Tires

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by Murf2u

So the oldest tires you had blow out were 5 years old, and you've had a 3 year old front tire blow out, but you still think tires should be replaced at 7 years old?

Hmmmmmmm.

There's more to consider than age. Where they properly inflated? Did you bang into curbs to damage the sidewalls? There are many failures due to improper operating conditions. Not just age.

[Bigd9]

You know...this is off topic a bit but I really wonder sometimes. It is amazing how many blowouts some people have. 57 years of driving, having a job where I was always driving a hundred + miles every day from one construction site to another, a second occupation where I drive from one disaster city to another where roads still had debris on them, and 44 years of RV's, I have had a total of one blowout! One! And it was 25 years ago in a full sized Chevy Van that was only one week old! What am I doing wrong?

[Frank Tamez]

Originally Posted by Bigd9

What am I doing wrong?

Your not running over enough stuff

[Murf2u]

Originally Posted by Bigd9

What am I doing wrong?

I'll bet you've never had an RV blow up or burn down from driving with the propane either.

Some people just have all the luck.

Buy lottery tickets.

[Badlands Bob]

I actually pulled my camper thru a tunnel last week with the propane on. I like living on the edge.

[Frank Tamez]

Originally Posted by Badlands Bob

I actually pulled my camper thru a tunnel last week with the propane on. I like living on the edge.

Yep... That qualifies you as a B-d a--..

Thank you... Got my daily chuckle.... I actually just found out a few months ago
that the propane couldn't be on all the time.... All these years I have been just shuting it of to fill... I feel like such an outlaw

[Waiter21]

Me personally, Yes, maybe.

7 years is kind of my personal limit, but I might push it to 8-9 if my inspection doesn't show any UV cracking.

On my New-to-Us Southwind, I installed two new steers and played musical tires. The previous owner had a 2008 and a 2012 on each of the dullies, and 2012s on the steers.

I moved all four 2012s to the dullies and replaced the 2008s with two new 2017s on the steers. I relegated the 2008s as spares (one on a rim, the other unmounted)

The 2012s (Toyo's) look good, the MH was stored inside, I don't see any signs of cracking. I'm going to keep any eye on them, If I can run the 2012s for 3 or 4 years, I'll probably replace all 6, and then move the 2017s to my spares.

http://www.1999southwind.com/babys-got-new-shoes/

..

[dkwalsh]

Had a front tire blow out on 6-year old tires that looked fine. Fortunately, no damage. Replaced all the tires and will do so in the future at 6 years. It's a safety and peace of mind issue.

[RLC06]

I know there are so many different opinions and recommendations on this subject based on different facts and factory information. We are fairly new to the RV life, weekenders and vacations but log road trips with an average of 8000-10000 miles per year. While equipment and damage is a consideration, my most important fact is the precious human cargo on board and a desire for a long and healthy life. All tires are changed at 5 years and old are sold to a local friend who runs a big truck locally to help offset the expense of safety. No we haven't been RVing for 5 years yet but we have done it twice already...first RV purchase 3 years ago to ensure new shoes all the way around and again last August when we upgraded. We follow the same rule of thumb unless high mileage/wear mandates sooner on our every day drivers (my wife is in sales and racks up the miles on her SUV). To each his own and yes blow outs can still happen but as a good book once read "a foolish man builds his house upon sand..." I want a good foundation for the lives traveling at 65+mph.

[Tireman9]

"Blowouts" or more properly Run Low Sidewall Flex failures happen because of running on low inflation. This can be avoided with the use of TPMS.

Belt separations, which are much less common on commercial grade tires, may occur after the rubber at the belt edges degrades due to cumulative damage from heat.

UV does not affect the internal structure of tires and external cracking are only one symptom of exposure to Sunlight. I consider external cracking like having a person run a temperature. Having a temperature is just a symptom of some other illness, usually an infection. You can be seriously ill but not be running a temperature. Think of Heart disease or cancer as two things that can kill you but don't cause you to run a temperature.

The suggestion on when to replace tires is only based on probability as it is impossible to know just how much damage has been done to the components of a tire. The general suggestion is to have tires closely examined by a tire expert at 5 years and each year after that. Tires should be replaced at 10 years no matter what is visible on the surface of a tire.

I wrote a blog post on a suggested inspection and "step replacement" concept. A version of this suggestion could result in your keep newer tires on the front, which in theory should improve your chances of not having a belt separation on the front. Of course also running TPMS will also improve your chances of not having a Run Low Flex Failure too.

[Waiter21]

TireMan;

I like the plan, but might alter it a little... If I did a two tire purchase every two years, My steers would always be less than two years old, and my dullies would always be less than 6 years old.

QUESTION.:

Assume same size tire and probably even same manufacture and model number.

When I move the steers to the dullies, what is the preference, one steer on each side i.e. the old steers will now be on the outside of the dullies and the oldest tires will be on the inside of the dullies, OR, both steers to one side, i.e. one inside and the other outside,?

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Bigd9

Mr D normally pops in and list the different manufactures and their recommendations. But till then, here is Michelin RV Tire recommendation.

http://www.michelintruck.com/assets/...e_RV_Tires.pdf

I replaced mine at the 10 year mark.

I'll defer to Tireman on this!

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

I'll defer to Tireman on this!

Me also!

[Darwin]

I try to keep my motorhome in top condition, do everything I can to avoid break downs while on the road. Two years ago idler pulley frozeup, last year blow put, this year ac compressor froze-up
All required road side assistance.
So it appears I must be doing something wrong.