Motorhome tire life?

[65FalconLover]

We are taking delivery on a 2008 Bounder 35H this weekend that has the 22.5" tires on it. Since they're already about 5 years old how long could I expect to be able to use them before I have to replace them? The coach only has 14,000 miles on it now so it's not tread wear I'm concerned with, it's age.

John

[lanerd]

What Dale said. In our case, our coach is an 08, that was built in April of 07, with engine, tires, and batteries all made in Dec of 06!

Check the date code on each and every tire....then make a decision as to whether or not they need replacing.

Ron

[the_silverback]

If you need to get tires check out the FMCA discount program with Michlin.

[Valkyriebush]

okgc wrote:
After 5 years of age Both GoodYear and Michlin recommend RV tires be inspected annually by your dealer.

Up to 10 years max on the michlins.

[Devonm2012]

We replace the steer axle tires every four years and the drive and tag axle tires every five years.

[rgatijnet1]

I forgot to add that if you do decide to change them out, be sure to negotiate a trade-in credit against your new tires. Your tires have some value either as is or to be sold as carcasses for recapping. Never let a tire dealer talk you into him just keeping your tires without giving you some kind of a credit. All you have to do is ask.

[Dale_Traveling]

You also need to consider the real age of the tires and not the model year of the coach. The chassis builder buys and installs the tires then delivers the chassis to the coach builder. No telling how long the tires were warehoused at the chassis builder or how long the chassis was waiting before the house was built. So you could have six year old tires.

Check the date codes and do an off the rim inspection. Any good Over The Road (OTR) truck tire service center can do the work. Get a price estimate for replacements so you can budget the cost between now and the next 12-18 months from now.

[Mr_Mark1]

John, since I've known our tires since the odometer had 75 miles on it, I know exactly how they have been treated. At 7 yrs. (date codes read from the 20th-42nd week of 2006) and 57,700 miles. I'm getting new tires at the end of the month from Pete's Road Service in Coachella, CA. I already placed my order through the FMCA Michelin program.

Personally, if I were you, I would have the tires inspected at a big truck facility and see what they say. They will have to come off the rim for a really good inspection. You might even want to rotate a dually set to the front if you have any wear on the front (if given the 'passed' vote).

I received a bad alignment once from Colton Truck Terminal in Colton, CA, and didn't realize it until I was almost 2,000 miles from home. I started to get severe wear on both of the inner front tires. I found a reputable big truck facility in Nashville (TAFA-Tire Alignment Frame and Axle)....I think it was the most perfect alignment I've ever had. They had to add a plate to the front suspension for a perfect alignment.

It was 6 months before I could get back to Colton so I never worried about a refund, etc. I certainly didn't want them to ever align it again. They have been really good in the past with oil changes, etc. But the alignment and then them not being able to fix my dash 3 times, but charged me for each visit, was the last straw. I go to Redlands Truck Service in Redlands where they fixed my dash air the first time and now the repair is a year and half old and running strong. They won a customer.

Good luck on your tires,
Mark

[okgc]

After 5 years of age Both GoodYear and Michlin recommend RV tires be inspected annually by your dealer.

[JamesBr]

somewhere between replace them now, and go till they look like they are too dry rotted to continue is the best answer. You arleady made the deal on the RV, so it would be impossble to make it part of the deal now. So inspect them inside and outside for any large amounts of dry rot. If they look pretty bad, then your better replacing them sooner rather then later. Due to costs for me, I replaced my steering tires the first year of ownership and my rear duals the following year.

I care for my tires as well as one can and figure next round ill do all 6 at once. But the plan worked for me.

[crasster]

I'll be honest, a bounder 35H is pretty heavy... I dunno, 5 years may be pushing it.

Many people go 7 years....
If you have a good spare, I think you'll be okay until 7 years, but be sure you are prepared with a jack & inflated spare.

[rgatijnet1]

I would guess at least another two years of service BUT the problem is that you do not know the history of those tires. They may only have 14,000 miles but they could have been run under inflated the whole time. They could have been run into curbs and potholes, etc.
If it were me, I would put new tires on now, but you may just want to have the tires taken off the rims and thoroughly inspected. while doing that, you may want to install new valve stems.

[paulcardoza]

Assuming they show no obvious signs of deterioration, 7 years should be no problem. Since you don't really know how well they have been cared for over the 5 years, going longer than that is risky