"Old Tires"
The subject of when to replace trailer tires has been hashed over many times but there is always something new. My tires were 8 years old and felt that according to the experts they were at the sta...
Forum Discussion
Nonsense. Your tire guy might have enough knowledge to change tires but he has no understanding of the issue with tires ageing.
I almost learned about this the hard way. I had a spare that had been under my pickup truck since I bought the truck 4 years prior. I decided to put that tire into rotation so I bought a new tire to go with it and had them installed on the rear axle. My tire "guy" at Sears was happy to do the work and to sell me one new tire. My truck and camper sat in the driveway for a couple weeks and I was about to take off on a cross country trip. With just the weight of the truck camper on the tire, it developed cracks everywhere which had not been visible when it was installed a few weeks before. I had to buy a new tire and discard a 4 year old tire that had never been used and had not even been exposed to sunlight.
I did some google research and found that tires deteriorate rapidly when not in use. They need to be run so that chemicals in the rubber can work towards the surface and protect from oxidation; i.e., dry rot. An unused tire can deteriorate much faster than one in use.
Tires on a passenger car in regular use can easily last roughly 8 years or so depending on wear. An RV tire is often used only infrequently and replacement needs to be considered at more like 4 years. If you use your RV a lot, the tires are likely to wear out by 4 years. If not, they might have lost strength due to oxidation even if the loss is not visible.
I almost learned about this the hard way. I had a spare that had been under my pickup truck since I bought the truck 4 years prior. I decided to put that tire into rotation so I bought a new tire to go with it and had them installed on the rear axle. My tire "guy" at Sears was happy to do the work and to sell me one new tire. My truck and camper sat in the driveway for a couple weeks and I was about to take off on a cross country trip. With just the weight of the truck camper on the tire, it developed cracks everywhere which had not been visible when it was installed a few weeks before. I had to buy a new tire and discard a 4 year old tire that had never been used and had not even been exposed to sunlight.
I did some google research and found that tires deteriorate rapidly when not in use. They need to be run so that chemicals in the rubber can work towards the surface and protect from oxidation; i.e., dry rot. An unused tire can deteriorate much faster than one in use.
Tires on a passenger car in regular use can easily last roughly 8 years or so depending on wear. An RV tire is often used only infrequently and replacement needs to be considered at more like 4 years. If you use your RV a lot, the tires are likely to wear out by 4 years. If not, they might have lost strength due to oxidation even if the loss is not visible.
