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Fall 2019 - Tire Roundup Request for 185R14


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Simpletire.com coming through with speedy delivery. Received the Petlas before I had a chance to drop of the Thunderer for return so did a side by side photo.


Thunderer on the left, Petlas on the right in both photos. 
 

Thunderer looks like a general HWY tire to me and from others experience/input here, it does the job well. Petlas looks like a bit more aggressive/all terrain tread that should do well on both highway and gravel or dirt roads where I spend a lot of time in rural Oregon. 
 

Also worth noting the Petlas is 3lbs heavier and feels much more solid in general. 
 

I’ll have ride and drive notes soon as the engine is being installed this week! 

482FC13B-0766-4230-A869-E4B16D3023D7.jpeg

BE569B74-8495-48FE-B97F-9B7BFFD4954E.jpeg

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  • 4 months later...

Does anyone have any experience with the Accelera brand of tires? They're made in Indonesia but look to have a very similar tread pattern to the Yokohama 356. These are all season with a S speed rating.

 

https://www.prioritytire.com/accelera-ultra-3-185r14-102-100s-d-8-ply-as-a-s-all-season-tire/

 

https://acceleratire.com/tires/ultra-3/

 

It seems as If I should have purchased tires a year or so ago as the price has jacked up on what's available in the 185r14 sizes. 

 

Also @jimiflow how are the Petlas holding up ? Are you putting any real mileage on them. I would love to hear how they're working out for you along with anyone else's experience as of recent with less known tire brands on our setups.

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

This doesn't have a review for the specific tire you're looking at but if you click on the various styles here you can see how they rated. Some are rated highly and some very bad. I would call this a warning because it shows that they're manufacturing systems aren't consistent.

Joyroad Tires - Tire Reviews and Tests (tire-reviews.com)

I see several other brands at Priority that have been around longer and some of them are cheaper than the Joyroad. I personally would spend a few extra dollars and buy the Thunderer tires. 

Linda S

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I’ve run thunderer for years now. Great tire, long tread life just a good overall brand. Highly recommend.

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On 9/17/2019 at 4:24 AM, linda s said:

... Many Walmarts can't do our tires anymore because they don't have the right equipment....

 

On 9/17/2019 at 9:33 AM, AtlantaCamper said:

....Most car tire shops don't have the right adapters to properly hold our rims.  I had to go to a local truck tire shop to find someone with the right tools to properly balance them.

 

I was reading through this thread and saw these comments and thought I would tell you guys what the "REAL TRUTH" of this is.  These excuses are a complete crock of crap.  There is nothing horribly special about our dually rv wheels.  (This is not true of the "foolie wheels, those absolutely SUCK and are impossible to mount or balance.)  Anyways, our wheels are super easy to mount, and relatively easy to balance.  ANY TIRE SHOP CAN DO THEM.  Any tire shop that says otherwise, really means that they don't WANT to do them.  Any shop with a balancer, should have the right stuff to balance it.      

 

Dually trucks of any sort are a pain to put tires onto, due to actually lifting them up.  A truck, like ours, where you can't put it on a lift, means that it has to be done by hand out in the parking lot.  There is the off chance some shops actualy won't allow this due to insurance purposes.  There is also a small small chance some shops won't have a jack that can lift our trucks up.  (My normal daily use jack, can't do it.  The large shop jack, is too big.  I actually had to go buy a jack specifically for lifting mine up.  Nothing horribly special about it, but it is a 3 ton lower profile "racing" jack.    

 

If you get ANY static about "Let me ask if we can do them" and the counter person is about to walk into the back, suggest that you can bring the wheels in if they can't lift the vehicle.  This will suddenly open doors.  

 

Anyways "We don't have the tools" or "we can't balance them" really means "We don't want to."  And it is a liability and a pain.  If you go buy your tires online and then show up at any tire shop to have them done, they are most likely going to come up with a reason why they can't do them.  The amount of time it takes, even for a more normal set of tires, isn't very profitable.  Our little RV/trucks are a nightmare.  Walking in with outsourced tires to save $100-200, with a nightmare job, and techs that don't want to do this job....  You won't get a good job done if they do get forced by the front counter to do it.  

 

What also goes a LONG way towards getting these done, is offer to tip the technician $100.  Especially if you are having them take the wheels off and put them back on.  (Side note, remember to tell them about the reverse threads on the drivers side where applicable.)  Yes, it sounds like a lot, and it is. But it will get you a MUCH better attitude and much better job when stated up front.  They might even fight over who does it, instead of suddenly all being at lunch...

 

Also another hang up, valve stems.  If a shop says they don't have your valve stems, then in this case they probably don't.  Some of our wheels take smaller diameter screw in stems.  It is an odd little stem that most regular tire shops won't have, and I found out is actually very difficult to find even for an industry insider like myself.  Ideally, you want to go in there with the correct stems in hand.  

 

Because I wanted my tires done RIGHT, and see every day what goes on back in the shop, I did my tires myself.  When I have to do them again (my new shop doesn't do tires), I will take mine off and take them to a shop where I know whoever will actually be doing them.  And I will also go in with a nice $100 tip for them too.  It is well worth it.    

 

 

Edited by thewanderlustking
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What makes you think our campers can't fit on a lift? Any shop that works on trucks can do it. Trucks do include box trucks and other tall vehicles. A high top Sprinter is as tall as our RV's. My Sunrader fit on the lift at Goodyear with no problem. They didn't hesitate. It's also been on a lift at Les Schaub and a couple of other places.

That same Goodyear shop also balanced my wheels and the tech was kind enough to explain why the first shop couldn't do it. With such a rare lug pattern most wheel balancing pin plates won't fit. You need a shop with a universal adjustable pin plate. 

Linda S

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Yes, any shop that works on trucks, like box trucks, can lift it.  Most automotive tire shops can't and won't lift box trucks.  Most people go to automotive tire shops with their RV's, and are surprised when places, like Walmart, turn them away.    

 

Les Schaub is a West Coast shop (Midwest too I think) and yes they do tend to be setup to work on smaller to mid sized trucks.  I have worked at three shops on the west coat, only one would have been able to lift it up easily.  And they could even lift Semi tractors.  Thats a whole other story though...  

 

I have worked at something like a dozen shops on the East Coast, and maybe two of them could "easily" lift a smaller RV like my Mini Cruiser.  A smaller 18' Sunrader, no problem.    

 

But my whole point her isn't if a shop can or can't lift these up, it is that most automotive tire shops simply DO NOT WANT TO.  Our rigs are a liability to them.  Most automotive shops have 10,000lb rated lifts and maybe one heavier lift.  This is frequently a 4 post where they do their alignments.  Yes our rigs, especially unloaded, easily fall well under that 10k mark.  But loaded or unloaded, they are not well balanced on a normal 10k automotive lift.  

 

2 hours ago, linda s said:

You need a shop with a universal adjustable pin plate. 

       

And nope you DO NOT need one of these.  Every modern balancer comes with a set of cones.  Even the most basic balancers come with a selection of cones with one that will fit our wheels.  You use a dually ring spacer and then cone it from the outside.  It is actually kinda rare to see adjustable pin plates these days, because they aren't NEEDED on any wheel that has a hub centric center.  Yes, correctly setup a pin plate does balance slightly better than a cone will, but any experienced tire tech can easily get 100% with a cone setup.  And most tire techs these days have ZERO experience using a pin plate anyways.  In 25yrs, I have maybe used them half a dozen times.    

 

Again, what this really translates to is 'We don't WANT to work on your RV."  And that is the point of my comments to give an insider viewpoint as to why a lot of us have had issues getting out rigs serviced at your local automotive shop.  It isn't to say they can't, but that they don't want to and how to get around some of those objections.  

 

If you live out West, simply go to Less Schaub!

 

The industry had drastically changed the past few years too, especially since the pandemic.  Shops are MUCH MORE likely to tell you they can't do something, than they used to be.  Any older experienced techs tend to be overwhelmed and overworked.  And can't keep the younger inexperienced techs that you really don't want working on these anyways.       

 

Again, I am not trying to be contrary or negative here.  I am just offering my experience from having worked in automotive shops for 25 years.    I am saying that "We can't do it" usually means "We don't WANT to do it" and offering a couple ways to get around those objections.

 

 And most of us on here go through a good bit of trouble to save $20-30 on a tire, or even less and go buy them online.  I know I sure did myself!  It is a lot to buy 7 tires!!!  If you buy your tires online, any tire shop you go into is suddenly making a LOT less money on that sale and is also a LOT LESS willing to go through the extra trouble and liability of dealing with lifting up an RV, even if they can do so kinda easily.  Especially so if it is difficult or needs to be done on the ground.  They will find some BS excuse why they can't do it.  Like "You need a special pin plate for this rare bolt pattern..."  

 

I struggled and lifted mine up in my driveway, took my tires/wheels in and did them myself.  Because it wasn't worth the headache to try and lift it on any of the lifts at the shop.  And because I simply wanted it done right without any static.

 

Oh one more observation.  East coast (automotive) shops, in my own experience, seem to have much lower ceilings inside than most West cost shops.  Especially the older shops.  There are plenty where lifting a high top Sprinter to normal waist working height is not safe or possible.  And sure there are work arounds, like doing the vehicle with a jack in the parking lot.  Or lifting it just enough to get it off the ground.  

 

I could go on into more details and scenarios, but it comes down to understanding that most of the objections are due to "Don't want to" as opposed to "Can't" for whatever XXX reason stated.  There are a lot of reasons why full on "truck shops" charge way more than "automotive shops" do.         

 

 

Edited by thewanderlustking
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Yes we like our trucks and at least 20% of the ones near me are lifted, so they are as tall or taller than me. 6 inch lift is the most popular. Yes in my tiny town there are 6 major tire shops. All of them have at least 1 high door. Oh and about the wheel balancing. The first place that put the tires on but couldn't balance the rear was Les Schaub. 

Linda S

You do know that all of our rigs loaded weigh less than a F250 crew cab long bed. So they don't do Fords in Florida?

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You are completely missing my point....  Please read what I am saying carefully.  I am not disagreeing with you and trying to be negative.  I am trying to give some insider insight, and actually going further to say that ANY shop that does tires, can do ours.  PERIOD.  Any that say otherwise, are looking for excuses NOT too.        

 

I spoke up as I saw malarky catchphrases like "We need a special pin adapter plate to balance these "special" wheels."  This isn't true and it actually means: "We don't want to deal with your headache."  

 

There is NOTHING special about our dually wheels, other than some having the odd sized valve stems.

 

Lifting them is another story.  Most of out little Toyota RVs are a PAIN to lift.  The low sides and VERY rear heavy means they do not balance properly on many "modern" lifts.  The lifts that can balance them easily are usually the older in ground ones, that many states no longer allow to be installed new without special provisions that GREATLY increase the cost of doing so.  Translating to shops replace them with above ground lifts.  

 

Lets use your example of an F-250...  Better yet lets say somebody comes in with an E-250 or a high top Sprinter work van loaded up with tools and for extra measure a big water tank (like the carpet cleaning vans).  Any experienced tech will look in the back and see what is back there.  But if they see that tank is full or you are overloaded with tools they are going to, a) tell you they can't lift it, b) tell you it needs to be unloaded, or c) lift it on a jack.  But c) will only happen if you have a motivated shop or technician.    

 

In general, automotive shops out here don't WANT to take on the liability of working on an RV.  Especially so on a 6-7 tire job on a dually RV when the customer sourced the tires themselves online and it is just labor.  Corporate shops ESPECIALLY so because many won't be able to adjust the labor time accordingly, and are stuck with whatever they normally charge for doing 4+2 tires.  Amazon tire sales with installation included, are the WORST offender on this too.      

 

As I said above, there is ALMOST ALWAYS a way around the problem.  If a shop can't lift it, it can be done in the parking lot with a jack.

 

When you go to a shop and they say "We can't do this because we can't lift it." or "We can't balance the rears." it really means...  

 

"Your RV is a pain in the butt to do, we don't want the liability because our young general service techs are stupid -=cough=- I mean inexperienced, and you bought your tires online so we can't even make any money dealing with this headache."


So if any of you get any static about installing tires on our rigs, understand that what it really means the shop doesn't WANT to do the tires.  I personally do not want to take my Mini Cruiser to a shop that doesn't want to do it since, it simply won't be done well.  

 

In summary:  Mounting and balancing our tires is EASY.  Lifting our trucks on a lift, is a headache at best, and not anywhere near as easy as a Ford F-250.  If a shop is willing/motivated enough, they will resolve this by doing it on jacks in a "flat bay" or out in the parking lot.  Although some corporate shops genuinely will not allow parking lot jobs.  Pep Boys recently adopted this policy claiming it was due to "liability" issues.  But who knows, it could also have been local management making up crap too to get out of doing it...       

 

So yeah I am not saying it can't be done, the opposite.  I am saying any excuse saying so, is JUST AN EXCUSE!  If anyone gets this BS static, you now have an idea as to why.  And some ideas to potentially get around these objections.

 

Edited by thewanderlustking
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Oh and Walmart saying they can't do our tires is defiantly a corporate level policy issue.  It is too much of a liability risk for them.  They don't seem to attract the old experienced technicians either.  One of the green general service techs I taught and worked with for a couple years went there at like 23 and within 6 months was the shop foreman/manager.  Don't get me wrong, he was super smart and capable of doing so!  But he had never seen a Humvee CTIS system or put tires on a Toyota "foolie" wheel...  Or seen a widow maker wheel come apart.  Or a semi tire explode and disintegrate a tire cage.  Or heck for that matter even knew what a tire cage actually was!  

 

My old shop has a folding tire cage sitting in the back room.  Our manager didn't even know what it was for.  Nobody felt the need to enlighten him either hahah!!!       

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I've had trouble finding shops that can balance the late model 6 lug wheels due to the size of the aperture in the center of the wheel - they need an adapter for the spin balancer that is larger enough so they can clamp the wheel properly. But generally as stated most shops seem reluctant to do tire work on them. Ironically the local Walmart is the one place I found that would! They did us a regular jack in the parking lot as noted above.

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 Most places have shops that will do larger truck tires. I do not live in a larger population area but there are still two within 5 minutes of me. 

 

 The one that did mine kinda gave me a hard time for not buying my tires off them but they had no issue with mounting and balancing them. 

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  • 2 months later...
On 5/22/2021 at 10:25 AM, jimiflow said:

Simpletire.com coming through with speedy delivery. Received the Petlas before I had a chance to drop of the Thunderer for return so did a side by side photo.


Thunderer on the left, Petlas on the right in both photos. 
 

Thunderer looks like a general HWY tire to me and from others experience/input here, it does the job well. Petlas looks like a bit more aggressive/all terrain tread that should do well on both highway and gravel or dirt roads where I spend a lot of time in rural Oregon. 
 

Also worth noting the Petlas is 3lbs heavier and feels much more solid in general. 
 

I’ll have ride and drive notes soon as the engine is being installed this week! 

482FC13B-0766-4230-A869-E4B16D3023D7.jpeg

BE569B74-8495-48FE-B97F-9B7BFFD4954E.jpeg

How are the Petlas tires working out, I am building my surf/snow camper 1991 Spirit. Were down in Seaside and head up to Mt. Hood in the winter. Wondering if you would still recommend the Petlas over Nexen or Thunderers. Thanks Phil
 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/22/2021 at 10:25 AM, jimiflow said:

Simpletire.com coming through with speedy delivery. Received the Petlas before I had a chance to drop of the Thunderer for return so did a side by side photo.


Thunderer on the left, Petlas on the right in both photos. 
 

Thunderer looks like a general HWY tire to me and from others experience/input here, it does the job well. Petlas looks like a bit more aggressive/all terrain tread that should do well on both highway and gravel or dirt roads where I spend a lot of time in rural Oregon. 
 

Also worth noting the Petlas is 3lbs heavier and feels much more solid in general. 
 

I’ll have ride and drive notes soon as the engine is being installed this week! 

482FC13B-0766-4230-A869-E4B16D3023D7.jpeg

BE569B74-8495-48FE-B97F-9B7BFFD4954E.jpeg

 

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