Tire life expectancy

[o1marc]

My drive tires have a much more aggressive tread pattern, those look like steer tires. I had steer tires on the back of the TC 2000, absolutely worthless on wet ground, pulled in the front yard, as soon as the tires hit the damp ground they just started spinning. Fortunately the tow truck was already here and had to pull me another 10' out.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by o1marc

My drive tires have a much more aggressive tread pattern, those look like steer tires. I had steer tires on the back of the TC 2000, absolutely worthless on wet ground, pulled in the front yard, as soon as the tires hit the damp ground they just started spinning. Fortunately the tow truck was already here and had to pull me another 10' out.

they are an all position.. I went with aggressive drives on my DEV bus because I live up north and sometimes travel to and fron the south in winter.. they work good in the slick conditions bit being a bus is light in the rear if I hit the brakes hard, the drives lock fairly easily in wet conditions..



they are much noisier than all positions...



that said I'll probably go with more aggressive drives o nthe red bus when i get tires for it this year

[CandaceG]

Hi y'all!

Can anyone tell me the age of these tires? The tread is still good but the bus has been sitting for nearly 4 years. She's about to make a cross country trip and I'm wondering if it would be best to get new tires.

Thanks!!

[JDOnTheGo]

Tire was manufactured in the 44th week of 2007. It was 'retreaded' sixth week of 2013.

It is a debate that will never end (in the RV world) but... since you asked...
I personally would not be driving on retreads (any position), not on a retread that is 7+ years old, and certainly not on a tire that is 13 years old. I have had good luck with the RV rule of no more than 7 years old (since manufacture).

[84chevyguyid]

Do not ever do retreads on a steer axle. In my opinion they aren't worth the problems on a drive/tag either, when they come apart they tear lots of things up.

[CandaceG]

Yikes!!! Thanks for the info. Worse than I thought. I'm a big chicken so no retreads for me!! She'll be getting new shoes!!

Thanks again!!!

[Ronnie]

Retreats have never given me any trouble, and have been proven safe. To many people just trying to scare people in general these days.

As far as your tires they are getting old. And if you can afford new ones it does give some peace of mind .

Must say for me I tend to wear out tires before they age out.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by 84chevyguyid

Do not ever do retreads on a steer axle. In my opinion they aren't worth the problems on a drive/tag either, when they come apart they tear lots of things up.

THIS!

Retreads are illegal for steers on commercial vehicles, folks. I know they are not subject to DOT inspection as an RV, but if a retreaded steer blows out and causes an accident, you will be liable, because your insurance will NOT cover the claim when they discover retreaded tires on the steer axle, RV or not.

As I've said elsewhere, IF you are unlucky enough to blow a steer tire while driving, DO NOT BRAKE! FLOOR the throttle and steer to maintain control, and slowly back out of the throttle until you are going slow enough to pull off the road. Braking with a blown steer tire can lock the wheel up, make it dig into the pavement and cause a rollover.

With tires, it's not miles, it's age. Rubber deteriorates with time, as I'm sure most know, but not everyone does. Rule of thumb, if a tire is over 6-8 years old, replace it, regardless of mileage and wear.

Also, to prevent premature rotting of tires, it is best to park on concrete, or at least put concrete step blocks (what they use for walkways) in front of all of your tires, and gently drive up on them to get the tires off of the dirt. For some reason, this helps them last longer. Also, they make tire covers for RVs in various tire sizes that can be used to keep the sun off the tires and help them last longer as well.

As a former OTR trucker, I can tell you that retreads do indeed inflict damage when they blow out, not necessarily to the affected vehicle. If these things blow a cap off and go through someone else's radiator or windshield, your insurance (or you) could be paying for that damage.

Retreads have a fairly reasonably low to moderate failure rate, but when they do fail, the results can be disastrous under the right conditions.

[84chevyguyid]

If you dont drive many miles a year you might look into some good used takeoffs, at least for the rear. I dont drive very far in a years time and mine expire way before they wear out.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by 84chevyguyid

If you dont drive many miles a year you might look into some good used takeoffs, at least for the rear. I dont drive very far in a years time and mine expire way before they wear out.

Also a good suggestion, but don't replace with any older than about 3-5 years, or you'll just be replacing them again within a year or two. You might check with heavy truck salvage yards, semis, buses and RVs get totaled all the time and come in with at least 2 out of the 6-10 tires reusable. They might even mount them for you.