Read a lot about how tires should be replaced at 6 years of age. I have a RV with tires that are approaching 8 years old. It has been shedded when not in use. The tread looks as good as new, no visible cracks or separations. I am going to Co in a couple of weeks and thinking about replacing all that are on the ground.

Being a tight old cooter, I can't help but wonder if I am being scammed by the 6 year rule. Some say they may last for 10 but check them annually after 5. They give you no clue what to check for. I guess I will do it as it is really a hassle to have a problem on the road. In fact, I first thought I would just replace the spare but when I got it home, the code showed it to be almost a year old. That is pretty significant if it only has a useful life of 6 years.

Local dealer highly recommended a Gladiator trailer tire. I got one and it looks fine so I guess I will get three more, but I will ask him for some that are not already significantly used up by his definition.

Any thoughts on the subject of age and tires.

Gladiator tires are good tires, and I didn't notice you were asking about RV tires until now so that's all I have to say about that

I change my tires about every 7-8 years because that's about when they're running low on tread.

Ignore my trailer remarks earlier.

If you value your RV investment....change'em

A new set of tires is much cheaper than what one old one can do.

Consider first what your RV would do if it threw a tread. If you want to keep these tires a year or two longer, inspect them for cracking. Tires have an ingredient added to increase their lifespan but rubber degrades over time.
When I bought my Allison it was 6 years old. When I got home from North Carolina I checked the tires and found they were 7 years old. They looked brand new as the previous owner seldom used the boat and when he did it was at the river that was just miles from their house. The trailer was stored in a barn and looked like new.
I used the tires for a couple years with no problems but kept worrying about them so I replaced them.

On an RV I was about to drive to Co I would probably replace them just for the peace of mind.

I guess that is what I will do. When I looked at the new one for the spare last night, it is almost a year old so that kinda sucks. Based on six years life, that is significant.

I would replace them. Ive been bitten twice this summer by trailer tires less than 5 years old.

It's been nearly 10 years since I worked for Discount Tire, but the policy was anything 10+ years, no matter if it's been in the trunk of a car, they couldn't touch. I'm not on the up and up on RV's but if I had something that had 6 year old tires and as long as they still had plenty of tread and no cracks or patches/plugs I'd roll with them.

I forget exactly what they called it, and the requirements, but sometimes they'd give folks a credit towards new tires if their old tires were in good shape, lots of tread, and keep their old tires into their used stock. Might be something to ask about if you go the new tire route.

I have changed way to many trailer tires in my life. You are on borrowed time, especially for the length of trip your are planning. If you don't change them do yourself a favor and pick up an extra spare or two and bring a floor jack along.

I am changing them and told the dealer I wanted fresh tires since age and not wear seems to be the most important criteria on RV trailers that make a few trips. I've spent some time on internet trying to find out what the real deal is. Lots of sites saying replace them in 6 years, but they offer little evidence. My conclusion is that there is some truth in it and the tire companies have jumped on it to their advantage and even exaggerated the claim.

Good Move

Just saw you said they were 8 years and not 6. I think that's probably a smart move to replace since you'll be going up to CO. and back. That's a long trip and finding someplace between here and there that has what you're looking for would probably be a major PITA.


Just thought about this, but they may be well over 8 years old, you've had them for nearly 8 years. How long had they set on a shelf? If you're curious, find the DOT number and it'll give you the year and week they were made. I forget exactly how you read it, but a google search will tell you.

I just hope they do not start an advertising campaign like the mattress company. I rank that commercial right up there with TXU free nights.

Change them, I change my boat trailer tires every 5 years regardless on how they look. On my last set, I had one go bad nearly at the 5 year mark as I has towing my boat. It started to snake and got worst the longer I drove. I got lucky because I've seen the damage caused by trailer tires blowing on the highway.

If they have been inside their whole life with not a ton of miles on them, no bulges, no cracks, no flat spots, and no significant tread wear, I'd keep rolling with them until they're around 10 years old personally. My dad never replaced the Goodyear Marathons on our Triton, and when I got the boat it was 13 years old. They looked good as new. I replaced them due to age, but I would have wasted a bunch of extra money if we had replaced them every 5 years just because. And I assume rubber technology was worse in 1997 than it is now. The tires I replaced them with got bulges in 3 years and I had to replace them. The Marathons probably would have lasted another 3 years easy, so I feel like I spent even more money for nothing.

Sure, the cost of a blowout is bad. But getting new tires doesn't guarantee no blowouts, and leaving the old ones doesn't guarantee you'll have one, especially if they're showing zero signs of aging.