RV tire care: how to prevent blowouts with correct pressure, load and age checks

Why RV tires fail

RV tires carry heavy loads, often sit for months, then run long distances at highway speeds in summer heat. Common causes of failure include:

• Under-inflation: The sidewalls flex more, generating heat that breaks down the tire.
• Overloading: Exceeding the tire's load rating, often on one side or one axle.
• Age: Rubber degrades over time even if the tread looks new.
• Damage: Potholes, curbs and sharp gravel.
• Heat: Long climbs, high speeds and hot pavement.

A trailer tire blowout can damage wheel wells, plumbing and wiring, and cause loss of control. Prevention is far cheaper.

Safety: Never get under an RV supported only by a jack. Use rated jack stands and chock wheels. Inflate tires with a gauge and an inflator with a lock-on chuck, standing beside (not in front of) the tire. If a tire is seriously damaged, don't inflate it. Replace it.

Pressure: the most important check

1. Find the right pressure. Look for the vehicle's tire placard (often near the entry door or on the front driver's side of a trailer) and the tire's sidewall. The sidewall shows the maximum pressure and load. For the best figure for your actual load, tire manufacturers publish load and inflation tables. Never go above the wheel's or tire's maximum rating.
2. Check cold. Measure before driving, when tires are at ambient temperature. Pressure rises as tires heat up. Don't let air out of hot tires.
3. Use a good gauge. RV tires often run at higher pressures than car tires. Use a gauge rated for that range.
4. Seasonal changes: Tire pressure drops as temperatures drop. Tires set in a warm garage will read lower in the cold. In Alberta, check again when spring and fall temperatures swing.

Load: weigh your RV

Overloading is common and invisible. Weigh your loaded RV at a certified truck scale, ideally each axle and each side (or wheel position), and compare with:

• The tire's load rating (at the pressure you run).
• The axle ratings (GAWR) and the RV's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).

If one side is heavy (common with slide-outs, kitchens or water tanks on one side), redistribute cargo. See Trailer sway and hitch setup: weight, tongue weight and weight-distribution basics for weight terms.

Age: read the date code

Tires have a code on the sidewall beginning with "DOT". The last four digits show the week and year of manufacture (for example, 2324 means week 23 of 2024). Rubber ages with time, UV and ozone, even on a trailer that's barely used. Many tire and RV manufacturers recommend considering replacement after a certain number of years regardless of tread depth. Check your tire manufacturer's guidance, and have older tires inspected by a tire professional.

Inspect before every trip

• Sidewalls: cracking (especially fine "weather checking"), bulges or cuts.
• Tread: uneven wear, which can indicate alignment, axle or bearing problems, or wrong pressure.
• Valve stems and caps: Cracked rubber stems leak. Metal stems with caps are common on RVs.
• Lug nuts: Look for rust streaks or shiny marks around nuts, which can be a sign of looseness.
• Spare: Check its pressure and age too.

Add tires to your pre-trip checklist.

Use a TPMS

A tire pressure monitoring system warns you of pressure loss and, on many systems, temperature rise. It can give you time to pull over before a slow leak becomes a blowout. Trailer tire failures are hard to feel from the driver's seat, so a TPMS is one of the best safety investments for trailer owners.

Lug nut torque

• Torque lug nuts to the specification in your RV or axle manual using a torque wrench, in a star pattern and in stages.
• Wheel and axle manufacturers commonly specify re-checking torque after a short initial distance whenever a wheel is mounted. Follow their schedule.
• Don't use an impact gun at full power to install lug nuts. It's easy to overtighten.

On the road

• Respect the speed rating of your tires. Some trailer tires have lower speed ratings than car tires.
• Check tire and hub temperatures at stops. An infrared thermometer makes it quick. A tire or hub much hotter than its neighbours deserves investigation.
• Avoid curbs and potholes, and take gravel roads slowly. Sharp crushed rock on some Alberta backroads is hard on tires.

Storage

• Park on clean, dry surfaces. Boards or pads under tires keep them off gravel and frozen ground.
• Cover tires with tire covers to block UV.
• Keep them inflated to the correct pressure through storage.
• Move the RV occasionally if you can, to avoid flat spots.

When to call a pro

Bulges, cords showing, sidewall cuts, repeated pressure loss, uneven wear patterns, or any doubt about a tire's age or condition. Tire shops can also check wheel balance and inspect valve stems.