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Recently bought a Travette motorhome with double rear axle and 25 year old tires. The rear tires have size 245/60R14, and they're pretty expensive. 

What is the best choice of tires to put on these? My wife thinks the wide tires give less stress on both axles. I think the less wide, the more grip, and better economy. Plus they are a bit more affordable, especially now I have to buy 7 tires in total (including spare). 

Hope someone here knows more about it. Pics will be coming soon 🙂

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Your tire 245x60x14, load capacity 1675 lbs,  813 revs per mile

Preferred Toyota MH tire LT185rx14C, load capacity 1850 lbs, 809 revs per mile.

Don't let the tire monkey tell you that you need a middle number on the tire size (aspect ratio). That number is for a P-metric tire. You want a Light Truck tire. If you having to deal with an especially stupid monkey, just go here. http://www.busdepot.com/RA18/

Edited by WME
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I've been using these (as well as other folks here I believe):

Thunderer Ranger R101 185R14C D/8PR BSW Tires

$470 shipped to Stockton CA for seven tires at https://www.tires-easy.com/.  Find a local place to mount and balance and you are in good shape.  These are 8 ply tires that can run up to 65 psi (I've been using 50 to 55 psi lately). They can handle the load and are pretty cost effective.

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Atlanta camper  you are very correct I have gotten those from LES  Schwab . 500 stores in the west .

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13 hours ago, 5Toyota said:

Atlanta camper  you are very correct I have gotten those from LES  Schwab . 500 stores in the west .

Having bought several tires from Les Schwab my personal feelings are that they are one of the best tire stores in the west. I recently dropped the right front of my F150 into a deep 2 foot hole. It was a hard hit. Took it down to Les Schwab because I was sure the alignment was off. They put it on the machine and also fixed a slow leak in a rear tire. The alignment was good, the leaky tire was causing the weird handling. They called me to the desk and said you good to go! I said what, how much do I owe? $0.00

And there is one on just about every corner (slight exaggeration depending where you are). 

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You are correct a 185 tire takes a 5-6" wide rim, the 245 takes a 7-8.5" rim

SOOOoo go to an auto wrecking yard and get stock Toyota rims, they should be in the $25-35 ea range

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hey all- i am hijacking this post a bit, as I just found a bulge in my passenger side rear wheel (I have dual wheels)- toyota dolphin, 87. Do you have any specific tire recommendations?

i have been researching~!

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according to various threads on here, It looks like:

I need B tires

or possibly a 185R14 Load Range D or maybe a C?

One member has the same model I do, and said this (there was some debate about it, but i am a total rookie)

"Unless you are carrying Lead, the older Toy MH's fall well within the Load Carrying Capacity of "B" Range tires (5000Lb-6000Lb loaded running). If you have abnormal wear running Load Range "B" tires (assuming the weight on EACH wheel/wheelset is within the Load Carrying Capacity of the tire and the Tire Pressure is correct for that weight), you will probably have the same thing with "C" or "D" tires as well. Look at Wheel Alignment (including bent parts) and unequal weight distribution side-to-side (which seems to be a chronic design fault/compromise especially seen in small RV's). Did all the rear tires wear equally?? We run "B" range tires on our '86 21Ft Dolphin (right at 6000Lb running down the road) and got 38,000Mi from the Passenger side Dual Wheelset but only 28,000Mi from the Driver side Dual Wheelset, due to unequal side-to-side weight distribution.1987 TOYOTA Pickup Camper Cab (DRW) with a standard tire size of 185R14/C"

 

Then i found a WHOLE bunch of debates on this, and now feeling overwhelmed. how am i supposed to get the right tires? 

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3 hours ago, Derek up North said:

The easiest to find 'correct' tire is 185R14C 102/100 (8-ply/Load Range D).

2x what he said.

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Here’s a great option:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G2BX64W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_0aINCbTW9X0AQ

Another good alternative: 

https://www.tires-easy.com/185-14/hankook-tires/ra18/tirecode/2001939

It’s an important decision but doesn’t need to be complicated. You’re looking for a size, 185R14, and a load rating of C or D. If you do that, you’re gonna be fine. 

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On 3/27/2019 at 5:25 PM, Notlostjustwandering said:

"Unless you are carrying Lead, the older Toy MH's fall well within the Load Carrying Capacity of "B" Range tires (5000Lb-6000Lb loaded running). If you have abnormal wear running Load Range "B" tires (assuming the weight on EACH wheel/wheelset is within the Load Carrying Capacity of the tire and the Tire Pressure is correct for that weight), you will probably have the same thing with "C" or "D" tires as well. Look at Wheel Alignment (including bent parts) and unequal weight distribution side-to-side (which seems to be a chronic design fault/compromise especially seen in small RV's). Did all the rear tires wear equally?? We run "B" range tires on our '86 21Ft Dolphin (right at 6000Lb running down the road) and got 38,000Mi from the Passenger side Dual Wheelset but only 28,000Mi from the Driver side Dual Wheelset, due to unequal side-to-side weight distribution.1987 TOYOTA Pickup Camper Cab (DRW) with a standard tire size of 185R14/C"

I don't think you'll find anyone other than this poster who apparently is saying that Load Range B (Passenger car) tires are acceptable.

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I've found a good deal not too far from where the motorhome now is. With the 1994 tires I should be able to make it there, and the shop has already given me a free tire to replace the empty spare. They're indeed 185, since 245 are not made anymore since 20 years (or extremely rare and expensive). In the 70s wide tires were a sort of fashion (look at VW buggies from that era). 

Thanks for your help and good advice!! 

ps. I've got a blog about this camper at https://freewheelerstore.blogspot.com/

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Rather than starting a new tire thread I thought I'd tack this tire question on here.

I've got two tires that have developed a bulge/wobble.  One on each inner side of the dually.  The tires are not that old (7/64" to 8/64" of tread remain). I checked the rims carefully and they all appear to be good/true.  The problem is in the tires themselves with a noticeable 'bump' and side to side wobble on the tread when I spin them with the rig jacked up.  The resulting vibration is most pronounced at 63 to 67 mph.  It's not bad yet, but it's starting to get worse so I need to fix it asap.  I'm looking for any ideas about why this happens and what I might do in the future to prevent it.

I put two new tires on the front just a few thousand miles ago and they are still basically new at 11/64" of tread.  I moved the two tires that were on the front to the rear but I don't know which position they are (inner/outer) or if they are the failing tires.  For the rear dually sets I matched up pairs of tires with the same tread depth. On one side both tires are 7/64" and both tires on the other side are 8/64".    All seven of the tires were balanced when I put the new tires on the front about 2 months ago.  I don't see any weights thrown so balance is not a likely culprit.  I previously ran all the tires at 60 to 65 psi  but now I'm running 55 psi rear and 50 psi fronts.

I use Thunderer Ranger R101 185R14C D/8PR BSW Tires. These are 1,874 lbs max load.  I can't tell form comments on this forum if there is a clear winner in terms of quality between the typical brands available at reasonable prices.  The Thunderer's are on the less expensive side.  The options I see most often are:

  • Thunderer Ranger R101 185R14C D/8PR BSW
  • Hankook Vantra RA18- 185R14 102R 8 Ply
  • Nexen Roadian CT8 HL All- Terrain Radial Tire-185R14/8 100T

Is this just the way things go sometimes and I shouldn't concern my self with it? Does this happen if the rig sits for too long in one place without moving?  I've never seen any recommendation to take the weight off the tires during the low season but who knows.  I can't tell if it's something that I'm doing that I could correct or if I should just get new tires and move on.

Because I've got two new tires on the front I thought I'd just get four new ones to match evenly across the rear axle.  Then I'll have even wear all the way around the rig.   I'll take the two still working outer tires that will come off the rear and upgrade my spare and put the other on the shelf as a secondary spare. Unless somebody has a better idea or there is a known issue with the Thunderer Ranger tire I'll plan to get four more of the Thunderer Rangers and see how long they last me.  

 

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The radial belts have separated from the tread. They can blow at anytime. First I've heard of a problem with the Thunderer. How old is not too old. Tread thickness really doesn't matter with the age thing. The rubber breaks down after a while. If only a couple of years I'd email the company and complain. maybe they will send you a fat discount

Linda S

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Looking back at orders, it looks like I bought three of the Ranger R101's four years ago.  I had a nearly identical failure on a Ranger R101 tire about 5 months ago.  Now these two. That's three total with the same problem.  maybe i got a bad batch.  Edit: I just checked the date codes on the tires and only two of the three from that order are bad, the third is still fine. 

The thread Derek posted doesn't indicate which Thunderer tire they are talking about but it doesn't help with the current confidence issue I'm having with these tires.

Has anyone noticed that the "Ranger R101" is sold under more than one manufacturer's name, all with the TH0304 product code?  I also see "Jetzon", "Multi-mile", "Telstar", "Power King", "Vanderbilt", for example, and the tires and specs look identical . Strangely they all have the "Thunderer" name on the tire so they are all probably the exact same tire so why the different manufacturer names?: https://simpletire.com/vanderbilt-lt185-r14c-th0304-tires

The Hankook tires are $83.50 each delivered vs $67 for the Ranger R101's.  The tread pattern looks almost identical.  

Edited by AtlantaCamper
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I’ve been running Thunderer ranger 402’s for about 1 year. Tread life is good, put about 20K miles on them with no problems. I’m running single wheels and 205/70R-15 tires. At less than $90 through simple tire it’s a great deal. 

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   After having many blowouts from bubble/tread separation ( I am embarrassed to say how many}, I reduced my tire pressure from maximum 65 lbs to recommended 55 lbs and no more blowouts so far. I was running NEXEN but switched to Hankook. I had blowouts with both. I was always taught to fill tires to maximum for better MPG. Guess that is not a good idea for Toys. My very lousy tire shop was still recommending me to fill to maximum when I kept bringing back the blown tires that still had plenty of tread left on them.

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30 minutes ago, ednelson100 said:

I reduced my tire pressure from maximum 65 lbs to recommended 55 lbs and no more blowouts

I was wondering about how tire pressure impacted this issue.  Thanks for your comment.  I was running 65 psi cold for the last 4 years and recently changed to 55 psi - this was mostly to improve ride quality but maybe this has an added benefit in tire life.  

I'm going to go ahead and get the Thunderers again and see how it goes.  If I report back in a year or two that they had the same problem then I'll know for sure that I should switch to a different brand.

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REGARDING different manufacture names on the same tire . may more relate to a dealer thing . for example les  schwab  is a pretty large chain they often re house brand tires  one of there popular Light truck line of tires was the wildcat  and wildcountry xtx of which I have a set on my other Toyota PU, have heard they were Kelly springfield don't know.

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I got the 4 tires from Autoplicity for $66.50 each, shipped.  They all had first week in 2019 date codes, which is pretty decent.  I live near all of the truck maintenance facilities in Atlanta so I took them to a real truck tire place. They do all of the heavy stuff like trailers for equipment. They had more experience with this kind of tire compared to other shops. (many shops in my area can't even balance them because they dont' have the right adapter).   They keep the Nexen equivalent in stock at this truck tire shop.  They saw no issue with the Ranger R101 and had no reason to recommend the nexen over that or the Hankook either.  "All are fine if you take care of them" was their opinion.   They thought the early failure was due to sitting with the weight on them for too long without moving.  They see that with heavy equipment trailers with similar tires apparently.   They suggested using a jack stand to take a good portion of the weight off.  I'll see if I can manage that in the off season.  

I ran it up to 70 on the highway and it was smooth with no vibration at all.  Seems to have taken care of the issue.  I'm going to run them all at 55 psi (measured cold).

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  • 1 month later...

Can I add a question to this? I just bought a 1984 Toyota dolphin. All 6 tires are flat. The mounted one's are 195/70 r14. I have a chance to buy 4 hankook vantra Ra18 205/75 r/14 Brand new for half price. Are they to big for the rear? I've also been thinking of single in the rear. Is that possible and or what tires will handle it.

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46 minutes ago, Reddogz13 said:

Can I add a question to this? I just bought a 1984 Toyota dolphin. All 6 tires are flat. The mounted one's are 195/70 r14. I have a chance to buy 4 hankook vantra Ra18 205/75 r/14 Brand new for half price. Are they to big for the rear? I've also been thinking of single in the rear. Is that possible and or what tires will handle it.

Your current tires are 24.7” in diameter. The 205’s are 26.1” in diameter. You should be ok with that but I wouldn’t go much bigger.

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27 minutes ago, fred heath said:

Your current tires are 24.7” in diameter. The 205’s are 26.1” in diameter. You should be ok with that but I wouldn’t go much bigger.

Thank you so much Fred. Much help. I plan to install air bags too so that will help also.

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Tires are useful for about 7 years and must be replaced after ten years. Check the date of manufacturer on the tires. There is an area on one side of each tire with the date. It is in code. There will be a spot that says DOT and then 4 numbers. 2716 would mean the 26th week of 2016. Good luck. When people buy new tires online the tires are usually less than 6 months old.

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