Tire Rotation

Google is your friend. Why not take direction from your chassis and tire makers?

Many recommendations here will differ. For most MH owners the tires get old before they wear out. If you are in the minority who will wear out the tread then rotation can extend tread life.

Pops R wrote:
Not having any luck finding a Camping World that can do tire rotations on the Motor Home as we travel. So my question is where is everyone else getting there Motor Home tires rotated? Then if a general ball park quote on what is being charged for this service would be great.

Easy question. Don't rotate your tires. We never do.
If you must, a truck tire shop shouldn't be that hard to find and have even had tires installed in the lot and in a grassy lot behind their shop, when without a truck bay.

The OP didn't identify a problem with the current tires. It is my understanding that on Class-A rotation is not needed unless you are trying to even out some irregular wear that developed (probably due to an alignment issue)

The "don't change direction of rotation" was a solution looking for a problem 40 - 50 years ago when the tire industry was first learning how to build radials. Since the belts go in both directions (up to right and up to left) one belt is always running "into" the footprint no matter the direction. The early problems that I saw was the tread splice opening up when it wasn't properly and completely cured closed. The idea was that one direction would tend to keep the splice closed and the opposite might tend to make it open.
Engineers have learned that the "Tread Separations" that were being reported were actually belt separations due to improper (low) inflation , overload and excess heat.


I would think of it more like the 3,000 mi oil change that has been replaced by 5,000+ miles and even computer monitored change schedule.

Technology has moved on and the weakness at the tread splice area is no longer an issue for the top tier tire companies.

Given that most Class-A will age out before they wear out I see no reason to spend the time and money doing a rotation based on decade old ideas.

Now if someone wants to rotate or not rotate their tires that's up to them but as an engineer I trust facts and data way more than the opinion of individuals or even companies that have not tested a few hundred thousand tires.

Like I said, your coach, your money and your destroyed fenders. This is especially true on a tire that may have cupped and is being moved to another position and the rotation direction being changed. Just because you didn't have a tire that separated, doesn't mean it won't happen. Many keep their tires for 10 -12 years. It's all about the risk you're willing to take.

mpierce wrote:

DSDP Don wrote:

Canadian Rainbirds wrote:
That has not been true for radial tires for decades. It was a concern in the early days.

You're absolutely right that it doesn't apply anymore to PASSENGER CAR tires, but you'll most likely cause tread separation on large RV tires, especially models like the Goodyear G670. I never change direction on any tire, personal preference, but I would never change direction on a large RV tire and take the chance that the tread separates and causes a blow out. Your RV, your choice.....change tread direction if you like!

I would think RV tires would be the same as truck tires??? On my Peterbilt, I rotate the fronts from side to side once in their 250,000 mile life. I also rotate the rear tandems. On them I swap the RF to LR, the LF to the RR. I leave the outside tires on the outside, because the wheels are polished on one side, and I do not have to remove tires from the wheels this way.

This is the method, told to me by several truck tire shops, that is reccommended. This changes direction of rotation of all the tires. Never had a problem, and it is the suggested rotation method by truck tire shops.

And my last set of Michelin 235/80R 22.5 XRVs were replaced after 5 years and 139,000 kilometers (86,400 miles). There was still usable tread left but we were getting ready for a 15,000 Km trip, much of it to be in Mexico where XRV tires are not available.

All 6 wheels are identical.

Rotating tires can be difficult since you most often need to dismount the tires to do so.....different wheels between the steer and drive axles. Tag may be the same as steer but that may differ between coaches.

The thing is............
For me and I suspect most RV'ers, my tires will expire from old age WAY before they come anywhere close to actually wearing out the tread. If you are a low mileage user AND you see abnormal wear, then something is drastically wrong and needs to be fixed. Rotation is a waste of time and money for a low mileage user.

Now if you are a high mileage user, like you wear off the tread in a couple of years, that might be a different story.....but I doubt it.

DSDP Don wrote:

Canadian Rainbirds wrote:
That has not been true for radial tires for decades. It was a concern in the early days.

You're absolutely right that it doesn't apply anymore to PASSENGER CAR tires, but you'll most likely cause tread separation on large RV tires, especially models like the Goodyear G670. I never change direction on any tire, personal preference, but I would never change direction on a large RV tire and take the chance that the tread separates and causes a blow out. Your RV, your choice.....change tread direction if you like!

I would think RV tires would be the same as truck tires??? On my Peterbilt, I rotate the fronts from side to side once in their 250,000 mile life. I also rotate the rear tandems. On them I swap the RF to LR, the LF to the RR. I leave the outside tires on the outside, because the wheels are polished on one side, and I do not have to remove tires from the wheels this way.

This is the method, told to me by several truck tire shops, that is reccommended. This changes direction of rotation of all the tires. Never had a problem, and it is the suggested rotation method by truck tire shops.

I never have had uneven tire wear, so I just leave them alone. I change tires every five or six years and the thread still looks new. So why mess with something that is not needed.

Canadian Rainbirds wrote:
That has not been true for radial tires for decades. It was a concern in the early days.

You're absolutely right that it doesn't apply anymore to PASSENGER CAR tires, but you'll most likely cause tread separation on large RV tires, especially models like the Goodyear G670. I never change direction on any tire, personal preference, but I would never change direction on a large RV tire and take the chance that the tread separates and causes a blow out. Your RV, your choice.....change tread direction if you like!