I have been reading some of the discussions regarding the life expectancy of RV tires. The simple truth is that unless you put 100's of thousands of miles on your RV, you will never wear out the tread on your tires.
As a retired DOT Commercial Vehicle Inspector and Instructor, the federal regulations governing the life expectancy of tires is seven years as of the date of manufacturer which is stamped on the sidewall of every tire. The date is a four digit number as in 1115. The first two numbers designate the week of the year in which the tire was manufactured. The last two numbers represent the year of manufacture. 1115 stands for the 11th week of 2015.
Once a tire reaches its 7 year itch it is to be replaced, unfortunately the tire tread will have thousands, even tens of thousands of miles left on them. The sidewalls of tires will begin to break down as they age and it was determined by the Federal Motor Carrier Association, which is made up from members of the federal government (DOT) and the trucking industry, that seven years was the agreed upon age limit for tire safety.
They may show aging such as cracking well before seven years, especially if you camp in very warm climates such as Arizona. It is suggested that you cover your tires while residing in those areas and do not use oil based tire dressing on your tires. Oil based tire dressing will dry out your tires quicker and speed up sidewall cracking.
The seven year tire safety decision was made many years ago and incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR 393). This federal code applies to all tires, including tires for passenger cars, although passenger car tires will normally wear out well before they expire (7 years). It does not really matter what a dealer or manufacturer may tell you about how long their tires will last. Some say tens years, some say seven. Federal regulations is the rule of thumb you need to live by. Dealers are not supposed resell or repair tires that are past their federal life expectancy and most don't due to the possible liability issues involved. Most dealers will refuse to deal with expired tires.
I hope this helps.
