Where The Rubber Meets The Road

We bought our Class A RV a few years ago and our first trip was from Branson, Mo to Zephyrhills, Fl.  I checked the tread depth  and the sidewalls for weather checking of our tires and everything looked great.  So, off we went on our first trip.  Boy, were we excited to be on the road.   About 60 miles down the road (on the side of an Arkansas mountain I might add) we had a blowout on the right front tire.  We called Good Sam Road Service and help was on the way.  The spare was installed and we were on our way once again.  About 120 miles down the road in Little Rock, we stopped at a reputable tire dealer to have our spare tire replaced. Suffice it to say, $2800 later we were ready to go with ALL 6 new tires.When I checked my tires in Branson, I didn’t check the “inside” sidewall of my tires. “Weather checking supreme.”  Every tire had long gaping splits in them.  Would you believe, my tires were the original installed tires, 1999 with 1998 dates and it was now 2008.  That’s 10 years old.  The tire guys told me that you should replace your tires every 5 to 6 years, regardless.  He even showed me how to find out how old my tires were.

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When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire’s serial number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Numbers are really batch codes that identify the week and year the tire was produced.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers be a combination of the letters DOT, followed by ten, eleven or twelve letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size and manufacturer's code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.

Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.

In the picture, it reads: DOT U2LL LMLR 5107.

This tire was manufactured during the 51st week of the year 2007

Air Pressure: When and How to Set

Maintenance Tips to Increase Tire Performance, Life and Durability

Check and Adjust First Thing In The Morning. Set according to the vehicle manufacturer's cold tire pressure(s) recommended on the vehicle's tire placard or in its owner's manual. This must be done before rising ambient temperatures, the sun's radiant heat or even driving short distances temporarily warms the tires.

Accommodating Variables

Indoor-to-outdoor Temperature Variation. Significant differences between the conditions tire pressures are set (the warmth of an attached garage, heated garage or service shop) and in which the vehicle will be driven (winter's subfreezing temperatures) requires inflating tires 1 psi higher than recommended on the placard for every 10° F difference in temperature between interior and exterior temperatures.

Afternoon Ambient Temperature Increase.* Set 2 psi above vehicle manufacturer's cold inflation recommendations when installing new tires or if the vehicle has been parked in the shade for a few hours.

Tire Heat Generated While Being Driven (or at speeds of less than 45 mph).* - Set 4 psi above vehicle manufacturer's cold inflation recommendations.

Heat Generated While Being Driven Extensively (or at sustained speeds greater than 45 mph).* Set 6 psi above vehicle manufacturer's cold inflation recommendations.

Do Not Release Hot Tire Pressure if any of these variables could be the cause of measured tire pressure exceeding the maximum psi branded on the tire's sidewall by the 2, 4 or 6 psi indicated above for the various conditions. This temporary pressure increase is expected and designed into the tire's capabilities.

*NOTE: Tires on a parked vehicle exposed to direct sunlight will appear overinflated due to the heat absorbed from the radiant energy of the sun. Pressures cannot be accurately set on these tires until all have stabilized in the shade.

So, before you go, for safety sake, check your tires.

Later  .  .  .