Should I replace my tires?

[Elk Hunter]

I own a 2002 Cardinal 5er. Still have the original tires on it. Probably have about 20k miles on them. They still look like new. I keep my 5er covered when not in use and make sure my tires are protected from the sun. I have heard or read that tires should be replaced periodically, no matter what they look like. Hate to spend the $'s if I don't need to.

[Elk Hunter]

I own a 2002 Cardinal 5er. Still have the original tires on it. Probably have about 20k miles on them. They still look like new. I keep my 5er covered when not in use and make sure my tires are protected from the sun. I have heard or read that tires should be replaced periodically, no matter what they look like. Hate to spend the $'s if I don't need to.

[TXiceman]

Generally all you can expect from RV tires is 5 to 7 years. One of the problems is ozone attack on the tires and covering the tires only protect them from UV exposure.

You are in the window to replace tires. My personal feeling is that the cost of a new set of tires is worth the safety and definitely worth the prevention of a blow out on the road. A blow out can cause considerable and expensive damage to an RV.

Ken

[RustyJC]

Unfortunately, when a tire on our RVs fails, it often does so with no warning whatsoever. I've had 4 tread separations over the last 15 years of RV ownership. 2 caused little or no damage to the RV; the other 2 resulted in over $2,000 damage each time. In every case, there was no sign of weather checking on the sidewalls, and I had checked tire pressure that morning before hitting the road. The tires were 5, 4, 3.5 and 3.8 years old at the time of failure.

If I were in your shoes, I'd say that your present tires are probably running on borrowed time, but at the end of the day, it's your money and your decision.

Rusty

[Two Bit]

We blew one tire in summer of 2006 in Indy. Another was replaced at same time (it showed separation damage when it took the load from the other blowing). Once we got home from that 3800 mile trip, the other two got replaced. This on a 2002 rig, never overloaded, parked in shaded RV port, and less than 15,000 miles on tires (load range E, 16" tires). My recommendation is get new tires before this RV season gets going. Your on borrowed time with those current tires. Give the old ones to a farmer or rancher to use on an old off-road wagon or trailer.

[Keith in Denver]

Might not be a bad investment for the peace of mind.........

[cwsoules]

When we purchased a 6 year old 5er in 1999 the tires looked really good and had about 10K miles on them. We towed it 200 miles to home and parked it in our designated storage spot, which required a sharp 90 degree turn when backing in. The next day I was doing some checks of the trailer and found that half of the tread on one tire had been torn off due to the sharp turn. I replaced all 5 tires. I keep the spare at the same age as the others so I can rotate the tires.

[Ray,IN]

I would! I did learn the expensive way too. Once on our 5er(minimal damage), and once on our truck (over $2K damage). Some folks leave Vegas a winner though, but I never have.

[kerfcutter]

I replaced my tires last year on a 2000. Looked new, but I went the 7 years on them and decided for piece of mind to replace them.

My sister had "new" looking tires also. Always stored the vehicle in the garage and kept them super clean. Due to age, they had a blow out while traveling with their travel trailer. Vehicle went sideways as the trailer pushed them down the highway before the trailer finally flipped and disinegrated.

I change them every 5-7 now.

[muddancer]

The tires on a trailer can be older than the trailer. My TT is an '06 and the tires are '05.

[weighit]

One thing about thinking about replacing your tires when you are ready, is you can shop brands and price. Once you've lost on or two out on a vacation trip, puts you into a position of NEEDING tires NOW, and your not able to shop the same.