with RV tire expert Roger Marble
After posting on one RV forum some steps that I felt if taken could result in longer tire life by lowering the Interply Shear Forces, I got this reply:
“Sounds like tires should never be used or stored in any configuration other than the ‘as cured’ state or they simply self destruct. Gonna have to figure out how to make these RVs hovercrafts.”
I offered the following:
A bit of an overreaction. My advice is intended to offer a series of steps that can be taken to extend the life of the tires rather than actions or inaction that may shorten tire life.
One of the biggest problems is the inability to understanding the real “root cause” of tire failure. IMO too many simply assume that somehow the zip code of the factory where the tires are made is a “cause” for a failure.
Have you read and do you understand the difference between the two major and different reasons (root cause) for failure as covered in THESE posts?
Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), when properly PROGRAMMED and used, can essentially eliminate one of the two primary reasons for tire failure.
Having a good level (15% to 25%) Reserve Load is the second major thing people can do to get a more reasonable tire life. I would be very surprised to learn that tires with at least 15% actual Reserve Load didn’t perform much better than the more normal 0% to 5% level.
Read more from Roger Marble on his blog at RVtiresafety.net or on RVtravel.com.
 ##RVT940