Tire preferences?

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deppstein
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by deppstein »

I don't mind rambling...road-wise or prose-wise :)

I would definitely recommend spending some time in the Gaspe for anyone who likes the north woods/mountains/streams/lakes and ocean. Lots to see and do without too much traveling (once you get there).

Only other caution I have regarding getting tires worked on is to DOUBLE-CHECK the rear extension valves when job is done. If not put back on correctly and with care, they have a tendency to leak--the morning of our departure, I noticed that one of my duelies was flat...easy fix at local tire shop...but I am really glad I caught it BEFORE hitting the road...could easily have shredded that tire running up through Maine on The 95.
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Blue~Go
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by Blue~Go »

Oh do I hear you on watching the tire shops. I'm sure there are some detail-oriented excellent tire workers out there, but you don't always know who they are - or get to choose. I don't have the extensions any more (changed to extended one-piece stems), but I still do as much of the work as I can BEFORE I go to the shop. Should I have to? No. But I've caught (or nearly caught) enough mistakes that I've just started doing most of the work myself. I tell myself it's good practice anyway. And I still check what they do carefully before leaving the shop. That is really good advice.

(For example, I remove the simulators before going in, and then put them back on myself. Last winter when I had a handy car, I removed the entire rim and tire and brought them in two at a time to the shop. That actually lowered the stress level considerably, as my Chinook was never even AT the shop. And when I got a replacement set of extended valve stems (because I got new front rims), I put them on myself before taking rims/tires to shop. It was actually simple, and avoided the way my friend got his rig back with them pointing in wrong directions (when there is a clear red arrow to show how to mount them...)

Just after I got the Chinook I bought a breaker bar and extension/socket to fit the lug nuts, and also a torque wrench (another thing many shops don't do correctly). I also have sockets for my trailer wheels, so the equipment does double duty.

If I had a local trusted tire person that I could always go to, I'd have no problem just paying them to do the work; but I don't always.
Last edited by Blue~Go on March 26th, 2021, 11:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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deppstein
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by deppstein »

Relative to Blue-Go's last post about his mother/grandmother's trip to the Gaspe, I'm going to migrate my additional comments about camping in the Gaspe and Maine to Trip Talk.
David
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Blue~Go
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by Blue~Go »

Excellent! Will be great to read more about your trip.
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Xatlatc
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by Xatlatc »

I understand the need to have the tires balanced but should the tires be rotated?
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Blue~Go
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by Blue~Go »

I've heard mixed things on rotation. Of course on cars it was always the thing to do. And there were certain ways you should or should not rotate with various tires.

What I'm reading now is that many folks with duallys like we have (and also often dedicated extended valve stems, vs. extenders) that they are rotating the fronts side to side and not changing the rears at all. The rears really don't wear oddly at all, typically, but the fronts can tend to on our Ford chassis, just due to the design.

Before I knew that side to side on the front was acceptable, I simply replaced the front two tires, which were slightly worn (rears were fine). I think most of the wear was from before I got the new front end. At any rate, it worked out because I had an *ancient* spare so I simply took the best front tire and made it the spare, tossed the other one, and got two new fronts.

I'm sure that even with the improved front end, the front tires will wear more/differently than the rears, which basically just follow along.
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deppstein
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by deppstein »

Greetings all...

I have a question about tire preference relative to the size of the tire.

Our 2004 Premier came with LT 225/75 R16's and they have worked well (Michelin) for almost 50,000 miles now...as mentioned previously, Road Force Balance highly recommended!

There is still some decent life left on these tires, but, I have always had a desire to get some more ground clearance if possible without doing a whole suspension job (front and back). Got even more focused on trying to raise things up a little on this last trip out to Ohio, when I clipped the bottom edge of the sewer hose holder (mounted to chassis behind rear bumper), causing me to have to order another one.

This got me thinking about increasing the tire size as a means of getting a bit more clearance without fussing with the suspension. My research on this indicates that LT 245/75 R16's are listed as an optional tire size for the E350 (my chassis). Those would be about 1.2" higher (giving me .6" more ground clearance) and .7" wider.

If I were to go as big as LT 245/85 R16 (32.4" high and 9.6" wide), I would get 1.55" more ground clearance.

There are also some options in between--LT 235/85 R16 (31.7" high by 9.3" wide).

So, questions are:

Has anyone run with any of these various tire sizes, and, if so, what has been your experience?

Does anyone know if my 2004 Premier on E350 chassis has wheel wells high enough and deep enough to handle the LT245/85 R16's? Looks like it to me, but I am not trusting myself alone on this....help wanted.

Thanks

David
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Scott
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by Scott »

Hi David, I measured my wheel wells versus my bump stops and the wheel well clearance is ample for the dimensions you've cited.
Last edited by Scott on May 15th, 2020, 10:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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deppstein
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by deppstein »

Thanks Scott for prompt response. I have thought about more clearance rear only, and decided against it for now cuz I do like the sense of current level.

Since my last post, I have also gone out to take another good look at my wheel wells. I am confident that there is ample clearance height-wise for even the largest tire I specified...but I did notice that there is a fiberglass wall on the inside of the well toward the top that is pretty close to the edge of my inside duelie...which has me thinking that I should stay with current width of 8.6"...any thoughts about that?

David
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Re: Tire preferences?

Post by Rokrover »

I just got a set of Cooper Discoverer HT3 to replace my aging Dunlop Rovers in the stock LT225/75 R16E size. This was also a good time to discard the annoying Dicor Versa Liner wheel simulators and braided flex hose to the valve stems. The bare rims with new one-piece metal valve stems and Alligator V2B inflate-through caps are much more convenient for service. So far I like the look and ride with the Coopers and time will tell how well they hold up.
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