Should I cover my tires?

mkenyon2 wrote:
Still not sure what to do. ??

Do what gives you the most confidence. If you want to purchase covers and use them then by all means do so. If you decide you don't want to then don't. Honestly I don't think its going to make much difference on the tires but sometimes a decision is more about self assurance than anything else.
I have never used them before but I just purchased a new 5th wheel a couple months ago and when I store it for the winter I'm covering my tires. Why? because I want to.

I wish there was a like button, I'd be clicking it for some of these.

Didn't mean to stir up a hornets nest. Especially liked the 'jumped the shark' reference. And I know it's all good natured discussion. Still not sure what to do. ??

FWIW....

In Alaska, we don't get much of the sun and heat that folks elsewhere experience. On my vehicles that get used on a regular basis, I don't cover them at all, winter or summer. My ATV trailer and Sno-go trailer get tires covered in the Summer when they aren't used much.

FWIW, even up here in the cool climate, most of my pilot acquaintances, who fly airplanes with $1500 - $2000/per tires on them, go to great lengths to fabricate covers that get put on anytime the 'craft will sit for more than a day or so.

op wrote:
Getting ready to cover the trailer for the winter, and I'm wondering if I should cover my tires. They're not in bad shape.

You can follow what tire experts like Roger Marble who is a actual tire engineer and a rv member under the user name Tireman9 https://www.rvtiresafety.net/2011/06/tire-covers-do-they-do-any-good.html tire blog or opinions expressed on the net.

andtire covers

You may also want to google what your tire mfg has to say on tire storage/tire covers subject.

dedmiston wrote:
Don't forget to change the air in your tires every month. Old air is the silent killer. :R

And of course changing blinker fluid goes along with those type recommendations :R :R

jdc1 wrote:
Do you cover you car tires? They see the same sun.

Surely you're not serious.....
And I'm not calling you Shirley again, no matter how many times you ask me to!

Gdetrailer wrote:

cummins2014 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Well said GDE. Bravo!

OP, winter, in PA? I wouldn't even consider it.

Summer in AZ? My answer would be exactly opposite.

What do you recommend for Utah , kind of in between PA ,and Arizona .:B

Take them off, then bring them into your house and put them in a soft bed for a long winters nap? :B

For half the time! :B

Gdetrailer wrote:

cummins2014 wrote:

I too use 303 on my tires , mostly to make them look good, keeping them that nice black look , not a fan of dull looking tires on any vehicle or RV .

Tires when they come fresh out of the mold are dull black, they are not shiny. Granted they will be a deep black but it will not be shiny.

They will be the blackest they can be in the mold but the second they are ejected from the mold the rubber starts aging and will go back to less than black more of a grey black color and some may even get some browning over the life of the tire whether it is in full sun or tucked in a dark, dark cave for all it's life.

The black comes from Carbon black that is added to the natural latex and the synthetic rubbers as they mix together. Carbon black is what gives the black color but it add strength to the rubber. It also can be mixed in varying quantities to achieve specific characteristics like a harder rubber for high wear or softer rubber with high grip and low wear. Natural latex is a milky white when new but as it ages turns a narly ugly brown.

Adding things like 303 is more about making it pretty looking than anything else.

Dirt and mud happen to tires, I don't sweat that and heck over the yrs have relaxed about making sure my TT is washed before a trip.. All it takes is one summers night of driving and all that hard work you did is completely covered in bugs..

I get a kick out of seeing 50-60 yr old guys pulling into a car cruise then proceed to spend the next 4hrs of their lives wiping the dust, dirt and mud off of their vehicle at the cruise :h

I pull in and show it the way life is.

I could care less what 303 does other then restoring the black , no it adds very little shine, not interested in a shiny tire , just a nice black .

I take pride in how my rig looks , and performs . If you like yours dirty and covered in bugs , I have no problem with that . If I’m staying a period of time like our six week trip to Montana in the summer , it’s cleaned up soon after I arrive . I use a product that makes it very easy to remove the bugs.

Thanks for all that info on tires , I get a kick out of someone spending time researching that , and I could care less about it . I’d rather spend my time outdoors shinning my tires . :B more fun then sitting at a computer .

You gotta admit there's some humor there...

Q: Are you an engineer?

A: Nah, but I watched some Discovery Channel.

:B :B :B

And, that is my warning that I have overstepped my boundry limits with the mod..