Filed under: Preparation & Readiness, RV Maintenance, RV Repair, Safety on the Road, Uncategorized

How to avoid tire blowup while RVing

Having a tire blow up is not fun whether you are rving or not.    In both case, you need to change the wheel when it happens.   However, I think the worse kind of blowup would be the ones when you pull your RV.

It happened to us twice so far.  We were driving with the RV behind and then one of the tires on the RV just blew.  The first time, we didn’t realize it and someone driving pass us kindly inform us of the problem.  That tire was on the driver’s side.   Fortunately, in Ontario the sides of highways is quite large and we were able to have space when we proceeded to change the tire.     The second time, we heard the tire when it blew up.   We were on our way on one big highway in the state of New York in the US.   We knew that we needed to stop and change it.   So we parked as best as we could on the side of the highway (which isn’t as large as in Ontario by the way).   Every time a huge truck or bigger vehicle would pass next to the RV we could see it move.   It wasn’t the best place to be but my husband was able to change the tire and we went on our way to the campground.  The next day, we shopped around for a new tire in the closest city.

   

   

Why do blow up happens?  Well, we learned that a leading cause of tire failures is actually under inflated tires.   Consequently, the load rating for a tire is only accurate if the tire is properly inflated.  Under inflated tires cause extreme heat buildup that leads to tire failure.   As you can see, we learned it the hard way.  From now on, every time we go on the road with the RV, we double checked the tires to make sure that they are properly inflated.   And it is better to check the pressure in your tires when they are at ambient temperature and at a cooler part of the day.   Why?  Well the pressure will increase as the air in the tires gets warmer as the day warms up.

Other ways to avoid tire blow up would be to rotate the tires on a regular basis.   Tire rotation will allow you even out the wear on your tires.  You will get the best usage possible while you drive if you do a tire rotation on a regular basis.    Also, in order to avoid problems with the tires on your RV, it would be a good idea to replace your tires if they are over six years of age.

Finally, here’s another way you can protect your tires from rapid sun deterioration.   The ultraviolet rays of the sun will persistently burn the rubber of your tires.   One way to protect them about the heat of the sun is to purchase tire covers.  Last year, we decided to invest in tire covers in order to protect the tires on the RV while it is parked somewhere.     These tire covers reflect the heat and light but keep the air circulating around the tires.    It’s easy to determine the correct size of tire covers you need.  Simply measure the diameter from tread edge to tread edge and you will be able to know which size of tire covers you would need.    This purchase was a wise investment and we diligently put them on when we arrive to a campsite.

By taking these suggestions, you can avoid tire blow ups while driving with your family.

Have you ever experience a tire blowup?  If so, where were you when it happened?  Share your stories with us.

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