Tire Age vs. Mileage

[jonrjen]

I'm thinking of going with new tires soon. The coach is a 2008 National RV Pacifica 40' with around 8K miles. The tires are dated 01/07 with no signs of cracking on either the side walls or between the tread pattern.

Is it time or would you give it another year?

[wolfe10]

Tread wear rarely enters into the equation on RV tires -- they age out before tread wear becomes an issue.

There are other factors that influence the "safe life" of a tire -- to the point that it is impossible for us to render a "good until this date, bad after" declaration.

Other factors affecting tire life:

Only run at correct tire pressure vs. ever run low on pressure.

Protection from UV light -- stored indoors or covered by white (for less heat) tire covers vs outdoors in direct sun

Driven monthly and far enough and at highway speed to allow emoluments in the tire to migrate to the surface vs parked for long periods of time,

I can tell you Michelin's official position is that beginning at 5 years the tires be inspected by a tire expert.

Certainly another consideration is how long you will keep the coach. No point in running them into the "high risk" age only to replace them just before selling/trading. Better to have you safer than to sell with new tires on it.

[paulcarson]

I replace my tires at 5 years regardless of tread left on tire, miles on tire, etc. I do receive some criticism from some of my camping friends but I choose to err on the side of safety. I think replacing tires is better than taking a chance. Just my 2 cents worth. Happy travels.

[J79Engine]

I was just told to replace my rear tires due to condition of them, I asked for an age check to begin with since the coach is a 2005 SunVoyager 8.1 Gas. I just attended the Rally up in Indiana and want to attend the Rally in Kentucky but don't want to put 4 new Mich. tires on it to sit all winter, still working at 65 plus. So hopefully driving carefully at 55 MPH will get her into winter hibernation and then I will install 4 rear tires in the Spring.

[littleneckhalfshell]

Just trying to come up to speed with all this tire age, inflation, load range etc. We have a 1997 Gulf Stream Ultra (V-10 ford) 30ft long.

Have had 4 blowouts over the years, all were 6 years old. We religiously check tire pressure at the beginning of each day cold. Presently the rear duals are all 6.5 years old (didn't go anywhere since last fall) so I am looking at replacing them, front two are only 2 years old. But in the discussion I don't hear or understand anything related to load range. The Coach says on the manufacture plate that the tires should be LT225/75R16 E It actually came new with D range on the front and we didn't know any better back then, they should also have been E according to the specifications. They say they are 6 ply (2 polyester, 2 steel, and 2 nylon).

I was talking to another RV'r at a club I belong to and he said that his tires were 8 ply but he upgraded to 10 ply, and now I hear people talking about 14 and 16 ply, or ply does not relate to radial, etc! Somewhere I also read that the higher load range tires have more grace on inflation pressures. Are our tires too low on the scale and maybe specifications have increased since 1997 and what is listed on our chassis plate is no longer valid, my friend runs his tires 8-10 years and has never had a blowout.

[Himpelmann]

CHANGE YOUR TIRES! My 2007 Beaver Contesa has always been garaged and used once a month since I bought it in 2007, I have a tag so even more expensive to replace. I was set to replace them within weeks, they are right at 7 years old and had no signs of wear or cracking. I had a blow out in the front driver, explosion and then proceeded to take me into the K- Rail at 60mph, Very scary and a huge wake up call. I have $30,000 in damage, but more important, my son and I could have been hurt!

FYI I had Goodyear and from much research, I am going with Michelins this time.

[littleneckhalfshell]

I will be replacing my 4 duals before any trip, but that may not be for a while yet, so I am hesitant to spend the money now when it will be just laid up for the winter. But what to replace them with? I am starting to think that the LT225/75R16 E that the coach plate supplied by Gulf Stream stating "minimum tire" is NOT the way to go, but though the tire size is not likely to change, what load range or ply rating should I be shooting for?

Present minimum tires list tread as 6 ply, 2 polyester, 2 Steel, 2 Nylon and sidewall as 2 polyester. Coach GVWR is 14050, GAWR Front 4500, and GAWR Rear 9450. What does everyone else run with and how long do you run them before you replace them?

[wolfe10]

Chassis and wheel size will help dictate what tires will fit on your coach.

Let us know that information and perhaps we can offer suggestions.

Brett

[gposey20]

I have a 2005 Fleetwood Revolution LE with the original tires. The tires that I can see have a manufacture dates in 2004 so I am trying to find new tires. Tires are Goodyear G-670 RV 295/80R22.5. My problem is that the dealers that I have visited only have tires that are 1.5-2 years old. Is this normal or should I expect to find newer tires? I do not want 20% of their useful life to be gone when I get them. The dealers tell me that they have no control of how old new tires are when they get them. Any suggestions on how to get tires less than 6 months old or is this an unrealistic expectation?

[wolfe10]

Keep calling different dealers.

I personally would not accept tires more than 4 months old except in an emergency.

[gposey20]

I am not having any luck finding new Goodyear tires at dealers in my area. I am now looking at Michelin. They appear to only have 2 tire models in my size-- 295/80R22.5. These are XZA2 Energy and XZE2+. Any ideas on which one would be better for replacing the GOODYEAR G-670 RV tires that I now have?

[dmfillm]

HOW DO YOU CONTROL A MOTORHOME WHEN THE FRONT TIRE BLOWS OUT ON A DIESEL PUSHER AT 65 MILES AN HOUR?

[wolfe10]

HOW DO YOU CONTROL A MOTORHOME WHEN THE FRONT TIRE BLOWS OUT ON A DIESEL PUSHER AT 65 MILES AN HOUR?

http://www.michelinrvtires.com/michelinrv/toolbox/videos-demos.jsp

Click on: RV – The Critical Factor

[tireman9]

Just trying to come up to speed with all this tire age, inflation, load range etc. We have a 1997 Gulf Stream Ultra (V-10 ford) 30ft long.

Have had 4 blowouts over the years, all were 6 years old. We religiously check tire pressure at the beginning of each day cold. Presently the rear duals are all 6.5 years old (didn't go anywhere since last fall) so I am looking at replacing them, front two are only 2 years old. But in the discussion I don't hear or understand anything related to load range. The Coach says on the manufacture plate that the tires should be LT225/75R16 E It actually came new with D range on the front and we didn't know any better back then, they should also have been E according to the specifications. They say they are 6 ply (2 polyester, 2 steel, and 2 nylon).

I was talking to another RV'r at a club I belong to and he said that his tires were 8 ply but he upgraded to 10 ply, and now I hear people talking about 14 and 16 ply, or ply does not relate to radial, etc! Somewhere I also read that the higher load range tires have more grace on inflation pressures. Are our tires too low on the scale and maybe specifications have increased since 1997 and what is listed on our chassis plate is no longer valid, my friend runs his tires 8-10 years and has never had a blowout.

I think this post will answer your questions on "Ply Rating" vs "Load Range". Read the information on the sidewall of your tires. You should see the words "Load Range" followed by a "D" or "E" most likely. The "2 polyester, 2 steel, and 2 nylon" are just telling you the materials in the tire not the strength of each material. Load Range is what you are looking for.

The Mfg sticker or "Tire Placard" is based on an estimate of what your actual load will be on the tires. It would help if you at least got the individual axle loads. Even better learn the individual tire loads. This post covers why individual weights are important.

There is a worksheet with instructions you can download here.

[tireman9]

I will be replacing my 4 duals before any trip, but that may not be for a while yet, so I am hesitant to spend the money now when it will be just laid up for the winter. But what to replace them with? I am starting to think that the LT225/75R16 E that the coach plate supplied by Gulf Stream stating "minimum tire" is NOT the way to go, but though the tire size is not likely to change, what load range or ply rating should I be shooting for?

Present minimum tires list tread as 6 ply, 2 polyester, 2 Steel, 2 Nylon and sidewall as 2 polyester. Coach GVWR is 14050, GAWR Front 4500, and GAWR Rear 9450. What does everyone else run with and how long do you run them before you replace them?

Your LT225/75R16 LR-E tires probably show 2,680# @ 80 psi single and 2,470# @ 80 dual which would give you 5,360# capacity if you had perfect 50/50 side to side load balance on the front and 9,880@ for the rear axle. Once you know your real corner laods you need to be sure to select the inflation that would carry the heavier side as your MINIMUM cold inflation, but I would suggest at least +5 to +10 over that as long as you do not exceed 80. Again knowing the actual tire loads will help us give you the answers you are looking for.

Before you buy new tires get your actual tire loads.

[andyshane]

CHANGE YOUR TIRES! My 2007 Beaver Contesa has always been garaged and used once a month since I bought it in 2007, I have a tag so even more expensive to replace. I was set to replace them within weeks, they are right at 7 years old and had no signs of wear or cracking. I had a blow out in the front driver, explosion and then proceeded to take me into the K- Rail at 60mph, Very scary and a huge wake up call. I have $30,000 in damage, but more important, my son and I could have been hurt!

FYI I had Goodyear and from much research, I am going with Michelins this time.

I'm there, right now. I've already replaced the steering tires, but my Goodyear G670s on the driver and tag have 2006 DOT dates. They look new, but that is not a reliable indicator.

Earlier, someone mentioned that he'd had blowouts only to find the tires on his rig were under the load range specified by the manufacturer.

Does anyone have data that suggests a correlation between tire failures and the percentage of load range "used" in the application? My guess, from experience, is that tires running at 50% of their load range will have a lower failure rate than, for example, those running closer to their certified max weight. For that reason, I'll change out my drivers first, my lighter-loaded tags, second.

[andyshane]

I have a 2005 Fleetwood Revolution LE with the original tires. The tires that I can see have a manufacture dates in 2004 so I am trying to find new tires. Tires are Goodyear G-670 RV 295/80R22.5. My problem is that the dealers that I have visited only have tires that are 1.5-2 years old. Is this normal or should I expect to find newer tires? I do not want 20% of their useful life to be gone when I get them. The dealers tell me that they have no control of how old new tires are when they get them. Any suggestions on how to get tires less than 6 months old or is this an unrealistic expectation?

I'm leaving in the morning to hang four XZA Energy Michelins on my drive axle, the dealer reports they have a 2213 DOT date on 'em.