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Old 10-14-2008, 02:57 PM   #1
Montana Martins
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Mission Tire Replacement--Maybe !???

How critical is "lug-centric" balancing? And, are there ST235/85R16E tires with sidewalls that function as well as ST's? Do either of these really make a difference? Hope these questions are worthy of knowledgeable response.

After the Fall Rally in Goshen, we headed straight to Florida. Upon arrival in Port Charlotte area, after three days travel, we found that the rear tire, passenger side, was "wierd."

The tread was convex, rather than (nearly) flat across, and the tire pressure was 10% less than the other tires. I'm told this indicates a broken belt or tread separation. Therefore, we're looking for new tires. I may yet call TireCo in CA; meanwhile I've been looking for a local dealer to do the work.

After reading the gory Mission details on the MOC Forum, I thought I would insist on "lug-centric" balancing. Trouble is I've called nine (yes, 9) tire dealers, from Tampa to Ft Myers, and eight of them balance trailer tires "just like the car tires." "Lug-centric" was not in their vocabulary! Only one said they had a device they inserted into five lug holes. All did spin balancing, I think.

Further, I heard some unfamiliar brand names and a lot of bad-mouthing about the brands I did recognize. I don't feel that we need to go up to XPS Ribs or G614s, but we certainly need something of good value, properly installed.

Since LTs are readily available, which would perform well? (We would, of course, replace all five.)

Other than the two brands above, are there others that we should consider? Maxxis? Prolex? Uniroyal? Cooper? Firestone? PowerKing TowMax?

Is there some term other than "lug-centric" that the dealers might be familiar with? What about the dealer that uses five lug holes? Seems to me that lug-centric is very important if you hope for (relatively) trouble-free travels.

Hope you can give some ideas. Thnx, Lynn Martin


 
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Old 10-14-2008, 03:15 PM   #2
exav8tr
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Lynn, I have the powerking Towmax with about 5k miles on them and they are wearing fine. Still Chinese but doing good. I had them installed by a Les Schwab dealer in Washington and I don't know how they balanced them.....No irregular wear as of yet......
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Old 10-15-2008, 01:09 AM   #3
Glenn and Lorraine
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"lug-centric" is a term you don't hear very often. Most all tire dealers try to avoid it. This type balancing is usually more costly and makes little to no change in the balance. More costly as it takes specialized adapters and takes considerably longer to do the job. The cost could be double that of a standard balancing.
A computerized wheel balance, using the center hub, is about as good as you will ever get.
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Old 10-15-2008, 04:57 AM   #4
LonnieB
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How critical is "lug-centric" balancing?

Although this is the most accurate way of balancing tires, it is very time consuming, and may not be worth the extra cost. The only time we use this method is when the pilot hole in the wheel is off center enough to cause a problem. As Glenn said, a computerized balance using the hub-centric method is about as good as you can get.

What about the dealer that uses five lug holes?

It is imossible to use 5 lugs to balance an 8 hole wheel. They have to use an even number of lugs, such as 2 or 4. If this dealer says he uses 5, I would be very leary.

And, are there ST235/85R16E tires with sidewalls that function as well as ST's?
Since LTs are readily available, which would perform well? (We would, of course, replace all five.)
Other than the two brands above, are there others that we should consider? Maxxis? Prolex? Uniroyal? Cooper? Firestone? PowerKing TowMax?

IMHO, any name brand LT is better than most of the ST's. My personal preference, and what I have on my Montana is a Bridgestone Commercial LT. Just make sure the load rating is adequate for the application.
Maxxis, Firestone, Uniroyal, Cooper, Goodyear, and BF Goodrich are all good brands, and are usually available nationwide.
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Old 10-15-2008, 05:20 AM   #5
bigmurf
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Just install a set of Balance Masters on your wheels and forget about balancing again.
BTW: I don't have any ties to them.

centramatic.com/

balancemasters.com
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Old 10-15-2008, 11:52 AM   #6
ggranch
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Thanks to an early retirement of one of my Missions, all 5 of them will be history tomorrow morning if they can make it all the way to the tire shop! I will be having spin/computer balancing done, I believe that if it is good enough for the TV, it should be good enough for the 5er. Bob
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