PLEASE CHECK YOUR TIRES!!!

[rvis2005]

Fellow RVérs, This morning I read another motorhome accident story resulting from a blow out. This is merely a friendly reminder for all of us to check our tire condition and DATE CODE. The date code is the DOT numbers on the sidewall; the last four numbers represent the date that the tires were manufactured and the start date of the tire warranty. ie, DOTXXXXXXXXXX1311. That means the 13th week in 2011. If the tires are more than five years old it is my OPINION they need to be replaced. Please realize the importance of your tires. Safe travels.
Tommy

[rvis2005]

prism wrote:

rvis2005 wrote:

prism wrote:

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I was just going to post that myself----If you want to run your tires till they blow out good for you but if buying new tires when they age out will add a few more years to my life--I am buying tires. I have had 2 blow outs over the years and on both occasions the tires were over 7 years old. I'll never run another set till they expire----not worth it.

what were the blow outs on? what size? what type of vehicle? how many miles? did it have a slow leak and overheat? what kind of roads were they used on mostly etc etc etc
just because someone has arbitraely put a 7 year tire replacement date does not fit automatically allpy to all tires.Mileage is #1 factor.your telling us if you have 15000 miles on a 22.5 MH tire thats been looked after correctly that it should be replaced just because? I dont think so

Prizm, I completely understand your point here. My opinion is based on the experience that I have and the tire experts I've interviewed. Sure, there are plenty of stories of long lived tires. My intent was to share in hopes of helping someone who doesn't know. For me, my cars go through tires way faster than five years so that worry is eliminated, but for my motorhome it's the deadline I've imposed on myself. (My last set received an impressive trade in allowance which factors into the money side) Safe travels. Tommy

Yes and undrstood.I should look into the trade value as thats not a bad idea.Tire experst opinions vary as much as ours do I have been finding,Your right about car and pickup tires there ususally worn out
at 5 years

Prism, Sorry for misspelling your name. 🙂

[mmiille]

Our first motorhome had ten year old Michelins. I bought cooper tires for it after blowing out one of the Michelin's. The coopers were eight years old when two of them blew. One on me and one on my wife. The tires looked brand new. The tread peeled right off. I think seven years is max for the area I live in. I won't wait longer. Had three blowouts already and don't need anymore.

[prism]

rvis2005 wrote:

prism wrote:

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I was just going to post that myself----If you want to run your tires till they blow out good for you but if buying new tires when they age out will add a few more years to my life--I am buying tires. I have had 2 blow outs over the years and on both occasions the tires were over 7 years old. I'll never run another set till they expire----not worth it.

what were the blow outs on? what size? what type of vehicle? how many miles? did it have a slow leak and overheat? what kind of roads were they used on mostly etc etc etc
just because someone has arbitraely put a 7 year tire replacement date does not fit automatically allpy to all tires.Mileage is #1 factor.your telling us if you have 15000 miles on a 22.5 MH tire thats been looked after correctly that it should be replaced just because? I dont think so

Prizm, I completely understand your point here. My opinion is based on the experience that I have and the tire experts I've interviewed. Sure, there are plenty of stories of long lived tires. My intent was to share in hopes of helping someone who doesn't know. For me, my cars go through tires way faster than five years so that worry is eliminated, but for my motorhome it's the deadline I've imposed on myself. (My last set received an impressive trade in allowance which factors into the money side) Safe travels. Tommy

Yes and undrstood.I should look into the trade value as thats not a bad idea.Tire experst opinions vary as much as ours do I have been finding,Your right about car and pickup tires there ususally worn out
at 5 years

[rvis2005]

prism wrote:

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I was just going to post that myself----If you want to run your tires till they blow out good for you but if buying new tires when they age out will add a few more years to my life--I am buying tires. I have had 2 blow outs over the years and on both occasions the tires were over 7 years old. I'll never run another set till they expire----not worth it.

what were the blow outs on? what size? what type of vehicle? how many miles? did it have a slow leak and overheat? what kind of roads were they used on mostly etc etc etc
just because someone has arbitraely put a 7 year tire replacement date does not fit automatically allpy to all tires.Mileage is #1 factor.your telling us if you have 15000 miles on a 22.5 MH tire thats been looked after correctly that it should be replaced just because? I dont think so

Prizm, I completely understand your point here. My opinion is based on the experience that I have and the tire experts I've interviewed. Sure, there are plenty of stories of long lived tires. My intent was to share in hopes of helping someone who doesn't know. For me, my cars go through tires way faster than five years so that worry is eliminated, but for my motorhome it's the deadline I've imposed on myself. (My last set received an impressive trade in allowance which factors into the money side) Safe travels. Tommy

[azpete]

i think the op opinion is a good one, and so is dans, a little overboard but still he has a point.
the WHOLE IDEA is to take good care are of your tires. with major rough use of your tires, five years may not be too soon to do a replacement, and 10 years for a gently used set of tires.
arbitrary replacement on a time frame would be ok if money is no object. most people replace their tires because there is an appearance issue, i.e. cracks, cuts, wear patterns and of course age.
a good visual inspection of the sidewalls, and the tread should be done every time you use your coach. tire pressure should be done every week, while on the road, sooner, if the roads are rough. a thump test every morning as part of the departure inspection.
checking tires is just as important as checking the oil, or any of the other dozen things you have on your departure list, and is commonly ignored.
i have only had two blowouts on motor homes in over 45 years of driving, and i can tell you,blowouts are not fun. they are one of the most puckering experiences ive ever experienced. both were caused by sidewall failures. apparently curb bruises.so now i apply an ounce of prevention.

[prism]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I was just going to post that myself----If you want to run your tires till they blow out good for you but if buying new tires when they age out will add a few more years to my life--I am buying tires. I have had 2 blow outs over the years and on both occasions the tires were over 7 years old. I'll never run another set till they expire----not worth it.

what were the blow outs on? what size? what type of vehicle? how many miles? did it have a slow leak and overheat? what kind of roads were they used on mostly etc etc etc
just because someone has arbitraely put a 7 year tire replacement date does not fit automatically allpy to all tires.Mileage is #1 factor.your telling us if you have 15000 miles on a 22.5 MH tire thats been looked after correctly that it should be replaced just because? I dont think so

[ferndaleflyer]

I was just going to post that myself----If you want to run your tires till they blow out good for you but if buying new tires when they age out will add a few more years to my life--I am buying tires. I have had 2 blow outs over the years and on both occasions the tires were over 7 years old. I'll never run another set till they expire----not worth it.

[JayGee]

rvis2005 wrote:
Fellow RVérs, This morning I read another motorhome accident story resulting from a blow out. This is merely a friendly reminder for all of us to check our tire condition and DATE CODE. The date code is the DOT numbers on the sidewall; the last four numbers represent the date that the tires were manufactured and the start date of the tire warranty. ie, DOTXXXXXXXXXX1311. That means the 13th week in 2011. If the tires are more than five years old it is my OPINION they need to be replaced. Please realize the importance of your tires. Safe travels.
Tommy

Good post Tommy. Hopefully no one ever has a tire problem. I wonder how old or were the tires properly inflated on the bus in this article.

Serious crash

[Tvov]

Gotta love forums. Seems like most threads about tire age on these forums agree on changing tires at five years old. Now this thread comes along and people laugh at 5 years. Oh well!

[Grillmeister]

DanTheRVMan wrote:
5 years????? I understand you have an opinion, but cocktail waitresses,engineers, and florists all have opinions here and for some silly reason they are given equal weight.

Do you have data? Special knowledge? Why 5 why not 3 or 8 years?

I have owned my tires since new and kept them properly inflated (actually the tires almost did it by themselves)

Should we replace tires when necessary - YES

Should we say the sky will fall if you do not follow my opinion? I do not know, are you a florist?

BTW, I have a very intelligent neighbor I respect and he is a florist.

Another one for the blocked list! :B

[Don_Don]

Dennis M M wrote:
Watch this video right now and learn how to handle blow out on a steer tire.
The Critical Factor

There is only 1 thing wrong with this video, it looks easy to the untrained eye but the driver in this video knew he was going to have a blowout and was ready......are you?

[cross_country]

I retired my XRV's after 12 years of uninterrupted service. The tread and side wall were showing wear. I miss them, replaced with BF Goodrich and they do not handle and ride as well as the old Michelin's. Then again, I do not drive over 60, carry a compressor and a gage and know my 4 corner weights.

[rvis2005]

DanTheRVMan wrote:
5 years????? I understand you have an opinion, but cocktail waitresses,engineers, and florists all have opinions here and for some silly reason they are given equal weight.

Do you have data? Special knowledge? Why 5 why not 3 or 8 years?

I have owned my tires since new and kept them properly inflated (actually the tires almost did it by themselves)

Should we replace tires when necessary - YES

Should we say the sky will fall if you do not follow my opinion? I do not know, are you a florist?

BTW, I have a very intelligent neighbor I respect and he is a florist.

Dan, surely you're kidding. If not, no I'm not a waitress nor am I a florist. Neither of the aforementioned are relevant to my point. I hope some who didn't know the date code or the Manufactures opinion
gain additional knowledge to make his or her own decision. I know I said it was my opinion, but if you missed it: THIS IS MY OPINION! Now carry on and do what you wish! I hope this was helpful to atleast one person; perhaps it saves a life. Tommy

[barlow46]

vegasfoodguy wrote:
I think the real question here, Do we know how to handle a tire blowout?
Firmly hold the wheel, maintain speed, turn off cruise control, move to safe place. I hope we (Men or Women) have the strength to hold the wheel straight. any other suggestions, please chime in.

Terry.

Most drivers that use cruise control just tap the brake to turn it off. Not a good idea if you have just had a blowout on a steer tire. When you hear that "explosion" and the steering wheel immediately pulls hard right or left, the last thing you are thinking of is turning off the cruise control using the button on the steering wheel.

The pros tell us to accelerate slightly until you gain control and then bring it to a controlled stop....easier said than done for some.

Cruise control can contribute to a bad situation in my opinion when experiencing a blowout. I have never been a big fan of cruise control and to this day don't use it as a rule when driving my vehicles.

I realize that I am in the minority in not using cruise control but I find other benefits in not using it and in case of a blowout, it is one more thing I don't have to deal with.

Just another opinion and in regard to the original post, I like to start out with my "own" set of tires and then I know how many hard hits I have had, how they have been stored and/or covered, correct pressures maintained, etc. Then I can determine if I want to chance the 10 years that can be obtained with proper care and use.

When I bought used, I put new tires on immediately (6 yr old Goodyears that looked good except for the "riveting") and have never regretted that decision.