By Gail Marsh
Newbies asked for advice from folks around the campfire. “Our camper isn’t even a year old,” the Newbies moaned, “so why did we have blowouts?” On their very first trip, the Minnesota Newbies lost not one, but two of their travel trailer’s tires! They were fortunate to keep their rig on the road and, remarkably, damage to their RV was minimal. However, the experience frightened them.
Experienced RVers respond
There were many differing opinions about which RV tires are best, but on one point nearly everyone agreed: The tires that many RV manufacturers routinely put on their newly built RVs are “junk.” Wally explained, “Like many RV components, the majority of manufacturers use the least expensive tires they can find. It’s worth it for consumers to immediately replace those tires with some that are safer and will last.”
Tire basics
The Newbies freely admitted that they knew very little about tires. So, George offered a quick lesson. He showed the Minnesota folks his own tire markings along with the meaning of each notation. You can see a breakdown of information labeled in this picture.
(Hint: If you have difficulty reading the information on your tires, try rubbing over the letters/numbers with a piece of white chalk to make the markings more visible.)
Use the tire information to help you determine how fast to drive, how much weight the tires can safely support, and more.
How long will RV tires last?
According to my local, privately owned RV dealership, you can expect your RV’s tires to last anywhere from 3 to 6 years. It all depends on the type of tires, how much you drive, and how you care for the tires.
How to best care for RV tires
- Inflation and speed. “Keep your tires properly inflated,” recommended Wally. “And watch your speed. My tires last a lot longer if I keep my speed well under 65 mph.” A tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS, is also important. It will show the pressure and temperature of your tires as you drive down the road, alerting you when dangerous levels are detected.
- Tire covers. “If my rig is parked for any length of time, I cover them,” George commented. “Dry rot can become a real problem if you don’t use tire covers.”
- Tire load rating. Folks also noted the effect your RV’s weight can have on the tires. Too much weight in your rig can cause the tires to fail or wear poorly. And your RV’s weight has the potential to vary quite a bit from trip to trip. For example, if you plan to boondock and carry a full tank of potable water, your RV will weigh far more than when all tanks are empty. Folks around the fire recommended keeping your RV’s weight well under the tires’ maximum load rating.
- Tire treatments. Several folks mentioned treating their RV tires with 303 Tire Coating and Protectant spray to prevent tire dry rot and cracking.
- Rotating tires. Many RVers around the campfire said they never rotated their RV tires. I asked our local mechanic, who happens to also own an RV. He said, “RV tires are impacted by normal wear and tear just like any other tire.” He recommends rotating the RV’s tires every 6,000 to 8,000 miles.
Helpful tire tips
The Newbie RVers had their RV dealership replace their two blown tires. “Our rig was in the shop for 12 weeks!” they regretfully explained. “We missed out on a lot of camping while we waited our turn for service!”
Here’s a little secret: Almost any tire place will put new tires on your RV, even if you don’t purchase your tires from their store (e.g., Discount Tire shops or privately owned shops). Call ahead first.
Another buying tip: Price shop at Costco. My husband and I bought a membership to Costco specifically because we needed new tires for our truck. The discounted price for tires more than paid for our membership fee.
Think about your tires as you pack your RV for travel. Try to evenly distribute the weight from back to front and side to side. For example, our refrigerator, oven, and pantry are all positioned on one side of our RV. That’s a lot of weight on the tires for that side of the fifth-wheel. When we travel, we try to offset the “heavy side” as much as possible by packing any heavy items (tools, boxes of canned food, drinks, etc.,) on the opposite side of the rig.
Best RV tires?
Here’s where the campfire discussion got a little heated. (People are pretty opinionated about their tires, it seems.) These are the tires most recommended by the RVers in attendance: Goodyear Unisteel G670; Maxxis M8008 ST Radials; Michelin XPS; and Bridgestone Duravis M700.
When shopping for RV tires, it pays to check out any available rebates, BOGOs, or other specials. Also consider the type of your RV (travel trailer, fifth wheel, motorhome), the speed at which you like to travel, the type of terrain you’ll experience most, the weight of your loaded rig, tire warranties, and your budget. Then make the decision that’s right for you.
What kind of tires do you have on your RV? What steps do you take to prolong the life of your RV tires? Share your tips in the comments, please.
Find more tire-related articles from our RV tire expert Roger Marble here.
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I was a devout Michelin Tire user until I had a set of the Michelin Defender tires (rated for 80,000 miles) installed on my car. They lasted 40,000 miles. The tire dealership where I purchased them tried to say I didn’t rotate my tires regularly but I had the proof from my Mitsubishi Dealership where I purchased my Car, that I did. I have my oil changed and my tires rotated every 5,000 miles. Plus, my tread wear was perfectly even all the way around. They prorated another set of tires and I haven’t bought another Michelin tire since. So a big name, doesn’t always mean good quality.
Tire manufacturers do their best to weasel out of replacing tires that don’t get the mileage the warranty guarantee says. Or if there are issues. I went thru this with tires on two different Cadillacs we had.
I would add the Tire date Code is important too. That 4 digit code can will tell you how old the tire is. For example, 0423, means the tire was manufactured the 4th week of 2023. When purchasing new tires, check the date codes! No one wants to buy a new tire that’s already a year or two (maybe more) old.
You are betting your life and property on a patch of rubber. Go big
3rd set of Goodyear Endurance tires on our trailer………twice to Alaska, once to the Canadian Maritimes, once to Texas, eight times to OBX, once to New England all from PA plus numerous short trips…….NO Problems!
I will never use any chinese will blow tires again. You get what you pay for.
There is not a lot of difference in tire quality. The problem is the operators. 98% of owners overload thier units, never check tire pressure daily, never rotate or balance tires and the #1 reason for blowouts is SPEED.
Everyone should read Roger Marbles articles on tires!
I don’t believe the hype around RV tires and that tires from the factory are junk and you need Goodyear or Maxxis. There are thousands and thousands of factory RV tires on the road and only a small percentage have problems (squeaky wheel gets the grease). I feel most problems are caused by owners not doing pre-trip checks (tire pressure) each day on the road, improper loading, and driving too fast. After you have twisted into a tight spot remember to move forward and back to relieve the side load on the tires (more than one axle). In the years of RVing one blowout on my Class A was my fault because of under inflation.
My trailer manufacturer installs Goodyear Endurance tires. I trust them with their selection.
In reading the article “RVrs discuss the best tires”, I saw some good tips and information, but unless I missed it somewhere, didn’t see the one piece of info of what I was told was paramount to check before buying tires, which was the date that the tires were produced. This information can usually be found at the end of the DOT block. It shows the week and the year that a tire was made. I was told most RV tires were best replaced after 6-7 years after this date to avoid sidewall blowouts due to the integrity of the rubber wearing down. That would seem to be pretty important info to include.
I agree and was surprised the manufacture date info, and where to find it, on a tire was not included in the article. Too important to leave out.
Date on tires are 6 months after manufactured, because they go to wholesalers storage, then to dealers. Date markings are the most important for new RV’s. second most new RV’s come with cheap Chinese tires.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 We run Michelin XRV tires, size 305 70R 22.5 at all six wheel positions. Currently there is quite a delay in getting them. Our local shop (Best One Tire) suggested ordering them 6 months before I actually plan to replace our tires. I regularly clean the exterior sidewalls and 303 them. We also cover them with white tire covers anytime our RV sits for more than two days between trips. Our TPMS sensors are attached to bands on the wheels. We had our rig 4-corner weighed at the chassis manufacturer and they set the air pressures and updated the TPMS threshold values. Thanks again, have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
When buying tires it was suggested that I also look for the build date stamped on the new tire. Stores want to get rid of their old stuff first. Thank you for posting the picture and suggestions