Replacing 3-Year-Old Rockwood TT Tires

[stevenffc]

I am looking at purchasing a 2024 Rockwood TT. Since tires are nearing 3 years old (even though only have 7,000 miles on them) I am thinking they need replaced and think going to an E rated v D rated tire would be best. What are good tires that won’t break the bank and do I have to do anything to the tpms installed in the trailer ( going from D to E)

 

[tlmgcamp1]

3 years/7000mi seems a bit early for a change where 5 years seems to be the accepted norm. Mine were Castle Rocks so I changed at 4 years after hitting a curb pretty hard. It didn't blow the tire but I was stressed about internal damage.

I am all about a little overkill for critical systems, which tires qualify for. However, my class E tires were rated for 2830lbs each. With gross weight of 4700lbs, with 2100 on each tire and 500 on the hitch, and fairly light packing, going up a class was deemed to be beyond overkill and a waste of money. So rather than spend on increased capacity I went for quality/reputation.

My 2 cents...

 

[Martian]

Quality usually buys peace of mind. GoodYear Endurance tires offer plenty of peace of mind. Yes, a bit more expensive but tires are such a vital part that they are well worth it. I have no issue with squeezing a sixth year out of them. Three sets so far and not a single issue.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Estimating useful life of a trailer tire is tough because trailer tires have a hard life. The 5-7 year (conservative) life of a motorhome tire isn't as reliable for a trailer. That said, replacing at age 3 is conservative but maybe worth it for your peace of mind.

Check the existing tire load capacity vs what the axles are actually carrying. Forget load range - look at the MAXLOAD at xxxx lbs embossed on the sidewall. Ideally that will be 15%-20% greater than 1/2 the axle rated. In other words, if the trailer has a 3000 lb axle, each tire is carrying about half that weight. Since the weight isn't always distributed 50/50, 15-20% extra gives some extra margin. If your existing tires is within that range, it is adequate and I would NOT upgrade to a higher Load Range.
Trailer makers too often skimp on tires, providing barely the minimum load capacity for the axle loads. Check to make sure yours isn't one of those.

 

[Kirk]

Estimating useful life of a trailer tire is tough because trailer tires have a hard life.

Since you are buying the used tires (on the trailer) you do not know what the tires have experienced. Things like hitting rocks or curbs, excessive speed, improper inflation and other things can impact the condition of tires well before they would normally fail and you really don't know that history. I'm not sure that I would replace them at 3 years if there was no visible damage, but doing so for safety is not all bad.

 

[RV_Lee122]

Since you are buying the used tires (on the trailer) you do not know what the tires have experienced. Things like hitting rocks or curbs, excessive speed, improper inflation and other things can impact the condition of tires well before they would normally fail and you really don't know that history. I'm not sure that I would replace them at 3 years if there was no visible damage, but doing so for safety is not all bad.

I think trailer tires suffer the most from sitting months/years. Then someone hooks up the trailer and takes it 65MPH down the highway. The worst I've seen by far were boat trailer tires, when we had our cottage there was always a boat sitting on the side of the highway with a shredded tire on the way to and from the lake