Any reasons not to choose Roadmaster tires?

[luvrbus]

China is just barley ahead of Mexico in trading with US,the Mexican stuff is looking better and better to me LOL

[belfert]

A blown tire can be a lot more than an inconvenience.  A blown tire can cause thousands of dollars in damage and even cause an accident in some cases.

I would much prefer a made in the USA tire, but the price differential is so high that it just isn't practical.  I figured choosing a tire made by an American company in China is hopefully going to have better quality control than a tire made by a Chinese company.  There are lots of cheap tires made in China, but I just didn't feel I could trust them.  They almost have to be cutting corners to get some of the tire prices so low.

[Busted Knuckle]

A blown tire can be a lot more than an inconvenience.  A blown tire can cause thousands of dollars in damage and even cause an accident in some cases.

I would much prefer a made in the USA tire, but the price differential is so high that it just isn't practical.  I figured choosing a tire made by an American company in China is hopefully going to have better quality control than a tire made by a Chinese company.  There are lots of cheap tires made in China, but I just didn't feel I could trust them.  They almost have to be cutting corners to get some of the tire prices so low.

Yup yer right it's called LABOR COST!
  BK 

[Busted Knuckle]

Also just because a tire is supposed to be made in China, Mexico, USA doesn't mean it really is!
My dad worked @ General Tire in Mayfield, KY for many yrs.

Then in 2002 or 2003 some idiot politician put the cost of clean up of their "dump site" to be included in the "Mega-Fund" bill and the parent company of General known as Continental Tire (a German owned company) decided it was time to get rid of that plant.

In-spite of all the union's, employees, and local community efforts to keep the plant open they were told point blank @ one point "You couldn't pay us to keep this plant open!"

Then they shipped the equipment down to Mexico (they already had the plant in Mexico), and started using it to produce tires.
Next thing you know they are getting many many complaint's of tires made in Mayfield. Upon checking they found they were getting more complaints than the actual # of tires made the last week of production in Mayfield and investigated farther.
What they found was the equipment in Mexico still had the Mayfield plants last id & date code still in it and still making tires 8 months after it was put into production in Mexico.

They recalled tons of tires and shipped them to Mayfield to be checked  and tested at the closed plant. (I personally saw 40-50 truckloads show up one day in about 7 hrs as I went by both ways that far apart!)
End results were said to be that 95% of the tires recalled were made over the 8 month period the equipment was in Mexico and had various defects!

Also during their investigation they found some bad tires showing to have been made in other plants such as Mt. Vernon, IL ~ Akron & Bryan, OH, ~ Charlotte, NC ~ and even Barrie, ONT, CA were actually came out of Mexico where those plants had retired equipment that had ended up in Mexico and was used with the old location and dates codes still in them.

I ain't say'n just because it's made in Mexico it's bad.
Nor am I saying that the plants in Mexico are the only places this could be happening!

My guess is that any old equipment going into any plant (new or old) in any place of questionable ethics could result in this happening.

I know in Mayfield where the employees were permanently laid off without any hope of rehire they could care less where the equipment ended up or how it was used. But I would like to think it should be mandatory that any equipment leaving any plant have the plant code removed so that who ever used it next would have to put their own in!
  BK 

[Kwajdiver]

Back to the orginal question.  After all is said and done, does anyone know of a reason NOT to purchase Roadmaster tires?

I'm going to need two new shoes up front this summer.

Bill

[Busted Knuckle]

Bill from what I have seen no one has a reason not too.

But since it's going to be a minute bofore you need them, I'd wait and see what the best deal going is at the time of need.
  BK 

[TomC]

Personally-I would purchase the BEST tires you can for the front-you DON'T want a blow out on the front.  Scrimping on the drives and tags would be the place.  Look at what the big rigs are running on the front and use those kinds of tires.  Staying with Goodyear, Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental, Firestone, Dunlop, Yokohama, etc will always be the best.  Good Luck, TomC

[akroyaleagle]

I see no reason not to use them.

If you are going to put them on the steer, make sure they are all position.

I have 8 chinese tires on my Eagle and they far out perform the 3 sets of Michelins I wore out.

[TomC]

Joe-when you say the Chinese tires out perform the Michelins-what do you mean?  Do they ride better? Have better stopping distances? Wear better? Just curious.  Good Luck, TomC

[belfert]

Roadmaster tires are made by Cooper Tires, an American company.  They have chosen to use the Roadmaster name on their large truck tires.  Yes, they are made in China, but so are Firestone truck tires and probably some of the other big names.  Nobody has given any good reason not to use the Roadmaster tires.  I was told the tires would be ready Monday, but I still haven't heard anything from the tire shop.  I'm not in any real hurry.

I choose the RM185 because it is an all position regional tire.  I am using them for steer tires right now.  I'm not sure if would go with these for drive tires or not.  The Roadmaster regional drive tires are an open shoulder design so I probably won't go with those when I do need drive tires.

[akroyaleagle]

Tom C,

Yes, yes, and yes!

These tires ride better. They do not "sqiggle". Is that a word? The Michelins seemed to have this even at max air pressures.

They steer better. They don't roll when turning. I can turn loose of the steering wheel and the bus stays straight. The Michelins would always be trying to go some place other than where I wanted to go. Nothing was changed in the steering, alignment or shocks.

All the Michelins on the steer and bogies soon developed scoop marks on the outside edges. These show absolutely no wear. I put them on in January of 04. I tell myself I should change them out but I just can't make myself take them off. I never used the Michelins more than 4 years and ended up changing them out for the scoop marks before that.

The tire guys all told me "shocks", King pins", "alignment" "Over (or under) inflation" etc. was  the problem. All those things were new and correct in my bus.

I had a new steering box installed and had the front end rebuilt when I got the bus by Cliff's Eagle Specialty Shop in Goodletsvill, TN. My Eagle Drivers Manual gives the alignment specs. I watched the alignment guys do it. They wanted to set it "This is the way we set all the trucks". I made them set it like my manual says. The few Eagle guys I have let drive my bus all said "Why doesn't my bus drive like this"!

I paid $211 each for these in Phoenix.

I have no dog in Michelin's or any other tire companys fight.

When I lived in Kenya, my daughters were friends with the US CEO of Goodyear tires in Kenya. He told me the Kenyans would not buy made in Kenya tires because they thought they were inferior to made in USA tires. He swore that Goodyear used the exact same formula and manufacturing process in every country they made tires in. I believe him and believe all others do the same.
Your mileage may be different.

[dougyes]

Joe Laird, What was the brand name of your Chinese tires?

[akroyaleagle]

I believe they are GEN-TEC. I'll confirm that tomorrow and if I'm wrong I'll post the correction here.

[Kwajdiver]

Anyone know the best place in Central Florida, (Tampa, Orlando, Lakeland, Wildwood) to purchase Roadmaster Tires?

Thanks for the input!

Bill W.

[belfert]

I stopped by the tire shop on my way home to check out the Roadmaster tires and wheels.  The tires, well they look like tires.  It turns outs the steel wheels they got were really dusty and all scratched.  The two wheels weren't even the same style of wheel!  She told me they got them from another store as they rarely sell 24.5" stud mounted wheels.  She is getting me new wheels, but it will take two weeks.  They had all kinds of 22.5" hub pilot wheels in stock and ready to go.

The two weeks doesn't bother me as I can't take the bus over there right now due to spring load restrictions I forgot about when I ordered the tires and wheels.