Tire cover advice

[wopachop]

Looking on amazon they have a pack of 4 for $22. Or you can spend double that for what is advertized as being more durable.

Also see the covers that have an aluminum film. Wonder how long until that peels off. Also curious if the sun reflects off it? Was close to buying them last night but held off.

White, black, aluminum film. Any advice on what lasts the longest? Very windy here.

[Gdetrailer]

Grit dog wrote:
^So you run your trailer tires like 25 years or what?

Generally about 6 yrs or so on trailer tires, typically in that time I will have used them enough to have enough wear on the tread surface to warrant replacing them.. Although on my 18ft 10K GVWR flatbed trailer, those tires are going on 10 yrs and no cracks visible but that trailer doesn't get towed very far and has lots of tread. Have to have enough tread to pass PA state safety inspections so you can't run them to the point of as smooth as babies behind.

Trust me, PA inspection places WILL point out failing flaws at inspection time.

Ran into more issues with the stems cracking and failing than having any tires blow out.

Overloading and or underinflating is most likely going to cause more issues with tires than the age or even cracks in the tires..

I should have taken photos of the tires that were on my current TT when I bought it.. Cracks everywhere, tread, sidewall, you name it, it was cracked.. Trailer sat in a permanent site at a local campground for well over 15 yrs before I bought it, who knows just how old those tires were.

Put some air in the tires and we towed it home about 16 miles, granted didn't drive very fast but did hit 50 MPH for a short bit on one road.

Slathering junk on the tires or covering them up with board or covers isn't going to net you any more life out of tires but folks buy into all of those fantasy products which are specifically marketed to RV owners who are more gullible and obviously have more disposable income.

Best bet is to USE THEM, keep them PRESSURED UP and don't overload.

[Grit_dog]

^So you run your trailer tires like 25 years or what?

[Gdetrailer]

JimK-NY wrote:
Tires will dry rot even when stored in a dark location. Lack of use increase the rate of dry rot because tires contain protective chemicals that work themselves towards the surface when used. I learned from personal experience the life of a tire stored in the dark is about 4 years.

Hmm.. don't tell the Model T and Antique auto folks this..

They often will INSTALL 60+ yr old NOS Clincher tires AND DRIVE ON THEM..

Clincher tires are a high pressure tire for the size, 60PSI or so..

And, yes, I HAVE a set of 70+ yr old clinchers laying around that my Dad helped my Grandad put on the antique car I now have.. Was pretty concerned about them since they had to have a 6" section vulcanized in to fit the rims since at the time there was no size available for the rims. I did replace (mainly because the inner tubes were not holding air and I wasn't sure how well the splices would hold up when replacing the inner tubes)but kept the old ones for show and tell at car shows :B

Here is a pix of that tire splice taken in 2011 when I got the car from my Dad..

[MFL]

JIMNLIN wrote:
Tireman9 on tire dressings and white tire covers
This from tire engineer (Tireman9) rvtiresafety blog. Read all the comments and his replies to them.

Good info here from Roger! While some TEs are just giving their opinion, Roger backs up with facts, and personal testing! Roger is also a knowledgeable RV owner, that knows from experience, what tires, what psi pressures, work best, concerning wear and handling.

Good post Jim!

Jerry

[JIMNLIN]

Tireman9 on tire dressings and white tire covers
This from tire engineer (Tireman9) rvtiresafety blog. Read all the comments and his replies to them.

[doxiemom11]

Our tire covers are cream colored vinyl type stuff over a mesh type fabric. They are 10 years old now and still look nice. We do clean them a couple times a year.

[Boomerweps]

I bought the cheapest silver plastic covered material covers I could find under $10 a pair off Amazon.
Since 5 years is the expected life of TT tires AND mine are original Castle Rocks, expensive covers are a waste. Especially in PA. If I was in the southern desert, it might be a different story.

[philh]

tire covers are a false panacea.

[wopachop]

The aluminum film covers wouldn't reflect heat similar to a window cover?

[JimK-NY]

Tires will dry rot even when stored in a dark location. Lack of use increase the rate of dry rot because tires contain protective chemicals that work themselves towards the surface when used. I learned from personal experience the life of a tire stored in the dark is about 4 years.

[Lwiddis]

I put sunscreen on my white vinyl light proof wheel covers to stop the UV rays...70 spf.

[RoyF]

I have vinyl over cloth wheel covers that are still good after 13 years. I am confident that they can protect tires from UV rays, given that an ordinary cloth T-shirt will protect skin from sunburn.

[Dick_B]

I'll tell you what I think I know: tire covers don't protect the tire from UV rays they mostly keep the sun off to minimize the temperature buildup in the tire.
With that in mind white would work, or if stored for a season a piece of plywood would work just as well and last forever.

[JIMNLIN]

Aluminum gets very hot. If you want the coolest temps I would get white.