UV Damage To RV Tires

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J

JackTinAZ

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2011
Posts
5
Location
Sierra Vista, AZ
I have read widely that RV tires should be replaced without regard to mileage after 5 years.  I have a Class A with just 29,000 miles and almost always had tires covered to protect from the scorching Arizona sun.  Since they are now 5 years old, I inspected them closely and see no visible signs of UV damage, no hairline cracks, virtually no tread wear.  Cost to replace these 6 Michelin tires is between $3,000 and $3,800 and that really torques me because they look nearly new; yet, I realize I can't be entirely secure with the "looks" and know that a blowout across the country could do much body damage and represent a real hazard. 

The tire dealer, who sounds quite knowledgable on the subject, says he will inspect them and give me an honest opinion; but, of course, he's in the business of selling tires and would unlikely want me to rely on his opinion that they are sound, even if he made such an assessment.

We're planning a cross-country trip in September and wondering what the folks on this forum would do in our shoes.
 
A tire dealer inspection will be worth about as much as the words that he says... not much else.  He can't (and likely won't) make any guarantees on whether the tires will actually last or not.

Also around here, you'll find the tire replacement interval to fall in the 7-10 year range.  The closer to 7, the better.  So given the care you've provided to your tires, I'm sure you likely have at least 2 more good years remaining.  There are mixed reviews of the usefulness of tire covers, but I'm sure they don't hurt in AZ.  The best "maintenance" for your tires is driving them (exercises the rubber and circulates the internal compounds to keep them from dry-rotting) so make sure you run the RV around town every so often even if you're not camping for a few months.  ;)  Enjoy your trip in September!
 
BUY NEW TIRE before you leave. My last trip was 1 broken belt right front 1 BLOW out left front and one flat right rear dual. The first 2 were on tires about 6 years old with 8,000 on them. The flat was on a 8 year plus tire differant RV. Save one as a spare not mounted scrap the rest. It's not worth it to push your luck. I never want to have another blow out on the front again it was the one of the most scarey things I've ever had happen. I got my new to me RV home it sat while I took the tires off to the shop and got new one's put on. I refused to let it move with the old tires on it. Cost me 1200 bucks but now I feel safe knowing the tires are OK.
 
For a point of perspective regarding my 7-year recommendation above... of course there are always other factors that come into play and can cause "younger" tires to fail.  We had a high-speed blowout last year on a 4-year old tire on our RV, so that can happen too.  I ended up buying 2 new tires and rotated one of the 4yo's to the spare position as Robert mentioned.

While tire blowout scenarios can happen with any age tire, the large consensus here is that you are usually okay up to 7 years.  But it's your choice ultimately.
 
Michelin states that their tires don't need replacing prior to TEN years, all other factors being equal, such as no cracking, good tread, etc.  Also, I disagree with those who would tell you that a dealer will give you bad info because all he wants to do is sell you new tires.  While he may want to, he knows his reputation is based on whether he is perceived to have a good product and if he is honest.  My dealer told me this year that my tires are good for a minimum of two years (DOT of 0336) as long as they keep going the way they are.  I keep mine covered any time I stay in one place for over three days and all the time while stored.

The only place I've seen people comment that you NEED to get rid of your Michelin tires at 5-7 years are in forums such as this one.  While I value people's opinions on forums such as this, I know better on this subject because I've taken the time to research and learn.  Does this mean your Michelin tires will last for 10 years unequivicably?  Not necessarily.  All I'm saying is do your research and BE SURE to include the people who should know best, the dealer.

FWIW, I just travelled 2,400 miles, 1/2 way of my summer trip, with no tire problems.  I didn't lose so much as a lb of pressure in any of the tires.
 
I know how you feel Jack. I just can not afford to go buy new tires, I did replace the two front tires but that's all I can do. On my old RV I didn't know anything about the tire date and went anywhere I wanted to in it and never gave the tires a second thought. But I worry every time I drive the one I have now because of reading everything about tire dates. I guess I have been lucky so far.
 
I would NOT replace 5 year old tires that have no apparent flaws. I don't do it on my rig and would not suggest it on yours.

As for the 7 year number that you see on this forum regularly, it is a tradeoff of risk vs cost. Michelin says the tires may last 10 years, but recommends the tires be dismounted and checked internally every year after 5. The cost of doing that each year on 6-8 tires is not small, so we figure that 7 years with no annual check-up is a reasonable tradeoff. Sure, some tires will last 8-10 years, but most of us don't want to risk the damage and inconvenience of a roadside tire failure and are willing to pay a bit for peace of mind.

You have to do what your heart - and wallet - tells you.
 
I know this topic is hotly debated online, but any recommendations for tire treatments to help keep tires from dry-rotting?  I realize the BEST prevention is regular driving, but after that, should I apply some product to the sidewalls to help get the most of my new tires?  Cover them with homemade Tyvek covers?  Anything?
thanks
 
One of the workers at my tire shop has a motor home, we  started on the tire subject,..... he said that it is definitely not a myth about the 6 to 8 years on tires..........he seems to think that the manufacturers plan it that way????..............looking back over the years........tires stayed on until the rubber was gone ;)...........so maybe he is not far off in his thinking.......

Any way his very good suggestion to me was to start at about five years and buy two tires for the front and each year buy two more [always putting the new on the front] and the front to back...........this sounded like a great idea for me.........and that is probably the way i'll work it........

just thought i would throw this out there......maybe it has already been hashed out ;) 
 
DiGiacomo,
I really like that idea, I have been trying to find the best way to amortize the purchase and I think new front at 5, then front to outside dual at 6 then front to outside dual and outside dual to inside dual at 7.

Thanks for the great idea!
 
jeffbrown said:
DiGiacomo,
I really like that idea, I have been trying to find the best way to amortize the purchase and I think new front at 5, then front to outside dual at 6 then front to outside dual and outside dual to inside dual at 7.

Thanks for the great idea!
Click to expand...

Tell me how this works. ???

Assume all tires are NEW at year one.

I can see the logic of putting new tires on the front at five years, but why move the removed tires to the outside rear at that time?

Chances are that the tires removed from the front are worn (from turning and scrubbing, as well as rotating) worse then any tire on the rear.  Also, you are reversing the direction of rotation which is not recommended with radial belted tires.  At the end of the sixth year, you are reversing the direction of rotation, yet again, by moving it to the inside position.

Some folks would argue that the inside dual is NOT the optimum position for your oldest (most abused?) tire.

I'm also very curious about just when this sequence is to be repeated, and just how old that inside tire will be when it's turn comes to be discarded.

If the latest new front tires are expected to last for five years, it seems to me that the old, used and abused, inside rear tires are now 12+ years old. ???  What am I missing?
 
I think at one time tire shops did not recommend changing directions on radial tires but i have been told that is no longer true. Also last time i bought tires at Firestone for my work truck (two months ago) they are recommending new tires be put on the rear as it is lighter and needs the added traction in bad weather.

As for motor homes not sure if that would hold true.
 
i guess i should have added that this is probably only a good deal for people that don't put many miles on........i doubt that i will put a thousand mile a year on my mh........it will probably last the rest of my life.........tread wear  is something that i don't think i'll have to worry about [unless i don't catch alignment wear]....

i don't think they make directional performance tires in truck sizes???........

lets see my tires are now 3 years old........if i drive them another 2 years that will give me 5 years.........so in the next 3 years i will replace 2 a year.....the last two should be 8 years old and i don't think they will have but, 9 or 10 thousand miles ............

i do worry about age and deterioration .........and that happens no matter how new, or old the rv is.......

if this is  turns into a shouting match.......i vow to just keep my mouth shut and eyes open from now on... ;)
 
I started a reply but it disappeared. This discussion was started June 9 and replies are showing today. Is my computer wrong or is this still a live discussion? Wonder what the dealer said? I posted under General Discussion about my 2008 Michellins weather checking with under 34000 miles. It was on all 4 and only on the outside. Doubt if it was the weather since it's on all 4 and not just a side facing sun, plus we've been moving it a bunch. Anyway, Michellin helped out and tire center manager was great and didn't try to sell me a bill of goods.
 
Juanita,

The recent message dates occur because someone started posting (replying) to a month old thread. Nothing wrong with that - we sometimes see threads reactivated after a year or more.  The dates reflect the actual date/time of the message.
 
jeffbrown said:
I really like that idea, I have been trying to find the best way to amortize the purchase and I think new front at 5, then front to outside dual at 6 then front to outside dual and outside dual to inside dual at 7.
Click to expand...

I've also read here numerous times that dualie tires should not be mixed, i.e. using different aged tires or different makes/models on the same axle.  I understand that to mean that the two tires right next to each other should be relatively the same age and size, otherwise the mismatch would lead to uneven wear.  Similarly I would want to rotate 2 front tires to the left rear dualie side, and then have them mismatched with the 2 tires on the right dualie side.  Then there could be a similar mismatch between the left and right sides of the rear axle. 

Seems like the fronts should be replaced together and rear replaced together, even though that throws off the 2-at-a-time plan.  In fact, IIRC my 1994 Ford manual states the tires should not be rotated front-to-rear and all around like a car.  You can swap the fronts back and forth every so often if you really want to, and the rears should be left alone.
 
I don't think age per se is an issue with duals, but size is. The pair must be as close to identical in actual size (rolling circumference) as possible. If one tire is worn more than the other (tread wear), they will have a different diameter.  The two are bolted together and essentially function as one tire, so mismatched tires have strange and harmful effects.

Dissimilar tire sizes on opposite ends of the axle can stress the rear end (differential) as well, but this is a lesser problem unless the difference is severe.

I don't rotate my motorhome tires. I replace my fronts as a pair and the rears as a set of 4.  Seven years is about my limit on reliable tire age, so the fronts tend to get replaced at 6 years and the rears at 7 or so.

I've never worried about UV damage and take no extra precautions. The tires last 7 years and 50-60k miles without it. [Your mileage may vary]
 
This kind of sounds like my battery line ... but

The duals, The two tires are part of ONE wheel.. Thus as was stated above they need to be as "Identical" as is reasonable...

WHen I had one rear dual get slashed, I put the new tire on the front, because a very tiny difference there won't bother me much (it does affect panic stopping but .. Well, the difference is in the single digit percentage range and I'm not sure which side of the decimal it's on)

I moved the old front to the rear since it had the exact same millage on it.

The UV issue does make a good argument for "Rotating" Rear tires as follows.

Right outer becomes left inner, right inner becomes left outer,  And of course the reverse is true as well. 

But there is an answer to the UV problem.. When driven, the tires release protective "Oils" to the surface which reduce the effect of UV.. The sidewalls on my tires have no evidence of cracking at all.  I drive the reid at least every other week.  At least 60 miles summer and 20 winter.
 
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