Tyre Advice/Help Needed (1 Viewer)

GEOFFs125

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Sep 14, 2007
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:shout: On the way to a motocross race meeting and thankfully travelling at only 10 mph through a small village, the rear offside inner tyre decided to peel its tread off. We carry a spare and all the tools needed so we were back on the road in 15 minutes.

All the tyres on my class c RV are Cooper SRM II LT225/75R16 load range 115/112N except the one that lost its tread which was a cheap brand with a load rating of 107/105 ( had not spotted this before, doh). The gross axle weight rating is Front 1950kg Rear 3901kg and the gross vehicle weight rating is 5579kg.

On the Cooper tyres there is only one which has the date of 2004 clearly marked. One other has the following; C3J1602. I have read the threads regarding tyre markings but can not for the life of me find such markings on any of the other tyres.

Advice on how to find the date on the Cooper tyres would be appreciated.

We are off to Italy in four weeks time and I can imagine the damage that could be caused by a tyre loosing its tread at speeds of 60 mph. I have checked the tyres at length and only one looks like it should be changed the others seem fine with no signs of side wall cracking, bulges, cuts or tread degradation. All tyres have on average 5mm of tread left.

I have sourced a supplier who could deliver the Cooper SRM II LT225/75R16 load range 115/112N for just under £100 each then there is the cost of fitting. The question is how many do I replace?

Advice, comments and suggestion would be most welcome.

Thanks Geoff
 

Geo

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Hi Geoff
Tyre date marking is usually a four figure code with an Astrix either side ie *4002* indicating week 40 of 2002 the numbers you have given dont corrolate.
If tyres have been properly examind ie wheel of and inspected both sides and show no sign of cracking or hardening, I personaly would leave them on, subject to tread depth being ok
if in any doughbt you have no real option other than to replace them, recomended life span of American tyres ranges from 4 to 7 years depending on source of info
I could go on to ask how you value you Motorhome, life etc,
I wont, because just asking the question indicates you do,very highly
Geo
 
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GEOFFs125

GEOFFs125

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Geo

:thumb:Thanks for the info, is the *number* part of the moulding process or is it stamped into the sidewall?

Geoff

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T

TJ-RV

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If the tyres came from the US, and are therefore "tires", here's more info on the manufacturing date codes:

The complete DOT (Department of Transportation) code is in the following format: DOT MMM SS TTT DDDD where MMM is a 3 digit manufacturer ID; SS is a tire size 2 digit code; TTT is an optional tire type code; and DDDD is the date of manufacture code where the first 2 digits indicate the week of manufacture and the second two digits are the year, i.e.: 2802 would indicate that the tire was manufactured the 28th week of 2002.

Tires manufactured before July 2, 2000 had a 3 digit date code where the first 2 digits are the week of manufacture and the last digit is the year. Tires manufactured in the 1990s had a triangle following the 3 digit code while tires manufactured in the 1980s did not, i.e.: 282 with a triangle would indicate that the tire was manufactured the 28th week of 1992 while if there is not a triangle following the 3 digits it was manufactured in the 28th week of 1982. The newer 4-digit code eliminates any ambiguity in the year of manufacture and allows continuation of the system through the 21st century.

The numbers will be moulded into the sidewall, not something that's stamped on.

Expected age of RV tires is 5-7 years, irrespective of how much tread is left or if cracks are visible in the sidewalls. There's nothing magic or mysterious about these age figures; They're a combination of manufacturers' recommendations and RVers' experiences. Unlike a car, the service of a typical RV is such that it sits for long periods of time. Tires need to be rolling to get the benefit of chemicals that are exuded from the rubber and help to condition the tire.

I wouldn't consider replacing RV tires at 4 years, but would be looking for replacements by the time they reached 7 years.
 
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GEOFFs125

GEOFFs125

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TJ-RV

:thumb:Your a star ::bigsmile:

Armed with your info, I now know the following:

All are Cooper SRM II made in the USA

Front left tyre: 2002
Front right tyre: 2002
Left hand rear outer: 2004
Left hand rear inner : 2003
Right hand rear outer: will need to take wheel off to find DOT markings
Right hand rear inner: this was the spare and is a cheap brand with incorrect load rating.

So I need to change the incorrect load rating that is fitted, replace the spare that is shreaded. As for the others, well, think I will take them off tomorrow, give them a good clean and a detailed inspection. However given that the front two are 2002 gives me some concern. Any suggestions?

Geoff
 
T

TJ-RV

Deleted User
Glad the information helped Geoff.

given that the front two are 2002 gives me some concern. Any suggestions?

Go with your gut and your wallet. If you're uncomfortable and can afford it, change them. If not, leave it, but start thinking about changing some time in the next year or so.

If you decide to leave them on, put the older one(s) on the rear. Might be safer in the event of a blowout. OTOH a blowout on the rear could cause some damage. When I was getting a tire fixed on the toad a couple of years ago, there was a motorhome in the next bay. They'd had a blowout on the rear and it had ruptured the black tank. Not a pretty sight, or a very nice job for the techs. Still, I'd prefer to have a blowout on the rear rather than the front.

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superk

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I know Cooper Tyres or Tires are offered as for RVs in the UK but they are 'light truck tires'

Quote from Cooper:

The SRM II Radial LT is Cooper’s premium all-season light truck rib tire geared toward drivers of work and commercial vehicles. The solid shoulder design allows the SRM II to be especially suited in applications where tire rotations are infrequent or as a companion tire used on the steer axles of vehicles that use a traction tire on the drive axle.

Cooper Tires - -

You may do better getting another make when you make the change and get a better spec tyre cheaper - call or email GoodYear or Michelin technical team in the UK for advice you may be able to improve the load and speed rating.

Keith
 
T

TJ-RV

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Goodyear makes RV-specific tyres. The latest and greatest here in the US is the Goodyear G670, but I don't know if it's offered in the UK or which sizes it's available in.

Michelin has a reputation in the US for not wanting to honour warranties; Apparently they use any excuse to say it's you fault. I had this happen myself years ago with one of their car tyres and have refused buy their brand since.
 
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GEOFFs125

GEOFFs125

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Have looked up a supplier of a Goodyear Cargo Marathon G91 which has a load rating of 121/120, which is a higher load rating than the Cooper SRM II. The cost of the Goodyear fitted are £111 fitted. Any thoughts on these?

We have 2 local tyre dealers who are very good on price and service, who I hope to phone in the morning.

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superk

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Goodyear makes RV-specific tyres. The latest and greatest here in the US is the Goodyear G670, but I don't know if it's offered in the UK or which sizes it's available in.

QUOTE]

Not available in the UK.:Sad:
Keith
 

superk

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Have looked up a supplier of a Goodyear Cargo Marathon G91 which has a load rating of 121/120, which is a higher load rating than the Cooper SRM II. The cost of the Goodyear fitted are £111 fitted. Any thoughts on these?

We have 2 local tyre dealers who are very good on price and service, who I hope to phone in the morning.

Your tyres sound like standard truck size so maybe better to go to a truck tyre specialist - their turnover will be higher and tyres fresher (but check the date anyway). if you look on GoodYear or Michelin website there are tables but its easy to get confused. Try an email to Good Year's tech team to confirm your choice. Don't forget to have the tyres balanced - it's expensive and they may charge you to take the old tyres away.:Eeek:
Keith
 
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GEOFFs125

GEOFFs125

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Given that the Copper SRM II which are fitted on my C Class RV are between 4 to 6 years old would suggest that they may be best suited. The tyre which failed was NOT a Cooper tyre. Staying with Cooper tyres wold mean that I would not have to change them all as the Goodyear have a different load rating, which should not be mixed?

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T

TJ-RV

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The issue with truck tyres is that they're not designed for a smooth ride, wheras RV tyres are. However, given that RV tyres are apprently not available in the UK, I'd go with Goodyear truck tyres.

There's nothing wrong with mixing tyres front/back, but I wouldn't mix on the same axle.
 

damondunc

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RV tyres

Try Sinton tyres near milton keynes, they stock most of the sizes of rv tyres that are available over here, they are a tyre wholesaler and will ship the tyres to you and you will then have to get them fitted. They are cooper stockists.

Sinton tyres :01908 665591
Dunc.
 
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GEOFFs125

GEOFFs125

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:thumb:Tyres now sorted.

Took the RV to Tyreland in Salisbury, who had obtaind 4 x Cooper SRM II.

They removed all the wheels and we checked all the tyres.

End result; four new Cooper's on the rear, 2 cooper's on the front which have loads of tread, in good condition and are dated 2004. Spare is in good condition with loads of tread and is dated 2003. Total cost of this operation :cry: £456, but at least I have peace of mind for our forth coming trip to Italy where we will be covering over 2000 miles.

Tyreland were a great help, loads of coffee, very helpfull, nothing was too much trouble. The cost of tyres from Sinton would have been £98.60 x 4 = £394.40. plus fitting to add. So I was happy with the price.

Many thanks for all the advice.

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