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Topic: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES (Read 481 times) previous topic - next topic
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New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Today I bought a 2005 midbath LD 27' with only 8,100 miles.  Interior immaculate.  A few bruises on exterior.  Sweetest couple sold it to me.  I presently own a 2000 Ford Dually F350 diesel with a mint restored polished aluminum camper.  I bought this LD off the side of the road because I was so impressed with quality.   As soon as I hit the highway home it shook me to pieces.  The tires are 1 year old all match STARFIRE M+S LT225/75 R16 with correct tire pressure.  I have the receipt for tires and can only assume that they did not move the camper in past year.  It was register and insured, I did not bother test driving as they were so trustworthy.  My 2000 F350 with 150,000 with Firestone Transforce tires drives like a limo compared to LD E450.  Im assuming tires have a flat spot or are out of balance.  All local tire shops are closed, and I am hoping for some recommendations between now and Monday because I trust other LD users before the guy behind the counter at tire shop.  THANKS AND HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE ROAD
New LD Owner
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #1 –
Welcome to the forum Cashgreece, aka New LD Owner!

Wow, 8100 miles in 10 years- so much opportunity for deterioration. You don't say how far you have to go to get home- are you stuck on the road with the new LD? Or did you make it home? The E450 should rvse about as well as your F350, loaded vs unloaded and all that. 

From what you wrote it is hard to tell what the ride was like, a challenge to convey!

If you are home, I would have it on jack stands, checking wheel bearings, tire tread and roundness, drive shaft, fluid levels, etc. Things that might have told you more pre-sale, but now you own it, so have fun with the re-hab.

Of course, if you are on the road, it is just several hours to shops opening Monday. A ride along with an expert would sure be a shortcut to diagnosing this.
Paul
'92 Mid Bath
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #2 –
Starfire is a budget line of tires. I looked at them for a beater truck a few years back. The dealer offered no warranty of any type whatsoever on Starfire tires.  Now that doesn't necessarily mean they at no good, but it does say something.

When I replace my tires I'm going with these. Expensive but of a superior quality.
Goodyear all steel tire.

Most owners go with the Michelin brand. A decent tire at a lesser price.
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #3 –
Tire inflation is a topic covered here in some depth. When my LD was new I inflated to sidewall psi. Ride was squirrelly. As soon as I got it properly weighed I adjusted the pressure down to levels recommended by Michelin, my tire brand. What an improvement! My loaded weight is much lower than the Michelins ' maximum load rating, so my tire pressure is surprisingly low, per their charts.
Paul
'92 Mid Bath
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #4 –
Here are the tire pressure recommendations straight out of my 2015 27' RB manual.

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #5 –
"Starfire is a budget line of tires. I looked at them for a beater truck a few years back."

Let me add that I went with the Starfires because based on the vehicle and strictly local use, my prime criteria was cheap.
I drove the truck for probably three years with no tire problems at all.
Not sure I'd put them on my LD though. But that's strictly a personal opinion.
Ed
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #6 –
I made it home no problem and posted a picture of my new LD.  Who would buy an RV without test driving it?  I saw the receipt for new tires installed by previous owner June 2015.  The said it drives smooth on the highway.  The truck has 300 miles on it since the tires will installed, all last year.  With a total of 8,100 miles, yes sometime limited driving = problems, but I cannot expect anything mechanically wrong and am thinking tires.  My only experience is with a truck camper on my work truck dually that drives great.  Please school me:  Am I to way each axle independently to determine tire pressure?  This is a novice Class C question not pertaining to LD but I am about to lose a little sleep over the matter.  I live in the suburbs of NYC and tire shops here basically service SUV's and commuters.  I was in touch with a truck tire serviceman today, he said I need new tires without even asking questions like weight, pressure,chassis... which I will buy if I have to as long as I can use my new camper.  I new from pulling out of their driveway the tires did not feel right almost bumpy on smooth pavement.  Thanks for your time. 
New LD Owner
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #7 –
Cashgreece,

Each corner of the rig is weighed independently to get an accurate load assessment.

Some on the forum use a truck scale and just weigh the front end and then the back end, but, while this will give you the weight for the front to rear weight it will not give you side to side weight to allow you to balance your load.

Out west I used a company called RVWeigh. They met me on my maiden voyage and had me pull onto their portable scale one corner of the LD at a time. They gave me a printout and detailed how evenly distributed my load was.

Check the Internet for RV scales or perhaps someone here knows of someone in your area.
Here's a shot of what the printout covers:

Best of luck,

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #8 –
"Each corner of the rig is weighed independently to get an accurate load assessment."

But just to clarify: all the tires on a given axle should be inflated to the same pressure. In other words, even if the rig is heavier on one side, the tires on both sides of each axle should be inflated to the same pressure. You will typically run higher pressures in back than in front, though. The charts that others here have referred to will tell you what to do, once you have at least axle-by-axle weights.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #9 –
Quote from: cashgreece  - 
I live in the suburbs of NYC and tire shops here basically service SUV's and commuters.

I have had excellent service from America's Tire, which is nationwide. I have had them remove, inspect, and re-balance tires on the LD and other vehicles that were not purchased from them, at no charge - just in the name of customer goodwill. They have made me a customer...

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #10 –
Check the date codes on the tires.  I'm concerned that your "budget" tires could also be used tires.  With RVs, tires should be replaced every 5-6 years no matter how good the tread looks (even new looking). 

BTW, if you are interested, the North East LD club will be having a group gathering in New Hampshire in a few weeks.  If you want to meet up with other LD owners and ask questions, this will be a good time to do that.  Check the calendar on this forum for dates.
2011 MB
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #11 –
Hi CashGreece, Welcome to Lazy Daze ownership. You can't go wrong with mileage that low, but the years are still marching by for roof seals, hoses, coolant and the like. Tires....although purchased new in 2015, they could have been sitting in a store for a long time. The date codes will tell you. If sitting unmoved, the tires will develop 'flat spots'. I've noticed this on my Michelins, but it fades away and is pretty unnoticeable after 30-50 miles. Worse in cold weather. I've had  tire places (years ago) insist that it was a waste of time to balance tires, especially duals, but I insisted that it be done anyway. A 'lowball' tire at a 'lowball' place may not have balanced them at all. I wouldn't trust a tire 'serviceman' who insisted you replace your tires sight unseen, as far as I could throw him. If you inflated the tires to maximum 80 psi, and the coach is unloaded then I would expect a very harsh ride. I run load range 'E' at 74 psi in the rear and 68 psi in front. but I have an E350 at 11,500 lbs. Still a harsh ride in back. Let us know how all of this turns out. RonB and a '99TKB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #12 –
Paul B was right, At least in my case. Don't know if any of you remember I was having a problem with the LD shaking on rough  Freeway roads that they were working on. I had the Shocks checked out and the Springs checked. Both were good. I went back to the shop to have a bracket put on the muffler and I asked them to check the Tire Pressure. They were 80-82psi. They dropped the back tire pressure to 77psi and the front to 65psi. You would not believe the difference in the ride. The Spring guy said I should drop the rear tire pressure to 75psi. Just my experience. Before buying new tires, I'd check that first.

JO
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #13 –
Three years ago I purchased an extreme low mileage 2001 mid bath.  It basically was driven from factory to DC area and then never used.  The two front tires while fairly new had flat spots that needed to be imediately replaced.  I really think this is just tires and good advise provided to gave professionally inspected and check age.

I had concerns about a RV not used for so many years but I have not experienced any issues and RV drives like new.  It's not just engine wear as the interior of such a low mileage RV is like new so things should work out well on your new RV.

Larry Wade did provide me a long hit list of maintenance items to catch-up on.  Basically change most every fluid, recalls, roof maintenance.  Particularly if stored outside time does march on.  Pay attention to the roof is my best advise.  Possible problems due to RV not being driven never materialized.  But I did do a fair amount of up front maintenance and new tires. 

LarryD
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #14 –
Thanks all for input.  I decided to start by replacing the two front tires with E rated Firestone TransForce H/T which are presently on my Ford dually with truck camper.  The ride (front end quality) has improved dramatically.  Mechanically I am not too concerned with the low milage on drivetrain as they only traveled in State and used it a few times a year.  Besides total fluid changes, I am ready to start camping this weekend.  I have already ordered a new skylight, vent covers and plan on resealing every joint as I have done on my vintage camper.  Thanks for everyone's help.  I hate to ask the same question others have already asked, but what is your recommendations of sealing the rear corner molding where it overlaps side and real walls thanks.
New LD Owner
 
Re: New owner of 2005 LD with 8,000 miles HELP WITH TIRES
Reply #15 –
Glad to hear it's as simple as new tires! I hope when you do fluids you will repack bearings too- having spun a wheel off on the highway, those things bother me. 

For sealing discussion this is a good thread

And of course, the Lazy Daze Companion is probably already in your bookmarks- here is the article from the companion on that topic.

I replaced my end caps last summer using these resources, so my only additional information is to say yes, this is still valid information.  Here is what I know about end caps, .  Anything Larry Wade writes about them is also pertinent. He has some good photos in the media section.  This is a link that may work.

Show us photos! And of your vintage camper!
Paul
'92 Mid Bath