SELECTING REPLACEMENT TIRES FOR THE RV
One of the most important RV equipment purchases
that the RV owner will make will be the replacement tires.
If they obtained good service with their first set of tires,
chances are that they were matched well for the RV’s
weight needs and the RV owner type and area of driving.
Should the RV owner choose to replace their tires with
another size, be very careful with this selection. There are
some basic areas of concern, such as the load rating of
the new tire and the overall diameter of the new tire for
vehicle clearance, speedometer reading, and wheel
width.
There is also the matching of the tires to the dual
wheel offset for the dual spacing clearance and the load
rating of the wheel. For example: buying a tire with a
higher load rating that might require 105 psi would be
inappropriate if the RV wheel is limited to 80 psi.
(Be sure that the wheel width is compatible with the
new tire size; doing otherwise is dangerous.) Consult
the vehicle manufacturer for wheel specifications.
If the RV owners have already been driving on
MICHELIN
®
RV tires, they are aware of some of Michelin’s
extra benefits, such as the great wet and dry traction and
outstanding handling. Most RV owners who drive on
MICHELIN
®
tires for the first time comment on the
smooth, quiet ride.
10
MICHELIN
®
RV Tires
VIBRATION COMPLAINT
When a motorhome owner comes in with a vibration
complaint, contact the appropriate chassis and
motorhome manufacturers to establish an incident
report and get possible motor-home warranty handling
instructions. The following procedure should take care of
most complaints.
1. Driver interview — this should include the following:
– has this vehicle been worked on by the chassis
manufacturer or MICHELIN
®
dealer for this
complaint?
– type of complaint
– driving and road conditions when the vibration
occurs - mph/rpm acceleration/deceleration
– when in the life of the vehicle did it begin?
– where does the vibration seem to be coming from?
Front or rear?
– recent maintenance or modifications to the vehicle
2. Vehicle test drive - ride in the vehicle and have the
owner demonstrate the complaint to you to verify
that there is in fact a problem.
Include the following observations:
– speed at onset of vibration and the speed range
– does the vibration phase in and out, or is it
constant?
– sensitivity to road surface? Smooth roads? Rough
roads? Both?
– effects of acceleration/deceleration/constant speed
– is vibration felt through the seat? Floor? Steering
wheel? Other?
– is this a ride quality or a drive train vibration
complaint?
3. Complaint history
– check all motorhome warranty records, etc., to
determine past history of the same or similar
complaints on this vehicle
– have there been any changes or modifications to
the chassis since manufacturing?
– has any prior effort been made to diagnose or
correct the complaint? By whom?
VIBRATION DIAGNOSIS
If the vibration seems to be driveline related and from
the wheel ends, then perform the following:
Tire and wheel assembly inspection
1. Jack up the front of the vehicle and spin each
assembly, observing the wear conditions of each tire
and concentricity of the
tire on wheel mounting.
If the variation in the
distance between the
line-up (“gg”) ring and
the wheel flange exceeds
1⁄16",have the assembly
broken down, relubed,
and remounted (see diagram).
2. Measure and record the radial runout on the vehicle
of each assembly with tire runout gauge. Mark the
highest point of the assembly. Rotate each assembly
until the high spot is at the 12:00 position (without
allowing the assembly to turn). Loosen all lug nuts
and re-torque in the proper sequence. Re-measure
and record the radial runout of the assembly.
If either front assembly still exceeds 0.040",measure
the rear assemblies and put the two assemblies with
the least runout on the steer axle.
3. Repeat the vehicle test drive. If the vibration still
exists, contact the appropriate chassis manufacturer.
VIBRATION DIAGNOSIS
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