Medium Truck Tire comparision GY G622 VS. RM253 VS. XDS2

[redneckracin]

So I am in the market for some 245/70R19.5 truck tires. I'm down to a couple tires after I excluded the Chinese and recapped options. Anybody have any opinions on these tires? Any suggestions for others? I'm deciding between a set of Michelin XDS2's for around $470 a tire; Cooper Roadmaster RM253's for around $270 a tire; or a set of Goodyear G622 RSD's for around $360 a tire. I got to replace all four drives and I'd like to get something I'll be happy with.

The general requirements are a decent lasting tire that does well in the snow/ice (PA winters in the hills) and can also handle a little bit of mud. I don’t have a paved parking area at my barn and I need to be able to get into it and turn around when it gets a little greasy. I do have a tractor there but I'd prefer not to have to pull myself in and out every time during the winter months. My other concern is boogying down the highway at 70mph towing a horse trailer heading out of state. I'm really not concerned with the mileage, mostly the traction. I don’t have a problem spending the extra money on the Michelins if the price is justified, but I'd also like to not have to shell the dough out if I don’t need to.


Any thoughts? Tires are going on a International 4700 LP.

 

[buckfever]

We have a Kodiac 4500 that has the same size tires. I will look tomarrow to see what we are running. On our other trucks that have 225/70-19.5 we use Continental HDR's. We love these tires, get about 25,000 to 30,000 miles out of them. They go for about $290. When you get close to buying a set of tires let me know I will get a price from our dealer see if I can get ya a better price.

 

[Steve Frazier]

You said you eliminated the possibility of retreads but I'm going to suggest you consider Michelin retreads for the drive wheels. I've been running these: http://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck/tires-retreads/PremoldInfo.jsp?tread=XDE M/S on my F-550 with great results. The mileage has surpassed the original virgin tires by more than 50% and they provide excellent traction in mud and snow. I plowed streets with that truck and most times was in 2 wheel drive. The only thing you want to be wary of is to check the casings of the tires for cracks, once in a while a cracked one will get by the inspectors. I've never had a failure with these tires and I haul way beyond the manufacturers specs for gross weight.

 

[tireman]

You get what you pay for. Michelins are expensive for a reason. I personally avoid Goodyear like the plague. I liken retreaded tires to re-man engines...good casings capped by quality shops are as good or better than new.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Aren't Cooper Roadmasters Chinese made?

 

[tireman]

Unless something has very recently changed, Cooper tires are "Made in the USA". Paul Harvey used to advertise them, and we all know that Paul Harvey would NOT advertise anything he didn't personally verify beforehand.

 

[redneckracin]

We have a Kodiac 4500 that has the same size tires. I will look tomarrow to see what we are running. On our other trucks that have 225/70-19.5 we use Continental HDR's. We love these tires, get about 25,000 to 30,000 miles out of them. They go for about $290. When you get close to buying a set of tires let me know I will get a price from our dealer see if I can get ya a better price.

Hey buck, that sounds like a great price, but the tire doesn't look like a it would do very well in a field or my muddy as all get out parking lot, How does it handle in some slippery stuff? Granted im not trying to find a strict mud tire, but some open lugs would be ncie i would think.



Mr Frazier, What kind of price difference are the recaps? I never really looked into them since I was worried about a blowout happening when i was outta state somewhere. I really can't overload the tires at the moment with my current trailer so thats not to big of a conern.

Thanks for the replies gents, these heavy duty tires look like they have some pretty limited options for tread.

 

[Steve Frazier]

When I last bought them they were about half the cost of cheap new tires, in other words the bottom end of your list. I think I recall $125 but that was before rubber prices got stupid. My work was all local but the truck was a dump that I hauled material and towed equipment with. I ran heavy most of the time and never had an issue with the retreads.

 

[buckfever]

Ok got to the truck today and we have Roadmaster RM190 on the back and Dynatrack (sp?) on the front. We like the the continentals, traction is pretty good but definetly not a mud tire. Wet topsoil or greasy clay tend to clog the tread. In the snow on road they really shine but then you still have to keep in mind these are tires made for hauling not off-roading

 

[Birken Vogt]

Unless something has very recently changed, Cooper tires are "Made in the USA". Paul Harvey used to advertise them, and we all know that Paul Harvey would NOT advertise anything he didn't personally verify beforehand.

FWIW, I wanted to check for sure before I went spouting off but at work we have 2 sets of Cooper Roadmaster RM185s, 11R22.5, one batch made in 08 and the other in 12, and both sets made in China.

 

[redneckracin]

When I last bought them they were about half the cost of cheap new tires, in other words the bottom end of your list. I think I recall $125 but that was before rubber prices got stupid. My work was all local but the truck was a dump that I hauled material and towed equipment with. I ran heavy most of the time and never had an issue with the retreads.

Mr. Frazier, I checked on the recaps like you suggested and IIRC were around $180. I dont remember if that included or did not include the $40 casing charge. Either way, I can stomach <1K alot easier than almost a full 2k. I also chose to try the tread that you recommended since your a little farther up north than I am. One of the local machine shops that does alot of mining service uses them as well. Even if I only get 2/3 to 3/4 the life of the virgin rubber's I'll take it to buy the time and really decide if the Medium duty truck is going to fit my needs. Im very leary about giving up 4wd.

 

[Steve Frazier]

I don't think you'll be disappointed. Keep us posted on your results.

 

[redneckracin]

Well I have had the re-caps for a couple months now. THey are alot better than the bald tires, but I have to chain up usually to leave the driveway since its uphill and I'm usually unloaded. Any suggestions for tire pressure? Im only pulling a 20+5 gooseneck 14.5gvw. I dont know I'm getting enough tongue weight to really get the tires to grip.

 

[Steve Frazier]

I'm not sure tire pressure is going to make a huge amount of difference, and you'll want to be sure you have enough pressure to safely carry or tow the load you intend to have. I run about 75/80 psi in mine. I'd suggest putting some weight on the truck, on my 550 dump I would have at least a couple tons of salt on for ballast. With weight on the truck that thing was a tank except in the worst conditions.

 

[Timark80]

I'm not sure tire pressure is going to make a huge amount of difference, and you'll want to be sure you have enough pressure to safely carry or tow the load you intend to have. I run about 75/80 psi in mine. I'd suggest putting some weight on the truck, on my 550 dump I would have at least a couple tons of salt on for ballast. With weight on the truck that thing was a tank except in the worst conditions.

Just bought a new 12' Dodge 5500 4x4. Has Continental tires. It came with 85 psi front and 75psi in the rear tires. Door sticker says 95 psi. Now run 90 psi all the way around. Pulling a g/n at 21k lbs. Should I decrease a little psi?

 

[Steve Frazier]

With heavier loads, tire pressures are generally higher. The manufacturers post the pressure that is both safest and will achieve the highest fuel mileage. Ride quality can be harsh as a result. There's nothing wrong with running what the manufacturer recommends as long as it doesn't exceed the maximum recommended pressure on the sidewall of the tire. You can play with the pressures a little but monitor the tires when you do. After a half hour run at highway speed with the load you will carry stop and palm the sidewall. It should be warm to the touch where you could leave your hand there indefinitely, if it is uncomfortably hot your pressure is probably too low and continuing to run like this would lead to premature failure

 

[Birken Vogt]

Tires have load/pressure charts. They should be available on the Internet for yours or a similar tire of the same size.

 

[redneckracin]

Hey steve, I was always playing with the tire pressure on my 1 ton pickup and always aired them up to the max when towing a gn. The logic behind my questions was i basically upgraded from a 6k axle to a 17k axle and I really didn't need the max capacity of the 19.5" tires ever lol. Even with the GN fully loaded, I'm thinking I MIGHT get 8k on the pin? I was more curious as to what the bottom number was more or less. I recently found I have a QD on the air tank on the truck so i could theoretically air down all four tires, climb out of the driveway, and air all four back up with alot less crawling under the truck and breathing exhaust fumes (underbody exhaust). I saw a system on youtube I think where this was done automatically in a tandem set-up and appeared to make a remarkable difference in traction! I was just going to go about it the poor man's way! I appreciate all of the feedback fellas. Thanks for the help.

 

[Timark80]

Been running "E" rated tires on a various 10 ton g/n trailers for the last 20 years. Trailer says 85 psi max per tire, I've kept 70-75 and never overheated or blown a tire for thousands of miles.
In my opinion you only need max psi if you are at max capacity for the tire.
Now "G" rated tires on the truck need to be between 85-110 psi depending on the load. For now I don't run at max weight so 90 psi on the truck works great without getting too hot for safe operation(2000 miles so far). If treadwear looks weird then I will make adjustments.

 

[redneckracin]

That was sort of what I was getting at. I think im at about 100psi in my tires and that is for max load. I have not even come close to loading out my rear axle. Heck my gooseneck is rated for less than my rear axle is! 14.5k vs 17k Thats why i was thinking of dropping to psi down to 70-80 (lower if I could just air them back up) and gain some traction in the ice. I would love to have a spreading that I can load an dunload easily but that silly GN mounts dead center over the axle if not a few inches in front. I was actually thinking about buying a piece of plate steel or pouring a concrete weight of a ton or two that I could pick up with my loader when the weather breaks.