Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 12-12-2014, 11:27 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Seattle
Posts: 173
new tires and issues with wet highways

I just replaced my BFG AT's with Michelin LTX AT's. (285 75 R - E rated)

I hadn't gotten very good mileage from the BFG's and didn't really need such an aggressive tread. The Michelins were pretty highly rated so I thought I would give them a try.

I've noticed the Michelins are a bit noisier, but also noted that they're downright scary on wet roads at freeway speed. The Van sometimes seems like its floating and beginning to drift out of its lane. I keep them aired up at 55 in the front, and 60 in the rear.

Does anyone else run these tires, and has had the same experience?

thanks..

Tom

__________________
2005 SMB RB 50 4X4 w/ a 6.0 PSD
flyfisher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2014, 11:40 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Sacramento Delta, CA
Posts: 1,024
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

Dang Buddy! We have gotten in excess of 70K miles with the Michelin LTX AT2's on my wife's 2000 Dodge Dakota 4x4 and have driven in snow and rain with no issues whatsoever. I only had a few thousand miles on the LTX AT2's on my 2002 E350 EB before I parked it due to clogged injectors but those few thousand miles were on 100's of miles of snow and ice with no issues once I reduced the tire pressure to what you described. And the LTX AT's on my 1995 Bronco have only a few thousand miles on them but we just got some rain in Nor Cal and they have no issues. On the other hand, I drive slow in the rain so as to avoid hydroplaning. Since, my experience is so different than yours I don't know what could be the problem. Please post your answer once you find out what the problem is.
__________________
2002 E350 ext.; 160K; 7.3L; 4R100 (w/4x4 deep pan & filter); 4x4 conv. w/2007 F250/F350 coil frnt axle (oppos. dual Bilstein press. shocks cured DW) diff chg from 3.55 to 3.73 (bad!); BW1356 t.c. (bad!); LT265/70R17/E Michelin LTX M/S2; Engel MT60 Combi Fridge-Freezer; 4 BP 380J pv panels; Auragen 5kw AC gen. in top alt. position; Webasto Dual-Top; Voyager top. 1995 5.8L EB Bronco, bone stock.
E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2014, 12:45 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
mikracer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 2,552
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

How many miles are on your new set of tires? I've read that some tires take a few hundred miles before having good traction in wet conditions. Not sure how accurate that statement is though.
__________________
2005 E350 Chateau - V10 - Agile Offroad 4x4
2012 CTS-V Wagon - For the baby...
mikracer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2014, 12:50 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
arctictraveller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,234
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikracer
How many miles are on your new set of tires? I've read that some tires take a few hundred miles before having good traction in wet conditions. Not sure how accurate that statement is though.
Agreed, new tires have mold-release compound on them that is very slippery at first, especially in the rain. Give them a few miles and hopefully they will clean up...........
__________________
Arctic Traveller
KC6TNI
2001 GTRV
Advanced 4wd
Agile Ride improvement package
arctictraveller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-13-2014, 12:42 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
1der's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 3,261
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

I think you should check your air pressure as well. 55 F / 60 R seems at least 10 psi too low for our vans and E rated. This may contribute to the wandering as the tires may actually be running more concave than they are designed to thus trapping water instead of shedding. Weight of the 6.0 on the front tires is not going to help either if under inflated.

Would love to hear what others think / are running. I find 65 front and 75 to 80 rear works well for us.
__________________
Ray
Beastie 3: 2002 7.3 EB Cargo: Agile TTB, CCV High Top, Custom Walk Through, Lots of stuff added. www.BlingMyRig.com
1der is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-13-2014, 08:15 AM   #6
REF
Senior Member
 
REF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Boulder, CO.
Posts: 2,552
Send a message via MSN to REF
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

Been covered in other threads, but I think most would agree that running your tires at or near spec is not recommended or necessary and gives a pretty harsh ride, but it might help bringing them up a bit to help shed the water? I'm currently running around the same pressures as flyfisher on my toyo M/T's but have gone up on long highway stretches to reduce wear. While the michelins are good tires, they don't have a very high void tread pattern and not sure how they would deal with heavier rainfall and standing water at highway speeds. I guess it makes some sense about the mold-release compound, never knew that, I just thought it was a kind of factory glaze or oil to help protect the tires from the elements during transport and storage, but it is pretty slippery.
__________________
'03 Ford E350 7.3L Diesel
(de)SMB'd Custom RB-50
Quigley 4X4 w/Deavers & Agile Offroad's R.I.P. package
CCV High Profile Pop Top
REF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-13-2014, 11:15 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
RandallDee's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cascadia
Posts: 319
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

I had these same tires on a 94 4Runner I used to own. I had some of the same issues you describe. I live in NW Oregon and drove them in the rain all the time. I suspect that a tire compound that is designed to go 70k miles is going to make some sacrifices in some other areas. After owning those tires, I've shyed away from high mileage tires because they left me with the impression that a softer compound is going to help grip better in wet conditions.
__________________
2023 Transit AWD w/ Van Haus build.
73 BMW 2002 O=00=O
RandallDee is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-13-2014, 11:21 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

^ what he said. Soft compounds help in the rain too.. My sister puts her studless snow tires on in the fall as soon as the rains come, because they are far superior in heavy rain than her "all season" performance tires. I always get my M55s siped. It helps a lot on any moisture, wet or frozen.

My brother even switched his 30' motorhome to studless snow tires. He's only put on 20,000 miles in 4 years, so he runs into age issues well before wear issues.
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-13-2014, 11:50 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Ford_6L_E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

I have also had good luck with LTX AT/2 tires. Never have experienced the issues you describe. In fact I strongly recommend these tires.

However, I would think your pressures may be a little low for an SMB w/6.0 PSD. My van is not as heavy as many others and Michelin suggested 65 psi all around for me. Weigh you van front and rear and then either look at a tire inflation chart or contact Michelin for proper pressures.

Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
Ford_6L_E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-13-2014, 12:21 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Seattle
Posts: 173
Re: new tires and issues with wet highways

thanks for all the replies, I've got about 6,000 miles on them, and I'll air them up a bit. The SMB doorsticker was why I set them at 55 psi front and 60 psi rear.

Tom
__________________
2005 SMB RB 50 4X4 w/ a 6.0 PSD
flyfisher is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:18 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.