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neubie

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Achiless 8 ply, date codes from 2012. Plenty of tread, no sign of serious deterioration.  I think this is the tire -- https://simpletire.com/achilles-185-r14c-1302578542-tires

Too old or good enough for while? They have only seen warm climate at least for the last 4-5 years of the 6 year existence. Will post pictures when there is good enough light for some.

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Edited by neubie
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Thank you Linda. I suppose new tires it is. Any place/brand hereabouts you recommend for the new set? This particular set doesnt appear to be in stock commonly.

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An issue of getting an extra year out of tires is if one of them has a catastrophic failure, it can do a lot of damage.  Taking out brake lines, wheel wells,  sidewalls, holding tanks, fuel tank etc.   

Personally I would go more than 6 years with tires I had bought new, that had not been run with low pressure or sat someplace flat for long time or just sat and had not been used.  Tires with unknown history 6 years max!

Some have luck finding  tire prices online and then try to get local dealers to price match. 

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https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hankook-Vantra-LT-RA18-185R14-8-Commercial-Vans-tire/401349831https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hankook-Vantra-LT-RA18-185R14-8-Commercial-Vans-tire/401349831

 

can have it shipped free to a walmart that mounts tires (has an auto service section).  Most will not remove the wheels though - I have removed mine outside their bays.

about $20 for lifetime balance and road hazard, and if course wally worlds are about everywhere.

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A search of the forum says RA08s are allegedly the all weather equivalents. Its RA08s or 18s at this point but I cant install them myself, am hoping one of the local options will do the whole thing. Will know more tomorrow. Its a bit of a drive up an interstate to the tire-bearing wallyworld so thats another strike against them. this particular wallyworld also have some iffy reviews (dont they all?), but thats not factoring into the decision yet. Hoping a tire shop will work out. Lets see tomorrow.

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Hankook RA08s haven't been made for a few years now so I think any you'll find being sold now will be 'old stock'. If you chose to buy, make sure you get a big discount! Superseded by the RA18. In my mind, it's unclear if the RA18 are still marked '4 Season' or 'M&S' as the RA08 used to be. Hankook certainly doesn't mention it on the site.

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without looking carefully at your current tires, one can not tell if they are road worthy.  A  careful exam for dry rot along with what I call the thumb test (pushing the threads for soft spots) is what I would do.  If there is no dry rot and no soft spots or broken belts ( indicated by bulges in the thread or sidewall) they may be good for another year.

However, if I was going on a really long  trip I might buy new just to be sure anyway.  

If you google 185r14 you will find a number of tires.   YES YOU WANT 8 ply (C or D rating) and YES you do NOT want the profile number (the 3

rd number) - you WILL encounter uninformed tire salesmen who will INSIST that you must have that 3rd number and/or they can make one like that work.  You may even find one who adamantly insists that it MUST have that 3rd number - get him or her to bet - then tell them to look up 1986 vanagon (it uses the same tires as we do) and collect.

IF

Edited by DanAatTheCape
typo
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Tires are really sparingly used with no evidence of problems, but given that a tire failure isnt something small for me like it is for many folks, new tires it is. Havent solved which ones yet but Hankooks RA08 or RA18 seem to be the leading contenders.

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The local tire store wasnt welcoming, and the monkey manning the terminal wasnt very attentive (sorry, but bad behavior is bad behavior when you expect to dust a thousand dollars off an unsuspecting customer). Pointed the right direction, eventually came up with RA08 then priced them an quoted an amount and a couple days to get them. Clicked through and screen changed to RA18s and obviously the higher price. Pretended or didnt notice. When shown the change went back and forth a couple times and feigned ignorance. Said would call Hankook tomorrow and let me know, they had apparently closed already for the day.

This just seems like a bad database entry with this tire store chain. I am not holding my breath. They are way too busy, at least the local store, to pay any attention to any single order or quote.  Their customers werent discerning either, didnt seem to know what they were looking for.

Strike 2 in tire hunt. Onward to next option.

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As others have mentioned or hinted, it's just not worth dealing with traditional tire stores when you're looking at options for these old rigs. 97-times-out-of-100 (pretty specific, I know, haha!) the employees won't understand or have any real knowledge of these quirky vehicles.

Also, you will pay more.

Better to order a set online and then take them to a Walmart or tire shop that will do the install/balance.

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34 minutes ago, Ctgriffi said:

... the employees won't understand or have any real knowledge of these quirky vehicles.

The other option is to go in and tell them to call their distributor if they can supply (for example) a 'Hankook RA18 185R14' tire. Be specific.

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In the time you could have already gotten the tires at Tires Easy, offices in Benicia so local to you. They don't supply tires from their offices but they have many local warehouses they ship from. Then gone to Tire Merchants in North San Jose, local, and gotten them installed for an extremely reasonable price by very experienced installers. They actually did my install not just valves. I'm old I forget stuff. This old lady had no problem slinging a few tires in the back of her Sunrader and taking them there. Save a bunch of money and have the work done by experienced people instead of the 18 year olds working at most tire stores. Sounds like a win win to me

Linda S

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17 hours ago, linda s said:

In the time you could have already gotten the tires at Tires Easy, offices in Benicia so local to you. They don't supply tires from their offices but they have many local warehouses they ship from. Then gone to Tire Merchants in North San Jose, local, and gotten them installed for an extremely reasonable price by very experienced installers. They actually did my install not just valves. I'm old I forget stuff. This old lady had no problem slinging a few tires in the back of her Sunrader and taking them there. Save a bunch of money and have the work done by experienced people instead of the 18 year olds working at most tire stores. Sounds like a win win to me

Linda S

Its about a hundred dollar difference between doing this or just letting the local tire store overcharge. My back has been rather lousy of late, which makes me extra skittish about handling tires myself. Any other time I would do as you suggest,  this time I am hesitent to do this myself. Fear it will just get stuck incomplete.  Will think it over and see if I can convince myself I can still get it done.

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Pricematch is a possibility, the challenge is that amazon seller is a third party if I recall right. I can get RA18s at around 110 at america's tire, plus whatever fees they add. Am leaning there for now. Its a hundred bucks extra or so but keeps actual work off my hands. Lets see if that works out.

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Just ordered 2 thunder ranger 402’s from simple tire (195/70R-15) for $77.00 and change with free shipping. Might be worth checking out. 

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16 minutes ago, fred heath said:

Just ordered 2 thunder ranger 402’s from simple tire (195/70R-15) for $77.00 and change with free shipping. Might be worth checking out. 

Can you do 195R15s?  I believe my 86 gulfstream is strictly 185r14s. The challenge wasnt to find them cheaper (amazon has ra18s at 87 shipped) it was to have them mounted/balanced without moving them around yourself. I am resigning to paying 110+mounting fees this time.

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21 hours ago, neubie said:

Can you do 195R15s?  I believe my 86 gulfstream is strictly 185r14s. The challenge wasnt to find them cheaper (amazon has ra18s at 87 shipped) it was to have them mounted/balanced without moving them around yourself. I am resigning to paying 110+mounting fees this time.

Sorry, just checked. They don’t advertise selling 14” tires. 

I upgraded my rear axle and use 15” tires. 

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there is a deposit on hankook ra18 at 99+installation (15 per?) + taxes and fees. around 800 total. nothing to write home about but hopefully a price point for next person looking.

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