5 Important Reminders about RV Tires
Everyone wants to AVOID tire blow outs on your RV because they have the potential to cause extensive damage to your RV, Truck, and Family. Here are a couple of quick tips to help MINIMIZE your risk.
REPLACE OLD TIRES – So many terrible tire stories start with… “I knew it was time to change the tires, but I was just hoping to make it a little longer…” You do not want this to be your story. If you have the option, put high quality tires on your RV. We just added the Goodyear Endurance tires because of their excellent reputation.
CHECK YOUR TIRES EACH TRIP – It is important to check your tires before you start your drive every single time. Check for wear, cuts, bubbles, and pressure.
RV SET-UP IMPACTS YOUR TIRES – Overweight or incorrect set up will add extra pressure to your tires. It will also make it more difficult to pull over safely if something does go wrong. Think about hitch weight, tongue weight, and gross weight.
USE A TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM – The TPMS can alert you to an issue and potentially save you a lot of damage. The systems alert you to temperatures, slow leaks and immediate tire blow outs. Warning time gives you a chance to react and save yourself from additional damage. We recently switched to the Lippert Tire Linc and especially appreciate the Alert Indicator.
HAVE A PLAN – Unfortunately, things go wrong even when you take all of the right precautions. Always pay attention and know how to react and safely pull over to the side of the road. You should have a spare, tools to change the tire, and safety equipment with you at all times.
Last week we had our first tire blow out. Matt is methodical when checking the tires, but sometimes things go wrong. He was taking the RV back to storage after a long trip and the tire blew on the highway. He had the window down, so he heard the blow at the same time the TPMS alerted him to the issue. He was able to pull over immediately and prevent damage to the RV, Truck or himself. He put on his florescent vest (because SAFETY first), replaced the tire with the spare, and drove immediately to the tire center. He was shaken, the tires were expensive, but he is okay which is the most important outcome of a tire blow out!
