Seneca getting new tires

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by memphis02

I will probably be replacing mine over the winter.

What are your thoughts on going to a wider steer tire to help smooth out the road?

I am no expert! A friend of mine use to be a truck driver for decades, now coordinates trucking for a major firm. We have spoken about truck tires many times. He stated wider tires can cause bearing issues. No clue if he is correct or not, but I would consult with a good truck repair shop first.

[memphis02]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

I am no expert! A friend of mine use to be a truck driver for decades, now coordinates trucking for a major firm. We have spoken about truck tires many times. He stated wider tires can cause bearing issues. No clue if he is correct or not, but I would consult with a good truck repair shop first.

Interesting! I had not considered that being an issue! I'll definitely investigate!!! Many Thanks!

[Mark S]

My tires dated 4416 have 47,000 miles and look really good with no cracking at all. I keep going back and forth about replacing them before this summer’s trip based on them being over 6 years old.

To those who have replaced, did you go with the original Michelin and if not are you happy with your choice? Thanks.

[SloPoke]

I stayed with the Original Brand and size. happy I am!

[FYIB]

I just replaced my Michelin XZE2 that were original on my 2017 M2. Had mid 16 date codes on them. I had about 80K miles on them and visually they look great. I do 1-2 trips from Denver to Tampa/Orlando each year and have two small children and didn't want to have a blowout or be stranded somewhere so decided to replace this last Nov. I upgraded to the Michelin X LINE ENERGY Z and have to say they seem to be a little smoother tire. One good thing with all the supply shortages is I got all 6 tires dated one month old (Oct of 22). I don't think I will hit the 800K mile warranty they come with.

[SanTanSeneca]

Hello All,
I have a 2018 37HJ and will be replacing the tires shortly, at the same time I am considering having Retrobands installed on the steer tires. Looking for any pro/con experience from the community.


Thank you in advance!


Mark

[javamon]

Originally Posted by Mark S

My tires dated 4416 have 47,000 miles and look really good with no cracking at all. I keep going back and forth about replacing them before this summer’s trip based on them being over 6 years old.

To those who have replaced, did you go with the original Michelin and if not are you happy with your choice? Thanks.

I took delivery of my Seneca 28 April '17 so we both got ours around the same time. I'm at 44k miles and my tires (dated 1116) look just as good as yours. Very good tread depth left and no sidewall cracking.

Had the front-end aligned last year and the tire dealer told me I should have no trouble getting 80k miles on my tires.

For those who don't already have it, here is the latest "Michelin RV Tires" pamphlet I could find. Page 7 has good info on service life.

[javamon]

https://www.michelinb2b.com/wps/b2bc...s_Brochure.pdf

[ralett]

We have a 2018.5 37FS. It has the original Michelin XZE2 tires with 1317 date codes. The rig only has 16000 miles on it so from a tread wear persepective, the tires look nearly new. However, I am noticing sidewall checking/cracking on all the tires. It is minimal on the drive tires, a bit worse on the steer tires with one tire being worse than the others.

I have regularly used 303 on these tires and the are ALWAYS (I mean 100% of the time) covered with tire covers when it is stored. Meaning, these tires have only had a few weeks of sun exposure each year. Yes, we live in California but these tires are always covered. My conclusion is "taking care of the tires" is not the issue, these tire are just going to start cracking after 5-6 years.

[Mark S]

That’s interesting because my tires, dated 4416 with 47,000 miles are are showing no symptoms of needing replacement (see photos about five posts above). Actually I wish mine were cracking or something which would make it easier to shell out the $5K for replacement. Lol.

Originally Posted by ralett

We have a 2018.5 37FS. It has the original Michelin XZE2 tires with 1317 date codes. The rig only has 16000 miles on it so from a tread wear persepective, the tires look nearly new. However, I am noticing sidewall checking/cracking on all the tires. It is minimal on the drive tires, a bit worse on the steer tires with one tire being worse than the others.

I have regularly used 303 on these tires and the are ALWAYS (I mean 100% of the time) covered with tire covers when it is stored. Meaning, these tires have only had a few weeks of sun exposure each year. Yes, we live in California but these tires are always covered. My conclusion is "taking care of the tires" is not the issue, these tire are just going to start cracking after 5-6 years.

[gymracer]

From what I've been told and read, they had a problem with their tires cracking before they were aged or worn out. I've saw pamphlets they sent to tire dealer to help determine if a tire should be replaced. They say that the problem has been resolved and not a issue now. It's been a few years but not sure when they "fixed" the problem. I did buy a 4 year old 2010 Buick that tires had tread like new but sidewalls were terrible and replace them. Hating to throw away tired that looked new tread wise.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by ralett

We have a 2018.5 37FS. It has the original Michelin XZE2 tires with 1317 date codes. The rig only has 16000 miles on it so from a tread wear persepective, the tires look nearly new. However, I am noticing sidewall checking/cracking on all the tires. It is minimal on the drive tires, a bit worse on the steer tires with one tire being worse than the others.

I have regularly used 303 on these tires and the are ALWAYS (I mean 100% of the time) covered with tire covers when it is stored. Meaning, these tires have only had a few weeks of sun exposure each year. Yes, we live in California but these tires are always covered. My conclusion is "taking care of the tires" is not the issue, these tire are just going to start cracking after 5-6 years.

Calif is warmer than many states also more Ozone in the air, both of which can "age" tires faster than in many other locations.
Change the fronts and have the rears inspected by Michelin truck tire dealer.

[Rustynuts]

Originally Posted by ralett

We have a 2018.5 37FS. It has the original Michelin XZE2 tires with 1317 date codes. The rig only has 16000 miles on it so from a tread wear persepective, the tires look nearly new. However, I am noticing sidewall checking/cracking on all the tires. It is minimal on the drive tires, a bit worse on the steer tires with one tire being worse than the others.

I have regularly used 303 on these tires and the are ALWAYS (I mean 100% of the time) covered with tire covers when it is stored. Meaning, these tires have only had a few weeks of sun exposure each year. Yes, we live in California but these tires are always covered. My conclusion is "taking care of the tires" is not the issue, these tire are just going to start cracking after 5-6 years.

Then on the other hand I have a 2018.5, 31/17 date code, have NEVER covered the tires in storage or use, have NEVER used any tire product just car wash soap but is stored inside when not in use and we lived on the Oregon Coast and show absolutely no signs of sidewall cracking or damage. At this point I start having the tires inspected yearly at a local truck shop and shoot for 7 year to replace. At 4 years, I start carrying Coachnet tire/wheel protection, 3 years coverage is less than 1/2 the cost of one tire and also covers toads, up to 2 tires a year. I know this doesn’t help cover any damage but as tires get older the chance of issues goes up, I run and monitor my TPMS and make sure to follow Michelin inflation charts.

[repeach]

Originally Posted by Rustynuts

Then on the other hand I have a 2018.5, 31/17 date code, have NEVER covered the tires in storage or use, have NEVER used any tire product just car wash soap but is stored inside when not in use and we lived on the Oregon Coast and show absolutely no signs of sidewall cracking or damage. At this point I start having the tires inspected yearly at a local truck shop and shoot for 7 year to replace. At 4 years, I start carrying Coachnet tire/wheel protection, 3 years coverage is less than 1/2 the cost of one tire and also covers toads, up to 2 tires a year. I know this doesn’t help cover any damage but as tires get older the chance of issues goes up, I run and monitor my TPMS and make sure to follow Michelin inflation charts.

Your rig is 11 units older than ours (4339 - 4328). We also show no signs of cracking or unusual wear. We store inside with the tires on wood, and we run a TPMS.
We chose to carry a spare tire and the tools to change if necessary instead of a roadside service (good sam left us on the side of the road one time).
With that said, I may still replace in the beginning of 2024 as we are planning on going back to Alaska again.

[JerryG]

Bean bag balancing one of the new ways of balancing tires . When the tire is ready to be mounted on the rim, they throw a bean bag inside. The bag eventually breaks and the beans find the proper resting place inside your tire. Better than the clips which can come off . Balance once with the beans and never have to balance again. By now you probably already know ,but just in case here it is . Best wishes .