Tire life

[Vagante]

They published our life for the life of tires is 5 years. . Who changes their tires every five or six years? . I am purchasing a new. Class B+ with Michelin that look perfect. But they are six years old.

[SteveJ]

The number that seems to be bantered about most seems to be seven years.

With the higher summer temps in the SE I wouldn't want to trust my luck past seven years. The rear tires tend to run at max load at max pressure, a quite stressful life for the tires.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Vagante

They published our life for the life of tires is 5 years. . Who changes their tires every five or six years? . I am purchasing a new. Class B+ with Michelin that look perfect. But they are six years old.

Welcome to the forum Vagante!

I've always heard 6 yrs. so your tires are nearing their recommended life based on age. You can look on the sidewall for a manufacture date (stated in a 4-diget week and year code).

[GallenH]

From the heat-sink Phoenix.........we're told 6 years max. I keep mine covered when not on the road but with frequent temps over 110 my plan is to replace at 6 years and upgrade to heavy duty B shocks at the same time.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by GallenH

From the heat-sink Phoenix.........we're told 6 years max. I keep mine covered when not on the road but with frequent temps over 110 my plan is to replace at 6 years and upgrade to heavy duty B shocks at the same time.

I've wondered if tires were stored indoors (or covered like yours) away from damaging UV rays, if that would make a difference in recommended age replacement. But I've never heard the storage conditions mentioned, so it seems like no one wants to vary from a straight 6yr or whatever recommendation.

When do your shocks, consider a set of pricy Koni FSD's. I specifically tried them because they were NOT gas-charged, even though every set of shocks I've bought for the past 30 yrs. was. My theory was they might improve ride smoothness my absorbing initial road impacts better. They did. Plus they are ecxcellent at controlling secondary rebounds.

The scary part was when my order came from shockwarehouse.com and I could compress and expand the shocks fairly easily. I was afraid I'd made a huge mistake and wondered how they could control my 9000lb.+ Chevy Expess rv. All I can say it, they do. And they do it well.

[PinIN]

Go to the tire manufacturer website and see if the service life info is provided or ask them.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/Safety1n...713_v4_tag.pdf

[GallenH]

rb: thanks for the advice on the shocks. I think I'm 2 years out on the tire replacement but will keep that in mind. I have no idea what shocks might be best so your rec appreciated.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by PinIN

Go to the tire manufacturer website and see if the service life info is provided or ask them.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/Safety1n...713_v4_tag.pdf

Good material in your link.

Last year, I had an opposite problem. Three year old set of Firestone Transforce HT's that were cracking in the sidewalls and particularly bad near the tire bead. They were fine the first two years; then in year three they aged what looked like a decade. Had to replace them at 15,000 miles, even though tread was still deep. Go figure.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by PinIN

Go to the tire manufacturer website and see if the service life info is provided or ask them.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/Safety1n...713_v4_tag.pdf

That's good advice. It does vary between tire manufacturers.

Michelin likely says 10 years max for the tires this discussion is about. They also recommend having them checked by a pro from 5 years onward.

I'm pretty certain that I'll keep mine on for 10 years but I purchased them so I know their history. Never underinflated, never used in extreme heat, no punctures, no excessive speed, garage kept vehicle, not used off road, rotated periodically, etc.

I'd have more concern and would replace sooner if the history of the tire use and care is unknown.

[Belzar]

Tires are a key safety item. A failure at high speeds in a heavy vehicle is a serious thing. I would fuss until dealer agreed to new tires. 6 year old rubber on a new vehicle is not right...I wonder what the story is on these - are these the actual OEM's for this vehicle? If dealer is obstinate and you still want the van, at least have then pay for a tire protection/replacement warranty, though for safety you'll want to replace BEFORE they fail.

[Bjones7788]

NITSA actually ran controlled aging tests on multiple tires from each from each of a series of tire manufacturers. So multiple trires from Michelin, multiple tires from Firestone etc.

Reading the actual research which could be found online two years ago my conclusions were:
Most major brand names tires that we all know had no failures or changes that were observable (no checking or cracking) in the high temperature autoclaves part of the test where the environment was made oxygen rich. Several entire samples from what I will refer to as off brands had FAILURES in the heat and highly oxidative part of the test. My conclusion was "stick with major brands".

Next there was simulated running of the tires on open road conditions. Again several of the major brand name tires did very well. Some showed minor checking. Again some of the off entire sample sets "failed". My conclusion was "Stick with major brand names"

Raw real world observational data strongly suggest that under-inflation is the primary cause of premature tire failure due to excess heat generation and carcass flexing. Overloading tires fits in this scenario too although most of us don't run overloaded to a significant degree. Observational data may be useful but often leads to wrong beliefs.

Attending courses put on by scientists from the aviation tire industry where wrongful death suits can be astronomical in the corporate jet space, the science points directly to under-inflation as THE reason for tire failure.

Observational data points to higher failure rates in hot weather states Arizona, Florida and so on.

Michelin has had a history in the tire industry for premature sidewall checking. Michelin produced photo guidelines for tire salesmen and technicians to use to make determinations about what is safe and what checking should cause a recommendation for tire replacement. (Google Michelin tire checking photo guide.)

After Ford explorers that came with OEM Firestone tires experienced a large tire failure and roll over problem Congress told NHTSA to figure out the rpoblem and pass regulations to solve it. A Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) was promulgated. Subsequently TPMS installations were required by regulation for most new vehicles.

Manufactures recommendations are largely driven by liability concerns as much as scientific data.

Unfortunately, individual production runs even from good manufacturers can have irregularities.

For most RV owners the easy solution is maintain tire pressure, follow individual manufacturers recommendations on tire age and understand tire blow out handling procedures found online by Googling Michelin, Nevada Highway Safety Administration and Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Association - Tire Blow Out Roll Over prevention.

Prepare to be surprised if you do.

BJ 2004 & 2013 RT 190 Pops

[VictoriaCamper]

I'd just like to echo Belzar's comment that tires are a key safety item. I had a blowout last summer in our Pleasureway, and I couldn't believe the noise and vibration. Fortunately, we were on a straight stretch of 4-lane highway with no cars right beside us. I grabbed the steering wheel tightly and we coasted to a stop, wondering what the heck had happened. The left rear tire had blown, and the tread ripped completely off (see pics).

When the adrenaline abated, we called the autoclub and they came and put on the spare. Again, we were lucky that we were only 5 kms away from a nearby town where we gladly purchased a new set of tires.

I don't want to sound like a salesman, but those 4 contact points between the vehicle and the road are the most important piece of equipment in the RV. I'll never let our tires get that old again (they were 10 years old). They were an accident waiting to happen, even though the tread looked just fine and there was no apparent checking on the sidewalls.

So, if you're buying a used RV or just getting ready for the upcoming camping season, find out how old those tires are and replace them before they become dangerous.

All the best.

[tomiverson]

About 6 years in I had parked with my front wheels turned to the extreme next to a cabin. My fishing buddy noticed steel belt showing...you couldn't see it when wheels were not turned. We drove gingerly to replace them and align front end. I inspected the rear regularly and changed recently at 8 years.
Advice is to crank the steering and check inside of tire walls regularly at 5 years....

[GallenH]

Originally Posted by Bjones7788

Prepare to be surprised if you do.

BJ 2004 & 2013 RT 190 Pops

Yes. It seems so counter-intuitive to accelerate until you have good control. My brother-in-law, who is certified in heavy machinery and trucks, told me that years ago and, fortunately, I've never had to use it. But you do have to get it into your head. Wonder what I'll do when the time comes.

[TatraDog]

Vagante,

Old tires usually do not just get "a flat". They get "Catastrophic Tire Failure" or a "Major Blow-Out" as described by VictoriaCamper. I too bought a used Class B with tires that were 10 years old (or more). The tires had great tread and very low mileage and looked nearly new. But I should have replaced them.

I learned the hard way during my trip to Milwaukee when the left-rear tire exploded and the tread detached causing damage to the rear sheet metal. It felt like I was struck by another vehicle.. It also damaged the brake line, so I had to get towed. And then I found myself at the nearest tire shop getting 5 new tires.

David

[GallenH]

Yeah. When I bought my 97 PW from my father-in-law it had sat barely used in Wisconsin for 12 years. Before I drove it to AZ I replaced all 5 tires. Definitely not worth any risk. At the 6-year anniversary I will replace all but the spare and upgrade the front shocks.

[jadatis]

The age of a tire is not important, but how you take care of them is, this is also the opinion of tiremakers like Michelin.
And this care is mainly , keeping pressure high enaugh for the load and speed used.
And this is not always maximum pressure of tire.

Second is protection against UV light and Ozon that mostly goes with it. Covering from sunlight .

Read that 1 year professional storing , can be seen as 5 weeks of use, and tiremakers write that 2 years stored after DOT- date, can be sold as new tire.

Michelin writes, after 6 years of use, every year checking by a tire-specialist, and after 10 years of use preventively renewal of tires.

In some cases this can mean 12 years after DOT-date preventive renewel.

But on a second hand motorhome, you dont know how the tires have been taken care of, so new tires is not a bad idea.
After that, you you yourselfes take good care of them , and 10 years use can be totally safe.

And if you then sell it before the tires are to old, you can use it as a selling pluspoint, that you cared for the tires propperly.

For the right pressure, I can help you determine that.