Replace tires?

[onechaddude]

Hi all. Wanted to get some thoughts. Considering about a 7000 mile trip cross country this summer. Got to wandering about tires. I have an 07 neptune and
with original g670 goodyears and the date codes are all around 6 - 7 years old. My coach has always been garaged. Tires look brand new with no cracks in sidewall whatsoever. I do not want to have any problems on trip but also hate to spend the money. Kind of scared not to go ahead and replace them. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[wb7auk]

It is recommended not to run tires more than 5 or 6 years, some do without problems and some wished they had replaced them.
You can not for sure tell what state the tires are in without a inspection of the inside
to see if there are any cracks.
Putting 7000 miles on old tires in the summer I would put new ones on and not risk it.

[rvguy40]

Be safe and change them. The rule of thumb is 5 yrs regardless of mileage. Tires are alot less expensive than repairing body damage and the resulting increased insurance premiums.Not to mention getting hurt or hurting someone else. Not to try and scare you, but if I were making that trip, I would replace the tires.

[jzick]

IMO, five years may be a bit overkill, but it is an individual decision. We also have an 07, with tires manufactured late 06. At the 5 year life point we started to have a trusted dealer inspect all tires inside and out. We will probably start to seriously consider changing them next year. Goodyear's recommendations for life of rv tires can be found here Tire Replacement Guidelines - Goodyear RV . Good luck.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by wb7auk

It is recommended not to run tires more than 5 or 6 years, some do without problems and some wished they had replaced them.
You can not for sure tell what state the tires are in without a inspection of the inside to see if there are any cracks.
Putting 7000 miles on old tires in the summer I would put new ones on and not risk it.

Not even the tire manufacturers recommend this. They say there is no absolute way to go by age. They do recommend regular tire inspections starting at five years and replace when necessary and absolutely by the 10th year.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by rvguy40

The rule of thumb is 5 yrs regardless of mileage.

No such thing, not even the tire manufacturers say this.

[rvguy40]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

No such thing, not even the tire manufacturers say this.

perhaps in the northwest there's "no such thing".. however, here in the south in the heat and ozone, our rule of thumb is every 5 years. Personally I would rather be safe than sorry. And its a bit suspicious to me that of the motorhomes I've owned and had the tires inspected on, they needed to be replaced at the 5 yr mark. My service departments that I have managed have changed alot of 4, 5, and 6 year old blowouts. I don't care what the tire manufacturer says, because they aren't going to pay for the damage to your coach or someone else's vehicle due to a blowout. I stick to my original rule of thumb. But, this is just my opinion and experience... take from it what you will.

[wb7auk]

Originally Posted by rvguy40

perhaps in the northwest there's "no such thing".. however, here in the south in the heat and ozone, our rule of thumb is every 5 years. Personally I would rather be safe than sorry. And its a bit suspicious to me that of the motorhomes I've owned and had the tires inspected on, they needed to be replaced at the 5 yr mark. But, this is just my opinion and experience... take from it what you will.

I am from the NW and agree, strange the tire companies do not warranty
their tires for side wall cracks after 4 years I wonder why?

[rvguy40]

Originally Posted by wb7auk

I am from the NW and agree, strange the tire companies do not warranty
their tires for side wall cracks after 4 years I wonder why?

Thank you !

[bluepill]

If you are going to keep your MH for a few more years, you will have to spend the money anyway. You are not saving any money by delaying replacement, you are just postponing a purchase and running the risk of a problem.

[Steve Ownby]

I'm going to get over to your neck of the woods sometime this summer for some world famous BBQ.

Tires are a problem. They live in a hostile environment and you can't reliably tell about their health by looking. Conventional wisdom says 7 years max. Others make fun of that as ultra conservative and see no good reason to change as long at they look good. Others say 5 years or you are taking big risks. What does a smart man do?

Also be aware, there have been 2 fatal accidents in the last week which started as a blowout on the steer axle. One was in Phoenix where a 37 year old father was killed. The other,close to Lake Havasu, was 3 people in their late 60's to early 70's who were trapped in a fire started by the blow out.

This is not to say that tires should be replaced early and often because the cause of these tire issues is not known. It is a wake up call to pay attention. A even which is just an inconvenience in a car can be fatal in a motor home.

I needed 8 tires on 3 axles. I replaced the 2 steer tires which are most critical at about 6.5 years. The 4 drive tires the next year and the tag tires the next. It spread the $$$ pain ane my gamble paid off with no tire issues.

The above are my thoughts on the subject of coach tires, and I have devoted a lot of time reading and listening. You are the only one who can decide on what you comfort level and risk tolerance is.

Let us know what you decide.

[moisheh]

If I were buying a new 2 axle MH here would be my advice. Take $1000 every year and put this in a savings account. At year 6 you might have enough to replace all 6 tires. However if tires keep rising in price you might need $8000. It is one of the costs of owning a MH. I wonder what the cost would be to dismount all 6 tires, inspect, rebalance and remount??

[onechaddude]

My thoughts and the DW as well were to go ahead and change them. I do not like taking those kind of risks. However, i do not want to throw money away either. I think the peace of mind is worth the expense not to mention its safer. Thanks for all responses and come to town for some bbq. Chad

[onechaddude]

I forgot to mention this. Now i have decided to purchase new tires, now michelin or goodyear?