We are on the road again and heading down to Florida for the winter. Our motorcoach needs new tires and after a lot of research decided to have them replaced in Delaware. Some of our Facebook friends have asked for information and we thought some of our blog friends might find our experience helpful too. We have attended seminars at rallies in the past about tires and it's recommended to have them replaced at 5-6 years of age regardless of wear or mileage. Did you know there is actually a birth date on your tire (click link -how to tell how old a tire is)?
We wanted to replace them as a planned event and not as an emergency going down the road due to a blow out. Along the side of the highway you can be at the mercy of a tire shop and a blow out can cause a lot of damage to the rig.
FMCA (Family Motorcoach Association) has a great benefit to its members. They have a special program though Michelin Advantage Program (click link for program details). We saved $92 per tires by utilizing the program. We also researched the state tax of the ones on our route to Florida. Delaware has no state tax. In New York we would have paid 9%. These new "shoes" are expensive ($3546 for a set of six).
FMCA is a motorcoach organization that offers rallies, seminars, forums, and much more for motorcoach owners. We've attended several of their rallies and found them very informative and well organized. If you are a new motorhome owner we would highly recommend joining. There is a big learning curve to a motorhome and their seminars have been very helpful. Right now membership is open only to motorhome owners, however, this may be changing in the future.
FMCA is a motorcoach organization that offers rallies, seminars, forums, and much more for motorcoach owners. We've attended several of their rallies and found them very informative and well organized. If you are a new motorhome owner we would highly recommend joining. There is a big learning curve to a motorhome and their seminars have been very helpful. Right now membership is open only to motorhome owners, however, this may be changing in the future.
From the website on FMCA we found Service Tire and Truck Center in New Castle Delaware (suburb of Wilmington). Brian was very responsive to all our questions by phone and looked for tires with a recent birth date. Our tires were quickly replace and we were back on the road in about two hours. We were very pleased with this tire center.
They did say we could boondock in their parking lot. However, we decided to stay at a nearby Elks Lodge about one mile from the center. It is tucked in the middle of a neighborhood and there are two sites with 120 electric only. We were welcomed warmly and enjoyed our stay there for the night.
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| Elk Lodge New Castle Delaware |
Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks are next on our itinerary. Check back soon for all the details.
I agree. . .planned events are much more pleasant than unplanned ones. . .and they are gonna happen. . .may as well be on your schedule. . .way to go!
ReplyDeleteJanice
ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.blogspot.com
Was that 20 amps, 30 amps or 50 amps at that Elks lodge? They are all 120 volts (with the 50 amp service being two separate legs of 120 volts each).
ReplyDeleteIt was 20amp plug in from an electric pole.
DeleteI like the idea of listening to Jimmy while reading the blog! What a great idea:)
ReplyDeleteThe theme of our blog is built around the Jimmy Buffet song "Trip Around the Sun".
DeleteThe right age and the right type of tires are so important when you're driving a heavy home down the road. Glad you found what you were looking for without sales tax.(BTW Oregon does not have sales tax either if you're ever on the West Coast.)
ReplyDeleteTravelBug-Susan
Getting new 'shoes' is on my agenda for next spring. Thanks for the reminder. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is really great information! We got new Michelin tires replaced on the MoHo a couple of years ago with our warranty for a great price. But, we also plan to go east in a year or two and travel down the coast to Florida in the late fall, as you are doing. Delaware is a state not yet filled in yet in our map and it is waiting. I'll try to file that state tax information away in some memory bank.
ReplyDeletewhere the rubber meets the road is most important!..congrats on getting new 'shoes'
ReplyDeleteSo glad you got the help you needed and were on the road quickly. Safe travels to Virginia Beach.
ReplyDelete