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.
