Samson 8R19.5 Tire Question

[eXodus]

so the first 600 miles at the Samson,
and I'm pleased. With the factory pressure setting regarding charts (65 psi all around) I did get flat looking tires in the back and relatively good looking in the front.


So i increased the pressure in the front to 70psi and 75 in the back. I had 60 PSI in the front Airbags Was good ride, but when the Semi did overtake the whole rig was kinda little unstable.


For the Ride home I did increase the pressure in the dually to 80psi and the Airbags to 80 PSI. This made a whole world difference in driving.  So far for the next trip I will go for a scale and try doing the pressure by weight.  The Samson are rated up to 110psi, I need a new compressor mine does barely 100.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I typically keep all my tires inflated to 90psi, and the front airbags to 70 psi...but we ride heavy being fulltimers and all.

Kev

[eXodus]

hey kev,

good hint. Will try for the next trip to get even a little higher at the pressure.

PSI         70    75    80      85     90    95    100   105  110

SINGLE 2540 2680 2835 2955 3075 3195 3305 3415 3525

DUAL    4920 5140 5360 5570 5780 6000 6200 6400 6610

[Rickf1985]

Check the temps of the tires after riding for a while. At 65 lbs. mine were WAY too hot. I ended up with 90 lbs. all around and that seems to give good temps on the tires. The rears still get kind of hot but not so hot I can't put my hand on them. The Samsons seem to need a lot more air than what the door sticker calls for. Then again I do not see any tires that would run long at 65 lbs in the rear.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Just remember, for P30 19.5", the rims have a max PSI rating between 80 and 95 psi (depending on rim code beside valve stem) no matter what the tire says.  Section 0B in the chassis manual.

For Dodge 17.5" rims. the max rating is 70 psi.

Dave

[eXodus]

That is interesting, the rims have pressure ratings ? What happens if you go over the max pressure ? The valve pops out ? Or the tire will slip of the rim ?
Will look at my rim.

My Rig has a GCWR of 14,800 empty 12,000 and I was driving with only stuff for a weekend - so 70 psi should be enough.  My rears didn't get more hot then the front after increasing to 80. Could place my flat hand on them after 3 hours of driving and was not hot.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Rim welds can break loose or rim can crack.

Dave

[bakerman]

I just got back from a short trip my new Samsons  now have about 500 miles on them and they are great. They had 100 psi from the tire shop I lower them to 90 then to 85 they ride great my wife thinks its better that the old Michelins.  Thanks to Clydesdale Kevin for his write up, more to come as I put more miles I really think these tires are great.     Bakerman   keep them shining

[DonD]

Have them on the rear of the bus, Double Coins on the front. If school systems use them.......Must be OK.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

My rims say max psi 95, which is why I keep them to 90 psi all around.  Still a little give, but less rolling resistance for slightly better fuel economy...and every little bit helps!

Kev

[bakerman]

Well I now have about 2500 miles on my Samsons they are supper, ride is great and have told several of my friends about the tires ad they are shocked at the price I paid for 6 tires. We have had some cold weather and then its back into the 70's I'm keeping a close watch on air pressure as I always have keeping them at 85 psi . To say the least I'm very pleased with the tires and would recommended them to anyone over the alternative. Keep them shining   

[Pogo397]

Does anyone know if the Samson tires have a steel sidewall.

[bakerman]

 The Samson GL283A style has 1 steel belted side wall and 4 steel belted  tread the they provide a great ride mine are G load rating and 14 total ply.  I had F on the coach before I thought it would ride ruff but that's not the case you can control your ride with air pressure to some extent. The size my coach has is 225 70 19.5 Hope this helps have a great day    Keep the shining

[Pogo397]

Thanks that's what I needed. 

[bakerman]

I was reading some old post and realized I had not updated some post I made. I now have about 6000 miles on my set of Samsons  the tire ride great and I have recommended them to a number of rv's  I have seen several of my friends have failures with there tires and I have had a failure myself years ago with the american made tires. I believe these tire are good quality they hold air very good and the price was well within my retirement budget. So far so good I truly think they will age out before I wear them out.  Keep them shining 

[Rickf1985]

  Updates! I love updates. Mine are working just fine as well. Now if I could only find some ROUND wheels! i??

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Many miles later, and mine are still holding up perfectly!  Very little tread wear, no sidewall cracking or checkering (although we keep them covered when parked), and the ride is excellent.  I'm very pleased with our Samson tires!

Kev

[Froggy1936]

As far as covering Tires  I covered my last set of new Firestones . It seems like a waste of time They started cracking @ 7 yrs just like it was programed in THe tread was still at 50% left  I replaced them with the same Firestones due to it seems they are the only ones making 16.5 tires I no longer cover them at all I will plan on buying used tires and 16 in wheels next time The only problem I see is wether the 16s will clear the frt calipers , They can be ground down a small amt if necc Hope to find some low mile takeoffs Where somebody went with new wheels and tires Ha Ha ! Frank

[Rickf1985]

I hate to tell you Frank but the 16's are the new 16.5's. They are the next in line for being obsolet. Every manufacturer has gone to 17 and 18 inch tires now with 20" standard on some vehicles. I would love to know why. Other than the fact they are bigger and do not fall into potholes as easily. Hm?

[Froggy1936]

Thanks for the tip. Mabey I should just look for 8 hole 17 in Chevrolet wheels & tires No caliper problem either Also gain a little ground clearance , Only down side is a higer step up to get in or out , A problem with age ! Ha Ha  Frank

[Rickf1985]

The higher step could be avoided by going with a slightly lower profile tire that would keep it at the same overall height as original. That would also keep your speedometer and gear ratios the same.

[bluebird]

Getting ready to place an order for a set of Samson 225x70x19.5 for the Daybreak I just bought, and for my buddies Storm. I got a quote for $110.00 each plus 17.00 for shipping and 4.44 fet. Having them shipped to a terminal near my house. Going with dyna beads for balancing. My coach has a couple tires with a date code of 01 and a 08 and a 07, replacing them all. I had Bridgestones on my Challenger but the price for this size is almost $300.00 per tire. I'm getting 6 tires for the price of 2 Bridgestones. This coach I have now has a 216.8 in. wheelbase and it rides real good even with the old tires. New tires ought to improve the already awesome ride.  I'll never wear them out.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

You won't be disappointed!  I've put a lot of miles on mine, and am quite pleased with them.

Kev

[Rickf1985]

I was talking to the tire guy, an old timer, when I got mine. He told me that Samson uses a lot more UV stabilizer in their tires to protect from sun damage. This is a carryover from their heavy truck lines that tend to sit on trailers in lots for years sometimes. We will see.

[bluebird]

Placed the order for 12 225x70x19.5 from simple tire total with shipping to my house was $1529.03. My buddies brother found a tire machine for us to use. We went down this morning to see if it would work for us. Little harder than working on car tires but went pretty smooth. The tire we broke down this morning was a 20 year old spare that was original on my buddies storm. New tires will be here Friday.