Busting the Myth of 5 year tire life.
I sold tire pressure monitoring systems for 9 years and regularly presented lectures on tires. One of the most frequently heard statements was, "You should get new tires every 5 years." NOT SO! I ha...
Forum Discussion
CapriRacer wrote:Old_Spirit wrote:CapriRacer wrote:
Just a thought:
I notice that folks aren't distinguishing between types of tires in this thread. Clearly, LT tires are different than ST tires which are different than medium truck tires (19.5", 22.5") - and they are used on different vehicles in different ways. I would also think that tires on motorhomes would react differently than tires on an over-the-road truck, even though they are the same tires.
Noting a distinction between types of tires is immaterial. Tires are designed and built for specific purposes. Although, some trailer tires are the same size as car tires, you wouldn't use them on a car. Your ride would be far too stiff.
Motorhome tires and over-the-road truck tires are subject to the same laws of physics and chemistry. When you read Load Inflation tables, there is no notation indicating that this or that tire should be used on a truck or a motorhome. To a tire it doesn't matter what vehicle it's on. Its main purpose is to contain enough pressure to support the load and enough traction to grip the road. That's it. Now,for the sake of the maker's reputation and his continued viability, he designs and builds tires to meet these needs while endeavoring to make them durable.
I don't understand your comment about the reactions of tires on a Motorhome versus one tractor trailer rig? .
Tires on an over-the-road truck are generally in constant use and wear out long before age can become an issue. Tires on a motorhome are frequently idle for long periods of time, so age becomes an issue.
There is a thing called the Arrhenius Rule which states that chemical reactions take place twice as fast for every 10°C increase in temperature. So while the over-the-road truck tire is heated up while operating, those same degradations take place on an idle motorhome tire - albeit at a much reduced rate. If we subject the motorhome tire to the same operating conditions, but have long periods of idle time, the motorhome tire will have more age effects when removed from service.
I understand. Thank you.
