39 - Forced Re-tire-ment?

April-2023. This it the time of year for our return trip from Yuma AZ to our Parker CO home. Because of our activity schedule and unseasonably cool weather, we did not use the Orion at all during the whole five month winter season. I only checked on it periodically in storage to run the generator for a few minutes, and drive the coach a couple of miles for "exercise". To prepare for travel, we spent a couple of days cleaning, washing, waxing, checking fluids and tires, and flushing the water system. Then we loaded all our stuff, which seems to increase each year.

Our usual route is I-8 to I-10 at Casa Grande, to Las Cruces NM, then north on I-25 to the Denver area. Fully loaded and towing Baby Mac (Smart car), the trip started normally. Just past Casa Grande, I started to feel some vibration. I stopped and checked all the tires and looked for any problems but didn't see anything. As I drove on, the vibration got worse and the steering wheel was shaking a bit. I slowed down and we managed to get to a tire store in Tucson. The service guy pointed out a slight bulge in the middle of the right front tire. This store did not have the odd Transit size (195/75-16C), but he called and located tires at a store in southeast Tucson (luckily, on our route). 

They only had Michelin tires in the right size. Michelins are great tires overall, but I would not pick them given a choice because they are the most expensive, and I thought the tread pattern was overly aggressive for highway driving. The OEM Hankook tires have performed well despite the one failing. Phrynie's tires are about seven years old which is considered end of life, and there is some sidewall cracking. So, I need to accept that it's time to replace them all despite the fact that they have plenty of tread left.

Given no option, two new Michelin tires were installed on the front. The tire problem cost us about four hours delay, but we still managed to get to our planned campground. The rest of the trip home was uneventful and I have to admit that the Michelin tires seem perfectly fine; smooth riding and quiet. Now I have to plan to have the four rear tires replaced before our next trip.

When we are enroute and not staying in an area, it's always nice to be able to get a nice pull-through campsite and just hook up to shore power. I didn't have to unhook the car the whole trip home. This is our spot at Black Mesa Casino north of Albuquerque.

When I say we are loaded during our migration trips, that means all our food and clothing and tools and hobbies and computers and tech gear and stuff that we transfer between our two houses. We usually have four modular boxes of goods placed in the shower stall. A large tote box of food and kitchen stuff is in the back of the car along with hobby stuff and bags of shoes. The coach compartments get miscellaneous odd-sized stuff along with my tools and coach service stuff. Since I don't want to own duplicate equipment, I pack a circular saw, hand grinder, saber saw, nail gun, drill kit, and complete tool set. Of course, the fridge is full along with the pantry and closets. Yes, it all fits and we can still live comfortably, and still under the gross combined weight limits for Phrynie.

Here is how I make use of the large side rear compartment by adding a couple of wire shelves and using a cargo net to keep stuff in place. I've got a full set of dual leveling blocks on the bottom there. I keep four more single blocks spread out under the passenger floor mat. I mostly use those because they are easier to access and I usually don't need more than one or two.