Tires

Bordercollie wrote:
If you hear/feel any unusual bumping, stop and check for any bulges in tires.
May be a sign of tire coming apart/tread separation. I had a tire come apart and steel belt slapped and cracked a holding tank and tore up wiring before I knew about old, new-looking RV tires.

Last June while driving my MH home from my son's shop, after having my cabover rebuilt :D , something didn't feel right. I brought it to my mechanic who found a bulge in the tread of a rear tire. I had all 6 tires replaced, since I was heading out on a long trip the next day. Those tires were a little less than 5 years old.

I think 10 years is the outside.

Steve

If you hear/feel any unusual bumping, stop and check for any bulges in tires.
May be a sign of tire coming apart/tread separation. I had a tire come apart and steel belt slapped and cracked a holding tank and tore up wiring before I knew about old, new-looking RV tires.

Look at the date codes on the side of the tire. The first two numbers are the week of the year they were made and the second numbers the year. 1209 would be twelfth week of 2009. A tire separation or complete failure could remove some very important pieces of your coach before you get it stopped. My BIL had a front tire blowout on a class A and it took out wiring, panels and did sidewall damage.

Thanks guys! I thought new tires at 5 years was a bit early, especially when they still look almost new.

I don't think I have record of it any more, but the prev owners replaced two tires then four, a little over a year apart. When working on brakes, I noticed cracks along the tread grooves in several places on both of the older tires. My best guess is they were eight years old. I replaced all six that were on the ground,as well as the spare which had been unused its entire live, from manufacture in 2001 till I replaced it in 2015.
So, as you do your own tire inspections, be sure to look IN the tread as well as for separations at tread edges and checking in the sidewalls.

Most of the manufacturer recommendations I've seen have been for annual (professional) inspections starting at 7 years old and replacement regardless at 10 years old. Such an inspection would require the tire be dismounted to check the inside as well as the outside, and I suspect the cost of doing that would make it tempting to just replace them at that point.

Needless to say, if there are deep sidewall cracks or other non-repairable damage (bubbles, tread separation, broken belts, that kind of thing), the tire should be replaced regardless of age...and likewise if the tread is worn to the wear bars.

Not unless you just want a new set of tires that look just like the ones you already have. You Should inspect or have them professionally inspected, starting this year, for unusual wear or and significant side wall cracking. Many people will swap out tires for the reasons your buddy stated at 7 years, yet some tire manufacturers allow for a 10 year swap.

After five years of ozone and UV rays...yes. Much cheaper to do this at home at your leisure than on the road.