New Tires and Shocks recommendations please

[Beachlife]

Hello everyone, I have had a recent vibration issue with my newer Class B Travato 2020 vibrating and bumping in the rear. I recently changed oil and had the tires rotated. The tires have 30,000 original miles. I think it may need new tires, alignment, and shocks. The rattle was way too much on a short trip. I plan to have everything checked out and what ever items anyone recommends checked.

Any brand of tire for a smoother ride is requested??? All options

A good shock to put on this newer vehicle. I have the Sumo suspension.

Thank you all and hope everyone had a great camping summer even with the heat. I am sure clad for AC down here in Florida. LOL Oh awaiting the hurricane here in No Fla

Thanks
Beachlife

[mkguitar]

Most tires are good for more than 30k unless they have been run into curbs or run low on air damaging sidewall internally.
If the tires are less than 6 years old, have tread, are correct for load rating etc. They are probably ok.


I have about 30k on the michelin agilis which I like - these tires have a 40k warranty.


Shocks, I have Bilsteins and they are pretty good, but they replaced old shocks with 80k on them- so anything would have been better.


Alignment if the tires are worn evenly and you can take your hands off the wheel on a flat road you could be ok.
If you have alignment done some class B manufacturers ( pleasureway for one) publish their own specs to make up for the weight of the van


on my chev based van I have sumo shocks added to the front & rear which helps with sway on twisty roads or gusts of wind.

[Beachlife]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

Most tires are good for more than 30k unless they have been run into curbs or run low on air damaging sidewall internally.
If the tires are less than 6 years old, have tread, are correct for load rating etc. They are probably ok.


I have about 30k on the michelin agilis which I like - these tires have a 40k warranty.


Shocks, I have Bilsteins and they are pretty good, but they replaced old shocks with 80k on them- so anything would have been better.


Alignment if the tires are worn evenly and you can take your hands off the wheel on a flat road you could be ok.
If you have alignment done some class B manufacturers ( pleasureway for one) publish their own specs to make up for the weight of the van


on my chev based van I have sumo shocks added to the front & rear which helps with sway on twisty roads or gusts of wind.

Thanks for the info. I will have the tires checked, and look at those shocks. I know the Dodge factory shocks are probably not that good. Alignment only if I put on new tires. No play in the steering, but it did bounce a lot, or more that I am use to from other trips. I know the roads are not great these days, but this was more for sure. Again thanks.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Beachlife

Thanks for the info. I will have the tires checked, and look at those shocks. I know the Dodge factory shocks are probably not that good. Alignment only if I put on new tires. No play in the steering, but it did bounce a lot, or more that I am use to from other trips. I know the roads are not great these days, but this was more for sure. Again thanks.

I think since this is 2020 model that tires are probably the OEM ones, and OEM tires on many vehicles are kind of famous for only lasting 30-40K miles. Shaking and vibrations are also one of the most common failures with them from what we and others have experienced.


The normal, top line, of those items would be Michelin Agilis tires and Bilstein shocks with lots of folks using them and rating then very well. although others have been good with other brands of shocks including Fox custom shocks which are even more expensive the Bilsteins but again on limited reviews they seem to be quite good. We have Agilis and Bilistein on our 07 Chevy and have been very happy with them.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by booster

Bilistein on our 07 Chevy

Booster which Bilsteins-?


I have a 2005 Express 3500 chassis and went with Bilstein 4600 series 24-187435 front, 24-221948 rear
cost $250 for the 4 few years ago

Figuring which shocks was a whole bunch of brain-sweat comparing parts catalogs and etc.

Thanks

[booster]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

Booster which Bilsteins-?


I have a 2005 Express 3500 chassis and went with Bilstein 4600 series 24-187435 front, 24-221948 rear
cost $250 for the 4 few years ago

Figuring which shocks was a whole bunch of brain-sweat comparing parts catalogs and etc.

Thanks

The part numbers have changed since we got ours over 10 years ago, but they were the 4600 series (yellow) ones.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by booster

The part numbers have changed since we got ours over 10 years ago, but they were the 4600 series (yellow) ones.

Thanks- I think I made the best choice.
At the same time I got 4600's for my pick up which is good but appears to slightly top out when not loaded


I think they are a good value

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

There's no argument about choosing Michelin Agilles tires, they are great. I've read on other forums that some people chose Cooper Tires as a lower cost alternative.

I have Michelin on my van with Koni FSD shocks.... it's very smooth. Doesn't really matter on the mileage because for safety it's highly recommended to change the tires every 5 years.

Also, for safety, consider a tire pressure monitoring system.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Also, for safety, consider a tire pressure monitoring system.

Yes great idea- even a $40 amazon system 40~100 psi like I have.

2 things I appreciate:


1.) temperature ... brakes getting hot? wheel bearing going bad ? this indicator could help


2.) we all run over tire carcasses and junk on the road- this tells me if I am suddenly loosing air.


In the old days I pulled over a number of times just to check for damage- you don't mess around with tires in Arizona or you go upside down.

[Twinbridges]

they are a total game changer. Spendy but totally worth it.

[bobcat66]

You are living on borrowed time with the OEM Nexen tires. There have been numerous posts on the Travato FB group with photos showing tread separation anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 miles.

Many owners, including myself, replaced them with Michelin Agilis Crossclimates. The improved handling experience is quite noticeable along with quieter road noise.

Costco often has Michelin tires on sale. They installed ours.

Jack
2017 Travato K



p.s. The photo link did not work. Anyway, there are many photos showing various tread separations. Not pretty.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by bobcat66

You are living on borrowed time with the OEM Nexen tires. There have been numerous posts on the Travato FB group with photos showing tread separation anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 miles.

Many owners, including myself, replaced them with Michelin Agilis Crossclimates. The improved handling experience is quite noticeable along with quieter road noise.

Costco often has Michelin tires on sale. They installed ours.

Jack
2017 Travato K



p.s. The photo link did not work. Anyway, there are many photos showing various tread separations. Not pretty.

I have a 2012 Roadtrek RS Adventurous.... and it has dual rear wheels with valve extensions.

Costco can't deal with valve extensions.....I don't know if they are fine with dual rear wheels, but, as soon as they told me they couldn't do the valve extensions....it was a non-starter for me.....

Found a great independent tire shop.

[bobcat66]

Anything longer than 21' will not work at our Costco. The Travato fits.
The Roadtrek may be too long besides having duals with valve extensions. Glad you found another option.

Jack

[GeorgeKG]

Here is an observation to perhaps help the OP with new tire selection:

We have a 2020 Sprinter 170 extended van with Continental VanContact LT 215/85-16 tires. The van is 10,440 lb fully loaded.

At 18k miles the front tires have developed an annoying hum at highway speed. Alignment is good per MB and the tires do not show abnormal wear. The noise is getting to the point that I'm considering new front tires even though these Continentals have lots of life left.

I'm curious if others have similar experience with the VanContact model.

[Beachlife]

Hello everyone I thank those who recommended tires and shocks, and leading to me to what I feel was a right choice for me. Yes Coscto has good prices, but so does Tire Kingdom (bought out by Mavis), So I bought 4 new Goodyear HT 225/175R/16 tires, with 60,000 miles life. I will be getting the alignment done when I get back home. I am heading out this weekend to south Florida for two weeks of fun. Oh I wanted to advise newer Class B owner of something I have found and will post a note, for those like me who live there RV out in the sun all year long in Florida. Travel well everyone

[Beachlife]

Originally Posted by Beachlife

Hello everyone, I have had a recent vibration issue with my newer Class B Travato 2020 vibrating and bumping in the rear. I recently changed oil and had the tires rotated. The tires have 30,000 original miles. I think it may need new tires, alignment, and shocks. The rattle was way too much on a short trip. I plan to have everything checked out and what ever items anyone recommends checked.

Any brand of tire for a smoother ride is requested??? All options

A good shock to put on this newer vehicle. I have the Sumo suspension.

Thank you all and hope everyone had a great camping summer even with the heat. I am sure clad for AC down here in Florida. LOL Oh awaiting the hurricane here in No Fla

Thanks
Beachlife

I wish to thank those who offered advice on the tires and shocks for my Travato. I ended up getting 4 new Goodyear HT's for my size, from Tire Kingdom now owned by Mavis. I will be doing the alignment when I return from my trip in a couple of weeks to So. Florida. Oh I plan to post an issue I found with tires, and the summer heat as FYI for the new class B folks. The sun in Florida is tough during the summer and I learned some new things. Travel well everyone.

[tlillard23]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

There's no argument about choosing Michelin Agilles tires, they are great. I've read on other forums that some people chose Cooper Tires as a lower cost alternative.

I have Michelin on my van with Koni FSD shocks.... it's very smooth. Doesn't really matter on the mileage because for safety it's highly recommended to change the tires every 5 years.

Also, for safety, consider a tire pressure monitoring system.

another vote for the FSD shocks, pricey but well worth it IMO. lots of rebound that settles the vehicle down to handle better, but not bone jarring stiff like some of the "heavy duty" shocks.

[MobileCabin]

I thought that I would post to this tread about tires. Instead of the Travato chassis this post regards the Sprinter 2500 chassis SRW.



We are getting ready to start using or 2015 Agile again after a few years in storage. Had a Service A yesterday and was happy to find out that Mercedes has not lowered their prices so the world is still normal.


Now it is time for tires. Which tires are people actually happy using? Our use case is paved roads, interstates and a little gravel to formal fishing access sites. We would drive through snow in a vary rare situation due to planning issues but like all will see big rain events and the continued very hot summer temperatures.



So far I see:


1) the always frequent suggestions for Michelin Agilis, but which is better...LTX or Crossclimate?
2) some suggest Continental VanContact A/S Ultra or VancoFourSeason
3) and a few for Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse HT




What works best for others?


I will probably come back later for an update on the Koni vs Bilstein likes.


Stay healthy,
Pat

[Beachlife]

Originally Posted by MobileCabin

I thought that I would post to this tread about tires. Instead of the Travato chassis this post regards the Sprinter 2500 chassis SRW.



We are getting ready to start using or 2015 Agile again after a few years in storage. Had a Service A yesterday and was happy to find out that Mercedes has not lowered their prices so the world is still normal.


Now it is time for tires. Which tires are people actually happy using? Our use case is paved roads, interstates and a little gravel to formal fishing access sites. We would drive through snow in a vary rare situation due to planning issues but like all will see big rain events and the continued very hot summer temperatures.



So far I see:


1) the always frequent suggestions for Michelin Agilis, but which is better...LTX or Crossclimate?
2) some suggest Continental VanContact A/S Ultra or VancoFourSeason
3) and a few for Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse HT




What works best for others?


I will probably come back later for an update on the Koni vs Bilstein likes.


Stay healthy,
Pat

Hi I put the Goodyear Workhorse and really liked them. I got them at Tire Kingdom now owned by Mavis Tire. They had fun tried to mount as the site had no open life. LOL Good group and very knowledgeable.

[Dave-DJ]

Hi,
I have KO2 put on, as this is what Thor recommends and I still have a Thor warranty. I like the KO2s, just as quiet as the street tires, and good off-road. I am told the only con of the KO2s is they may not do as well in heavy rain. So I slow down in heavy rain, but I think everyone should. (I also added a 1.5 inch lift kit and summo springs, these have been great.)