 years running with the factory tires set between 45-50 so you should be just fine. At this point I am definitely going to invest in a TMPS system though. Had I lived in the SW where road and air temps can really soar I would have done it long ago. Still experimenting with the truck however. Honestly I think I could easily get by with 45 front and 40 rear driving without load or towing. I plan to do the chalk test over the weekend to see what that determines. Good luck.

Yup, a TMPS is great.

[topgun2]

13 hours ago, Wayfinder said:

Yup, a TMPS is great.

Use that TPMS on your trip to the Rally.  Keep a very close eye on the tire temps and pressure.  If you have anything approaching or over a 10 psi increase in tire pressure it could mean that your tires are underinflated.  Remember - it is high tire temp that kills most tires and generally degrades a tire from the inside to the outside.

Obviously, you must also keep in mind other conditions such as the road surface (a concrete surface will generally be cooler than a black top surface), the "crown" of the road (the tires on the lower side of the crown will generally run a bit warmer than the tires on the high side), the sun ( the tires on the side of the camper that are in the sun will run hotter than those in the shade), etc.

Also keep in mind that the tire temps you should be most concerned with are the "cold" tire temps.  That is your base line.  Tire manufacturers allow for the natural increase in tire pressure in the construction of the tire.  Even when a tire that has a maximum pressure rating  of 80psi (cold) goes over that pressure during "normal" operation it is (most likely) within design specifications.

Bill

p.s.  Have a safe trip over to the Rally!  Can't wait to say hello!

[MAX Burner]

13 hours ago, routlaw said:

At this point I am definitely going to invest in a TMPS system though.

@routlaw:  Good call, Routlaw IMHO.  We invested in a TPMS many years ago which required the pressure/temp sensor batteries to be installed by the factory.  That was an earlier system and after 4-5 years, they all needed replacement.  Not a cheap date, for sure.  Shipping and factory labor was north of $80 at that time.  So, after that second set of batts terminated, we didn't want that date again - we found a system that allows the user to replace the sensor batts.  This maybe the new standard today - but we just recommend checking about the batt replacement drill before you invest.  Either way, a TPMS will give you both a level of confidence and piece of mind especially touring around the Great Southwest in the hot season.  

Cheers, brother!

[routlaw]

Good info regarding the type of TPMS and batteries @MAX Burner well noted. What are brands worthy of consideration then?

[MAX Burner]

@routlaw:  We found this unit on Amazon for what we consider a fair price point, much less than what we invested in the first TPMS go around:

We've got roughly 500 miles of usage so far without issue.  The readout is smaller than my old eyes would like, but it's solar powered and doesn't need 12vDC unless it's not been used for several weeks.  It charges through a USB cable in about 25-30 minutes time.  But as mentioned above, sensor batteries are a piece of cake to replace.

Just my $0.02 worth...

Stay safe, brother...

[MAX Burner]

On 4/29/2023 at 4:58 AM, GrayGhost said:

7 1/2 years later, they were still like new, no cracks whatsoever, and plenty of tread, but due to age replaced them anyway…

...Just curious, @GrayGhost, after 7+years - were you rotating the spare into the mix, and on replacement, did you get 5 new sneakers?  I ask because our (second owner) Casablanca spare doesn't seem to have ever seen the light of day....  I'm planning to rotate it in with the others on our next (what will be our first) tire rotation drill.

[topgun2]

I can't answer for GreyGhost but when I replaced my tires about 1.5 months ago I only replaced the four on the road.  I had never rotated the spare into the mix.  Having said this - I will no longer use the spare for anything other than a very short term spare only on the road long enough to get me to a place where I can repair or replace the damaged tire.  Certainly I would not rotate it into the mix with my four new tires.

Bill

[Mike and Carol]

My spare is a different size.

[MAX Burner]

9 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

Certainly I would not rotate it into the mix with my four new tires.

100% concur.  Keep your spare covered and ready for a short run to Discount Tire after a failure.  

We've maintained a habit of rotating the spare into the mix, but that's starting with 5 fresh sneakers!  In my twisted brain, I'm figuring I'll get 20% more mileage from the set, but at the following tire change drill, it's a bill for 5 instead of 4... right?  

Not a cheap date by any stretch!  Ha!

Cheers, brother!

[routlaw]

Agree with the others, spare is a different size, and would not rotate into the mix. Leave it for an emergency road trip to the nearest tire store.

[MAX Burner]

Yeah, understand if your spare is a different size.  All five of our Coopers are the same size...

[Wayfinder]

Well, I'm glad I checked my spare tire.  I now know that it is smaller than the other four primary tires.  It's P215/70R16 from BF Goodrich only good for 1708 lbs @ 44 PSI.  There's really no way for any of the primary tires to fit inside the spare tire cover.  If one did, it would be VERY tight indeed.  But, added 8 lbs of air to the spare and it looks good, new even.

I even cleaned inside, under, and around the spare cover.  Just in case the Oliver Police come knocking for a white glove inspection.  😝

 

[Wayfinder]

Well, here are the Michelin Agilis CrossClimate tires. They look like tires. 😂

No shine on them yet. And I lost my metal stems. Darn it. They were out. These are longer too. I don't like it.