Tire replacement

[BandJ]

The tires on the RV are 5 years old, but have only 15,000 miles on them.

The tire ttread is still likie new, but there appears to be some cracking along the side walls. What is the rule of thumb for when to replace the tires.

[8.1al]

The general consensus is to replace the tires every 5-7 years. If there is some cracking on the sidewall I would do it now. I know tires aren't cheap but they are cheaper than the damage one could cause if it were to disentegrate

[padredw]

I will add a "second" to Charlie's response. The tread and mileage are usually not factors in the replacement of trailer tires. Instead, it is the length of time in service. There have been recent warnings that would suggest that about 5 years is the time to consider replacement.

My own (original) tires have 30,000 miles and show very little tread wear (no uneven wear), but I have 3 years on them and will begin to consider replacement within a year or two.

[Parrothead]

I'm going to third the 5 year replacement. We had two bad blowouts on our previous 5er. Tires had a lot of tread left but were old and not heavy enough. The blowouts broke the "fender" thing that is over the tires as well as scaring us to death. The steel in the tire wrapped around the axle and it took a long time to get it changed (and it was 104 degrees). Good Sam road service was great. We talked to several tire dealers after that and they all said it is the age not the tread for RV tires you want to consider as well as having the right weight and inflation.
Happy trails...................

[sreigle]

I'll add my agreement with the 5 year and the sidewall checking but would add that it's the EARLIER of 5 years or weatherchecking. I think that's implied already but thought I'd just say it out loud.

[BandJ]

Thanks , as usual great advice.

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

I'll add my agreement with the 5 year and the sidewall checking but would add that it's the EARLIER of 5 years or weatherchecking. I think that's implied already but thought I'd just say it out loud.

[harleyrider]

your tires are 5 years old with cracks in the sidewall.Its time to replace them now.tread wear has little to do with when to replace.My tires were only 4 years old but cracking so I replaced them all including the never before used spare tire.You`ll feel better with new tires and you`ll feel safer as well.

[Montana Sky]

Another thing one can do to help keep your tires up is try to use tire covers as often as possible. I use them on the coach when parked for longer than a week at a spot as well as on the boat trailer while it is not being used. I am amazed at how well these covers prolong your tires life. Just another thought~

[kdeiss]

When I had my tires replaced dealer said replace in 3 Years keek them covered and use a product like Armour All.This dealer does a lot of work on trailers.

[Montana_738]

Question on tire covers,

I have been covering only one side of my rig with tire covers when I am at home. This is the only side the sun hits. I do use tire treatment on all the tires and put the tire treatment on each time I wash the rig, and that is pretty often. Does anyone feel that I should be covering all the tires, even the ones in shade? I'm curious on everyones thoughts.

Thanks

Bill

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Determining the age of a tire.......

When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Code (serial number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Codes are really batch codes that identify which week and year the tire was produced.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Code be a combination of eleven or twelve letters and numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size, manufacturer’s code, and week and year the tire was manufactured.

Today, the week and year the tire was manufactured is contained in the last four digits of the serial number, with the 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.

Examples of tires manufactured since 2000 with this Tire Identification Code format:

XXXXXXXX 0600
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0600 00 - Manufactured during 2000

And

XXXXXXXX 0604
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0604 04 - Manufactured during 2004

The Tire Identification Code for tires produced prior to 2000 was based on the assumption that no tire would be in service for ten years. They were required to provided the same information, with the week and year the tire was built contained in the last three digits. The 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceded a single digit used to identify the year.

For example, if the Tire Identification Code on a tire reads:

XXXXXXXX 0680
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0680 8 - Manufactured during the 8th year of the decade

While the previous serial number format identified that a tire was built in the 9th year of a decade, there was no universal identifier that confirmed which decade (tires produced in the 1990s may have a small triangle following the Tire Identification Code to identify the decade). The Tire Identification Code format used since 2000 accurately confirms the year.

And finally, hold on to your sales receipts. Most tire manufacturer's warranties cover their tires for four years from the date of purchase, or five years from the week the tires were manufactured. So if you purchase new tires that were manufactured exactly two years ago they will be covered for a total of six years (four years from the date of purchase) as long as you have your receipt. If you lose your receipt, your tires’ warranty coverage will end five years from week the tire was produced (resulting in the tire manufacturer's warranty coverage ending only three years from the date of purchase in this example).