RV Tires

There is much mis-information about RV tires in general.

A new video/dvd by Mark Polk of RVEducation101.com , Trailer Towing, Weights, Hitch Work & Backing covers the subject of RV tires in superb detail.

Marks says, "Tires are the most vulnerable component on any RV. Two of the leading causes for tire failure are overloading and under inflation."

Excerpt from the Trailer Towing video:

     Overloading the tires on your RV is probably the number one leading cause of tire failure. Poor weight distribution and taking advantage of all of the storage space offered on today’s  RV’s result in tire overloads. 

The only way to find out is to have the fully loaded RV and / or tow vehicle weighed on platform scales. Load the vehicle with everything you plan to take on a trip including passengers, cargo, fuel, full fresh water and propane tanks. If you tow something behind the RV take it to the scales with you.

The problem is that it is quite possible to weigh the RV and not exceed the GVWR, GAWR or GCWR, but you could be exceeding the tire ratings. This is why you MUST weigh each axle end separately to determine if tire ratings are exceeded and if the loaded weight is properly distributed.

     Under inflated tires run a close second to overloading as one of the leading causes of tire failure. The load rating for a tire is only accurate if the tire is properly inflated. Under inflated tires cause extreme heat build up that leads to tire failure. The appearance of the tire looks normal but the internal damage is not visible and can fail at any time without warning. Tires can lose up to two pounds of air pressure per month. If you don’t check your tires for three or four months they could be seriously under inflated.

     Ideally you should check tire inflation, and adjust it if required, everyday that you move or drive your RV. If you can’t get into the habit of doing it on a daily basis you need to make it a point to check all tires weekly at a minimum when you’re traveling. You always want to check the tires when they are cold, meaning that you don’t drive or move the RV before checking inflation. Invest is an accurate inflation pressure gauge.

      Check all tires and adjust pressure according to the manufacturers recommendation. Do no exceed the maximum pressure ratings found on the tires sidewall. Never check inflation pressure when the tires are hot, you will get a higher pressure reading and if you let some air out they will be under inflated when they are cold.

End of excerpt

This video/dvd also goes on to explain and show you:

1. The ins and outs of safe trailer towing.
2. All about trailer weights and what those GVW type terms mean.
3. How to hook-up properly the first time.
4. Trailer backing - 2 easy to learn methods that even you can master!

Mark goes on to say, "Tires and load range designations on tires have changed over the years. It used to be a 6-ply or 8-ply tire, and you knew the higher the number the stronger the tire. Now they use a letter to designate load range and tire strength.

To help simplify this you can take the letter for the load range on the tire, determine what number it represents in the alphabet, and multiply that by two, to determine the strength of the tire. It sounds much more difficult than it is. If your tire is a load range D that is the 4th letter in the alphabet. 4 X 2 equals 8 so a load range D tire is equivalent to an 8-ply tire in strength."

RVEducation101.com

The RVersCorner highly recomends this quality video product.