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Old 09-23-2009, 05:49 PM   #1
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Keep a close eye on those front tires!!!

We have had our new Georgetown for just a year now and I hadn't given it much though but the other day a guy walking by in the campground asked if I knew my front tires were shot! I never expected it from a 1 year old rig but sure enough the front tires were worn bald for the inside half of both of them and the outside half was almost gone. Seems that FR must not have re-alligned the front end after building the coach on the chassis. I ended up having to have two new tires put on to the price tag of $880 installed. Thankfully they were able to come to me in the campground instead of driving the rig into a shop as we were trying to get some fishing done.

Moral: If you have a new motorhome keep a REAL close eye on those front tires for irregular wear. I feel stupid (if not a bit poorer) for not having done so.
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Old 09-23-2009, 06:55 PM   #2
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Yikes!! $880 for 2 tires? I hope they were special.

If your front tires were worn on the edges, inside and outside, perhaps under-inflation? Could cause pre-mature wear. Also, if the front axle tires are worn and the rears are not, perhaps the front axle is doing most of the work? Does your trailer tow nose down? I could see mis-alignment tearing off one side or another but both sides seems like under-inflation or over-loading.
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Old 09-23-2009, 06:57 PM   #3
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Thank goodness for our fellow campers.
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Old 09-23-2009, 06:58 PM   #4
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My apology. Not familiar with Georgetown and just noticed your signature; apparently a coach. Still, under-inflation is a possibility?
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Old 09-23-2009, 08:31 PM   #5
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You mention one year old, but you failed to give the mileage. Also check the brand tires that came off for a recall. Oh, and don't forget to have the alignment checked now that you have new tires, or you're no better off.
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:39 PM   #6
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I'd be curious to know your mileage, weights and pressures if you have that information.

I have 7500miles on mine and they still look new. It's only a ferw months old though.
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:51 PM   #7
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Angry

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Originally Posted by ronhanson View Post
I'd be curious to know your mileage, weights and pressures if you have that information.

I have 7500miles on mine and they still look new. It's only a ferw months old though.
I had 9300 miles on the rig since new, the tire pressure is as stated by the manufacturer. The wear was on the inner half of EACH tire not of the same tire indicating a poor alignment. My suspicion is that FR failed to have the coach realigned after the coach was built as they should. Since the warranty is out now there is no recourse other than to just take it to have the alignment checked. Since the tires are the big ones (22.5s) they ran $371 each plus installation and tax. Also since the mobile truck doesn't have a spin balancer they had to use Equal internal balancer which is an extra charge. I wished I had been carrying the spare I had bought with the rig, would have at least saved me $371. Problem is when you need it you need it, no time to shop around for best price. Uggghh.
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:53 PM   #8
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Thank goodness for our fellow campers.
Amen to that brother, gotta look out for each other...
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Old 09-23-2009, 10:24 PM   #9
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I concur with the alignment (negative camber) theory if its just the inside of the tire wearing faster. You mentioned outside also which confused me into thinking the center was fine and you were wearing your edges.
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Old 09-24-2009, 05:59 AM   #10
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We just turned over 8500 miles. I haven't noticed any wear but will definitely be keeping a closer eye on the tires. Thankfully it was spotted while you were parked instead of on the shoulder after a blow out.Thanks for the heads up.
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Old 09-24-2009, 08:23 AM   #11
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Is everybody here trying to a politician? I asked what tire pressure? Answer, "as stated by the manufacturer". What manufacturer, the tire, the truck, or the coach? Actually maybe the question should have been when YOU go out, not anybody else, and check the tires with a GOOD tire gauge, what is the reading in PSI? PSI will be the black the set of numbers if the gauge also has a red scale for metric pressure. The correct answer will be some sort of number, between 80 and 130. Now when you said pressure as per manufacture, which one? Where are you getting this number, from tire sidewall, owners manual, door post? Just trying to help, but gotta have numbers to work with, and the sources they came from. You have to be the hands, eyes, ears, and don't let anybody else tell you what a pressure is, check for yourself. Oh yea, don't forget to check the inside rears, with a gauge, don't just look at them.
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Old 09-25-2009, 03:25 PM   #12
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There could a combination of issues here. If the tires were ONLY worn on the inside, too much negative camber sounds like a real possibility. If there is also abnormal wear on the outside, it could be under-inflation. Or a combination of both. It might be worth getting another gauge to monitor your air pressure. If you get a couple of different gauges agreeing, then you can rule out gauge error.
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Old 09-25-2009, 10:54 PM   #13
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There could a combination of issues here. If the tires were ONLY worn on the inside, too much negative camber sounds like a real possibility. If there is also abnormal wear on the outside, it could be under-inflation. Or a combination of both. It might be worth getting another gauge to monitor your air pressure. If you get a couple of different gauges agreeing, then you can rule out gauge error.
Judging by the wear on the tires and because I do keep a close eye on inflation it certainly was NOT a presure issue. I think you hit the nail right on the head with a camber problem. As soon as I have time It will be into a shop for an alignment but since we have no plans to use it for a while it will just sit in the garage. Problem with alignment issues and the reason I started this post is that it can be nearly undetectable until too late. I would assume that most everyone here keeps an eye on their tire presure and knows how to read the wear patterns but if FR fails to align the rig AFTER its built on the chassis then a year after you buy the thing you end up with half bald tires regardless of tire presure.
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Old 09-26-2009, 11:29 AM   #14
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Don't just let it sit and assume that an alignment can be done in one day. I would get it to the shop. They may have to order parts that could take weeks to arrive. Gotta be done, so might as well get it over with. Also as part of my tire pressure check routine, I always take time to look at the tread and wear pattern. Also note that if one tire is lower than the others, it's time to find out why, nail, screw in tire, valve stem cracked, what ever the problem is. Better to fix at home where you know the shops, and can take the time, instead of on the road, and have to pay hefty service calls.
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Old 09-26-2009, 05:01 PM   #15
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Don't just let it sit and assume that an alignment can be done in one day. I would get it to the shop. They may have to order parts that could take weeks to arrive. Gotta be done, so might as well get it over with. Also as part of my tire pressure check routine, I always take time to look at the tread and wear pattern. Also note that if one tire is lower than the others, it's time to find out why, nail, screw in tire, valve stem cracked, what ever the problem is. Better to fix at home where you know the shops, and can take the time, instead of on the road, and have to pay hefty service calls.
In my particular case we have no plans to use the rig, can't afford to do the alignment or put gas in it right now so i'll wait a month or so to get the alignment done, other things are just more important money wise and the cost of the new tires was a real hit. As I always change my own oil I usually take time to check out everything under the rig each time by rolling around on the creeper and checking for things loose or hanging where they shouldn't be. Just didn't pay any attention to the tread on those front tires. And your right about fixing it at home. That's why I have a preventative maintenance schedule on my Jeep so that I don't have to replace u-joints, axles, differentials out on the trail somewhere. Much easier to replace a U-joint at home with the hydraulic press than out on the trail with a hammer.
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Old 10-06-2009, 07:34 PM   #16
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I just bought a new Georgetown in May 09. Drove it home and took a few short trips and had about 1300 miles on it. Checked the air several times always at 80 psi. Then I left for a one month trip to CA, when I got back as I was checking the tires I noticed the left front had about half the tread as the others, which I verified with calipers. This is at 5800 miles now. The right front had some wear on the inside edge. Took it to an alignment shop and the toe was off quite a bit, camber also off. I went ahead and swapped the LF with the new spare I had bought 2 months earlier for $330. After further research I found this is quite common. Lesson learned even with a brand new rig, have the alignment checked. $150 well spent. Dealer said no way FR will pay for alignment with 5800 miles on rig, but it takes a while to notice the wear, although I wasn't checking for wear, I just noticed it because it became obvious.
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