RV tires are different from conventional vehicles because they hold more weight as compared to passenger cars. They are made of high-quality and durable rubber material that lasts for years. However, they are also vulnerable to wear and tear because of their age, driving conditions, and quality. You have to replace the worn-out tires with new ones to ensure safety during driving.
How Often Should You Replace RV Tires? You should replace RV tires after 4 to 6 years, depending on the quality of tires, driving terrains, distance covered, storage environment, manufacturing brand, temperature conditions, maintenance, and tread depth wear and tear.
My RV tires were worn out after 3 years, and I became worried because their replacement is costly. I stored them in the correct place and maintained them regularly, but I still faced the issue. I called my friend to inspect them, and he told me that this brand manufactures low-quality tires that are not resistant to weather conditions and road surfaces. I faced the trailer swaying issue because of the worn-out tread surface.
How often should I replace my RV tires?
These tires have different life spans depending on several factors. However, on average, high-quality rubber tires can last 4 to 6 years with proper maintenance.
These can also last for more than 10 years when you properly maintain and store them in a favorable environment. In addition, some of these brands manufacture low-quality RV tires that can only last for less than 5 years.
You have to replace them with new ones when you see physical signs of wear and tear on their tread surface and issues during driving, including poor handling, squealing noise, overheating, and swaying.
You should change them before 10 years to reduce the sudden blow-out risks. I also prefer to replace my trailer tires every 5 to 6 years for safe traveling. It benefits me by improving the fuel efficiency and functionality of the vehicle.
What factors affect the longevity of RV tires?
RV tires have different ages because of the difference in quality of their manufacturing materials. Moreover, you can also check their age from the serial number mentioned on their tread surface by the Department of Transportation. The serial number contains information about their manufacturing date.
Distance covered
The longevity of the tires depends on the number of trips per year. Many people are frequent travelers and love spending most of their time on the road and exploring new things.
One of my old school friends told me he frequently plans off-road trips after retirement. He remains free all the time, and he loves to utilize his time by visiting new places and avoiding boredom.
Once, he told me that he had to replace his trailer tires after 5 years because of the greater number of tours per year. Wheels wear out because of their excessive friction and continuous contact with uneven road surfaces.
Quality of tires
Several manufacturing brands manufacture tires of different quality depending on their cost.
However, some manufacturing brands use high-quality rubber material to withstand several road conditions and varying weather.
These high-quality rubber wheels can easily last 10 years, and you do not have to replace them frequently. Selecting tires from well-known manufacturing brands is necessary, so you should not compromise on their quality.
Driving terrains
The longevity of RV wheels also depends on the type of road you frequently drive. Driving on poor and unpaved roads increases friction and decreases their longevity.
You have to replace these frequently because of the higher chances of wear and tear on their tread surface. In addition, driving over the snowy and wet roads also causes the degradation of rubber material.
They cannot maintain contact on the road surfaces because of the unpaved roads.
Storage environment
The storage environment affects the longevity of the tires and their replacement durations. Many people store their RVs when they are not in use.
You should select a dry environment for their storage. Many people do not add wheel blocks under the tires while storing them, which can lead to premature wear and tear.
These are vulnerable to failure because of their direct contact with ground surfaces, poor air crossing, dry rotting of rubber material, and moisture presence.
Temperature conditions of storage compartments also matter because you cannot keep them at highly cool and hot places, which can lead to the expansion and contraction of rubber material.
Poor maintenance
You have to maintain your RV tires properly to extend their life and decrease their frequent need for replacement. Trailer wheels also need balancing and alignment, affecting their handling and swaying on one side.
Their alignment and balancing become bad because of frequent off-roading trips, hitting with potholes and curb surfaces, and driving over speed bumps.
You should check their camber and toe angle regularly to reduce the wear and tear on their tread surface.
Tread depth wear and tear
You have to replace the tires depending on the damage on the tread surface. Sometimes, people do not want to spend money to purchase new tires for their trailers.
They prefer to seal the holes and cracks on their surface using sealants and other repair kits. I also used the sealant to fill the small and invisible holes on their surface.
My trailer front tire pressure was going down frequently because of the small leak. I checked the puncture by spraying the soapy water.
It was a small hole, so I applied the sealant instead of replacing it with a new one. You should change RV tires if the front and rear tire tread surfaces have damage of about 4/32 inches and 2/32 inches, respectively.
RV weight capacity
RV tires are made of high-quality rubber material to withstand the passenger’s weight and interior components.
However, these are vulnerable to wear and tear when you load the trailer more than their gross vehicle weight rating.
Wheels cannot hold heavy weight and overheat because of excessive rubbing and increased friction. RVs with more gross vehicle weight rating have more holding capacity, and their tires are at greater risk of damage.
How do you increase the longevity of RV tires?
It is necessary to increase the longevity of the RV tires because these are costly to replace. In addition, they can also ruin your trip because of their sudden blow-out.
The loose and damaged rubber material can also come off from the wheel assembly and cause serious accidents and damage to interior components.
You can increase their longevity by reducing the dry rotting of rubber material. Dry rotting issues can come because of their parking in open places.
Some rubber tires are not UV resistant; direct UV exposure causes dry rotting and degradation. Maintain the air pressure because overfilling can damage them from the mid, and underinflation causes wear down from the edges.
You should keep them clean to decrease the deterioration of the rubber. Use a pressure washer after every trip to remove the mud and dust from the tread grooves.
Moreover, store your RVs in dry places because moisture can damage them.
How do you know if your RV tires are bad?
You should inspect your RV tires regularly for signs of wear and tear on their tread surface. The rear wheels need replacement when their tread surface is worn out to 4/32 inches depth.
In addition, many rubber tire manufacturers recommend front wheel replacement when the tread surface is worn out to 2/32 inches in depth.
Furthermore, you can feel various symptoms while driving, representing the bad wheels.
You can see cracks and punctures on their surface during inspection. You can also check the holes and leaks in their tread surface by spraying the soapy water mixture. Excessive bubbly shows the air leakage and punctured surface.
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