I put new Bridgestone tires on my Barth in January 2006. They look great but is this the time to replace them?

Two questions:

1. How long does it sit between trips?

2. How lucky do ya feel?

With regard to question 1, the more often the coach is driven, the longer the tires will be safe. Sitting with a load is the worst thing for a tire. Sitting on damp soil, gravel or concrete is even worse. There is no definite information out there, but I have observed that sitters have more tire trouble than drivers. Tires are made with a preservative in the rubber. The preservative "blooms" to protect the sidewalls when the tire is warmed and flexed.

2. This really can't be answered. There are those who swear by the 5 year rule, and there are rules that give you a few more years. Lots of opinions and observations out there. Who ya gonna believe?

I believe a TPMS would be a good idea for those who drive their tires longer. It could give pressure or temperature warning to catch an impending failure.

The coach usually does a long trip in summer and at least one trip per month from April to November.

A lot of the bus people say 7-8 years if they look good. We have had tire reps at some of the bus rallies and they have said the same thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard_Muise:
I put new Bridgestone tires on my Barth in January 2006. They look great but is this the time to replace them?

Richard, more important than when you put on the tires is the date code on the tires. How old were they when they were placed in service. Date code is molded into the side wall of the tire. Four digit number. First two is week number, second two is year of manufacture.

Nick

Guess i should have been a little more specific. 7-8 years based on the date the tire was made, not when purchased. Glad you pointed that out Nick, as it is possible to buy tires that have been sitting on the shelf for several years.

Unfortunately for most of us, this is one of those "hard pill to swallow" thing about owning a RV of any sort. Chances are that unless you are full timing AND/OR on the go all the time, you are going to replace what seem to be very good tires before they look like they are even starting to wear. I also have heard the 7-8 year rule and it seems to be the most quoted. I also have heard that caring for your tires properly could extend that time period. It was suggested that if you were to go any longer than 7 years, you should have a good tire shop examine them and give you their opinion. I find this works better if you are friendly with that person because he will be truthful and tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. But make sure you trust their word, because your life could be depending on it.
On a side note (and I am not advocating this), I have driven all sort of vehicles (including my Barth) on "old" tires. It really depends on how lucky you feel and the condition you believe the tires are in. Sometimes you may not have a choice.....

If you tires were made in Asia, they will last a lot longer than US or Europe. The reason is Asia uses natural rubber, vs. synthetic. Not sure of all the facts here but this is what I have been learning and from my experience it holds true.

So Bridgestone could be either from Japan or a Firestone plant in the USA.

It kinda burns my butt to have to recommend Asian made over US made. BUT