Proper care of tires is NOT rocket science

Looking at some posts and questions on various RV forums, it seems that some folks think that proper care of tires is as complex as rocket science. While I will admit I can get very wrapped up when talking about tires, I do try to be reasonable, as I believe that if the instructions are too complex, detailed, or long-winded, some folks will throw up their hands and give up. I definitely do not want you to give up.

Four basic steps for proper care of tires

Here are four basic things I think every RV owner should do. These are probably the biggest “bang for the buck” actions you can take to avoid having a tire “blowout.”

1. Find and record the information on your certification label that looks like this:It contains the VIN, tire type and size, load range, GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating), and inflation. This information provides the foundation of the knowledge you need, whether your RV is a 45′ Class A Diesel Pusher with three axles…… or a 10′ bumper-pull teardrop trailer.

2. Learn the actual weight of your RV. This means that you need to get on a truck scale such as this.

Don’t worry, getting your RV weighed is easy (check out YouTube videos) and only costs about $15. By “actual weight,” I am saying you need to have the RV loaded to the heaviest you ever expect it to be. This means all the clothes, water, fuel, tools, and even your bowling ball collection on board.

3. Then compare the scale weight and confirm the number is BELOW the GAWR for your RV. If not, that means you need to carry less stuff when you travel, so it’s time to put your RV on a diet.

4. Once you have confirmed your actual weight is lower than your GAWR, you can simply inflate your tires to the PSI on your certification label.

Extra information

The PSI number on the tire sidewall is just identifying the inflation the tire needs to support max load number on the tire sidewall. That is NOT the highest inflation the tire can tolerate.

So that’s it. Four steps and you are good to go. Yes, there is more you can do such as installing a TPMS, which I highly recommend, or even learning your “4-corner-weights.” But the above four steps are what I would consider the absolute minimum steps needed.

You can check out the other posts on tires and inflation here at RVtravel.com Maintenance and Repair section of the newsletter if you want to learn more about the proper care for your tires, just enter “tires” in the search box.

Roger Marble

Read more from Roger Marble on RVtravel.com.

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