replacing Michelin tires September 14, 2020, 04:35:26 pm Greetings, Wise Ones. We are replacing our OEM Michelin Defender tires on our 2015 MB. I have talked with the Michelin factory and they are recommending their newish Agilis cross climate tires. I have heard that there may be some issues with sidewall cracking on Michelins and that apparently their warranty may not include sidewall cracking. I have now gotten a recommendation for the Les Schwab Back Country tires made by Cooper, 60,000, full warranty including side walls - their more highway-oriented tire or their Open Range tire, also 60,000 mile, full warranty, including side walls, which is more all-terrain. Those are made by Cooper or Toyo. We have been very pleased with Les Schwab for car tires and various services. They were also willing to price-match the Michelin best price I found for a considerable savings. Has anyone had experience using a Les Schwab tire on a Lazy Daze and/or experience with tires made by Cooper or Toyo?Thanks so much for your thoughts.Jean - Silver Fox
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #1 – September 14, 2020, 05:09:48 pm I'm sure the Cooper and Toyo tires are fine, but I also wonder if what you're hearing about sidewall cracking isn't outdated.I had a set of Michelin LTX M/S 2's purchased in 2012 that were recalled because of sidewall cracking. I was provided with free replacements in 2014, and didn't have any problems with the replacement set. I haven't heard about any sidewall problems since that 2012-2013 period. Just a few months ago I bought Agilis crossclimates and they're fine too. Be aware that there are 2 versions of the Agilis Crossclimates, discussed here: New Tires And Extended Valves QuestionMy second choice tire was Toyo, and there seem to be many Class C owners who are happy with them. In my case, the Toyos were backordered at the time and I got a combination of discounts at Costco that put the Crossclimates with $100 of the Toyos. I also appreciated the way Michelin handled the recall with an outright replacement instead of proration. I suspect that any of the 3 brands (Toyo, Agelis, Cooper) would be fine for most people.Rich
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #2 – September 14, 2020, 05:43:28 pm I've run the Toyo H/T's on both my previous Itasca 21.5' Class C and current 26.5 LD and have been very happy with them. Solid, , quiet and appear to be wearing well.. If you buy through Les Schwab just make sure you get a quote or two elsewhere because LS straight up quote will be $50 or so higher on the tire which translates to +$300 on a set of six. Ask them to meet price.
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #3 – September 14, 2020, 06:17:44 pm I will not try to influence your decision just express that I have been using Michelin for 40 years and would not buy another brand as I have had zero problems with them. All tires will develop side wall checks after 4-5 years. I just replace them and consider it a cost of living.
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #4 – September 14, 2020, 08:06:53 pm Quote from: Don Malpas - September 14, 2020, 06:17:44 pmI will not try to influence your decision just express that I have been using Michelin for 40 years and would not buy another brand as I have had zero problems with them. All tires will develop side wall checks after 4-5 years. I just replace them and consider it a cost of living.Sidewall cracking is common and not an indication of a weakened tire, unless they are deep enough to expose the tire cords. That exposure will weaken the tire over time. A dealer explained to me the sidewall rubber protects the cords and keeps the air in, but doesn't contribute significantly to the tire strength. So, I go by age (6-8 years on Michelins) or tread depth. So far, no problems due to sidewalls in 50 years of use (I was definitely an early adopter of Michelins in particular and belted tires in general).
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #5 – September 15, 2020, 12:41:02 pm I purchased the Agilis cross climate tires a year or so ago. I was surprised that they cost a little less at the same store when compared to the previous set of Michelins. The new tires are closer to the correct size to make the car's odometer correct with the mile markers on the side of the high way, but the other ones were only off a tenth every three or so miles. They also ride quieter. I think they ride softer but I had new shocks put on at nearly the same time so I will leave the ride comment for others. Michelin won me over when they replaced a set of M&S under recall at no cost to me. I had several thousand miles on the tires that got replaced. The original tires had cracks, but the second set had not developed cracks before the recall. The third set had not developed cracks but were replaced as I had passed the 6 year mark. 1 Likes
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #6 – September 15, 2020, 04:24:20 pm The original set of Michelin’s that came with our then new ‘06 TK did develop a lot of sidewall checking. We replaced them after 6 years or so with another set of Michelin’s. Unlike with the first set, we started using covers on this second set right from the start. 7 years later, no checking whatsoever and the tires look great. Still, I view them as “timed out” and will be having our third set put on this weekend at Costco. — Jon
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #7 – September 17, 2020, 09:36:38 am My biggest worry when I get new tires is making sure the staff know how to remove the wheel simulators and extender valves.
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #8 – September 17, 2020, 11:01:29 am Brewersarcade, you can avoid part of your "biggest worry" by removing the wheel simulators ****before*** taking your LD to the tire dealer. I have made it a policy to always remove them before having any service that might require wheel removal. Since I don't have the long valve stems, I don't deal with that issue. But I do remove the long braided hose stem from the inner dual wheel. If I had a tire pressure monitoring system, I would remove that too. Steve K. 3 Likes
Re: replacing Michelin tires Reply #9 – September 20, 2020, 07:55:57 pm Houston, we have tires! Got down to Costco (Marina Del Rey) this morning, early for our 7:30 appointment, and manager Tristan was just rolling up the bay doors as we arrived at 7:10. He and his helper were ready to go. He had six week-32 (2020) Michelin Agilis CrossClimates for us. Including tires, balancing, mounting, tax (at 10.25%!), and road hazard warranty, we were all in for $1,398. I took the faux-lug wheel covers off while they were getting their gear, thankful that I spent that half hour yesterday hunting down that darn jumbo Allen wrench to get the lug extenders off. Good thing Tristan was there, because the assistant wanted to lift the rear via the differential. Good thing I was there to show the both of them the proper jacking points from the Ford owners manual. Even with that, they had a difficult time maneuvering the floor jack into place for those points, especially for the rear duallies on the driver’s side because of the TK’s holding tanks near the wheels. Eventually, they got them all. We had a brief discussion about dismounting and remounting with the long valve stems in place, and they managed that without any problems. Tristan even took my best old tire and exchanged my spare. I think my old one was one of the originals from 14 years ago! They hand-torqued the lugnuts to the proper 140 lbs, and sent me out to do 25 miles before re-torquing. Done and done. I appreciated that extra step. So, all in all it was a good experience. But, as Joan has drilled us, you have to be there and proactive, regardless of where you have it done. Tristan is a new manager to this store, but came from a Costco outlet where they did a high volume of dually-equipped light trucks. The rest of his staff, not so much. He told me his predecessor at this store did not like to do duallies, and discouraged it. Tristan is eager for them, so he can train his staff. For anybody in this area, he welcomes the business. Costco apparently has no controlling policy about handling large vehicles, but leaves it to the individual tire managers. So, your mileage might vary. You’ll just have to go in and talk to your local store’s manager. About these Michelin CrossClimates. I was somewhat dubious when I ordered them, as they had a more aggressive tread pattern and a higher load capacity than my previous Michelin’s. I was worried about noise and ride. Based on my 27 mile ride-around this morning, I’m a believer. They were quite quiet and had a very comfortable ride. That included some freeway miles on concrete pavement. So, that’s my tire experience this time around. If I don’t age out before they do, maybe there’ll be another go-round down the road. — Jon 7 Likes
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