RV Tire Age, Care & Replacement
Do RV tires really have to be replaced every 5, 6 or 7 years? How can you tell how old your tires are? How can you make them last as long as possible? Here’s how to get the most life and use out of your RV tires.
Unlike car tires, which are usually replaced because the treads are worn out, RVs are often driven far fewer miles each year. Most RV tires have to be replaced due to age long before the tread is worn out and our tires are no exception. Even though there’s plenty of tread left, it’s almost time for new rubber.
We’ll be replacing our original tires soon, because this spring, our motorhome will be 10 years old. Now before you start e-mailing to tell us that RV tires can’t be used for more than 5 or 6 or 7 years, watch this entire video. We’ll show you how we’ve safely driven on the same tires for nearly a decade.
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UPDATES: The DOT manufacture date on a tire’s sidewall may not always be inside a little oval. Also, towables, especially multi axle rigs, have slightly different guidelines, as being towed places different stresses on the tires. Large 5th wheels may need to replace tires as early as 3 to 5 years. Check with your manufacturer to be sure.
The piano music is my own performance of Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag from 1899.
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That’s a nice mountain aire, I also have a 2004 motorhome.
Where did you get those tire covers? Please let me know and thanks!!
I guess if you live mobile full time you can offset this sticker shock against property taxes etc.
Thanks for the information. What brand are your tire covers?
In Canada nine years old is the limit . $400.00 fine per tire .
Make sure u have a TPMS!!!
Wait my RV tires are almost 13 years :O but they look brand new!
excellent video !
Where can I purchase hard tires covers such as you have? sleeper416@yahoo.com
HEY THERE, PATRICK.P HERE- I WONDER IF YOU WOULD BE KIND ENOUGH TO GIVE YOUR FEELINGS ON INCREASING THE "STEER TIRES " ON A 2003 HOLIDAY RAMBLER- IT HAS 2 SETS OF DUALS TIRE SIZE 245/70R/19.5- I WISH TO PLACE A LARGER TIRE "STAYING IN THE CURRENT 19.5 RIM? ANY FEEDBACK APPRECIATED; ALL TIRES ARE 245/70R/19.5- THIS SIZE IS ALSO BECOMING HARD TO FIND AT A REASONALE COST!!!
Where did you purchase your tire covers?
Especially those who buy used RV's with midlife tires like me, you have no idea if they were abused the first 5, 6, or 7 years. Mine were all 6-7 yrs old, good tread, but the fronts were replaced with inferior tires of a lower weight rating. Adding up all the max loads for each tire doesn't even get me to the gross vehicle weight rating. Be sure to check this if buying used or new. People make mistakes. That's like playing roulette with your life on the highway at 55-65. No thanks. I'm having all my tires replaced, then begin following the advice in the video to hopefully get 10 yrs from the tires SAFELY.
Hey there John and Pete I am considering purchasing a TPMS for my 30' Winnebago A-class unit. Just interested to get some feedback on the pro's/con's. We are not full timers like yourselves but I am always concerned especially if we are going up the Coquihalla into the BC interior or on Hwy 3 into the Kootney's . Big fan keep up the great work!!!
What model is your RV? And what’s its tire size?
Thanks so much for the feed back. Happy New Year and safe travels😊
To you have to rotate your tires? I have had trouble with by rear dully tire extenders with one tire minder being broken off completely. The tire dealer said his advice would be to remove the tire extender completely on the dully tires.
Just watched your video and was impressed of how through you are. Thank you for making the video. One question, the wheels skirts you have are they factory or did you add them, really like how they go on and look.
What type of wheel covers are you using, they really classy
While I'm not saying that I disagree that proper tire inflation is important, one should take into account of air expansion when the tires heat up during use when you go down the road, or just on a normal summer day. Plus, something that wasn't mentioned in the video was people going too fast, people often tend to go 75/80 mph down the highway, when most camper/rv tires are only meant to go maximum of 55/60 mph going down the highway. Why I mention 'mph' when I mention speed is so people who see this comment that use metric, know that I'm using the U.S. measuring system, not say maybe metric or something.
They saw you coming on those tires. $320.00 per tire is more realistic. These are just truck tires.
Thanks, great advice
I have to say GREAT VIDEO! I do have to say too…..Are you a robot? LOL!
What do you use to scrub the outside of your rv with? I Detail/clean tour buses and not to happy with what they buy. They get the job done don't get me wrong
thanks guys for the tips on the tires, I have only had my rv for 1 1/2 mons now and I do have em covered, but I was thinking on cleaning once a month to keep em up to par.
Currently, our trailer is stored in a shaded area unless we are camping maybe 30 days per year, should we use tire covers
What brand of tire covers do you use?
Michelin has 10 year casing.
Chemical Name
Water
85.5%
Polydimethyl Siloxane ( silicone )
12%
Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl),alpha-(2-propylheptyl)-
omega hydroxy
1.4%
Nonylphenol polyethylene glycol ether
1%
Polyethylene glycol
0.05%
Dinonylphenol ethoxylate
0.05%
Where do you find a corner weigh. I have seen CAT scales at the Petr's but they weigh axels and I am guessing that you could put more weight on one side or the other.
Another topic I remember my parents removing the tires from their trailer when they parked it for any length of time (months). My mother even wrote an article for "trailer topics" about tire care.
Hello! We need to replace our RV tires and had questions about balancing. First, did you balance all eight tires, or just the front tires? Second, what method of balancing do you recommend- spin balance? Ceramic beads? Equal powder?
Many thanks!!
Lauren
Where did you get your tire covers on your Mountain Air.  Can not find any like that. Just purchased a Newmar Dutch Star. Thanks
Always nice being turned on to a new product that may actully help contain these costs. From a fellow RV'er – Thanks for the tip.
Where did you get the wheel covers and do you put the boards under every tire while parked?
This was a great video; very informative, and your RV is beautiful. Thanks for the great info and production.
RV tire covers? Make you own. Go to home improvement store and get some 3/4" PVC pipe and 1/2" galvanized pipe. Cut PVC sections long enuff to extend a couple inches beyond the wheel well openings front and rear. Cut the galvanized pipe in sections to match the length of the PVC sections. Get wifey involved…..have her sew a hem top and bottom in some canvas purchased from a fabric store with canvas width to match the pipe and height to reach from top of wheel well to the ground. Basically you are constructing a curtain. The hem should allow the PVC and galvanized pipe sections to slide in easily just like a curtain rod in a curtain. Decide on how you would like to mount your new wheel well curtains. I picked up suction cups from the home improvement store and they hold the curtain in place just fine. Why galvanized pipe? I install galvanized in the bottom hem and it is heavy enuff to keep the curtain in place with galvanized lying on the ground. Another option is to extend the galvanized 1" longer than the curtain on each end then a hole can be drilled thru the galvanized so that a metal tent stake can be pushed thru the hole to anchor the bottom pipe. Works better in windy areas. You will discover when rolled up that these wheel covers take up very little space in the storage hold. If your RV has metal sides, it might be possible to sew in magnets at the top seam of the curtain. Want to get fancy? Take you curtains to an embroidery shop and get you RV brand name or your name, or whatever embroidered on each of your curtains. And you can pull the pipe out and wash them.Cost? Less than $10 per wheel. Hope this helps.
Great video! Can you share with me the manufacturer and type of tire coversyou've had for more than 12 years?
Great video, I found out about the tire date after my first blowout.
Z
i had a set of goodyears last me 12 years i bought a new rv and took care of them and got 43k miles over 12 years before i replaced them with new take good care of your tires and they will take good care of you. btw the only reason i replced them with new goodyears was because i got a hole in the sidewall after running over something and wanted new all the way around
How do u know what rv right for u
I just changed out my 5 year old Goodyears last week. The reason was that just having purchased the rig last year, I had no idea how well the tires had been maintained for their first 4 years of life. Even though I may have tossed 6 good tires, I hope to have better peace of mind knowing that I will be riding on tires that I have maintained. I also found a great deal a set of 6 Coopers from an independent tire shop out the door for $1287.00. Of course we have 19.5 's, much different than your big boys. The date code shows that these tires are fresh, only 2 1/2 months from production. Thanks for the informative video, and happy camping guys!