Best Tire & Tire size for PW

[WayneH]

What are the recommendations for the best tire & tire size?
I have a 2001 PW XLRD. Thanks!

Wayne

[GallenH]

not sure why you're not getting any replies but many, including myself, have gone with the Michelin Agilis tire.

[WayneH]

Thanks Gallen! Do they improve the handling?

[jjrbus]

I do not like to respond to "best" tire posts. When tire professionals talk about best tire they are referring to best tire for application, not brand! I am not going to spend big bucks on high mileage tires that will sit in my driveway and rot. When my tires age out they will likely have about 30,000 miles on them.

I prefer chatting about TPMS and being anal about tire pressure and exercising tires!

https://www.rvtiresafety.net/

[GallenH]

Originally Posted by WayneH

Thanks Gallen! Do they improve the handling?

Perhaps if the current tires were badly worn but I'd say with any tire, old or new, proper alignment is more critical to handling. Do you actually need new tires? Look at age and tread wear. Make sure they are rated properly.

[WayneH]

Thanks JJ, I will look at all available!

[WayneH]

I plan on getting an alignment as well as Steering Box adjustment, Rear Spacers, New Shocks and a Rear Sway Bar per the factory. Then, if needed, tires. I want to get the Road Wandering in control.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by jjrbus

I do not like to respond to "best" tire posts. When tire professionals talk about best tire they are referring to best tire for application, not brand! I am not going to spend big bucks on high mileage tires that will sit in my driveway and rot. When my tires age out they will likely have about 30,000 miles on them.

I prefer chatting about TPMS and being anal about tire pressure and exercising tires!

https://www.rvtiresafety.net/

Yes, very important to factor in the application, like what vehicle, how heavily loaded etc. I looked up the Agilis and was surprised that it had a "Q" speed rating for the 245-75-16 size that would fit my Roadtrek 210. Most tires of this size and load rating (E) have a speed rating is "R". Some carry an "S" rating, which is what GM recommends for the 3500 series of Express van as well as heavy duty pickups. Generally ( but not necessarily always), an S will have stiffer sidewall than R, and R stiffer than Q. Stiffer sidewalls yield better lateral resistance that should improve handling in sidewinds and in steering. Michelin may have designed this tire for softer ride, but could come at the expense of handling.

Not sure what the tire specs are (including speed rating) for the Pleasureway but you may want to check that.

[jjrbus]

I was looking at Bridgestone V Steel rib for the higher speed rating. The higher speed rating is accomplished with a stiffer sidewall. The stiffer side wall is a compromise, ride is a bit harsher but most people would not notice unless told. Then I got a super price on them which clinched the deal.

I was talked into Michlens 25 years ago for my class A, what a waste of money they were!

[WayneH]

JJ... Interesting. I guess there us a lot to consider with all the tire brands available.

[GallenH]

Perhaps design has changed with Michelin but I suspect that it also has to do with the specific vehicle. It's been a while (several sets of tires ago) since I researched tires. But in the back of my mind it has stuck that the speed rating is generally not an indicator of handling. That was some time back. My current Michelin Agilis tires are LT245/75 R 16, the LT being their designation for light truck. Load/speed rating is 120/116R. Not Q. Perhaps R is a sweet spot. If Q really is a softer ride then it stands to reason that S is a harder ride.

[booster]

Speed rating is totally separate from handling, but handling can be closely related to a tire's design and purpose. IMO.


We have had our Agilis tires in 265-75-16 size (yes two steps larger than stock on our Chevy) for a number of years and now approaching 25K miles, which looks like will be about 1/2 life as they are wearing more quickly than other Michelins we have had in the past.


When we got them we tested what pressures felt the best and ran there, but as the tires wore, we found they felt better cold than hot, which I think reflected lower pressure. Lately we have been reducing our initial pressures and have been surprise how much lower the best handling point has moved. This weekend's 80 mile trip and test showed they liked about 4 psi front and 6 psi rear lower when compared to when new.


I have kind of wondered over the years if in our vans the "stiffer sidewalls are better in the wind" is universal or not. I think the MS2 tires we used to have VS the Agilis now kind of call that into question for me. The MS2s were much softer in ride and in appearance at the same pressures, but did better in wind than the Agilis do/did. I have a feeling that if you have a very neutral feeling van, meaning the front and rear tires and suspensions react the same to a hit of wind, perhaps the soft sidewalls allows the van to move a bit sideways without moving or steering the tires and requiring a correction?


Having the Agilis, once broken in, at low pressure may simulate some of the above as the van felt better driving it with the low pressures. It was a poor trip for testing though as it wasn't all that windy compared to what we often see.

[jjrbus]

Originally Posted by WayneH

I plan on getting an alignment as well as Steering Box adjustment, Rear Spacers, New Shocks and a Rear Sway Bar per the factory. Then, if needed, tires. I want to get the Road Wandering in control.

I have a long post on here about wandering, after 5 alignments and 6 suspension inspections I found the average alignment tech has no idea how to align the older trucks! Mine is an 01 chevy 3500 single rear wheel.

6th alignment by an alignment specialist had it on the rack 2 minutes and found a big problem. A caster camber kit had been installed and 1/2 the knockout had been left in place. Insist on a copy of the alignment sheet and post it here and hopefully Booster will check it for you.

My wander was partially caused by improper alignment and did not go away till I replaced the aftermarket aluminum rims and replaced with factory steel wheels.

[peteco]

Here is the tire speed rating discussion from a few years ago. I should have just referred to this and not provided any additional information on my thoughts, which are somewhat biased. There was a tire engineer that weighed in (CapriRacer), and based on his responses the subject of speed rating, tire design, handling etc can be quite complex, with no clear cut answer regarding what is "best".

https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...spec-7686.html

[WayneH]

A lot to consider when having a handling problem!

[GallenH]

Originally Posted by WayneH

I plan on getting an alignment as well as Steering Box adjustment, Rear Spacers, New Shocks and a Rear Sway Bar per the factory. Then, if needed, tires. I want to get the Road Wandering in control.

A couple of things. My PW is on a Dodge chassis that is 4 years older than yours and I'm not sure of any design changes. But with that in mind, the service manual for mine says that you need to remove the steering box to be able to accurately adjust it. That may have changed with your model year but it would probably be good to check with Dodge to see what they would do (even if they wouldn't service the PW).

For my suspension work and alignment I went to a center that specialized in trucks. There were other RVs there but quite a few mid sized trucks (not pickups; cargo trucks). I have routine work (brakes, etc) done at a car shop that also services light trucks. You might want to do a search on this forum for shocks to read what others did brand-wise. I did heavy duty Bilstein shocks but there are other good options out there.

Last, you might also do a forum search for rear anti-sway bars and do some reading on those as well. There's a lot of good advice on this forum.

[WayneH]

Gallen... PW sent me the alignment specs and said to put on Monroe Gas Magnum Shocks Part#34910 and put on a Helwig Rear Sway Bar Part#7513 as well as setting the Suspension Air Bags at 65psi. My brother is an ASE Master Mechanic and he will adjust the steering box. I'm hoping all of this will solve the handling problem.

[GallenH]

Originally Posted by WayneH

Gallen... PW sent me the alignment specs and said to put on Monroe Gas Magnum Shocks Part#34910 and put on a Helwig Rear Sway Bar Part#7513 as well as setting the Suspension Air Bags at 65psi. My brother is an ASE Master Mechanic and he will adjust the steering box. I'm hoping all of this will solve the handling problem.

Perfect. That Helwig 7513 is what Helwig techs said I should put on as well. The tech guy had me send pics of the underbody to make sure no RV parts would interfere and he said no problem. I think you're going about this in the right order. See what happens.

Have your brother look at this and see if he thinks it's worth putting on. Since he's going to be down there anyways.

https://www.dodgeramsteeringstabilizer.com/

[WayneH]

I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the link, I will see what he says about it.