Five things you don’t know about RV trailer tires
Set of 4 New Premium Trailer Tires ST 225/75R15 10PR Load Range E-Amazon.com
Trailer Tires on Amazon.com
Five things I didn’t know about RV tires when I first started using a travel trailer.
- Whether your rig is towed or in storage, air up the tires to the maximum printed on the tire sidewall.
- Keep your tires off the concrete, asphalt or grass when stored.
- All “ST” tires have a speed rating of 65 mph maximum.
- Three to five years is the normal life of a trailer tire.
- Protect the tires from direct sunlight.
I started RVing when tires on trailers were bias ply tires. My first experience with “ST” trailer tires was not positive. I had a blowout on my first trip home with my “new to me” RV. I replaced the tire and I had another blow out on my first camping trip. Not good! When I got home, I researched these new “ST” type tires. The first thing I learned was to keep the tires at their maximum inflation pressure as printed on the sidewalls. The maximum pressure will keep the towing temperatures of the tires at their lowest. The maximum pressure also allows the tire to support the maximum weight rating. No tire chart is needed. Read the sidewall and air up your tires.
Insulation is a good thing
The second thing I learned was that I needed to use something to help insulate the tires from the heat generated by the concrete or asphalt it sits on when stored. It makes sense, once you think about it, the concrete or asphalt gets hot, and is building and storing heat all day long. The concrete or asphalt heats up the tires and then stays hot longer until it finally cools down in the late evening. Using a piece of wood between the tires and concrete or asphalt isolates the tires from the longer heat cycle of the concrete or asphalt. Storing your rig on grass is also detrimental to tires. The grass is not the culprit. It’s because it needs to be watered, and that constant moisture will eventually get behind the tire’s protective outer barrier and damage the tire.
Greenball Transmaster ST225/75R15 10 Ply Load Range E Radial Trailer Tire (Tire Only) – Amazon.com
Trailer Rims on Amazon.com
Maximum speed rating
This next one is a biggie. All tires have a maximum speed rating. Trailer tires probably have the lowest maximum speed rating of any tires. The “ST” tire freeway speed rating is 65 mph. I never considered a maximum speed rating for my tires. Why is this so important? Heat is the killer of tires. The faster the tire rotates, the more heat that is generated. I am currently considering purchasing a non-contact, digital, lasered temperature gun. They run less than 20 bucks and are accurate plus or minus to 1.5%. The temperature gun can be used for other things as well, but for this article, we are talking tires. It’s simple, just point, aim and measure the temperature of your tires on trips.
Non-contact digital lasered temperature guns on Amazon.com
Tire Service Life
The service life of “ST” tires is 3 to 5 years. Wow! I am in the habit of having my trailer tires on my rig for at least 7 to 10 years. I am still on the fence about this, as my vehicles frequently meet my 7 to 10-year service life expectations. When I had all the tires replaced I upgraded them from load range “C” to a load range “E”. Why did I do this?
Load range
Load ranges are used to separate tires that are the same size, the difference being in strength due to their internal construction. “Higher” load ranges identify tires that are built stronger. They can hold more air pressure and carry more weight.
By upgrading my tires two load ranges, from load range “C” to load range “E” the tires are stronger and can carry more weight. Since the weight remains the same my logic is that the tires will not be close to their threshold for load bearing. This should result in less heat buildup while towing. Heat is the enemy, the less heat the better.
Sidebar on tire valve stems
A valve stem is a self-contained valve which opens to admit gas to a chamber (such as air to inflate a tire), and is then automatically closed and kept sealed by the pressure in the chamber, or a spring, or both, to prevent the gas from escaping.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valve_stem
Tire stems come in different materials. There are three types rubber snap-in, high-pressure snap-in, and high-pressure metal clamp-in. For load range “E” tires the maximum pressure is 80 psi. Rubber snap-in are rated at 65 psi and are not suited as that will be your maximum tire pressure limit, basically underinflating the tires. At this pressure, I went with high-pressure metal clamp-in valve stems. They are easy to distinguish from the rubber snap-in and cannot be confused with each other.
Tire manufacturers recommend the use of tire covers. The use of tire covers to protect tires from exposure to direct sunlight makes sense. Sunlight is pretty detrimental to almost every man-made material. Why wouldn’t it be detrimental to tires? This process is called “dry rot”. It means that the oils and chemicals in the tire evaporate or break down because of the Sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Slowing down Dry Rot? Use an MSDS before applying.
Ever wonder what’s in a product? Lookup the Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS) for a wealth of information on the product.
Related Information: Material Safety Data Sheet for 303 Aerospace Protectant™
How my trailer storage has changed
So if you were to look at my stored RV the tires are always at maximum inflation pressures. The tires are resting on wood, and I use a piece of plywood to cover the south-facing tires. The north facing tires are always in shade, so they aren’t covered. I now limit my towing speeds to less than 65mph. My tires are less than 5 years old. But like I said, I’m still on the fence about that one. There you have it five things you didn’t know about RV trailer tires.
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Related Article: Buying RV what about the tires
Want a comprehensive trailer tire service guideline(click here) in pdf format.
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