I know I will roust the ire of many a tire aficionado, as well as those who will claim expert knowledge from years of traveling and RV'ing and quasi-engineering or actual engineering status/certification....I assure you I mean nothing personal towards anyone and I don't mean to walk on the waters of your knowledge because I have and will benefit immensely from it..... BUT with that said....Are our tires really that sensitive? I mean, these things cost $400-$1K each and we talk about and treat them like they are made of glass or fine crystal. I certainly understand the need to ensure safety by checking certain parameters, but honestly? I must admit, after 2 tire failures within 2 months of each other, I'm a bit paranoid, myself. The first was just an old tire that I failed to verify its age when I bought the coach...my fault. The second was a new tire but turned out to be a factory defect....it happens from time to time with anything a human-being manufactures.But can it really be so critical that the pressure stay within 1-psi of the recommended "weight table?" Do we need to have professional scales in our basement bins so we can weigh each wheel every time before we pull out so we know exactly what pressure the tire should have? And if we do, should we have two identical sets of scales so that we can leave one in the basement bin where the other one stays so we know exactly how much it weighs? Should I calculate how much weight I will gain over the course of my vacation depending on how well I eat so I know how much to compensate the air pressure? Do I have to become a meteorologist so I can predict the temperature of the places I travel so I can ensure that I have the proper pressure for the weight that I measured in that climate?I admit it... I'm a Class A Newbie, but it just can't be this complicated...can it?Your discussions please....:?

Tires, like most other items put under pressure, are built within a range of tolerances.The water pipes in your MH have a set of tolerances.Manufacturer specifications are a good thing to follow. I have used Michelin's recommended tire pressure/loaded weight table and never had a problem.

I feel the same way. My truck tires last 5 years before the tread wears out. Two of my FW tires had catastrophic failures within 100 miles and they were less than two years old and had less than 10,000 miles on them. I've had issues with tires in the past, so I check the pressures every morning before I start off. I run 65 mph or less on the highway. The last one blew out about a hundred miles into the trip and the sun was just coming up, so overheating and under-inflation weren't an issue. I would like to go on a trip, but don't dare leave the driveway unless I have new tires on my FW.

My husband's opinion, and he's been "into cars" for almost 65 yrs, believes people are the cause of tire problems. 1) factory defect, 2) overloading the rig, 3) old tires, and 4) axle alignment problems. The last one has caused our friends to pay for many tires. They had an axle break on their TT. It was "welded" back together, but looking at it, you can see the tires aren't lined up right.....The idea of scales on each wheel area is good......but don't see that happening. We pull into weigh stations that aren't open and weigh our rig.You're overthinking the weather thing/air pressure....:) Relax, enjoy. After 45-50 yrs of traveling, we've not had a tire blow yet on a rig. oh --- I KNOW there will be someone that comes on here and says I'm all wrong.. You'll get 1000 different ideas..... :) This is just our opinions.

After owning a TPMS for about a year, I can tell you this, the temperature and PSI swing of these tires is amazing. Add to it that it's very likely you will leave at one ambient temperature and arrive at something very different. Unless you stop once an hour and let the tires cool down, re-check, and adjust accordingly, you are basically within a range. A very wide range. So I agree with you, check them cold when you leave and you are good. The parameters for these tires vary so vastly, even on the MH that close enough is the name of the game. Heck my one front tire closer to the manifold and genset always runs 5 degrees hotter than the rest. The inner duals run hotter than the outers due to less airflow. Setting it before you leave is the best you can do. While travelling they experience such a range of terrain, temps etc and fluctuate accordingly, outside of auto adjusting constantly, they do what they do.

Not sure much discussion is needed. Basically YOUR decision is whether to follow "best practices" or "what I can get away with".The tire manufacturers have excellent resources for the proper "care and feeding" of your tires, including how to properly treat them when stored, proper PSI etc.Is a couple of pounds critical-- of course not. But being within a reasonable range at or above the minimum recommended PSI for your actual load going to make for better handling and ride, better tire life and safety-- sure. That is why the tire engineers spent all that time writing those guides.Unlike automobile tires that have a narrow range of recommended PSI's, the correct PSI for our tires range 70 to 110 PSI. WAY too wide a range to be guessing.But, it is your motorhome-- you decide what is important to you.

Are Our Tires REALLY that sensitive? | Good Sam Community

56 Replies

jplante4
Explorer II
Jan 20, 2015
Well the pressure part is easily remedied by weighing your rig, airing up to the proper pressure, and installing one of the TSPMS products discussed ad infinitum on this and other forums.

Little is said about tire selection and most people are price conscious and tend to select a product merely by price.

I gotta say that I drove my new purchase home (empty) on a nearly flat tire on one of the duallies in back and I was on pins and needles all the way. I looked in the paperwork supplied with the coach and the service reports going back 2 years mentioned a problem with that tire. It was a leaking valve extender - an easily fixed problem. The 10 year old Goodyear on that axle held up for the 100 mile trip, so it wasn't all that fragile.
wolfe10
Explorer
Jan 20, 2015
Not sure much discussion is needed. Basically YOUR decision is whether to follow "best practices" or "what I can get away with".

The tire manufacturers have excellent resources for the proper "care and feeding" of your tires, including how to properly treat them when stored, proper PSI etc.

Is a couple of pounds critical-- of course not. But being within a reasonable range at or above the minimum recommended PSI for your actual load going to make for better handling and ride, better tire life and safety-- sure. That is why the tire engineers spent all that time writing those guides.

Unlike automobile tires that have a narrow range of recommended PSI's, the correct PSI for our tires range 70 to 110 PSI. WAY too wide a range to be guessing.

But, it is your motorhome-- you decide what is important to you.
Effy
Explorer II
Jan 20, 2015
After owning a TPMS for about a year, I can tell you this, the temperature and PSI swing of these tires is amazing. Add to it that it's very likely you will leave at one ambient temperature and arrive at something very different. Unless you stop once an hour and let the tires cool down, re-check, and adjust accordingly, you are basically within a range. A very wide range. So I agree with you, check them cold when you leave and you are good. The parameters for these tires vary so vastly, even on the MH that close enough is the name of the game. Heck my one front tire closer to the manifold and genset always runs 5 degrees hotter than the rest. The inner duals run hotter than the outers due to less airflow. Setting it before you leave is the best you can do. While travelling they experience such a range of terrain, temps etc and fluctuate accordingly, outside of auto adjusting constantly, they do what they do.
amandasgramma
Explorer
Jan 20, 2015
My husband's opinion, and he's been "into cars" for almost 65 yrs, believes people are the cause of tire problems. 1) factory defect, 2) overloading the rig, 3) old tires, and 4) axle alignment problems. The last one has caused our friends to pay for many tires. They had an axle break on their TT. It was "welded" back together, but looking at it, you can see the tires aren't lined up right.....

The idea of scales on each wheel area is good......but don't see that happening. We pull into weigh stations that aren't open and weigh our rig.

You're overthinking the weather thing/air pressure....:) Relax, enjoy. After 45-50 yrs of traveling, we've not had a tire blow yet on a rig.

oh --- I KNOW there will be someone that comes on here and says I'm all wrong.. You'll get 1000 different ideas..... :) This is just our opinions.
mabynack
Explorer II
Jan 20, 2015
I feel the same way. My truck tires last 5 years before the tread wears out. Two of my FW tires had catastrophic failures within 100 miles and they were less than two years old and had less than 10,000 miles on them. I've had issues with tires in the past, so I check the pressures every morning before I start off. I run 65 mph or less on the highway. The last one blew out about a hundred miles into the trip and the sun was just coming up, so overheating and under-inflation weren't an issue.

I would like to go on a trip, but don't dare leave the driveway unless I have new tires on my FW.
JumboJet
Explorer
Jan 20, 2015
Tires, like most other items put under pressure, are built within a range of tolerances.

The water pipes in your MH have a set of tolerances.

Manufacturer specifications are a good thing to follow. I have used Michelin's recommended tire pressure/loaded weight table and never had a problem.

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Are Our Tires REALLY that sensitive?

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