GoCampingAmerica.com | Posted February
    15th, 2022

    How
    Can RV Owners Prevent Tire Blowouts?

    Happy Camper Blog

    A study that
    was conducted by United Tires concluded that 44.9% of Americans have had a
    tire blowout on them when driving.

    RVs are at particular risk of suffering from tire blowouts due to
    the additional load weight that they carry in their vehicles and the
    combinations of terrain they are often driven on in one trip. RV owners
    should therefore be extra diligent in their tire care compared to drivers of
    regular vehicles.

    Here are some steps that you can take to reduce the possibility of
    tire blowouts happening on your road trips.

    Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated

    Driving on underinflated tires can lead to blowouts as the
    increased flexibility in underinflated tires shifts pressure away from a
    tire’s tread to its sidewall. As the latter part of the tire is not built to
    take excessive pressure it can burst if put under too much
    strain.

    You should always take a tire pressure gauge and tire pump with
    you on road trips so you can monitor and maintain correct tire
    pressure.

    Check your tire pressure level with a gauge every 2,000 miles and
    pump them up if they fall more than 5% under their recommended inflation
    levels. You can find this in your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

    Modern RVs are now equipped with automatic tire pressure
    monitoring devices. They are, however, not reliable when it comes to catching
    slow
    punctures
    that may cause your tires to become underinflated without
    you noticing. A manual check is still therefore required for optimal tire
    safety.

    Do Not Exceed Your RV’s Gross Vehicle Weight
    Rating

    An RV’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the maximum loaded
    weight that it can carry without putting undue pressure on its axles, brakes
    and tires. You can find this information in your RV’s driver’s
    manual.

    It’s a good idea to bring your RV to a truck weighing station so
    you can check if it’s still within its GVWR before each trip. Please note
    that you should have all the passengers and belongings that you will bring on
    your trip inside the RV to get the most accurate measure of your vehicle’s
    gross weight.

    If you intend to tow a trailer with your RV, you need to take a
    couple of other weight limits into consideration:

    • Gross Trailer Weight Rating (GTWR) – the allowable weight that a
      trailer can carry. This covers both the trailer itself and all its
      contents.
    • Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) – the maximum weight of both
      your RV and the towable vehicle that your RV can handle without posing any
      danger.

    To minimize the chances of a blowout occurring on either your RV
    or trailer tires you want to ensure your vehicles are below these maximum
    weights.

    Store Your RV Away From Direct Sunlight to avoid dry
    rotting

    All tires degrade as they age. Exposure to direct sunlight for an
    extended period of time makes tires degrade much faster.

    The UV rays from the sunlight strips the anti-weathering agents
    that protect the tires from rapid deterioration. This causes tires to become
    much more brittle and therefore prone to blowing out.

    You should therefore store your RV indoors to avoid the premature
    deterioration that the sunlight causes to its tires.

    Ozone also has the same detrimental effect on your
    tires.

    You should keep pieces of equipment that produce ozone away from
    your RV when storing them inside a garage. This includes generators and car
    battery chargers.

    If parking your RV outdoors is your only option, it is best to
    keep them in a covered area so its tires are rarely in direct
    sunlight.

    If you can, try to drive your RV a couple of times a month even if
    you aren’t going on a trip. The pressure exerted on your tires during driving
    works the anti-weathering agents back into the tires, slowing down the rate
    that the rubber deteriorates.

    Do Not Use Tires That Are Older Than Five Years

    Tires will age over time no matter how often they are used or not.
    Therefore, you should replace tires that are more than five years
    old.

    You can determine your tire’s age by looking at the last four
    digits embossed on the innermost ring of letters and numbers of its
    sidewall.

    These numbers represent the week and the year your tire was
    manufactured. The first two numbers are the week and the last two are the
    year.

    If the last four digits are “0520” for example, the tire was made
    in the fifth week of the year 2020. Remember what year your tire was
    manufactured in, and consider replacing it when it gets to five years old,
    regardless of whether there are any other obvious issues with your tires or
    not.

    Do Not Let Your Tires Overheat

    Tires overheat due to excessive amounts of friction between the
    tires and the road that they are driving on. This overheating can be
    exacerbated by hot weather conditions, driving on underinflated tires, and
    driving at high speeds.

    Driving for long distances on highways can therefore make your tires
    particularly susceptible to blowing out for this reason.

    As the heat builds up in tires, pressure also builds up. This will
    lead to a blowout when the tire can’t hold the rising pressure
    anymore.

    Therefore, you should take simple precautions to keep your tires
    from overheating such us:

    • Keeping your tires properly inflated
    • Using low rolling resistance tires if you’ll only be driving in
      paved roadways
    • Taking a 30-minute break every three hours of driving to let your
      tires cool down

    Taking these precautions is even more important if you are driving
    on a hot day (over 90 degrees Fahrenheit).

    Conclusion

    Following correct tire safety procedures should minimize the
    chances of a tire blowout negatively impacting your trip.

    For more resources for RVers, please click here.

    This article was contributed by Mike Skoropad. Mike is the CEO of
    tire retailer United
    Tires
    .