When to replace old class C tires?

I had planned to replace our MH tires at 7 years. The tires looked good with 28k miles on them. About 6 weeks shy of 7 years, coming back from a trip, we had a blowout on an inner rear about 65 miles from home. I check tire pressure before driving the MH and always carry a compressor in case they need air at the end of a trip.

I'm sure there are plenty of folks that have gotten more than 7 or even 10 years out of tires on their MH, but I wouldn't risk it. The amount of damage a blowout can cause isn't worth it. Jayco had a 3/16" piece of steel welded to the exhaust pipe behind the rear tires. Without that piece of steel, the exhaust pipe would have been mangled as well as the floor of the motorhome above it. That piece of steel absorbed all of the impact. The only damage it did was to the coax feeding the rear bedroom tv, it split it clean in half which was an easy fix.

Just because they looked good, doesn't mean they are. If we still have this motorhome, when the time comes, I will have the tires inspected, inside and out at the 5 year mark and every year after until they are replaced - no later than year 7.

-Michael

With them being that old it will be cheaper than having one blow and tearing up the fiberglass in the fender wells and more.

Had motorhomes for decades. Always kept up with pressures..almost OCD level.. Was thrilled when remote pressure sensors became affordable. Always replaced tires at 7 years. NEVER had a tire problem. Doesn't mean I won't tomorrow but I put a WHOLE BUNCH of good mojo on my side doing those things....

Matt_Colie wrote:
Start Here:
RV Tire Safety

I suggest this as an essential read for anybody that uses tires.

At the FMCA GLAMA Rally (aka Glamarama) I got a hear and later talk with Roger Marble. I learned a lot real fast. At this time, I will not go into this any deeper as it will just be a poor translation of Roger has written.

Matt

Matt .... the link to Roger Marble's comments is a good one - thanks. Especially note the section titled "Tire Dry Rot is a misnomer".

This section hints at - but does not completely solve - possible causes for my long running mystery situation as to why my lightly driven pickup's tires don't get sidewall cracks but my lightly driven Class C motorhome's tires do: Both sit parked 20 feet from each other in identical conditions. The only reason I can come up with so far is that the two sets of Michelin's I have had crack on the motorhome (I'm on my 3rd set now) may have had a sidewall material type that is inferior to that used by Cooper on the two sets of tires I've had on the pickup over the last twenty years.

One form of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting to get different results. Maybe I should try Coopers on the motorhome someday?

There are some written articles and piles of opinions on age of tires.

As for me, historically I've extended the life of our tires to 12 years. Our motor homes have been stored indoors in climate control and no light. At the beginning of each season, I quickly inspect for cracking on the side walls and also in between the threads.

Our first motor home our rear tires lasted 12 years both sets. Front tires replaced sooner due to poor tire wear from days of steering correction from strong cross winds in the open plains.

Our current rig is now over 9 years old, 30,000 miles, and has the original tires with no cracking yet of any kind. The front tires do show signs of the same odd wear from steering corrections in heavy-&-steady cross winds but are not of concern yet so I have no plan to replace any tires anytime soon.

Because both our rigs were/are on the lighter side, the tires are not loaded-to-max which helps in my decision to get extra use from them.

RV tires age-out and suffer from sitting parked for months at a time. It depends, but tires may become unsafe and come apart after only five years of infrequent driving and sitting parked in the sun. When they blow/ come apart, steel belts flail your holding tanks, wiring or propane lines under the RV, you may lose control. Tire longevity on an RV do not compare to car and pickup truck usage. Tire failure in the sticks can be costly and delay your trip.

INMHO in most parts of the country I would replace at five years here in the Phoenix area replace at four.
Be aware that someone will tell you that tires do not age out and that they have old tires that are perfect because they keep them covered and treat them with a magic elixir.
And some people get 20 MPG in a 30 foot motorhome going 70 MPH uphill into a 50 MPH headwind

navegator wrote:
Six years from the date of manufacture, not when they where replaced,

I'll go along with this.
I bought a used C with 7 year old tires.
One of the rear duals threw a tread on the first trip.
The tread that came off still looked good. :R

You should at least start thinking about it around the 5 year mark.

Start Here:
RV Tire Safety

I suggest this as an essential read for anybody that uses tires.

At the FMCA GLAMA Rally (aka Glamarama) I got a hear and later talk with Roger Marble. I learned a lot real fast. At this time, I will not go into this any deeper as it will just be a poor translation of Roger has written.

Matt

The recommendations I recall seeing from tire makers are to have them professionally inspected annually (both inside and out, which of course involves dismounting) starting at around 7 years, and replace if needed or unconditionally at 10 years. Since the inspections are a fair bit of labor and that costs money, I'd probably skip that and just replace at 7 years.

Tire longevity does depend a lot on storage conditions: temperature, ozone concentrations, UV light levels, and quite possibly moisture. They generally last longer in the north than in the south. Misuse or abuse (such as running with too little air, leading to excessive heating when driving) also lowers their lifespan.