Tire Maintenance

RV Tires: Safety and Maintenance

Tire Maintenance

The most common problem among all RVers is associated with tires.

Tires carry the weight of the RV by air pressure. This makes the RV tires the most vulnerable component relative to “overweight/overloaded” issues. Unfortunately, tires are the most neglected maintenance item on the RV. We expect the tires to be ready to go whenever the engine is started.

RV Camper on highway

There are five primary issues that adversely affect RV tires.

 Let’s look at each one of these issues.

Most Demanding Application

Loads are carried by the air pressure in the tires. Each tire is designed to carry a maximum load, so it should not be exceeded. Over loading and under inflation is the same to a tire. Under inflated tires have reduced load carrying capacity.

Routinely Overloaded

RVers will load up all their stuff and will exceed the carrying capacity of the tire which results in a “rapid air loss”, a blow out. Only when a tire is inflated to the correct air pressure for the load it is carrying will you get maximum performance and life.

Intermittent usage

Due to the life of an RVer, we will travel then stop and see the sites, travel and stop, travel and stop. Tires do not like to sit, they want to roll and take us places. We will age out our tires before we wear them out.

Poor Maintenance Practices

Everyone tends to forget the tires, even on cars and trucks. We expect them to be ready to roll. Unfortunately, tires do require maintenance and should have a visual inspection along with a check of the air pressure before you start rolling.

Soap and water is best to clean the tires and to keep them looking good. Consider using Aerospace 303 on the tires. This is a UV protectant and is safe to use on the tire. Do not use petroleum, silicone or alcohol products on the tires.

If you are going to park the RV on asphalt or concrete for an extended amount of time, use a protective pad under the tire.

Non-Professional Driver

Unfortunately as RVers we fall into this class of drivers. We hit pot holes, hit the curbs, and speed. All of these add up to damaging the tires.

Tire damage is not self-healing therefore it is cumulative. The tires will deteriorate or get damaged until they can no longer withstand the load demanded of them.

If you hit a pot hole today, it could damage the cords in the tire and you will not know it. There is a lack of “cause and effect” which can create a false sense of security.

Tire failure will occur at the most inopportune time.

Avoid Tire Problems With These Tips

Weigh Your RV

In order to determine the correct air pressure for your tires, the RV needs to have the individual wheels weighed to determine what the weight each tire is carrying. 

After knowing the weight, you can go to the manufacturer’s inflation charts to adjust the air pressure in the tires.  

Fifty seven percent (57%) of all RV’s traveling down the road have a weight issue. For the motor home, 37% of the time it is the tires. For the 5th wheel RV, it is 29% a tire issue. For the bumper pull RV, it is 14% a tire issue. And for the towing vehicle (truck or car), 15% of the time it is a tire issue. 

The remaining weight problems are related to the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR), the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).

Visit an Escapees SmartWeigh Location to find our your RVs weight and correct tire pressure. 

Weigh Your RV

Tires will not last forever

They are made primarily of rubber and rubber ages and deteriorates over time. This is why everyone should be familiar with the DOT age codes for all your tires. This code will be found on one side of the tire and will be the last four digits after the DOT code.

You will see something like “DOT B6BJ BVJ 3414”. The 3414 tells you the week of the year (34th week) and the year (2014) when the tires were made.

RV Tires will age out before we wear them out and they should be replaced 5 to 7 years after the DOT date code. For the example of 3414, these tires will need to be replaced by 2020.

When buying tires, make sure to get the freshest tires you can. Insist on checking the DOT code before the tires are mounted and buy tires within six months of manufacturing.

Check Tire Date Codes

Check Your Air Pressure

Check Your Tire Pressure

Before starting out each day on your trip, you need to check your air pressure in the tires. Remember that you will fill the tires to the recommended cold tire inflation pressure. It should be checked before you drive more than a few miles or the sun heats up the tire. 

Escapees has tons of educational information to help you get the most out of your RVing experiences.

Check them out here:

Consider a Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Instead of checking tires every day before traveling, consider purchasing a tire pressure monitoring system. It will notify you of a tire with low air pressure or a tire failure.

These can provide great peace of mind on the road and save you from crawling around on the ground checking tire pressures. 

Consider a Tire Pressure Monitor

For a more in-depth look into tires, RV weight and maintenance, consider taking the
RVers On-line University course powered by Escapees RV Club.

There are different topics that cover all aspects of the RVing lifestyle.

Jim Koca

Author

Jim Koca

Jim is the Education Director for Escapees RV Club. He is a retired law enforcement officer with over 42 years of service and specialized in accident reconstruction. This dealt with weight and tires issues of vehicles involved in collisions. Jim and his wife Lisa are fulltime RVers and work out of their RV.

They travel the country and instruct RVers Boot Camp for Escapees RV Club. In addition Jim is the administrator for RVers On-Line University, developing courses for the program.

9 Responses

  1. Based upon the recommendation to have a TPMS on our trailer as discussed in Escapees Magazine I decided to research the various TPMS vendors and decided that Tire Minder was the one I thought was the best. I contacted Innovation Tire due to an ad in Escapees Magazine and asked several questions via email which Michael responded to in a matter of literally minutes. I ordered the i10 4 transmitter system for our Dutchmen Kodiak and received it promptly from Innovation Tire. Installation was straight forward and the system worked as advertised. One transmitter failed and Michael called me to discuss the issue and immediately sent a replacement. I cannot say enough about the excellent customer support provided by Innovation Tire. I give them 10 stars for great customer service.

  2. Most tire air loss is from bad rim seals, tire punctures or valve stem problems. If you have a slow leak and don’t carry a nitrogen gas supply with you and use an air compressor with air, you have defeated the idea of using nitrogen gas in tires. It is recommended to have a good air gauge, use a TPMS and keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure after getting the RV weighed.

    1. I heard that nitrogen was not the ‘best’ as it’s hype. It it really better than just plain air? I need proof.

  3. Great article! As a TST tire pressure monitor dealer I give several seminars at rallies and provide much of the same information. I’m always surprised at the folks that don’t purchase a tpms even after reading or hearing the information. I believe TST is the best system available but even if you don’t choose TST I recommend getting a tpms of some manufacturer after spending thousands of dollars on your RV a few hundred more for safety should be a no brained.

  4. What is your definition of “recommended tire pressure”? To me that means the cold pressure written on the tire, for example G rated trailer tires are 110 pounds.

    I had escapees weigh my trailer in Livingston where I also learned recommended pressure, more complexly, can be per tire based on the load on that tire. Charts are available by tire manufacturer, I’m told, that give a recommended pressure based on the load weight. I’ve never used them but was told by the Weight Master that I could run them lower than 110 to cut down heat and make for a softer ride. In my case, I am considerably under the trailers max gross weight capacity. Is it best just to run them at the pressure printed on the tire? On hot days while traveling I go down to 105 pounds but have been told I’d be fine at 100. We travel fulltime and I’ve met a lot of folks and had the discussion which includes some running G rated tires with a cold pressure of 110 as low as 90 which I fell is risky even if you know the weight supported by tire. Sorry for the long post but this is a topic of debate.

    1. Jim Koca, the author of this post, also oversees our SmartWeigh program, so his answer won’t likely differ from the advice you received from the Weighmaster who already helped you. The charts they reference are designed for exactly your question. If you aren’t sure where to find them, this page of tools for after your weighing should help!
      https://escapees.com/education/smartweigh/forms/#tireinfo

  5. Our TPMS has notified me 3x of problems, one was part of tread broke off and tire was losing air, one was a rock puncture in Baja, and once I had one tire get much hotter than the other three. Turned out the wheel bearing was bad. I wouldn’t drive without TPMS.

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