How to protect tires from UV rays without covering - RV-Dreams Community Forum

zapman · RV-Dreams Community Member

How to protect tires from UV rays without covering

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

There is a product named Sun Block that you can paint on the tires. There is special cleaner that need to be used before applying the product. You can find it at campingworld.com.

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

On most fivers the wheels are protected from the sun by the slides.

I never understood the need myself. A lot of autos are outside all the time and it's never been a problem. I wonder why it's a problem with RV's?

Waggin Tails · RV-Dreams Family Member

I agree with Fred. My fiver wheels are covered by slides on either side. Maybe car tires are not impacted like RV tires because car tires roll more than RV tires. I've heard Armor All is bad for tires also but I have no research data to back that up.

RVRon · RV-Dreams Family Member

zapman wrote:
For now I don't want to cover the wheels on our 5th wheel and am wondering if there is a product to spray or wipe on to protect them?

Unless you drive your car very sparingly it's a different situation with RVs. Most of the time folks never drive (or tow) enough miles to wear the tires out. We just bought new tires for our motorhome because the old ones were 7 years old and they had started showing some weather checking. With less than 40,000 miles on them they still had lots of tread but we didn't trust them.

We made some tire covers with sunbrella material, using suction cups to hold them over the wheel wells and plastic pipe filled with sand at the bottom for weight. Whenever we're parked for any length of time we stick them on. Not sure if their use will increase the life of the tires but it makes me feel like I'm doing something.

By the way, we have the original spare tire that has lived its entire life in a dark compartment and shows none of the weather cracks the others did that were exposed to sunlight. I'm wondering if it will last indefinitely. biggrin

Tim & Robyn · RV-Dreams Family Member

Luvglass wrote:
On most fivers the wheels are protected from the sun by the slides.

I never understood the need myself. A lot of autos are outside all the time and it's never been a problem. I wonder why it's a problem with RV's?

I wonder if it isn't due to the fact that RV tires have to be inflated to much greater pressures than car tires. Could it be that any little flaw that auto tires can generally tolerate until the tread is worn out might more quickly lead to a catastrophic failure of RV tires because of the greater internal pressures required?

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

zapman wrote:
For now I don't want to cover the wheels on our 5th wheel and am wondering if there is a product to spray or wipe on to protect them?
I have done research on Armor All and most say not to use it and for long term use they say it is even harmful to the rubber!
Thank you for your help.

Covering the tire is the best way to protect the tire from UV rays. I don't think you will find a spray on protector that will work.

My TT tires are 10 years old and have a ton of miles on them too but they still look great. Keep them properly inflated, don't park on concrete for extended periods, and keep them covered if possible.

When we are not using the TT, I park it on gravel or I put wood planks under the tires, and since I'm cheap, I just use black heavy duty trash bags to cover the tires. If it's parked more than two months, I lift the axle (one side at a time biggrin ) and spin the tire, this will help prevent flat spots.

I am looking forward to going fulltime so I don't have to worry about staying in one place long enough to worry about the tires. biggrin

mcphelps7 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I bought some 3M 303 Protectant for my slide seals based on a recommendation in my trailer owner's manual. The label says it's good for UV protection of tires too. I'm using it, but not long enough yet to know if it's working.