Tire Maintenance & Handling Tire Blow-Outs

When you're out here the last thing you want to be worrying about is your tires

They say a solid foundation is the key to any good relationship. When you’re free-wheelingit across the country, everything rides on your tires so when it comes to keeping ”the beast” happy, that means taking care of her wheels.  Now, there’s all kinds of information out there on tires, when to replace them, how blow-outs happen and so forth and a lot it is really, really hotly contested stuff. If you ever want to rile up a bunch of RVers just post on an RV forum that you’ve found the definitive answer to tire maintenance and use…then sit back and watch the herds go wild. The only two things I can say for sure is that you want to do whatever you can to keep your wheels happy, and blow-outs are bad business. With that in mind let’s go through a few basics

Keeping Tires Happy

1/ Tire Pressure – The biggest thing in your control as an RVer is your tire pressure and even the most hard-headed tire critics would agree this is important stuff.  Incorrect tire pressure puts extra wear on the tires, can cause heat-build-up or handling problems and greatly increases the risk of sudden failure. In fact, the two most common causes of tire blow-outs are overload or underinflation. The right tire pressure is individual and depends entirely on your weight, as we’ve covered previously, and you want to check it regularly. We had the beast weighed early on and check tire pressure before each drive (when tires are cold) using a truck tire gauge.

2/ Usage & Environmental Controls - Outside of pressure, there’s a few other tips you can use to keep your rubbers bouncy.

Our nifty little tire covers

• Limit environmental exposure  - long-term UV and ozone exposure can damage rubber. A lot of RVers buy wheel covers to keep UV at a minimum. Although this is one of those debated areas we figure the covers are a cheap piece of safety equipment and use them when parked for more than a few days. When we park for the winter we’ll also roll the tires onto our Lynx blocks to minimize damage from the ground. Storing on marine-treated plywood will work too.
• Use your RV – Not everyone knows this, but tires that are exercised regularly last longer than stored ones. Rubber compounds contain oils that like to be flexed and distributed (by driving). So,  get out there and go camping!
• Keep the tires clean - Oil and dirt are never good friends for your tires, so a regular clean with soapy water is the best solution. Most RVers recommend avoiding “tire dressings”. Petroleum-based cleaners or dressings that contain silicones or alcohol can damage your rubber, so the easiest solution is to avoid them altogether.

Tire Replacement

From the markings, we can tell that our RV tires were manufactured in 37th week of 2007

Nothing is more hotly contested on RV forums than when to replace your tires. Some people say you can keep on trucking as long as the tires show no visible cracks or damage on the side-walls. Some RVers prefer to replace at 5-7 years regardless of looks. Michelin recommends a yearly tire check with a max life of 10 years from date of manufacture (usually printed on the side).

I can’t give you a definitive answer since no-one really knows. There’ s simply too many variables from the environment, to how you drive, where you drive, the loads on your RV and the individual material properties of your tires to come up with a fast and firm answer. The only thing that’s sure is your risk of a blow-out gets larger the older your tires are. We’ve heard about people who lasted more than 10 years on their wheels and we’ve also heard about blow-outs happening as early as 5 years. We even met a guy in UT who had a blow-out the day after his tires were checked and OK’d by a tire professional. Each person has their own risk and comfort levels so you’ll have to decide that for yourself. Our plan to is to change our tires at 6 years no matter what they look like.

What To Do in a Blow-Out

Most RVers live in fear of a blow-out and for good reason.  Blow-outs are sudden failures and can damage a lot more than just your tire. If you’ve ever seen a bunch of rubber strewn across the highway and squirmed at the thought of what happened you’re right there with the rest of us. I’m no expert on blow-outs and hope never to become one, but this video is the closest thing I’ve come to telling me what to do should it ever happen. The key in a blow-out, would you believe it, is not to hit the brakes but to hit the accelerator. It’s well worth watching:

Other Tire Supports

1/ Tire Insurance Plans - there’s plenty a dealer that will try to sell you a nifty tire insurance plan that will cover tire repair and replacement for multiple years. Given the price of RV tires it can be a mighty tempting offer, but I have to admit I’m not a huge fan. These fine-print type of plans rely on the companies that run them to be in business, and I’ve read of way too many stories from people who bought 5-7 year plans only to find out the company was bankrupt by the time they needed them. If you do buy a plan, go with a reputable company that’s been in biz a lot of years. We don’t have one.

2/ Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems - These systems are made up of sensors that monitor the individual tire pressure of each tire and send the data wirelessly to a receiver mounted near the driver. They usually have alarms that sound when any one of the tire pressures drop below a certain %. There are lots of companies that make them, but Pressure Pro seems to have the best reputation, followed by Truck System Technologies. Now, these things are pricey (running up to $800 range) and they’re not infallible, but many people report being able to avoid problems just in time by having the system on their RV. We’ve not bought one yet, but it’s on our “maybe” list.

That’s it folks. Whole books have been written and snoozed over on this subject, but I think I’ll end it here. May your tires always be bouncy and your home well supported!

Pre-Flight Check – What to do Before You Hit the Road

Most of us are brought up knowing a few good basics about regular life; stretch before you exercise, remember your underwear…that kind of thing. But, when you move into a RV you can feel a little like a 4-year old in your first day at school. Thankfully,  even an old dog can learn new tricks and with a bit of practice and good planning you can become a pro-RVer and keep the ‘ol machine running like a well-greased wheel.  

With that said and using my lovely hubby as a model we’ll now illustrate our very own pre-flight check. That would be the things you do before you move the beast on the road. We do a version of this every time we leave a campsite.  

1/ Check Fluids - oil, coolant, hydraulics and transmission
Like all machines the RV has it’s own set of fluids and oils that keep everything smooth and running and they do need a bit of checking. The oil stick in a RV is really no different from a car except it’s quite a tad longer. So, just pull out the “fishing pole” and check the level with your handy-dandy eye. Diesels use a lot more oil than cars so we check this every time we move.  

Pulling out the oil stick

Checking the "fishing pole"

The coolant in our RV is in an opaque container, so Paul developed a sneaky way of checking level with a piece of kitchen roll. Just dip and read…  

Checking the coolant level with a handy-dandy paper

Hydraulic fluids are another stick and the transmission we check electronically from inside the RV. We check these last ones once a month. 

Checking the hydraulic fluid level

2/ Check Battery Levels
Our RV has 4 massive house batteries which are Liquid Lead Acid and need to have their electrolyte (liquid) levels checked at least once a month. You slide out the battery tray, screw off the caps and do a “quickie” check on the liquid levels by eye. Plates should be covered and if it’s getting low top it off with distilled water. If you’re the more nerdy type you can check exact levels with a battery hydrometer.

Paul checking the house batteries

Topping-off the batteries with distilled water

3/ Check/Dump The Tanks
If you’ve stayed at an RV site for more than a week or so black and grey tanks (that would be the tanks that hold liquids from the loo and run-off from the sinks and shower) will probably be getting full. So, give ‘em a dump at a dump station, rinse the tanks and dump again. The order is always black first, then grey. Once you’re done, add tank treatment chemicals back into the loo (we love Happy Camper…never had any odors from the toilet since using it). We only dump when tanks are more than 2/3 full. 

Paul "dumping" the tanks. We have an electronic tank-level check inside and outside the RV

4/ Check Tire Pressure
Once your RV is off the jacks (down on the ground) and the slides are in, you’ll want to check tire pressure to make sure it’s where it should be. Correct pressure depends on your weight, but big tires tend to lose pressure with temperature and altitude changes, so it’s a good idea to check them often. We refill with air from our built-in compressor. 

Checking tire pressure

4/ Feel The Tires
Paul usually dons a glove and runs his hands round the tires to check for obstructions, nails or anything else that might be jutting out. 

Doing a quick feel of the tires

These are the biggies but there’s a few other quickie checks to do before you hit the road. We’ve heard of RV’ers who lost their antenna’s, or forgot to disconnect tank hoses leading to some major “duh” moments and rather costly repairs. So, we usually both do a walk around the RV and make sure there’s nothing “dangling” or hanging loose under, inside or out. Here’s some of the more obvious checks: 

• Secure everything inside…if it slips or slides, pack it down
• Make sure RV is down off the jacks and slides are in
• Roll-in the awnings and make sure they’re secure
• Un-hook water and sewer hoses
• Make sure TV antenna is down
• Bring in the RV steps at the front door

Almost ready to go...all the slides and "dangly" bits are in. Just need to bring in the steps and close the door

A Weighty Matter – RV weights, tire pressure and such

“How much do you weigh” is not thought to be the best way to start a conversation. In fact, with the female populace it could be an outright dangerous proposal. Amongst RV’ers, however, it can be a relaxed and accepted topic of conversation and indeed, a rather important one too. You see, how much you weigh can lead to other exciting topics such as tire pressure or loading options which will not only add years to the lifetime of your home, but can improve gas mileage and “save your butt” on the downhills. An overloaded RV can even void an insurance claim, so that’s all the more reason to know your numbers. So, how does one actually do this with a behemoth such as ours?

Well, the easiest way to weigh something is to place it on a scale. As it turns out that’s exactly what you do with an RV. You just need really, really big scales and a wide area to drive the monster onto. In to save the day come the truckers. These folks have been weighing for years, and their scales are actually open to anyone. Many of the major truck-stops such as Flying J’s or Pilots will have them (or you can look up your nearest CAT scale location here) and most of them will weigh front and rear axles independently. So, just mosey on in between the truckers, squeeze your rear wheels onto the scale and ask to be weighed. $9 and 5 minutes later you’ll have your poundage in all it’s glory.

As it turns out we weigh 11,820 lbs on our front axle and 20,400 lbs on our rear axle and that’s with 3/4 tank full of fresh water and LP and a full load of gas….almost fully-loaded so to speak. A quick reference to the RV manual lets us know we need to keep 105 psi  of pressure in in our two front tires and 92 psi in each of our 4 rear tires for optimal performance. So, that’s how we keep our butts in shape, RV-speaking.

Our svelte 32,220 lb monster in all her glory

Our weight certificate from the CAT scales in Quartzite, AZ