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I know this subject has been beat to death but I thought I would bring it up again.
I have a 40' diesel pusher, front tires were replace in 2010. The rear tires have a date code of 2004. Tread is good of course and the sidewalls appear to be in outstanding shape. Even using a magnifying glass I can see no cracking what so ever. Would you replace these tires?
With tires in that condition I would not replace them unless the tread dictates. We had some Michelin's on our coach that were over 10 years old before the tread required us to replace them. However, driving a coach is good for the tires so the longer the tires sit still the more attention you need to pay to the details. Some folks use 7 years as a guideline but some manufacturers state other life spans. Now the important part. What I recommend should have nothing at all to do with what you do. You are the only one who can see the tires and/or know their history. Also, how you travel and where you travel will make a difference as well as whether you want to take a more or less chances.
If your tires are Michelin brand I believe their recommendation is to check them for cracks yearly but definitely replace them no later than 10 years old.
Ours developed visible, although small, cracks close to the rim and around the lettering at about 6.5 years and we replaced them at 7 years. We bit the bullet and replaced them all at the same time thinking that if a front tire blows we might wreck the coach and get killed and if a rear tire blows we might spend thousands to repair collateral damage from the flapping tread. Tire safety is no place for risk taking, if you ask me!
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Ron and Joan 2005 Itasca Sunova 34A 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
I guess I should have listed the brand (Goodyear G-670's) in my original post. Based on all the info I gathered from you guys and others I'm going to keep them on the coach and inspect on a regular bases.
Sounds like you have a handle on the tire issue and don't need much adivse. But from your post I was wondering how you could inspect your rear inside duallys for cracks.
When you get ready to replace tires I'd suggest that you not get locked into Goodyear or Michelin (good tires) but rather research all brand names (perhaps equally good tires) to save a buck or two. You should select all purpose steer tires even tho they will go on the back. That allows you to rotate tires all around, if you so chose. If you don't already know it, then you need to replace all four of the rear tires at the same time to insure an equal distribution of the load.
-- Edited by TXRVr on Friday 21st of October 2011 07:31:33 PM
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When it comes to the hereafter, I want to be in the no smoking section.
TXRVr - Mirrors, lighting and magnifying glass is how I checked them out. Although in between the rear duals was a bit more difficult. I thought about removing the the rears myself to get a better look but didn't want to tackle the job. For now I going to go with the current tires but will keep a close watch on them.
