Tires again

[schoolsout2]

Just purchased a 2000 class A gas 36 foot MH.  When looking I checked the tires and they were 05's.  What I did not do was look at ALL of the tires. Only the steering were 05 the rest are 99's.  I talked to my tire guy and he stated that if they are not checked and cracked they should be OK for now but when budget allows I should start replacing.  He did caution me to check between the treads not just the outside.

After spending so much to buy it and then outfit the unit $1200 for tires will hurt.  I do not want problems and I  want to be safe.  Can you experienced Rv'ers shed some light on this.  Are older tires a definite issue if they are in good condition?

 

[Just Lou]

No such thing as an older tire in good condition where your motorhome is concerned.  AGE is the determining factor for replacement.

If you don't want to spend the 1200 dollars for new tires NOW, you should either not drive it, or put a few thousand under the mattress for repair of the wheel wells, wiring, plumbing and fiberglass that you are going to ruin with your almost certain up coming blowout.

 

[schoolsout2]

Yes that is what I figured.  I will replace before we go anywhere.  Shakedown will be a short local trip.

 

[PatrioticStabilist]

Yep, I bought a 2005, thought the tires would be fine, they were dated 2004 like the chassis.  Second trip out, blowout and I was really lucky only got my air bag.  Everybody told us, but.................

 

[scottydl]

A '99 tire is big trouble waiting to happen.  Heck I had an '06 tire blow out last month, and was lucky that no major underbody damage occurred.  After the blowout I was pretty horrified to discover that my spare was the original from the end of 1993, and it was some white-knuckle driving getting the rest of the way home on that... but I made it.

 

[schoolsout2]

New tires are on order.  Not going anywhere yet until I get them.

 

[Mburns]

We're new to RV'ing as well. So, it seems as though tires are good for about 4-5 years, unless you notice any cracking. Is this a fair assumption? Also, in general, where is the date stamped on the tire?

 

[billwild]

Mburns,
          You will find the date code in an oval circle on the side of the tires. Generally there are 4 numbers in the oval. Say the number is 2204. The first 2 numbers indicate the week they were made. ie  22 would be the 22nd week. The second 2 numbers would be the year. ie 04. So that woud be 2004. There you go, now you know as much as most of us about tire codes.

Bill

 

[Marsha/CA]

Here  is the article in our library that tells how to read a tire dot code.

Marsha~

 

[micd111]

Schoolsout2,

Good decision!

Mburns, this is a helpful tutorial.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4813029&page=1

Michelle

 

[scottydl]

So, it seems as though tires are good for about 4-5 years, unless you notice any cracking. Is this a fair assumption?

4-5 years would be pretty conservative, not that being extra-safe is a bad thing but we usually go by the 7 year mark around here.  Anything older than that is a gamble.

 

[Mburns]

Thanks everyone on the tire tutorial. Really appreciate it!!

Happy trails!!

 

[Backdraft161]

I was informed today by an Rv'er that one can expect MH Class A tires to last 5 years. Trailer tires 2 1/2 years. Anything after that they will be more likely to blow. He knows from past experience. I trust his judgement, he has been Rving for many years.

Something to really consider...

 

[nvrver]

Check the tire company web sites, I think the experts say 7 to 10 years subject to correct pressure being kept in tires.  Mine are 7 now and will replace before next season. 

 

[taoshum]

5-7 years, depending on what?;  I'm curious what can be done to extend tire life?  Storage conditions, UV covers, dry surfaces under the tire, proper inflation, surface treatments, rotation, armour-all, ... there must be sumthin'  no?

 

[scottydl]

^^ All those things are fine, but I wouldn't bet on them getting you past 7 years safely.  The full weight of the RV is still sitting on those tires all that time.  Internal rubber breakdown is what causes failure on old tires, and almost everything you mentioned (except proper inflation) are external factors.

I was informed today by an Rv'er that one can expect MH Class A tires to last 5 years. Trailer tires 2 1/2 years. Anything after that they will be more likely to blow. He knows from past experience. I trust his judgement, he has been Rving for many years.

I also trust the judgment of the hundreds of veteran RVers here.    Like I said above, conservative is always good in a case like this if you have the money to replace tires early... but going overboard can be a pretty expensive endeavor.

 

[taoshum]

^^ All those things are fine, but I wouldn't bet on them getting you past 7 years safely.  The full weight of the RV is still sitting on those tires all that time.  Internal rubber breakdown is what causes failure on old tires, and almost everything you mentioned (except proper inflation) are external factors.

I also trust the judgment of the hundreds of veteran RVers here.    Like I said above, conservative is always good in a case like this if you have the money to replace tires early... but going overboard can be a pretty expensive endeavor.

OK, I'll put it on jacks so there's no weight on the tires during the off season.  Does that help?  What else?  I mean these tires are the same tires that go 300,000+ miles with retreads, 80,000 #, day after day, for years... but they can't take more than 6-7 years with 5,000 miles/yr and being treated with kid gloves.  I don't get it, I believe it... but I don't get it.

 

[Just Lou]

I mean these tires are the same tires that go 300,000+ miles with retreads, 80,000 #, day after day, for years... but they can't take more than 6-7 years with 5,000 miles/yr and being treated with kid gloves?

....and all those alligators you see along the highways came off a Honda CRV......

 

[Tony_Alberta]

4-5 years would be pretty conservative, not that being extra-safe is a bad thing but we usually go by the 7 year mark around here.  Anything older than that is a gamble.

A friend is the head of the Emergency Vehicle Management Section of The International Association of Fire Chiefs who set all/most the fire protection standards for the USA, Canada and, I'm sure elsewhere.  He tells me that 7 years is the standard.   

 

[Ned]

Truck tires do go 100s of thousands of miles, but they wear out long before 7 years.  RV tires don't get the miles, but the chemicals in the rubber still get used up, thus the recommendation of 7 years max life.  Sitting is worse than driving, as the rubber relies on motion to keep the volatiles in the tire distributed throughout the tire.  And experience has shown us that tires have a much higher failure rate after 6+ years.