Best surface for tires to sit on for extended periods?

I park mine on gravel without anything between the tire and gravel with good results.

I use my rig perhaps twice a year, and it sits there otherwise.

My tires are now almost eight years old, and one of them is just now showing signs of tread "rounding" thus indicating incipient belt separation. I'll get a new set before using the RV again, and park them back on the gravel.

It seems to be working OK for me.

I would avoid storing on dirt/weeds/grass. The growth can find the micro cracks and start to invade. Over an extended period this will have a detrimental effect.

I store on PVC leveling planks through the off season.

I park on thick layer of crushed gravel and use 2x6's to alter tilt of rig so rain runs away from cab over area (Class C). Has worked for me for 25 years. Seems to me that avoiding exposure to UV, water and chemicals is the goal and there are plenty of ways of doing that.

By no means am I jacking the tires off the ground. With three axles under there, I can guarantee that I'll never want to hook up and go again for sake of all the work it would take to leave. We take the trailer out a few times a year but considering how long on average RV/trailers sit between movements, the thought just crossed my mind that maybe the surface the tires are sitting on could help. Thanks everyone.

If you can DRIVE o the surface you can PARK on it. It has never made any sense to me to jack up a trailer (you didn't mention what kind of RV you have), endangering it's very expensive frame, to POSSIBLY save some very inexpensive tires. If you choose to go ahead and raise it then at least support it at multiple points and over as long a distance along the frame as possible.
Good luck / Skip

Refer to www.michelinrvtires.com for their advice.

RAS43 wrote:

Popsie wrote:
Don't let them sit on anything - jack them off the ground and use good tire covers.

Good tire covers I agree with. Jacking them off the ground, who does that anymore? Too much work and if I want to go I don't need the extra work. My rig sits on gravel with old rubber mud flaps between the tires and gravel. My last set of tires were 7 years old when replaced, without any problems.

Depends on your RV, I lift them off the ground with a few mighty button pushes.

I replaced my previous tires after about nine and a half years because of warning after warning on this forum. The dealer told me they were in great shape and would become retreads.

I like the rubber mats idea.

Sitting unused is harder on them than the particular surface type. When tires are in service the sidewall flexing moves plasticizer around, including to areas where it has leached out or degraded due to UV.

Jim

Mine is sitting on some plastic decking material. Trex or similar brand.