dbfitch Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 So I bought something I thought was in fairly good condition, but now I'm finding out it's not. Lots to do! 1. Is there anywhere I can find a manual for it? 2. I need a windshield cover - any ideas where I can get a small one - everything seems to be made for larger motorhomes. 3. I have to replace all six tires - any recommendations for type or brand? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Welcome to the forum. As far as tires go, Hankook RA08's seem to be the tire of choice. They are 8 ply rated and work well on these motorhomes. I installed 6 of them on my rig and am very happy with their performance. Sorry but no help on windshield. Other members will probably be have some recommendations. Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 I used the foil backed bubble stuff (home depot etc.) for the windshield and the side windows it's real easy to cut and I just used the visors to hold them in place. There isn't much choice of tires out there like Fred said lots of people have used the Hankook's. 8 ply LT's will work fine but the size is what will make it harder. You can't deviate much on size because of the dual wheel there is very little space between them and if you go with a wider tire they will rub and that is a bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 I'm rolling Yokohama Y356 tires, load range D, and am very pleased with them. Try www.tirerack.com for the best price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TikiShack Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 try this link lots of good stuff here! http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-4291.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TikiShack Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 well I hope you don't feel too bad. It can happen to even really good mechanics. I bought a Sun Rader that had no collar on the gasoline fill tube so my first tank of gas spilled all over the pavement. It had a rust in the block. It was a real POS. I sold it on ebay and disclosed everything so I could live with myself! I still got almost all my money out of it but not the labor of course! Now I own a wonderful little rig that I'm proud of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbfitch Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 Thank you everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Maineah There isn't much choice of tires out there like Fred said lots of people have used the Hankook's. 8 ply LT's will work fine but the size is what will make it harder. You can't deviate much on size because of the dual wheel there is very little space between them and if you go with a wider tire they will rub and that is a bad thing. I was looking at the RA08 195's but didn't because of that. Is it a bad idea to make up a spacer so to spread the wheels a little?? How much would be too much ? The whole assembly looks pretty solid so..... john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Talking about tires and tire widths can get trick (and confusing). An observation or two. The Section Width (185, 195, etc) are 'Nominal' numbers (in mm). So, a 185mm tire should (nominally) measure 185/25.4 = 7.3". If you look at the specs for the Yokohama Y356 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=Y356 you'll see this is correct for the 185R14 6-ply. But wait! The 8- ply is listed at 7.1"! Well, two things to read:- "A tire's section width (also called "cross section width") is the measurement of the tire's width from its inner sidewall to its outer sidewall (excluding any protective ribs, decorations or raised letters) at the widest point. This measurement is made without any load placed upon the tire and after the tire has been properly mounted on its industry assigned measuring rim and has been inflated and reset to its test pressure after 24 hours. Because a tire's section width is influenced by the width of the rim upon which the tire is mounted, the correct industry assigned measuring rim width for the tire size being measured must be used. The width of a tire mounted on a narrow rim would be "narrower" than if the same tire was mounted on a wide rim. NOTE: because the overall diameter of a steel belted radial is determined by the steel belts, there is little, if any, change to the overall diameter of the tire due to differences in rim width. The industry rule of thumb is that for every 1/2" change in rim width, the tire's section width will correspondingly change by approximately 2/10"." Source:- http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=200 Why the 6-ply is measured on a 5.5" rim and the 8-ply on a 5" must be buried in some spec somewhere but if you follow the 'rule of thumb' mentioned above and mount the 8-ply on a 5.5" rim, the section width should be 7.3" (like the 6-ply). AOK? Seems so, until we look at the 195/75R14 tire offered.Technically (and nominally) it should measure 195/25.4 = 7.7" wide but the specs show 7.3", the same as the 185!! That's why I said the numbers are Nominal. So, according to Yokohamas published specs, there should be no difference in clearance if changing from a 185 to a 195/75 tire (Y356). Different manufactures (and different models from the same manufactures), for the same Nominal with, can have different Measured Section Widths. And to make life more difficult, inflation pressure will also affect the tires Section Width, especially where the rubber meets the road. As far as I know, the listed Section width (and other dimensions) are with the tire at it's maximum pressure (50psi/65psi). Also, some late model 'Homes were spec'ed with 195R14 tires. I don't know what make and model. Spacers? Yeah, I've thought of those. I don't think you're going to find any off the shelf to fit our rarely used bolt circle/pattern. But how thick do you need? Well, re-read what I wrote above! And how much clearance do you actually need? Another hurdle/consideration. If you're using a simple, slip on spacer, how much 'extra' stud length is there. The studs we have are not like the simple, press-fit studs that can easily be found at the local parts store. It's hard enough to find ours in a standard length. I don't know if anyone has ever looked for and found longer ones. Tire clearance? I often read warnings: "Only use 185R14 tires or they can rub." True, but another concern I've read about a bit on sites dealing with duallies on 18-wheelers is that if the tires are too close that the lack of air flow can lead to overheating even if there's no contact. In my mind, this might be an even bigger problem than tire contact/rubbing. Let's face it, even if the do 'touch', there wouldn't be too much 'rubbing' since both wheels are rotating at the same speed. 'Some', yes, but 'much'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Wish I had done that level of checking before I turned down the RA08's in 195R14 size. If clearence were equal with something that heavy another 10mm of tread width would seem desirable. Anyone with the 195R14 RA08 8plys?? Could you check and post dual inner clearence and tire pressure pls ??? john PS welcome back JD, missed your well researched posts.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 ... another 10mm of tread width would seem desirable. Tread width is another one of the 'nominal' dimensions. If you look at the Y356 numbers, they're all the same (185 vs 195/75). I haven't checked the RA08 specs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Kind of hard to read that, but it looks like 7.2" vs 7.4"? So 5mm difference? See what I mean about 'nominal'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I give up trying to post lists. RA08 185R14 V 195R14 On a 5.5 rim the section width is 7.4 Versus 7.6, tread width is 5.1 V 5.5, tread depth is 11.5 V 12.5 and revs / mile is 811 V 790. Load is 102/100Q V 106/104Q. Seems a much better tire but for the .2 inch extra width. john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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