Know When to Replace Your Towable RV Trailer Tires
How to Know When to Replace Your RV Trailer Tires
The trailer tires carrying your towable RV are the most important component of your recreational vehicle set-up. They are vital to getting you, your family and other precious cargo to where you’re going, safely, without hassle, through any conditions you may encounter on the road. Which makes inspecting them often for wear, then replacing them as needed, just common sense. However, a simple visual inspection is often not enough to definitively tell you if you need replacement trailer tires. You will also want to consider how, and how often, your RV tires have been used, when they were manufactured, and whether your tires sat unmoving for several months in storage. The tire experts at Treadworld are here to provide you with a few insights and tips for conducting a thorough travel trailer tire check, to help you know when it’s time to replace the tires on your travel trailer RV.
Visual Signs that Will Tell You Your RV Trailer Tires Need Replacing
Safe tires require tread that provides the gripping action and traction you need to keep your RV trailer from slipping and sliding, so keep on eye open for excessive treadwear. In addition, unusual or uneven treadwear can be an indicator that there are other issues that will eventually prove troublesome—ranging from poor alignment to an overloaded trailer. Carefully check over the entire surface area of your tires, including the sidewalls, for cracks, punctures, and foreign objects stuck in the tread, which can all lead to your tires losing air, in turn leading to a blowout. Take a look at the valve stem as well, since cracks in that area will also allow the air inside to escape. Finally, keep tabs on your tires air pressure (PSI) to be certain they are maintaining recommended levels. Don’t be concerned if you see occasional pressure loss, especially when it’s colder. But, when you start noticing a pattern of air pressure loss, it’s time to get a replacement tire.
Replacement Guidance Can be Based on Age Alone
Unfortunately, you may need to replace your towable RV trailer tires even when there aren’t any visual signs of wear. While estimates vary, most experts agree that tires need to be replaced every 3-6 years. That’s because even unused tires will begin to suffer from oxidation, air permeating the tire wall and weakening its structural integrity, which will make them harder and less flexible. And less safe. Just FYI, research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that oxidation is accelerated in warm climates and by exposure to direct sunlight. Tire manufacturers are required to put the 3 or 4-digit manufacturing date on each tire, and you’ll find it at the end of the DOT number on the sidewall. The first one or two digits signify the week, and the second two numbers signify the year. So, if the number reads “1922,” your tires were manufactured in the 19th week of 2022. It’s good to check this number even with brand new tires to be certain they were recently manufactured and haven’t spent half their useful lifetime sitting on a shelf.
Usage Factors that Affect the Longevity of Your Tires for RV
Along with age of the tires and specific wear issues, which we’ll get to in a moment, there are several usage factors that can have a difficult to identify effect on how long the tires for your pull behind RV will last. Speed for instance, can be a factor. If you have a lead foot and frequently go faster than the 65 miles an hour that is deemed optimal for maximum RV safety, there’s a very good chance that the resulting heat build-up will seriously impact the wear of your camper tires. Ditto if you frequently try to make sudden stops—which likely won’t happen since vehicles towing trailers need more stopping distance. If your trailer tires are out of alignment, or to a lesser extent, out of balance, the result can be worst ply separation, or uneven treadwear or cupping. Obviously, mileage can be a significant factor in when you need to replace your RV trailer tires, but the type of mileage is also important to your tires’ lifespans. Bumping along unpaved backroads will lead your tires breaking down faster than driving on paved highways.
Non-Usage Factors that Impact Your RV Tires—Storage
Since most towable RV tires spend the majority of their time parked, it’s important to understand how storage impacts their lifespan—then take steps to alleviate the stress of storage. It makes sense—stationary storage of your travel trailer puts tires in an unnatural fixed position with all of the trailer weight focused on one part of the tire tread. Add in UV rays from the sun, fluctuating temperatures and hard, wet ground, and you’ve got a recipe that can lead to degradation of the rubber, flatspotting, dry rot and other maladies which all impact the life of your trailer tires. That’s why ideal storage conditions are cool and dry with consistent temperatures, why you should elevate the tires on blocks or plywood to keep them off the ground and away from moisture, and why when your trailer isn’t stored slightly elevated you should plan on giving it a push or pull occasionally to change where the weight rests. You can also consider getting tire covers, especially if you’ll be storing your RV trailer outside. Obviously, quality tires you can depend on are crucial to RV safety. Inspect them on a regular basis when you’re taking your recreational vehicle on the road, and follow these safety tips. And when you come across issues, take the steps needed to solve those issues, including replacing the tires on your pull behind travel trailer as needed.
When You Need Tires for Your RV Trailer, Count on Treadworld
When you’re looking for the best travel trailer tires, camper tires, tires for your RV trailer, trailer wheels and tires, or spare trailer tires, count on us here at Treadworld to provide you with the high-performing, long-lasting trailer tires you want, in a wide range of styles and a huge selection of sizes. All our RubberMaster Trailer Tires are manufactured to strict tolerances from top rubber compounds, then triple-tested for quality, balance and uniformity before being X-rayed to be sure they’re perfect. Easy ordering, fast shipping plus your satisfaction is guaranteed with our no-hassle Ultimate Advantage Warranty. We make changing trailer tires easy. Don’t hesitate to contact our tire experts via live chat, or email with any questions you may have, and to get the ideal trailer tires—or the perfect ATV tires, UTV tires, golf cart tires, lawn and garden tires, and many others—from our extensive selection.
