How often should you replace your Rv tires?

I was told by another RVer that you should replace your RV tires every couple of years. Any opinions and experiences on that?

We're new to this and have had our RV 3 years now.

I worry to death about a blow out. I realize it can happen, no matter how careful you are. We do check our pressure before every trip and keep an eye on them during our trip.

They are maxxis grade E 16 inch tires.

I've read that they should be replaced every 6 years regardless of wear. I keep mine covered in between trips and I spray them with a tire treatment. My previous trailer had the original tires for 8 + years before they were replaced, however when they were changed one of them had a 12" strip of tread missing that I failed to see. Guess that says I should have replaced them at least a year sooner.

I have read that replacing trailer tires is a matter of time, not mileage. It makes sense.

Thanks for the input.

It depends on the conditions the tire is subjected to and the quality of the tire itself. (4-7 years) Storing them with max. air pressure and the weight removed will increase its life. Do you store your RV inside or leave out in the weather.

It sits outside in our driveway. It would nice to have it under roof, but.....

There are all sorts of pros & cons about tire aging. Nothing is concrete. Warranties for tires used on the RV trailer will vary from 2-5 years. If they last to the warranty expiration date and are used on a regular basis I would use the warranty as a gauge.

FastEagle

RV tires are a different animal. My experience has been if you don`t get the axles aligned and tires balanced the tires will be useless in about 2 yrs. We made a trip to the keys with a brand new S.O.B. and by the time I got home to Canada the tires were bald. Got rid of them did an alignment and balance and the new tires lasted and are still going 5+ years. On the other hand if I still owned that 5th wheel I would change them in 1-2 yrs for a total of 7 years of use. I park mine on cement but others park their 5ers on dirt which some say is not good for the tires. Check them regularly after every trip for wear and tear.

Rrloren said:

I've read that they should be replaced every 6 years regardless of wear. I keep mine covered in between trips and I spray them with a tire treatment. My previous trailer had the original tires for 8 + years before they were replaced, however when they were changed one of them had a 12" strip of tread missing that I failed to see. Guess that says I should have replaced them at least a year sooner.

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My understanding is the only tire treatment that should be used is soap and water. I know that making the tires shine looks good but if it effects tire life it should not be used. Hopefully some one more knowledegable will chime in on this.

The rule of thumb is 5-7 years. Same for your TV. We tend to do the tires of both vehicles every 6 years and we do use a tire pressure monitoring system and keep the tires inflated close to max. There is no hard and fast rule and you really can't tell when you need new tires.

We had a friend who kept his tires too long("they looked OK" according to him) and had $2000 worth of damage when the tire blew. He quickly replaced all his tires.

Better being safe than sorry.

That is why I worry so. Its not the blown tire, but the damage it causes. A friend just had the same problem. Took out a bunch of stuff. What a pain.

I might let them slide one more year, two at the most. Thanks.

Tom of Ypsi said:

My understanding is the only tire treatment that should be used is soap and water. I know that making the tires shine looks good but if it effects tire life it should not be used. Hopefully some one more knowledegable will chime in on this.

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You want UV protection to extend life of rubber like tires and seals.. Something like Aerospace 303 Protectant is good for rubber.

I had read that 7 years was the maximum and on our last trailer I pushed it to the 7 and got a blowout (lucky no damage). I've read more recently that with the more intense sun tires should be replced more often. I just replaced my 06 tires last year, 2 reasons, made in China and 4 yrs. old..../Doug

Everyone has information about how long to keep tires on their RV. About all of them has been stated here.

I think to look at the information it should be fairly accurate to say the following.

If you travel only short distances and take a couple of 2 or 3 week trips a year, your tires will not ware as much as those that pull fulltime or a lot. At this time if you have tires that have good tread but are about 4-5 years old you need to be looking for new tires. Tires that sit a lot they have a tendency to deteriorate. As a tire is being used they flex. The tires are designed to flex and if they don't over a long period of time it is not good for the tire.

If you travel a lot, your tread life will most likely be shorter than 5 years. The scrubbing when turning and parking as well as the ware down the road will cause the tires to have a shorter life span.

If you have a brand that is made in China you may get some mileage out of them, however as many have stated on this forum, you also have the chance of it coming apart and causing damage to your trailer.

So to make it simple, the life of your tire and the tread ware depends on how much you travel. The more you travel the quicker they ware but the less you travel the less they ware but deteriorate with age. If they make it to 5 or 6 years replace them.

That is my thoughts.

BC

One of the major factors people tend to overlook when evaluating their RV trailer tires is their design. The chemicals used in the ST tire are very different from those used in the LT or P tires. The sidewalls in the ST tire are polyester which will in itself age faster than the steel/nylon sidewalls found in most LT/P tires. ST tires do not store well at all because of the loads on them combined with pressure bleed off. On the low end of the market you will find major ST manufacturers such as Carlisle with only two year warranties. If they don’t think their tires will last any longer than that, why should you? Just remember this, the ST written on the trailer tires makes them very different from the tires you are used to driving around on.

TireHobby

Thanks to all for your comments!!!!

Excellent advice. I really appreciate it.

I was told by a tire dealer, what is actually on my trailer now is a good tire. (still china made... what does that say to me.)

I will be looking for tires next summer. I will give it one more year (which will make them four yrs old) and hope it goes okay. You hate to spend all that money to soon and needlessly.

TXBobcat said:

Everyone has information about how long to keep tires on their RV. About all of them has been stated here.

I think to look at the information it should be fairly accurate to say the following.

If you travel only short distances and take a couple of 2 or 3 week trips a year, your tires will not ware as much as those that pull fulltime or a lot. At this time if you have tires that have good tread but are about 4-5 years old you need to be looking for new tires. Tires that sit a lot they have a tendency to deteriorate. As a tire is being used they flex. The tires are designed to flex and if they don't over a long period of time it is not good for the tire.

If you travel a lot, your tread life will most likely be shorter than 5 years. The scrubbing when turning and parking as well as the ware down the road will cause the tires to have a shorter life span.

If you have a brand that is made in China you may get some mileage out of them, however as many have stated on this forum, you also have the chance of it coming apart and causing damage to your trailer.

So to make it simple, the life of your tire and the tread ware depends on how much you travel. The more you travel the quicker they ware but the less you travel the less they ware but deteriorate with age. If they make it to 5 or 6 years replace them.

That is my thoughts.

BC

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We find this to be the case as well.

ptillett
Just something to think about. You said you are going to change out the tires next summer. I know replacing the tires on your Sundance can be expensive.

But think about it in this way.
Buying a set of 5 Michelin XP Ribs at the Tire Rack would run $1,300.00 plus mounting, balance and a warranty.

If one of your tires blew out and damaged your trailer you might find something like this.
Loss of time on vacation/RV trip - unknown
Repair of trailer - could run into $2,000
Tow if needed - unknown
Replacement of the blown tire - $150 - 200.

If another does not blow up while on the trip this may be all, but if you blow another one start the count again maybe on the other side of your trailer.

Removing the China tires and replacing them with a quality tire is cheaper insurance. And it is a safety factor for you and your family.

Remember the old advertisement... Pay me now or pay me later..

FWIW
BC

Here in Phoenix it is mandatory to replace your trailer tires every two years whether you move the trailer or not. Many times myself as well as close friends have experienced several tire failures on the same trip with tires just over two years old that still appeared to be brand new.

It's difficult to lay out that kind of cash every two years on tires, but not as difficult as changing a tire on the shoulder of the highway at night on a busy weekend, or repairing the trailer after the tread peels off the tire and shreds everything in it's path.

sandpirate said:

Here in Phoenix it is mandatory to replace your trailer tires every two years whether you move the trailer or not. Many times myself as well as close friends have experienced several tire failures on the same trip with tires just over two years old that still appeared to be brand new.

It's difficult to lay out that kind of cash every two years on tires, but not as difficult as changing a tire on the shoulder of the highway at night on a busy weekend, or repairing the trailer after the tread peels off the tire and shreds everything in it's path.

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How does that work? Does Phoenix have Tire Police?

I usually change tires every 4th years, that was when we used the rv each weekend. Now that we work camp, the rv sit for 5 months at a time, I think this is very hard on the tires and I will change them every 3 years. But my first change will be this fall to get the China tires off and put Michellins on.