Tire covers

[LOFAT36]

Tire covers. Yes or no. The reason I ask is 2 tires that get most of the sun are covered and have cracks in the sidewall. The other 2 get very little sun are not covered and are fine. Marty

[wopachop]

Were the tires covered since brand new?

[JIMNLIN]

Another camper asked me if he could shoot my white tire covers with his IF gun. We both were sitting to get full afternoon sun. He found his black tire covers would go to 160 -165 degrees on the inside vs 105 inside my white tire covers. Outside temps were in the low 90s with full sun. The trailer was set up for a 45 day stay at a KOA. Other wise I don't carry the covers while on a trip/vacation.
Of course we know that sun rays kills tires rubber on a sitting trailer (months at a time)......Heat also is a rubber killer.
There are no trailer tires (ST) that recommend 7-10 years before replacing. Most say in the 3-5 years range.

[dodge_guy]

mr_andyj wrote:
Always.
For that matter, cover your roof AC shroud and the vent hoods, plastic will become brittle and break from UV.

Yes, but a brittle shroud will not cause a blowout or potential damage from a blowout.

[Siblen88]

You can Maintain proper inflation pressure in your tires to avoid cracks

[larry_cad]

No point in covering tires, what does it accomplish? If you leave your tires uncovered, you will get new tires in 7 to 10 years. If you cover your tires, you will get new tires in 7 to 10 years. You have gained nothing.

You answered your own question with your initial post. Covers did you no good.

Think through the logic of the situation. If you don't use covers, and have dually tires on the back, the outside tires block the sun from hitting the inside tires. Do people end up changing the outside tires more often than the inside? Absolutely not! Yet the inside tires were continuously shielded from the sun. Should have lasted at least another year, don't you think?

Tire manufacturers use a UV protection in the compounding of the rubber. Enough to make the tires last from 7 to 10 years. End of story.

[LOFAT36]

Thanks all. Marty

[wildtoad]

Or invest in some 303 Aerospace UV protectant. Spray on all plastic parts and rubber seals. Keep tires clean and sprayed, keep tires off the ground if in storage.

[mr_andyj]

Always.
For that matter, cover your roof AC shroud and the vent hoods, plastic will become brittle and break from UV.

[MitchF150]

Yes when parked at home and I even use them on the door side when it's on the sun side while camping.. The other side has the slide that pretty much blocks any sun when they are out.

Mitch

[ReneeG]

We always cover with a white vinyl, fleece lined cover and have never had a problem, BUT - about 12 years ago we had our tires covered too and the tires cracked on the side that got the most sun. They were a different brand so I wonder if that is it?

[fj12ryder]

We always cover the tires when the 5th wheel is in storage. If I parked somewhere for a month or so, I might cover them, if I had the covers on hand. UV is very hard on rubber.

[Lwiddis]

I cover all my tires but cracks usually don’t appear to the human eye until long after the tires should have been replaced IMO.