Replacing the bulk-size tires of your recreational vehicle may cause you some enormous stress, but this is one huge responsibility that you need to consider to keep everyone, including fellow freeway drivers, safe on the road.
These truck-size rubbers may look several sizes bigger than most car tires; however, they’re likely susceptible to different wear-and-tear conditions, which may result to tire blowout. This only means that checking the status of your RV tires should form part of your maintenance list.
But the nice thing is that taking good care of these massive rubbers doesn’t need to be expensive as specialized tools, such as valve extenders and RV tire pressure gauge, are readily available to help you fix them rather than buying a new tire set. Here are a number of interesting topics you need to know about your RV’s gigantic tires.
What Makes RV Tires Special
RV tires on smaller trailers can become interchangeable with truck tires because truck tires come in various sizes, patterns, and trade specifications. Since you can’t easily protect the RV tires from weather elements, these huge rubbers are made with higher UV resistance properties than most typical car tires. But more than anything else, your chosen tires should be rated for the overall weight of the trailer, including its contents, ensuring safety, and good performance on the road.
RV tire suppliers also indicate the ply rating, referring to the maximum limit of tire inflation in connection with the maximum load capacity of your RV. If the combined load (trailer and contents) exceeds the recommended ply rating, your RV tires may give in and cause serious troubles to the tire mechanisms. The standard ply rating ranges from two to three while heavy-duty tires are sold with a 10-ply rating.
In all RV tires, you can find a series of valuable information written in numbers and letters. These letters and numbers tell you exactly the manufacturing date and allowable maximum speed you can drive. Here are some information you need to know:
- B (Belted), D (Diagonal), and R (Radial): Indicates tire casing type of construction
- DOT: Abbreviation for U.S. Department of Transportation serial number, bearing the week and year the tires were manufactured
- H: Indicates the maximum speed rating of 130 MPH. This rating tells you how fast you can go without increasing the risk for tire blowout
- P: Indicates that the tire should be installed on the passenger side
Inflating Your RV Specific Tires: Air Compressed Vs. Nitrogen System
Air compressor tire inflation is the most convenient inflating option since your air compressor already forms part of your vehicle system, relieving you from purchasing a separate unit. However, expect your engine to go exhausted while filling up the tires aside from the amount of time it consumes. One more thing, conventional air compressors often cause pressure fluctuation, which might give you inaccurate tire pressure reading.
Nitrogen-type tire inflation, on the other hand, is a portable air inflation system that offers faster inflation rates ranging between 80 and 400 PSI. Some benefits of using nitrogen compressors include almost-zero sound operation, less emissions, and ease of handling. Nitrogen appears as a natural substance in the air with no foul smell but utilized as a car refrigerant when in liquid state.
There are several reasons why nitrogen inflation systems seems more appealing to RV users and technicians alike. When using air compressors, the build-up humidity getting inside the tires increases a lot. This water vapor can cause steel rim corrosion, rusting, and frequent changes in tire temperature which may result to over-inflation or puncture.
However, with nitrogen air inflation, there’s a purging process that eliminates excess oxygen and water. Nitrogen air, in fact, spreads within the tire slower than oxygen when the tires get heated up, though stays cooled when not in use. Whereas, air from standard compressors tends to become hot, thus creating more water vapors and inconsistent tire pressure.
The Average Lifespan of The RV Tires
For experts, estimating the actual lifespan of RV tires will depend on the purpose of RV and frequency of use. Some RV users only drive their units at least once or twice a year while others practically live in there. Nevertheless, keeping regular schedules of tire maintenance is crucially important in reducing wear-and-tear as well as internal damage for your tires.
The standard tire pressure differs according to the size of your vehicle and brand specifications, so make sure to review your user manual cautiously. And to make your maintenance work easy, consider buying a digital tire pressure gauge or a valve extender, which seems more affordable these days. But more importantly, be sure not to over inflate your RV tires as both low pressure and over inflation will definitely speed up deterioration.
The lifespan of RV tires may take up to six years if you’re a full-time RV user or as long as ten years for moderate RVers. Make a regular visual inspection by checking the rots, cracks and thread marks each time you head out from one destination to another. Furthermore, be sure that you aren’t putting up too much load in your trailer since RV tires have weight limits that should be followed based on road safety regulations.
Checking the Tire Pressure
When testing the tire pressure, you may begin by reviewing the details of your user manual and find the recommended maximum inflation pressure. Alternatively, you may directly consult your RV manufacturer or look for the recommended tire pressure from the vehicle’s certification details. Remember that every RV tire has its own load capacity based on material construction and tire size, which may significantly affect its overall road performance.
Keeping the tires either overinflated or in severe low pressure may put everyone’s life in danger since the tire thread may tend to break apart when too much friction builds up against rough surfaces. When you check out the pressure, be sure that your tires are all inactive and kept in a cooled environment. Otherwise, for heated tires, expect their pressure to go higher, which may give you incorrect pressure reading.
It is suggested to check the tire pressure at least once in 90 days or before you head out to your next destination. And also check the pressure at least an hour before leaving the campground, reducing the risk of tire damage and potential explosion.
Replacing The Worn-Out Tires
No matter how good you are in keeping your RV tires in pristine condition, these rubber feet will eventually wear down in due time. As mentioned earlier, it’s best to replace your RV tires every six years, particularly if you’re a full-time RV adventurer. Consistent low tire pressure, visual signs of cracks, and thread damage are also obvious indicators that your tires need some serious attention.
Now, before you start putting on the new tires, take note of these helpful reminders:
Don’t go underneath the RV if not necessary.
Turn up the emergency breaks before removing the old tires.
Park your RV somewhere away from any road obstruction or far from crowded areas.
Prepare tools, such as flexible wrench, stabilizing jacks, and safety gloves.
The Step-by-Step Guide In Replacing Your RV tires are as Follows:
- Setup the emergency breaks once you have already parked the vehicle.
- Get the first jack, position it against the front wheel and then see if the jack is secured within the frame of the vehicle. Do the same process at the back tire.
- Lift the tires off the ground, but make sure the jack is pushing against the vehicle frame. Repeat the process to the front wheel and pump up the jack at least three times.
- Go to the back tire and move it up three pumps until it levels with the front wheel. What’s important here is that you’re able to rotate the tires comfortably without the tires touching the ground.
- Start removing the lug nuts with the wrench, slowly remove the old tires, put in the new tire and fix it by screwing the lug nuts back in. Repeat the process with the other three tires if needed.
- Move the tire down and take out the jack from the frame.
As you see, you may find it manageable to perform minor tire replacement for your RV as long as you have the necessary tire repair tools to get the job done.
But it’s always safer to have the tires inspected or replaced by a professional instead of taking the risk of driving your RV on a bad tire condition.