Do RV tires really have to be replaced every 5, 6 or 7 years? How can you tell how old your tires are? How can you make them last as long as possible? Here’s how to get the most life and use out of your RV tires.
Unlike car tires, which are usually replaced because the treads are worn out, RVs are often driven far fewer miles each year. Most RV tires have to be replaced due to age long before the tread is worn out and our tires are no exception. Even though there’s plenty of tread left, it’s almost time for new rubber.
We’ll be replacing our original tires soon, because this spring our motorhome will be 10 years old. Now before you start e-mailing to tell us that RV tires can’t be used for more than 5 or 6 or 7 years, watch this entire video. We’ll show you how we’ve safely driven on the same tires for nearly a decade.
NOTE: The DOT manufacture date on a tire’s sidewall may not always be inside a little oval. Also, towables, especially multi axle rigs, have slightly different guidelines, as being towed places different stresses on the tires. Large 5th wheels may need to replace tires as early as 3 to 5 years. Check with your manufacturer to be sure.
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Neil
Saturday 11th of May 2019
i'am new to this,q.super singles on rv drive tires?
TheRVgeeks
Saturday 11th of May 2019
Never seen them on an RV, so not sure it’s an option. Best to check with a manufacturer or dealer.
Joe
Thursday 7th of June 2018
Your video's are excellent with so much information . I really like the tire covers you use. Could you tell what kind they are? Or where to order them.Thanks
Walter Bates
Saturday 20th of June 2020
I have a class A with 275x80R (8.5 x 22.5 rim) tires that are also in need of tire covers. Any update on tire covers? Always enjoy your videos! Top notch!
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 7th of June 2018
Hi Joe! Thanks for your kind words. Our tire covers are an old design by MCD that we bought when our RV was brand new, 13 years ago. Unfortunately, they have long since been discontinued. Ours are getting pretty worn out, and we have a lead on a new type of tire cover that's supposed to come out this year. We're waiting for more information and for them to be released, and we'll of course be sharing anything we find out about them. Sorry we don't have an exact timeline yet, but if you're not in a big hurry, we're hoping to have something to report later this year.
BobB
Saturday 12th of May 2018
Hi! Love your videos, I think that they are the best out there! Holding out trying to be your 100th Patreon! Big Fan of the Wynns too! Proud owner of a just customized and re-painted 2001/2 Newmar KSDP 3665. Going to check out the ShadePro products, and hope to get a set to protect brand new tires (and windows). Will try to report back on that experience if I get them. Do you have valve extensions to access the valves on your duals (inner valves and inward facing outer valves)? Having a devil of a time getting at them for maintenance and to install RVi TPMS sensors! Oshkosh EAA 2018, Alaska or Bust 2019!
TheRVgeeks
Saturday 12th of May 2018
Hi Bob! Thanks for the nice note. We hope your chance to be #100 comes real soon. ? Thank you. It's always great to hear from a fellow Newmar owner. Congratulations on your renovations. We're familiar with ShadePro tire covers... the only ones we've seen that are similar to ours. Our current MCD covers (long since discontinued) are getting very old, but we're holding off on replacements for the moment, hoping that a lead we have on a new type of tire cover pans out (they're not out yet). While our MCDs look very cool, they do have some drawbacks, including high cost, and they take more time to put on and remove each time. We'll see if our hoped-for new covers pan out this year. Our RV tires came with rigid valve stems, easily accessible from the front. We've seen lots of different types available out there, including this listing of various types we just found: https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Valve-Extenders-s/187.htm If you Google a bit, there are surely a lot of other options available, too. By the way... EAA? Are you a pilot? One of the things we sold to hit the road (the saddest thing to part with, actually) was our 1974 Bellanca Turbo Viking (photo of us with it here). Haven't been to Oshkosh in ages. Have fun!
Scott K
Friday 20th of October 2017
Continuing on the MCD tire shade discussion. I know they are no longer being made by MCD and I came across these by Shade Pro.
https://www.shadepro.net/product/sliders-tire-shades/
I was wondering if you or anyone you know has ever tried this product and can give an honest assessment of how it compares to the old MCD shades and if they are worth the price.
Thank you, Scott
TheRVgeeks
Friday 20th of October 2017
Hi Scott! We'd heard from friends that they'd seen tire covers very similar to our discontinued MCD covers, and we're pretty sure this is the company. They do indeed look like ours, but we don't know much else about them. Ours have a clever design at the bottom that allows them to adjust to the correct height off the ground, pretty much regardless of how high the rig is jacked up. Not sure if these have anything like that, and if not, how they get the height right for all levels.
We also don't know anything about the quality or value for the money. We just checked, and we paid $1,020 for our windshield screens, and all four of our tire covers (two single-axle covers for the fronts, and two double-axle covers for the rear dual/tag axles). We don't know what the breakdown is for the windshield vs tire covers, since we bought them all at once. If we had to guess how much of that was the cost of tire covers, the $776 price listed for the four ShadePro covers that would directly replace the four we have now doesn't seem especially out of line, especially considering that we bought ours over 12 years ago. That is, of course, if the ShadePro covers are as high-quality, as durable, and as adjustable as our MCDs. If you come across anyone (in person or online) that has first-hand experience with the SharePros, we be interested to know what you hear. Thanks so much.
Mark Lyons
Monday 3rd of April 2017
I really like your tire covers. What brand/model are these?
TheRVgeeks
Monday 3rd of April 2017
Hi Mark! Sorry to report that those covers (which were made by MCD) were discontinued years ago, and we've never seen any others like them. Ours our getting very old (12 years) and we've been scoping out possible replacements. We do have a potential new product on the horizon which, while not the same as our current ones, promises to be better than anything else out there. We're hoping to have more info on this yet-to-be-released new product, and will of course share details here as soon as we know more. ;-)