Tire Age

[Carl L]

The question on the age of tires frequently comes up.

Unlike automobile tires, RV tires, especially on trailers, have to be evaluated on the basis of age.? ?A good rule of thumb its that tires over 5 years old, regardless of tread wear, are ready to come off.? Over 7 years of age, they had better come off right now.

So how do you tell the age of a tire?? ?To quote the Consumer's Union website:

When the tire was made. Every tire has a Department of Transportation (DOT) number following the letters on the sidewall. The last four digits determine the week and year the tire was made; for example, the digits 2204 would signify that the tire was made during the 22nd week of 2004. Don't buy tires more than a couple of years old. They can degrade with age.

That age date should be checked even when buying new tires.  A set of trailer service tires may have been sitting in a warehouse
some place for months, maybe years.

? ?

 

[BruceinFL]

Actually, when you buy tires you can demand only ones manufactured within the last six months. I do it all the time and have never gotten an argument from the tire dealer.

 

[Carl L]

.

Actually, when you buy tires you can demand only ones manufactured within the last six months. I do it all the time and have never gotten an argument from the tire dealer.

Good point, thanks.

 

[t7firefighter]

Be carefull when buying a used RV also. I bought a 2003 RV and the tires looked fine on the FVer but after going 1500 miles I had no problem. When I started back home from the trip I blew 2 tires within 200 miles of each other. I was well under my GVWR and the tires must of had damage I could not see externaly. BE CAREFUL if you by a used unit over a year or two old I reccomend buying new tires if you have no idea how long the unit sat in the sun eating away at the tires. It's alot easier buying tires at home versus somewhere on the road.

 

[BruceinFL]

Be carefull when buying a used RV also. I bought a 2003 RV and the tires looked fine on the FVer but after going 1500 miles I had no problem. When I started back home from the trip I blew 2 tires within 200 miles of each other. I was well under my GVWR and the tires must of had damage I could not see externaly. BE CAREFUL if you by a used unit over a year or two old I reccomend buying new tires if you have no idea how long the unit sat in the sun eating away at the tires. It's alot easier buying tires at home versus somewhere on the road.

When I bought my new 5er last year, I got a new 2004 model that was actually manufactured in Jul 2003. It had tires that were manufactured in early 2002. If I hadn't insisted on all new tires, even the spare, I would have had tires almost 4 years old on a new RV. By the way, there was not the slitest quibble from the dealer when I asked for new tires.

It pays to check the date of manufacture, even on a used RV. If the tires are about dated out, you can always negotiate replacement cost in the deal. Tires are the only things keeping you and your RV out of the ditch.