Thanks Mandy. You are in Apple Valley, so you know the distance problem I'm dealing with. I'm up in Ridgecrest, and as we joke up here, "I have to drive 90 miles to buy a nice shirt". It appears a lot of folks in the BAC have much bigger coaches, which use the much bigger tires, which is to be expected given that the 30' Monterey's seem to be a bit on the scarce side. Like I said, being able to use the larger ones opens up a realm of options I don't currently have, which is why I'm asking.
I'm always kind of amazed at some of the judgements I see online. I think suggesting that I'm somehow putting myself, my loved ones, and the general public's life at significant risk is pretty presumptuous with as little data as I've posted. The braking and bump/roll/wind steer/side draft on a coach is far more dangerous than my tire situation. I'm in the process obviously, of replacing them. I'm still employed and live in a very remote location, so I don't have the ability to just drop everything and get it done - moreover, the risk is not increasing in any meaningful way while it sits in my driveway.
I'm pretty knowledgeable about tires. I buy a lot of 'em. I carry my own machine and balancer in my trailer. It's because I drive one of these. . Have a tire problem, or more likely a lapse in concentration in one of these and you are definitely the first one at the scene of the accident.... You can actually feel when the tire pressure is off by more than a half pound or so.
And I have a lot of tires to buy in the next few weeks. Had two belt failures on the car hauler on the way back and a spare that didn't hold up - despite being exceedingly careful regarding weight/speed/pressure, etc. Given that they were both on the left side I'm betting road damage - but considering this is the second set with belt problems I'm biting the bullet, buying wider wheels, going to the next larger size, load range E, and the new made in the USA GY tires that are actually speed rated. There's six of those, and another three needed for my cargo trailer, plus the RV, and two sets for the race car. So yeah, there's something about buying $5K of tires that will make you price sensitive.
I've read just about everything I can find online, from the manufacturers and others in the industry regarding RV tires and aging, and the consensus is that after 5 years tires be inspected annually - which I do more than annually - and that they be replaced before 10 years. The industry consensus is also that everybody chill out about date codes - what's important is when the tire is put in service more than when it popped out of the mold.
More importantly, I know the history of the tires (which were purchased the day I picked up the coach) and the event that damaged the sidewall - which is a crack caused by stressing the rubber when it was dragged around a curb in a tight parking lot. That damage is six years old, and while I am concerned, like I said, it hasn't progressed. Heck, they haven't even required air in nearly three years. I just drove it from Jacksonville, NC back here to Cali and we looked for tires all along the route, with no joy as far as finding 265/75s without a pre-order. If I could get a better used tire I would throw it on just till I can get the others, but that brings me back to the original post:
It's an odd size; and nobody has answered original question regarding the transmission, which I doubt is a big deal, but like I said, I've had a negative experience with too much diameter in the past, and I don't want to further marginalize the cooling system. I figure driving these mountains while towing every time I take it out is punishment enough.
So having said that, does anyone whose coach uses smaller tires have any experience moving to the larger size?