Do I need to be worried about my tires?

[firemailwv]

I have a 2011 big country that came from the factory with sailun s637's in 235/85/16. I'm still running these same tires and estimate that the camper has about 10000 miles on it. I see no issues with the tires but have read that camper tires need to be replaced around the five year mark regardless of mileage.

So my question, do I need to replace them?


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[Bones]

Short Answer no. I put these tires on my camper and have been extremely happy

 

[danemayer]

Hi firemailwv,

I think there used to be a 7 year rule of thumb on replacing RV tires, whether worn or not. Today, the advice is mixed, and vague. Some experts say that weakening of the rubber fibers due to heat is the primary determinant. Unfortunately, we don't have any way to evaluate that weakening.

If you keep your tires covered with white covers, which reflect heat better than black covers, and always drive a maximum of 65 mph, and keep the tires inflated to max cold sidewall pressure, you should have longer life.

Roger Marble (Tireman9 on this forum) has additional info on his website.

 

[olcoon]

Short Answer no. I put these tires on my camper and have been extremely happy

I think the OP is concerned about the age of the tires. It looks like the rig is about 6 years old. IMHO (I'm by far an expert), but I would think that if you have plenty of tread left, and you don't see any weather checks on the tires, or other damage, you "should" be good. I'd keep an eye on them though.

 

[dbbls59]

Setting idle is hard on tires. If you have used it regularly, like once every few weeks, you are problems ok. Watch for weather checking.

 

[firemailwv]

So what exactly is weather checking? Cracks?


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[Bones]

My bad. My next question is was Heartland sending rigs out with Saliun tires then? I would recommend checking the branded date on the tires and not going by the age of the rig first.

 

[dbbls59]

So what exactly is weather checking? Cracks?


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Cracks in the rubber surface. This usually starts around the wheel. These cracks allow moisture to get inside the tire and it can damage the cords and belts. If you start seeing cracks it's time to replace tires.

 

[firemailwv]

Ok. That is always what I check for, but didn't know they were referred to as weather checking. Thanks!


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