is covering the tires necessary?

So if your tires are in the shade all day, one set is under the slide, the other set is under the awning. Would you still cover?

I use 303 Protectant on my tires.

Dog Folks wrote:
So if your tires are in the shade all day, one set is under the slide, the other set is under the awning. Would you still cover?

Depends on how long it sits in one place. Long term I would, if only short term then probably not

You'll get varying answers on this question. It depends a lot on your climate and your storage conditions. Is it on gravel or grass? Stored indoors or out, in a carport or not? Get shade or no shade? Winter weather or sunny all year? Sits on mostly dry ground or gets a lot of puddles?

We've owned campers for about 11 years now and have never covered the tires. Our storage conditions have always been on gravel, no water pooling as the ground slopes away from the camper. Shade is provided by the nearby campers that dwarfs ours for most of the day. :) We can have bad winters here in the Midwest. In these conditions, we've never had any dry rot or other tire issues, and looking around the storage lot, most of the campers have uncovered tires as well. So....it all depends and there really isn't a right or wrong answer.

gbopp wrote:
I use 303 Protectant on my tires.

Agreed! 303 is great!

Hi: I cover my tires even if it is not in use for a couple of weeks. U
V will cause damage (cracking) to the side wall of the tire. Jim2007

There was a recent demonstration of how hot the tires get in the sun vs in the shade ie. covered from direct rays. I'm not sure the vinyl covers really protect from the UV rays but the temperature difference is important.

They are covered in storage, as well as at the beach to keep the constant salt off the aluminum. And while there is possibly a heat issue with covering them, UV damage is way worse

Dick_B wrote:
There was a recent demonstration of how hot the tires get in the sun vs in the shade ie. covered from direct rays. I'm not sure the vinyl covers really protect from the UV rays but the temperature difference is important.

I think it's the other way around. Anything that's shaded is protected from UV. But the covers can act like solar ovens letting the tire get hot. That's why so many are light colored.

I'd cover them when not in use.

Required? No. Good idea? Yes.