do tire covers really make a difference?

:) Hi, I have never used tire covers, but my trailer has always been stored between the houses. Mostly shaded. I have seen campers use tire covers at RV parks; I think that is just too much.

My only anecdotal experience with tires and sun is my flatbed trailer which sits most of the time. After 13 years, the 2 tires that always faced south were showing small cracks and the north side ones looked brand new.

Tire cover discussion from earlier today.

Bill

Great place for yellow jackets to take up residence.

stand in the sun all day ,see what the sun does to you. does the same to everything else too.

rvtiresafety ....Tireman9
Also tire mfg website has some good advice on keeping tires out of the sun.

My 11200 lb '97 rv sits in a trailer shed. Still looks like new. I use LT tires so I get 7-8 years (50k-55k miles) of trouble free service per set.
Both trucks and a car are garaged. The sun ruineth all over time.

The subject of tire covers is no different than pretty well anything else we can discuss here on an RV forum - some think they're absolutely necessary, others think they're a total waste of $$. My trailers have always sat parked with the curb side tires exposed all day to the sun, the street side always in the shade, so I cover the curb side with some spare Reflectix I had in the workshop but don't bother with the street side. I can't say definitively it makes any difference but it didn't cost me anything so why not? :W



I also cover the entire tongue to prevent sun fade and as can be seen in this pic the cover which originally was black but is now a faded purple colour takes the brunt.



I'd cover the entire trailer with my winter ADCO cover but it's way too much work to do repeatedly during the camping season so the best I can do is occasionally wash & wax and hope for the best. :p

Mine also sits in the TX heat, but at least it is in covered, but not enclosed, storage. So sun does not shine directly on it. Just replaced my 10 yr old Michelin tires and they still looked almost new. No cracking at all. Michelin says their tires should be replaced by 10 years. Other brands may or may not fair as well.

My utility trailers have always sat out in direct sun and weather year round and I have never had a tire fail due to age cracking.

Even here in western Washington I have seen the damage done by sun. The side walls turn a combination of light grey and blue. I can only imagine how bad it is someplace hot and sunny!

Ditto on RVtiresafety.net. Roger has 3 posts on UV & ozone here.