Honestly...

[Fweezal]

I've been driving around quite a few RV storage facilities and I noticed one thing pretty much in common: Of the ones parked outside, not a lot of them have full covers. The majority of those parked outside DO have wheel covers but NOT full covers.

Am I being a little OTT wanting to put a full cover on mine? Will just wheel covers do me?

What say you, O wise and wizened ones?

 

[UTTransplant]

In a windy climate, the covers can rub against the body and take off paint. People cover tires because they are subject to UV degradation.

 

[RedsToy]

I agree with what UTT Transplant said. I've heard the same.... the finish can take a beating from the cover.

 

[TonyL]

We fitted a brand new quality cover in 2020 only to find shreds of fabric a year later. We were lucky we had no damage to the trailer.

 

[Larry N.]

Am I being a little OTT wanting to put a full cover on mine? Will just wheel covers do me?

In addition to the comments above, it is awkward and time consuming to put on a cover, and I, for one, could never do it without some good assistance. But since the vehicles are designed to be outdoors, I don't worry about it much -- the only cover I'd consider is inside storage, which isn't available where I park mine, here at home. Maybe someday...

 

[strugglebus]

Goodyear says specifically they do not recommend tire covers at all. Something to do with the compounds in the covers possibly causing a reaction with the rubber. They say the tires are designed to handle the weather and UV.

 

[Fweezal]

Goodyear says specifically they do not recommend tire covers at all. Something to do with the compounds in the covers possibly causing a reaction with the rubber. They say the tires are designed to handle the weather and UV.

Hmmmmph! Who woulda thunk it?!

 

[DutchmenSport]

In my past, I've covered and then I haven't. I found no advantage or benefit to the camper doing it either way. When my camper length reach 40 feet, I decided my days of covering were over. That is just way too much cover to deal with.

If you have to store your camper under trees that drop a lot of sap, I think covering is a good idea. But to cover for snow and ice, I never saw any advantage or disadvantage.

 

[Rob&Deryl]

When our slides are out, only the very low sun of morning or evening has a chance of touching the tires. Much of the time the trailer next door blocks even that.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Tire covers have always confused me a bit. Millions of cars park outside for years and no one puts wheel covers on them.

I would say that any weather checking that gets severe is gonna happen to a tire that is timed out anyway so the tire should be retired regardless of how it looks.

Rolling or not rolling the effect of the sun is exactly the same.

 

[NY_Dutch]

If you have to store your camper under trees that drop a lot of sap, I think covering is a good idea. But to cover for snow and ice, I never saw any advantage or disadvantage.

Before we went fulltime, I parked our RV under a sap dripping pine tree between trips. I cut a large tarp in half and had a boat upholstery shop hem the cut edges and add grommets so I had a long narrow cover that only protected the roof. It was a lot easier to deploy than the full covers, and still provided good protection.

 

[whiteva]

I read online, you should change the air in your tires twice a year.

 

[DonTom]

I read online, you should change the air in your tires twice a year.

Was it Christopher Columbus who first posted that online?

-Don- St. Cloud, FL

 

[Ex-Calif]

They also say you should rotate your tires every 10,000 miles so every 10,000 miles I jack each corner up and give them a spin one at a time.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

Elastomers do not like UV, Ozone, or Heat. That being the case, I recommend a shield, but never a cover. The reason; a cover closely contains the tire and will heat it when struck by the sun. A shield, for example a sheet of plywood cut to cover rhe tire cutout in the RV, will both prevent the UV rays from reaching the tire and allow proper air circulation around it to keep it as cool as possible.

Ernie

 

[NY_Dutch]

Elastomers do not like UV, Ozone, or Heat. That being the case, I recommend a shield, but never a cover. The reason; a cover closely contains the tire and will heat it when struck by the sun. A shield, for example a sheet of plywood cut to cover rhe tire cutout in the RV, will both prevent the UV rays from reaching the tire and allow proper air circulation around it to keep it as cool as possible.

Ernie

I rarely use them, but the tire covers that came with our motorhome are completely open in the back, only covering the front and exposed tread.

 

[Rene T]

Save your money if you were going to buy a rv cover and put it towards the cost of inside storage

 

[Kirk]

Millions of cars park outside for years and no one puts wheel covers on them.

There is a major difference in use of tires on an automobile versus an RV. Automobile tires are typically replaced due to treadwear in a few years but most RV tires are replaced due to age. RV tires often sit in one spot without moving at all for months at a time while automobile tires are more typically driven daily, or at least weekly. You make an apples to onions type of comparison. A Goodyear tech rep. told me that it is best to protect the tires from direct sunlight when they sit for an extended period. He declined to say exactly how long that might be but agreed that it was more than a week so I did use tire covers when we stopped for a week or longer. Most tire covers leave the back of the tire open which allows for ventilation, which that tech also recommended.

 

[Ex-Calif]

There is a major difference in use of tires on an automobile versus an RV. Automobile tires are typically replaced due to treadwear in a few years but most RV tires are replaced due to age.

I get where you are coming from but the difference may not be anything or anywhere near how bad you think it is.

I can see if an RV spends "years" with one side exposed to the sun but even "months" is not going to weather check the tires much more, if any, than a car that sits outside and is driven daily.

I don't have scientific evidence but it passes my personal logic test.

Many, many RVs sit for years before they get sold on. My PO "thought" mine had been sitting 2 years. When he got to thinking about it it had sat for 4 years - my how time flies. My tires look great and are still well within time out date. Anecdotally he had no tire covers on for the 4 years it was idle. I will admit that the RV, apparently, sat in a row of RVs and there likely was no way any sun was getting on them anyway.

I think the bigger risk is when buying a used RV. Especially newbies can be lulled into false security by seeing "good" tires that are actually timed out.

But again a personal preference thing. A new to the park RV showed up at the place I was staying. Part of their setup, apparently, is to deploy tire covers. To each his own...

 

[TheBar]

I've used tire covers for many years. The tires stay black instead of turning gray. That may not translate to longer life but it feels like it should. UV exposure has to degrade rubber faster just like anything else exposed to the sun.