Do tires have to be changed at a certain age?

Sandy & Shirley wrote:
We took our 5er to the local RV dealer because a branch fell over the winter and cracked a vent cover. Currently fixed with duct tape!

He said he is an inspection station and will have to check the tires and read the sidewalls to see if they are too old and have to be replaced! Is this real or is he trying to rip me off! We live in Maryland and the tires look fine, plenty of tread and the sidewalls are in no way cracked.

Alas, there is some truth to what he is saying. If your tires are more than 7 years old, even if they look great, you should probably get them replaced. The oils that are in the rubber slowly leach out and decrease the constitution of the tires.

Now, if they are only three years old, he is trying to rip you off!!

5 years old, it becomes a little iffy.

Mine usually get replaced every 5 years. ...but they also start cracking a little so it is obvious.

I would call the tire manufacture and see what they say.. Most RV trailer tires will last 5 to 7 years before you have problems, depending on the manufacture of the tire..

Just because they look good or have plenty of tread, they can still have a blowout and cause lots of damage to the RV..

As my signature says, it is a 2004 Everest we bought new! Since this is 2013, my guess is the tires are more than 5 to 7 years old!

Might have to revive and modify the old saying I used about boating!

An RV is a fibreglass whole on the highway into which you shovel money !

I would call the State- MVA Customer Service Center:1-800-950-1MVA (1682) or 410-768-7000 , as a requirement would be Maryland law.
That said- if they are 10 years old, I would replace them anyway.

Until you are given details it is just FUD.

If they are ST Tires they should be replaced after they are 3 years old or 10,000 miles whichever comes first. If they are LT tires--- 5 to 7 years....would be a good rule of thumb to change them out. Went through 2 sets of ST tires in 6 years and less than 20,000 miles. Now Running lT tires. Letting tires set in the sun daily will reduce their life.

We had a blow-out with a five year old tire last September.
The trailer did sit quite a bit and the tires weren't covered while stored.
I had been rubbing glycerin on the sidewalls to slow down the cracking.

Les Schwab here in CA replaced the tire under warranty.
The tire store did say it can be a******shoot with trailer tires over five years old.
I believe that now.

If they are original then yes they need to be replaced.

Practical requirement? Yes. Tires do age, dangerously, when not in regular use. Problems go deeper than sidewall cracking, and an inspection for cosmetic cracks on the exterior doesn't tell the whole story.

A legal requirement? With the national media attention lately about dangers of aging tires, I can see a vehicle inspection state adding tire age to the standards. I can definitely see Maryland doing this (or Massachusetts). But check your state vehicle inspection code, and if the vehicle fails inspection because of a tire date code, I would definitely want the inspector to show me that part of the regulation.

Short answer? It is generally subscribed to, RV tires should be replaced at 7 years. Still its a personal choice when it comes down to actually replacing them.
I would have a real problem with any dealer telling me that after their inspection, that my tires will have to be replaced if it fails their inspection. Go ahead an inspect but I will be the judge of my replacement of tires or not.