Tire Covers from WallyWorld :(

Newbie here... So after reading the many posts on Tire Failure and Tire Safety, I decided I better get them things covered. Trying to be frugal I searched about and decided to try WallyWorld for inexpensive covers ($40 bucks USD) that I thought I could get satisfaction from..Wrong 

They list all this stuff on their web site like it is their product, but when you read the fine print you come to find it is a sub-vendor who pays Wally to run their products. Knowing the return policy I decided to try them anyway and ordered the covers.  They came from "AutoBodyNow" and were advertised as "High Quality" (in Chinese means "whatever we can send you").  The first one opened  was looped over my steering tire and in an effort to anchor it down against the wind I looped a piece of plastic rope thru the grommet and pulled...(see picture attached). With little effort at all the grommet pulled right out of the canvas material.

So I wrote to Wally and complained and received a nice letter stating that if I returned them new and in original package they would consider a refund, but I would have to pay the $18 shipping cost (original cost was $40).  Being the one unit now has axle grease on it AND the grommet is ripped right out of the material I doubt I would get any refund. I decided instead to buy a grommet tool and used scrap material and hot-melt glue to reinforce the corners and set new grommets ($22  total).

Good Ole' Walmart has a comment section on purchases, but they only allow 128 characters to make your comment. I found it difficult to vent my frustration there so I brought it here.. sorry!  :'(

_Rusty_ said:

I found it difficult to vent my frustration there so I brought it here.. sorry!  :'(

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I'm glad we could help 

We all hope that the cheap product will be "good enough", but too often it's just junk.    Hope springs eternal, though...
You didn't mention a size, but I see them at Camping World starting at $20 for four (!), and on Amazon starting at about $30 or so.  Not sure if they are any better, but at least the return policies are clear.
I personally don't think that most RV tires really need covering cause they are going to last about the same amount of calendar years anyway, but there is no denying that lab tests show that ultraviolet hastens their downfall.  How well lab tests reflect real world tire life is a tougher evaluation.

We just ordered a windshield/window cover from Walmart, who was selling for a third party vendor. Picked it up at the store. We have a 2016 Ford E450 chassis, and that's what was ordered. We received one for a 2001/2008 Chevy. We had no problem returning it at the customer service desk.

The one thing with Wal-Mart although they have good prices, some of the items I purchased looks like someone returned items.

I personally don't think that most RV tires really need covering

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I like hearing that from the expert, I don't like the look.

Uv will hasten the tires deterioration.
I went to LOWES and got 2 sheets of FRP. Cut them to size and it has been 4 years now with no change in look of them. They are less than 1/4/\ inch thick and go right on top of my spare in it's compartment when I am traveling/
Cheap insurance and you can paint the FRP to match your rig if you want

UV will in fact hurry failure, but excess heat is a more usual failure mode and its effects are not visible. If you insist on using covers make sure they are white and allow good circulation around the tire.

Ernie

I use my covers more for preserving my big shiny aluminum wheels than the tires. I roll my rig often all year long, so keeping the tires serviceable is no problem. But polishing off those hard water spots off of the wheels gets old fast.

We got the "Explore Land Tire Cover 4 Pack, For Jeep, Truck, SUV, Trailer, Camper, RV, Tough Vinyl Wheel Protector, Universal Fits Tire Diameters 29-31.75 inch, Charcoal" off Amazon and they are very nice.  Easy to put on -no straps just a nice strong elastic band and nice and thick, too.  We live in one of the windiest parts of the country and they stay put.  They also come in black, but look good in the charcoal color.

OPINION:  The ultraviolet thing is kind of like a pedestrian crossing a street.  It's clear that the safest approach is to never cross a street, and a second choice is cross only at crosswalks with traffic control signals. But empirically we know that gazillions of people cross streets every day and accidents are infrequent.

I think a case can be made for covering an RV tire that sits in full sun day after day and seldom or never rolls anywhere.  Perhaps of more value in southern climates where the sun is more intense and the sunny season longer. Other than that, I remain skeptical.

Perhaps this will be interesting reading
https://www.consumerreports.org/tires/how-to-keep-your-tires-looking-good/
and Michelin states: excerpts below
If tires sit outdoors, unused for long periods of time (a month or more), their surfaces will become dry and surface cracks can appear.

Storing your tires:
Store your tires indoors in a clean, cool and dark location away from direct sunlight, sources of heat and ozone such as hot pipes or electric generators.
    If you are storing outdoors (recommended for a short time only), raise tires off the ground and use waterproof covering with holes to prevent moisture build-up


https://www.michelinman.com/US/en/help/tire-care.html#tab-3

I've never used covers because I change the tires way before there is enough UV damage to worry about. I know... it feels wrong to get rid of tires with plenty of tread still on them, but I tend to go with the manufacturer's recommendation. It seems logical to me that like any other compound, rubber will fail with time even with no UV exposure.

well here is an update. Walmart sent a "how did we do" letter, and I told them I was dissatisfied.  Someone called and left a message with a follow up email. I responded honestly and with pictures.  They replied with a full refund!  ;D

darsben said:

Uv will hasten the tires deterioration.
I went to LOWES and got 2 sheets of FRP. Cut them to size and it has been 4 years now with no change in look of them. They are less than 1/4/\ inch thick and go right on top of my spare in it's compartment when I am traveling/
Cheap insurance and you can paint the FRP to match your rig if you want

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I didn't know what FRP stood for so I looked it up. In case there are others out there like me, it stands for fiberglass reinforced plastic.