Need to replace like new tires??

[Atwebs]

Tires are considered a product that gets used up. A trailer's tires, even one just sitting are subject to heat and cold, weather and weight of the vehicle. Direct sun can cause some more havoc, as can freezing temperatures.

The air in the tire expands and contracts as the temperature changes. The weight on the tires can cause them to flatten or develop weak spots and just the day to day moderate temps actually wear on the tire. Direct sunlight degrades the rubber, dogs relieving themselves on them can do the same thing! (Luckily that wasn't our trailer...just a shared experience).

And, a blowout is an ugly thing. We live in California and have moderate temps most of the year, no hard freezes and not many hundred degree days. And yet, we managed to have bum trailer tires on our stored trailer almost every year. The years that we didn't replace them we suffered either a flat or a blow out, or my favorite 'what's with that bump on the tire?" -the "oh no" question that requires you to replace the tire or just pray you can get home with it.

So, check and double check the tires before you travel. Replace if there is anything odd about them (including you just found them slightly flat -we discovered that was a big indicator that something else was going on with them). Triple check the spare and be sure you have the right tools to replace a tire if you need to!

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Maybe if you had followed the information on Proper Tire Inspection on my RV Tire Safety blog you would have discovered the belt separation especially if you looked at the video of the tire with a separation in it.

The week before the trip I had that tire off so I could check the wheel bearing grease. (My Ranger boat trailer has the grease injection through the spindle so you have to take the wheel and grease cap off to add grease.)

I checked the tire when I had it off the spindle and didn't see anything abnormal on either side or center tread. Tire pressure was down about 3 lbs. so I aired it up. During the trip I had stopped for gas twice before that and checked the wheels and tires for any excessive heat. Both felt normal.

Just before it blew out we started feeling a vibration and since we were almost at our stopping point, about 30 miles, we thought we'd check it out when we stopped for the night. A few minutes later it blew.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

If you are looking to save some money on new tires, I recommend Carlisle Radial Trail HD load range E if you are doing serious traveling or Load range D if you are just a casual traveler. I believe the "D" should be adequate rating for your trailer. I have the E and it is rated way over my AS 7000 lbs. divided by 4, so I run 60 psig rather than the full 80 PSIG which would make for a rough ride.
I ran some Chinese GYM knockoffs for a year too long and I was lucky to avoid a blowout. I broke the belt on one by raising the trailer on a block to level the rig in a campground. Another tire just showed a belt beginning to fail that I would never had caught if I wasn't doing new brakes.
l........
JCW

Hi

Long ago Carlisle was a "made in the US" tire. That plant is now a set of apartment buildings. The tires are now made by who knows who in who knows where. ( = manufacturing has moved a couple of times). I would not rate them much above the "knockoff" level these days.

Bob

[perryg114]

I am running car/light truck tires on mine and they were bought in 2011. I expect I will replace them at the 10 yr mark if I plan on any long trips. No dry rot at this time. If they were trailer tires, I would be living on borrowed time. So far, I have never had a car grade tire blow out from age. Even if you replace them every 5 yrs your likelihood of having a trailer grade tire blow are much higher. Look at it from a liability standpoint, if there are humans on board, the safety factor will be much higher than a trailer tire. NASA would call this man rating. Anything that goes into space that has a human on board is "MAN RATED" and has to go through a ton more certifications than something that is just putting satellites in orbit.


Perry

[brick1]

Check the date code on the tire. If over 5 years old, replace, including the spare. If the tire is a Goodyear Marathon, replace regardless of age.
New tires are much cheaper than repairing the damage caused by a blowout

[tjdonahoe]

5-7 years on a China tire.....junk....no matter what brand....good year endurance are made in the US...a heavy built tire..5-7 years replace....

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by perryg114

I am running car/light truck tires on mine and they were bought in 2011. I expect I will replace them at the 10 yr mark if I plan on any long trips. No dry rot at this time. If they were trailer tires, I would be living on borrowed time. So far, I have never had a car grade tire blow out from age. Even if you replace them every 5 yrs your likelihood of having a trailer grade tire blow are much higher. Look at it from a liability standpoint, if there are humans on board, the safety factor will be much higher than a trailer tire. NASA would call this re cheapman rating. Anything that goes into space that has a human on board is "MAN RATED" and has to go through a ton more certifications than something that is just putting satellites in orbit.


Perry

....car grade tires also age out at 5-7 years.....even Michelin’s...blow one ..you have lots of damage...not worth it tires are cheap

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

If you are looking to save some money on new tires, I recommend Carlisle Radial Trail HD load range E if you are doing serious traveling or Load range D if you are just a casual traveler. I believe the "D" should be adequate rating for your trailer. I have the E and it is rated way over my AS 7000 lbs. divided by 4, so I run 60 psig rather than the full 80 PSIG which would make for a rough ride.
I ran some Chinese GYM knockoffs for a year too long and I was lucky to avoid a blowout. I broke the belt on one by raising the trailer on a block to level the rig in a campground. Another tire just showed a belt beginning to fail that I would never had caught if I wasn't doing new brakes.
Your tires might be good for another year or so if you don't overload them and keep them fully inflated, since they don't seem yo have had the weather exposure. That being said , conventional wisdom is that tires that are not used, do not get the waxes moving throughout the rubber and the rubber gets dry. If the rubber doesn't flex the cords and belts start to release from the rubber.

Everyone who referenced serious damage is right. Your insurance deductible might well pay for new tires and save you there hassle and loss from a shredded rear quarter caused by a blow-out.
JCW

Running a LR-E at LR-D inflation will only give you LR-D load capacity as it is the air pressure that supports the load not the tire structure.

[Burnside Bob]

Originally Posted by Biomass

I was told on my Airstream that although I have not used my trailer outside of a few times in the past four years that my tires need to be replaced. They tell me that the tires only last five years whether you use the trailer or not. Curious to hear Other experts thoughts on this concern. If I had to buy them any recommendations and what would it cost for a 25 foot flying cloud airstream? The airstream has been stored inside and mostly outside, but in between other trailers. With little direct sun on the tires. The tires have practically no tread wear and look like brand new. Thanks in advance for any advice.

From the current Michelin Tire Owners Manual, pages 20-21, "Service Life":

Tires which have been in use for 5 years or more should continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually. . . . . .
While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10
years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the
date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a
precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not
reached the legal wear limit.

The Michelin Owner's Manual is available here:
https://www.michelinman.com/owners-manual/

So it appears that Michelin is good with a 10 year upper tire age, if annually inspected and passed by a "specialist". The 2019 Airstream Owner's Manual leaves out the bit about the tire continuing to be useable if it passes a "specialist" annual inspection years 5-9. Here's what the 2019 Flying Cloud Owner's Manual has to say, section 8-5:

"But when the trailer tires sit idle too long, natural aging may
cause the rubber to crack prematurely, especially in
the sidewall area. Trailer tires over 5 years old should
be inspected by a tire expert for cracking and replaced
even if it has no apparent tread wear."

If the recommendation is to replace at five years of age, no "ifs, ands, or buts", why would you need inspection by a "tire expert"? My guess is that
someone paraphrasing the Michelin guidance left a few words out. Maybe you parse this differently?

Keep 'em rolling!

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Burnside Bob

From the current Michelin Tire Owners Manual, pages 20-21, "Service Life":

Tires which have been in use for 5 years or more should continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually. . . . . .
While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10
years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the
date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a
precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not
reached the legal wear limit.

The Michelin Owner's Manual is available here:
https://www.michelinman.com/owners-manual/

So it appears that Michelin is good with a 10 year upper tire age, if annually inspected and passed by a "specialist". The 2019 Airstream Owner's Manual leaves out the bit about the tire continuing to be useable if it passes a "specialist" annual inspection years 5-9. Here's what the 2019 Flying Cloud Owner's Manual has to say, section 8-5:

"But when the trailer tires sit idle too long, natural aging may
cause the rubber to crack prematurely, especially in
the sidewall area. Trailer tires over 5 years old should
be inspected by a tire expert for cracking and replaced
even if it has no apparent tread wear."

If the recommendation is to replace at five years of age, no "ifs, ands, or buts", why would you need inspection by a "tire expert"? My guess is that
someone paraphrasing the Michelin guidance left a few words out. Maybe you parse this differently?

Keep 'em rolling!

...well my Michelin’s on our Buick started showing signs of cracking at 5 years....my ram..bf Goodrich showed it at 5 years...both vehicles are parked inside....you can look at them all you want...you can’t see what is inside...both of these sets had quite a few miles and were replaced...

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by QC TORPEDO

Mollysdad and Bill M. have it right! I have had 3 blow outs on a SOP 5th wheel. One of them damaged the skin and steps. Each was on tires from less than 2 to about 3 years old (including OEM tires). My '17 FC came with GYM "D"s. I changed to GYE "E"s from Discount Tire at 2.5 years. I will change again at about 3 years. Sure, I am a favored customer, but a blow out or just a flat can ruin a trip. Worse, it works on your head, thinking about the next POP!
GET NEW TIRES BEFORE YOUR NEXT OUTING!

Them Orem tires were the cheapest they could buy...Chinese....

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

If you are looking to save some money on new tires, I recommend Carlisle Radial Trail HD load range E if you are doing serious traveling or Load range D if you are just a casual traveler. I believe the "D" should be adequate rating for your trailer. I have the E and it is rated way over my AS 7000 lbs. divided by 4, so I run 60 psig rather than the full 80 PSIG which would make for a rough ride.
I ran some Chinese GYM knockoffs for a year too long and I was lucky to avoid a blowout. I broke the belt on one by raising the trailer on a block to level the rig in a campground. Another tire just showed a belt beginning to fail that I would never had caught if I wasn't doing new brakes.
Your tires might be good for another year or so if you don't overload them and keep them fully inflated, since they don't seem yo have had the weather exposure. That being said , conventional wisdom is that tires that are not used, do not get the waxes moving throughout the rubber and the rubber gets dry. If the rubber doesn't flex the cords and belts start to release from the rubber.

Everyone who referenced serious damage is right. Your insurance deductible might well pay for new tires and save you there hassle and loss from a shredded rear quarter caused by a blow-out.
JCW

....that is another cheap to purchase Chinese tire....they can’t even make a wheel barrow tire that will hold air....there are no bargains out there, you get what you pay for...

[Action]

Originally Posted by Biomass

I was told on my Airstream that although I have not used my trailer outside of a few times in the past four years that my tires need to be replaced. They tell me that the tires only last five years whether you use the trailer or not.

The statement is correct with some clarification.

As was stated earlier, it is the age from when the tires were manufactured not when they were installed on your trailer. There is a date code stamped in the tire which states the week and year.

Then the age of the tire can be determined. And no matter how much tread left on the tire, if it is too old it is no longer a tire to be used when traveling.

The 5 to 7 year window is a good place to replace. And closer to 5 would be better.

>>>>>>>>>>Action

[CBWELL]

Tires are cheap, compared to the damage, down time, inconvienance, and utter frustration of having a blow out!! I replace mine every 5 years, no questions. I had a "blow out" on an SOB that we had 25 years ago. Beautiful European "Hobby"brand trailer. When the tire blew it took out the wheel well, fridge, part of the sidewall (which was bonded fiberglass) and some of the floor. What mess, on the side of the TransCanada highway, on a Friday afternoon of a long weekend. Tires were 7 years old and I thought they looked good. Not Chinease crap!! Trailer was written off. I learned my lesson the hard way. My father always told me "It's a lot easier to replace things when you WANT to, rather than when you HAVE to, and usually a lot less expensive". He was a wise old Airstreamer!! JMHO

[gypsydad]

Bottom line is at best, vague...However, the line "do you feel lucky" comes to mind here, again... Why would you run on 4-5 year old tires, worn or not, visible "issues" or not, if you don't have to? Why wonder if you might have an issue, although not visible?

Driving on todays roads are stress enough in traffic, right? Think/look at accidents posted here on the Forum and elsewhere, caused by a blowouts...even with new tires. Doesn't make sense to me...of course, many things don't anymore.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by richw46

The week before the trip I had that tire off so I could check the wheel bearing grease. (My Ranger boat trailer has the grease injection through the spindle so you have to take the wheel and grease cap off to add grease.)

I checked the tire when I had it off the spindle and didn't see anything abnormal on either side or center tread. Tire pressure was down about 3 lbs. so I aired it up. During the trip I had stopped for gas twice before that and checked the wheels and tires for any excessive heat. Both felt normal.

Just before it blew out we started feeling a vibration and since we were almost at our stopping point, about 30 miles, we thought we'd check it out when we stopped for the night. A few minutes later it blew.

Sounds like your "inspection" did not include the advised "Free Spin" rotation. as seen in the video in my blog. Belt separations do not always generate excess heat.

[jadatis]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Suggest you read pg 8.5 - 8.7 of THIS AS owner's manual.
Pay attention to the section on replacement.


Why would an AS owner not follow the factory advice is beyond me.

On paragraph 8.7 of that manual next.

Trailer tires over 5 years old should be inspected by a tire expert for cracking and replaced even if it has no apparent tread wear.

You could read in that , that tires need to be replaced after 5 years of use, but it only states, to let them be checked , and if cracked to much , replace them.
So this can also be only after 10 years of use.

Not that I think , a ST tire last that long generally, because tires maxload provided to the edges of safety . Exeptions are the most tandem axle AS Tt's, wich have a comfortable reserve in the tires, even if you calculate it back with my pigheaded system as if LT tire.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Biomass

I was told on my Airstream that although I have not used my trailer outside of a few times in the past four years that my tires need to be replaced. They tell me that the tires only last five years whether you use the trailer or not. Curious to hear Other experts thoughts on this concern. If I had to buy them any recommendations and what would it cost for a 25 foot flying cloud airstream? The airstream has been stored inside and mostly outside, but in between other trailers. With little direct sun on the tires. The tires have practically no tread wear and look like brand new. Thanks in advance for any advice.

5-7 years...new tires are cheaper than a blowout at 65 mph and having 4- 9,000$ in damage to your airstream

[travelux1969]

folks, here in Ontario, we have no choice of tires for our trailers. the traffic act stipulates trailer rated tires will be used. if the MTO green and whites pull you over and see car or truck tires on your trailer, you are getting a fine. crappy stuff from china is a problem that we as consumers created by demanding cheap goods, and driving quality out of the picture. i found a good site that gives a good description of tire differences.


https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...jsp?techid=219


hope it helps someone understand the situation. yes, i will be having a good hard look at my ST tires on my old Travelux when the snow disappears next spring.......

[travelux1969]

folks, found an even better site with information that goes to the heart of the whole discussion....


https://rvingwithmarkpolk.com/2012/1...s-vs-lt-tires/