How to Properly Maintain Your Class A RV Tires

To help you stay on top of the condition of your coaches tires, we’ve compiled a set of RV tire care recommendations to help you stay safe as you travel from one destination to another.

As you may have guessed, the amount of air in your tires is extremely important to both your wallet and your safety. Under-inflating will have a negative effect on handling, cause your tires to wear faster, and hurt fuel economy. Over-inflating can impact grip, braking distance, and ride comfort, while causing your tires to wear unevenly. This goes for all of your tires, even if you have a coach with dual-mounted tires, as the inside tires are just as important as the ones on the outside.

A few tips:

Typically, a truck-style gauge with a 120-plus PSI rating and dual-footed head works best for reaching both inner and outer tires on a larger motor coach.

Tires that are warm from recent use may display a higher pressure than cold tires, so check your tires when your RV has been sitting idle for at least an hour.

Not sure about your tire’s pressure ratings? Check your coach’s certification label or owners manual.

Keep in mind: Most RV tire manufacturers recommend you adjust your tire pressure to accommodate the tire carrying the most weight on a given axle.

How often should I check my coach’s tire pressure?

Generally, you’ll want to check all of your tires each time you bring your rig out of storage or plan to drive it for the first time in more than a few weeks. If you find yourself spending most of your time out on the road, check your tire pressure every other day once a week at the minimum.

While different Class A motor coaches will have different tire maintenance requirements, all will need their tires rotated at particular intervals. Check your owners manual for your particular coach’s recommended rotation schedule.

Traveling thousands of miles across various terrain can also cause your coach’s suspension to become misaligned. Not only does your alignment affect your RVs handling abilities, it can and will have a large impact on tire tread wear. Have your alignment checked regularly, especially if you notice your rigs steering wheel is off-center and leading you to the left or right.

If you tend to store your RV for extended periods of time, there are a few thing you’ll want to consider to preserve the condition of your tires.

Store your coach in a cool, dry area and if possible, shield it from direct sunlight. This will also help to protect your paint. Take everything you can out of your motor coach to keep as little weight as possible on your tires. Many tire manufacturers also recommend inflating your tires 25% above the recommended operating pressure as they will lose air over time.

While every RVer wants their tires to last as long as possible, its important to know when one or more of your tires needs to be replaced. The following represent common circumstances when a tire replacement is in order:

• Your tread is worn to minimum allowable depth, typically 4/32nds to 2/32nds of an inch depending on your coach’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

• When one or more of your tires displays significantly less tread depth than the rest of your RVs tires. All of your tires should have a relatively even amount of wear.

• You notice cuts, cracks or bulges caused by extended periods of inactivity, sunlight exposure and cleaners containing alcohol or petroleum.