Tire preparation before covering

[Peregrine]

Hi all-I plan on staying parked at a campground for a North Carolina summer.
Should I coat my tires with something before covering with standard on the market tire covers.I've heard both pros and cons(from someone who sells tires for a living) for an Armour-all type preparation.
Are there other products on the market to protect under tire covers.
Opinions and facts greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jeff

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I see no value to any sort of coating if you are going to put covers over them anyway. They should be clean, though.

Some folks rave over their 303 Protectant for rubber, but the tire companies all say that tire dressings are just cosmetic and won't affect the life of the tire.

 

[scottydl]

You might also want to check out this recent tire thread, about care/covering for trailer tires that are sitting still:

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,62913.msg579813

 

[Ernie n Tara]

Could I get a vote for using "shading or shielding" rather than "covering"? Covering is never a good idea; shading from the sun (heat and uv) may offer some slight advantge.
Either is more trouble than its worth to me (I spent a good part of my 30+ years in the rubber industry testing elastomers for the impact of ozone, uv, and heat).

Ernie

 

[Gordon Groff]

I just got rid of the tire covers that I had bought when I bought my rig, but never put them on.  Still in the boxes.  I agree with Ernie.  I figure the tires will age out before they craze out.  Probably best to just make sure you drive it every month or so.  Will let you know in another 4-5 years!

Gordon

 

[Mopar1973Man]

I normally only cover them when I winterize the Rv but once spring comes then I keep the covers off because the RV gets used during the summer too much. But even the vehicles that sat out here for many years uncovered still had good rubber even 10 years later.

 

[Jim Dick]

I have gone 15 years of full timing without covering my tires. They have all gone the 7 years maximum life of tires except one that started to separate the tread from the tire after 5 years. I have recently thought about "shading" them but not sure if it's worth the time and effort to do so. We live in Florida so winters were always in the sun and summers were in Connecticut, again always in the sun.

While in Yuma recently, I priced out covers to "shade" the tires. They wanted almost $100/tire for the covers. Certainly not worth that cost! Putting tight fitting covers on tires is not a good thing!

 

[taoshum]

Could I get a vote for using "shading or shielding" rather than "covering"? Covering is never a good idea; shading from the sun (heat and uv) may offer some slight advantge.
Either is more trouble than its worth to me (I spent a good part of my 30+ years in the rubber industry testing elastomers for the impact of ozone, uv, and heat).

Ernie

Thanks Ernie...30 years...  question though... many months/years of UV/dry air exposure at 8.000 ft has no detrimental effect?  And the the white "covers", vs "shade" are they different?  Just want to verify...  The sun at this elevation is "brutal" on almost everything else... any color fades quickly, paint lasts about half as long as it does at sea level, water hoses that start out green and flexible are faded and stiff after a year or so, stained timber is bleached in no time... even the vinyl trim on windows has to be replaced after 8-10 years.  There's no rust though, LOL.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The question is not whether ultraviolet is detrimental (it is), but whether the extra cost & effort of the covers results in a noticeable increase in tire life. Tires have chemicals embedded to protect against uv and other environmental hazards, and they are generally effective for up to 10 years. Whether that is "good enough" for your particular environment and usage is difficult to answer with any certainty, but odds are it is.

Probably the most detrimental thing to tire health is a simple lack of driving on them, so the more you use the RV, the less worry you have about tire life.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

What Gary said! UV is not a good thing, nor is heat, but modern tires are well equipped to cope. I still wouldn't bother to shade them, but there might be some benefit.

Ernie