Dear Dave,
I am seeing excessive tread wear on the inside of my travel trailer tires. What is causing this and how do I correct it? —Jim, 2020 Forest River Salem
Dear Jim,
This is a question I get quite often during my Truck & Trailer Driving and Towing seminar. It is something I had extensive experience with running Easiwash with three trucks and trailers covering the country.
It is important to periodically check your trailer tire tread looking for the six different wear patterns. Here is an image I created with the first four wear patterns.
Center wear
Center wear is typically caused by overinflation. That creates a rounded tread pattern and excessive heat on the center, which wears the tread faster. It is important to check the pressure of your tires every time you hit the road. This should be done at the beginning of the trip when the tires are considered cold or at ambient temperature. To fix this, check the inflation of your tire and reduce the pressure to the recommended PSI, which should be listed on the data label of the trailer.
Outside wear
This is typically caused by underinflation of the tire. That flattens the tread and creates a reverse curve, which causes the outside of the tread to wear faster. Again check your tire pressure before every trip and adjust according to recommended PSI. This condition can also be caused by overloading the RV. It is important to weigh your rig at a CAT Scale to ensure that you are not over Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
Inner wear
If the inside tread is wearing faster than the rest of your tire, it is typically due to an overloaded situation that puts excess weight on the axle and creates a loss of camber or, simply put, a bent axle or spindle. It is important to check the weight of your RV to ensure it is not over GVWR and reduce weight if needed. The only fix for this situation is typically an axle replacement.
Outer wear
This wear pattern is caused by excess camber, which could be a bent spindle, damaged axle, or improper axle installation. This typically requires a laser alignment inspection and spindle replacement.
Periodic inspection
It is a good idea to periodically inspect the tread of all your tires, looking for excessive wear, bulges, cracks, or other imperfections that could cause premature tire wear and even a blowout. Rub your hand across the face of the tread, back and forth. If you feel a rough or “feathered” tread in one direction and smooth in the other, this is an early sign of misalignment. Getting it checked by a quality service center will prevent tire issues in the future.
Cupping and flat spots
A flat spot on the tire tread is typically caused by over-aggressive braking and usually means the auxiliary trailer brake is set too high for the weight of the trailer. The trailer brake is designed to simply slow the momentum of the weight of the trailer, not stop it or the tow vehicle in case of brake failure. One of my drivers always had the trailer brakes set to maximum, as he liked the feel of the pull when braking. His tires always came back from a trip almost square! Have your auxiliary braking system set according to the trailer weight.
Cupping can be caused by unbalanced tires, improper seated bearings, or improper weight distribution. If the tongue weight is too high or too low, you will experience highway hopping or porpoising. That can be corrected by having the tongue weight checked and corrected. Some tire centers do not balance trailer tires as they do not feel it is necessary. However, I have always felt it was important to verify that not only the tire but also the rim are running down the road in good condition.
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Do “Tire Saver Ramps” prolong the life of RV tires?
Dear Dave,
Do “Tire Saver Ramps” work? I saw that these tire savers ($300 for four) will prevent my travel trailer tires from having flat spots from sitting for a length of time. You place the tire savers underneath each tire. What is your professional opinion? —Robert, 2022 Winnebago Voyage travel trailer
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Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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We have 2 Dexter TorFlex axles on our camper. I check for unusual tire wear often and one day we had excessive inside wear on the front tires. It was determined that the axle had been bent by road issues. It cost me two Goodyear Endurance tires too. Dexter warranty replaced the axle and I have seen similar reports on blogs. I believe these Dexter axles are unusually prone to being bent by road issues.
One thing nobody does but should do is have the alignment checked. Yes you can have it checked, usually at a heavy duty truck center. Another is how tight or loose your wheel bearings are between the four tires.
When I buy a new..er trailer it goes to the local truck shop for an axle alignment…each time they have corrected bent axles…money well spent.
I put two new Carlisle ST tires on my trailer in April 2024. We drove less than 5000 miles on them last season. The started out at 9/32”. I measured the tread depth in December and they were at 6/32”…a loss of of 3/32” in less than a year with less than 5000 miles on them. The wear is even…not on the edges, sides, center…even. They have not been overloaded, overspeeded or under/over inflated. The axle is properly aligned. The original tires, GYEs, lived for almost 6 years before I replaced them with the Carlisles. Carlisle has replaced them as a courtesy, but I’m not sure it’s a manufacturing defect as much as just crappy tires. We shall see.
Thank you, Dave for the informative discussion. Have a great day and safe travels!