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Old 09-13-2016, 01:06 AM   #1
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Tire Rotation, Devil's Advocate.

We just went over 5500 miles (15 months). I have had the front end aligned, I monitor the tire pressure, weighed the vehicle, adjusted tire pressure accordingly and have learned to read the manufacturing date for my tires (1215...week twelve of 2015).
I have read repeatedly that most RV tires do not wear out as far as tread but rather age out (5 - 7 years) due to UV and the enviroment. Also, that the average (non-full timer) puts 4K miles per year on their RV. Doing the math that means 20K to 28K of wear before UV and age catch up with the tires. If the tires are 40K tires for wear and they are properly maintained is it really necessary to rotated the tires?
I have been told that, on a non-RV vehicle, tire rotation allows the tires to wear evenly and extends the life of the tires. But on an RV it is not the miles but rather age that takes out most tires?

So, is rotation of the tires really needed for non-full timer as outlined above?

Please advise and express opinions, facts and thoughts.

Doc

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Old 09-13-2016, 02:24 AM   #2
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I have never felt the need to rotate the MH tires. Even tires with higher mileage, the tires still look almost new, nowhere near showing much wear. I think rotating tires would be a waste of money.
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Old 09-13-2016, 03:27 AM   #3
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I have close family in the tire business and they do a good amount of RV tires, alignments, etc and I have been told over the years that rotation is not important in RV tires for reasons you mentioned. And, we were full timing it for 5+ years, but reverted to part time last year.
You seem to have tires down pat. Stick to it!
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Old 09-13-2016, 10:19 AM   #4
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Thanks, the more I thought about it the less sense it made to do rotation, at least to me. I will keep a close eye out for uneven tread wear.

Doc
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Old 09-13-2016, 12:04 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by DocMike View Post
......cut....

I have read repeatedly that most RV tires do not wear out as far as tread but rather age out (5 - 7 years) due to UV and the enviroment. Also, that the average (non-full timer) puts 4K miles per year on their RV. Doing the math that means 20K to 28K of wear before UV and age catch up with the tires. If the tires are 40K tires for wear and they are properly maintained is it really necessary to rotated the tires?

....cut...

Please advise and express opinions, facts and thoughts.

Doc
I personally don't replace tires just because they are 5 to 7 years old. Never have -- seems excessive to me. Haven't had a problem.

My present Michelins have just over 70,000 miles and look like they could go to 100,000 miles based solely on wear. I have rotated them though (free rotation included in purchase), and I drive mostly on highway and conservatively (don't often get on brakes hard, etc.).

My tires are never covered and are parked outdoors.


P.S. -- In my experience the front tires on E-Series wear unevenly, so rotating to rear will extend useful life.
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Old 09-13-2016, 12:28 PM   #6
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I'm no expert on tires, but it seems to me that the question of tire wear and tire rot depends on the tire usage.

Here in the north, the MH sits unused for 6 or more months of the year, and then during the summer it is used for occasional trips and sits for more time than it is used. This is much different than the usage tires on cars see.

Perhaps some users in the south use their RVs more like cars. Run them several days a week, all year long.

It seems to me that if the RV tire use is like automobile tires then tire wear and rot would be similar to automobile tire wear and rot, and perhaps tire replacement every few years may not be necessary.

I will continue to replace my tires every few years.
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Old 09-13-2016, 12:33 PM   #7
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Chance,

The free rotation, was that with the purchase of the tires or the RV? Dang, I missed getting that one thrown in.

We keep ours on shore power and use it year-round, usually one or two weekend trips each month...provided no snow or ice (not that brave yet).

Anyone have a recommendation of a tire sealer/cleaner to use? I think I read somewhere (this Forum??) not to use Armor-All.

Doc
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Old 09-13-2016, 01:36 PM   #8
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I personally don't replace tires just because they are 5 to 7 years old. Never have -- seems excessive to me. Haven't had a problem.

My present Michelins have just over 70,000 miles and look like they could go to 100,000 miles based solely on wear. I have rotated them though (free rotation included in purchase), and I drive mostly on highway and conservatively (don't often get on brakes hard, etc.).

My tires are never covered and are parked outdoors.


P.S. -- In my experience the front tires on E-Series wear unevenly, so rotating to rear will extend useful life.
Something to keep in mind is an E series passenger or cargo van and a class C or A motor home are a lot different in weight, use and how tires will wear.

Ford does not recommend rotating tires from front to rear on vehicles with duals on the rear. With dual wheels the recommendation is to rotate from side to side only keeping the duals in the original installed pair.

Ford also recommends, at least on the F53, that if the tires appear to be wearing unevenly to have an alignment and suspension inspection done before rotating the tires.
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Old 09-13-2016, 01:38 PM   #9
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Don't use petroleum based products such as Armoral on tires. There are some products recommended (I don;t remember names right now) but as I do remember they require frequent reapplications and are relatively expensive. Anything you get at Wal-mart and auto supplies is normally petroleum based and make tires really look nice, but as stated in auto applications tire tread wears out before deterioration of the carcass becomes an issue so the look pretty brands work for that application!!
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Old 09-13-2016, 01:45 PM   #10
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Chance,

The free rotation, was that with the purchase of the tires or the RV? Dang, I missed getting that one thrown in.

We keep ours on shore power and use it year-round, usually one or two weekend trips each month...provided no snow or ice (not that brave yet).

Anyone have a recommendation of a tire sealer/cleaner to use? I think I read somewhere (this Forum??) not to use Armor-All.

Doc
The tire protectant needs to be petroleum distillate free. There are about 3 or 4 that fit into this category. They include Michelin 3 n 1 tire shine, Aerospace 303 and I'm not sure about the other two.

Here is a 2005 press release from Michelin on tire care. I do believe they have not changed their position since this release.

Michelin Debuts New Wheel & Tire Care Program
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Old 09-13-2016, 02:50 PM   #11
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Chance,

The free rotation, was that with the purchase of the tires or the RV? Dang, I missed getting that one thrown in.

.....cut....

Doc
They were replacement, and included lifetime balancing and rotation. We drive a lot plus keep vehicles a long time. We just went over 155,000 miles on way to football weekend. It's one reason we prefer smaller RVs. We normally wear tires out before they get too old but last few years have been lower mileage than normal so tires are getting old.
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Old 09-13-2016, 03:01 PM   #12
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Something to keep in mind is an E series passenger or cargo van and a class C or A motor home are a lot different in weight, use and how tires will wear.

Ford does not recommend rotating tires from front to rear on vehicles with duals on the rear. With dual wheels the recommendation is to rotate from side to side only keeping the duals in the original installed pair.

Ford also recommends, at least on the F53, that if the tires appear to be wearing unevenly to have an alignment and suspension inspection done before rotating the tires.
I agree Dave, but also consider that the rear axle on E-Series E-350s with single rear wheels has a higher tire load rating than those with dual rear wheels, including the E-450s. That's why my van has larger tires than most Class Cs.

Regarding rotation with DRWs, it's another reason I like smaller RVs with SRWs.

Although Ford doesn't recommend it, I rotated front tires to back on my previous Class C also.
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Old 09-13-2016, 03:52 PM   #13
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Thanks, looks like Michelin 3-in-1 Tire Shine is the way I'll go.

Doc
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Old 09-13-2016, 04:20 PM   #14
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Thanks, looks like Michelin 3-in-1 Tire Shine is the way I'll go.

Doc
After checking on line I'm not sure the Michelin 3 n 1 is still available. This is from Michelin's FAQ section.

Can I use tire cleaners?

Avoid the use of petroleum based tire cleaning products as they can exhaust the tire's oxidation and weathering agents within the rubber compounds, resulting in cracking.

Use only non-petroleum based products or plain soap and water for tire cleaning.

It might be easier to find 303 Aerospace Protectant, which is a water based product.
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Old 09-13-2016, 04:26 PM   #15
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Dave,

Always good to have a back-up plan! 303 Aerospace Protectant it is.

Thanks to all.

Doc
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Old 09-13-2016, 04:59 PM   #16
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Been using 303 for years. Never had any tire cracking or awning fade. Works good on decals also.
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Old 09-13-2016, 05:25 PM   #17
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I rotate the tires on my 5er annually when I inspect/pack the wheel bearings, as far as replacing due to age, I suspect that was started by some tire company wanting to sell tires. If they have good tread & not weather cracked horribly I think you are throwing away good tires & wasting money. I don't use any protectorant (don't like that shiny look & it just splatters all down the side of the vehicle) on any of my tires, but when parked for extended periods I use covers on my 5er tires,
On my truck the tires are rotated about every 6-10k miles & fronts go to the rear duals without any problems so far. The OEM tires were Michelin & replaced with 69k on them & if it werent for lots of summer travel planned could have went another 6-8k miles.
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Old 09-13-2016, 08:51 PM   #18
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IVe talked to several tire experts who agree that the "don't rotate tires side to side or don't change the direction of rotation" are old wives tails. That being said, I agree with Doc's reasoning and I do not rotate my RV tires just to rotate them. However, in my 2014 Vegas, I had uneven tire wear on my right front after 10-15k miles. I took it back to the guy who aligned the tires and he looked at the alignment and balancing and they were fine. He recommended rotating the right duals to the front and the fronts to the right rear. After 15k more miles, there was no uneven wear on the front tires or on the original front tires. He thought that the tire in question had a manufacturing defect that only showed up when mounted on the front. I don't know if that was the problem, but his solution worked.
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Old 09-13-2016, 09:52 PM   #19
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IVe talked to several tire experts who agree that the "don't rotate tires side to side or don't change the direction of rotation" are old wives tails. That being said, I agree with Doc's reasoning and I do not rotate my RV tires just to rotate them. However, in my 2014 Vegas, I had uneven tire wear on my right front after 10-15k miles. I took it back to the guy who aligned the tires and he looked at the alignment and balancing and they were fine. He recommended rotating the right duals to the front and the fronts to the right rear. After 15k more miles, there was no uneven wear on the front tires or on the original front tires. He thought that the tire in question had a manufacturing defect that only showed up when mounted on the front. I don't know if that was the problem, but his solution worked.
Actually not rotating from side to side is not an "old wives tale". In 2001 I bought a Mustang SVT that had high performance Goodyear Eagles on it. The tires were directional and had arrows molded into the side walls to indicate the direction of rotation. If those tires were to move from one side to the other they had to be removed from the rims and remounted on the other side's rims. The directional reasoning on the tires is the tread design and the way in which the tread moves water and snow. Directional tires are still made today by quite a few manufacturers.

Google directional tires and you will get more info than you may want.
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Old 09-13-2016, 10:22 PM   #20
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IVe talked to several tire experts who agree that the "don't rotate tires side to side or don't change the direction of rotation" are old wives tails. That being said, I agree with Doc's reasoning and I do not rotate my RV tires just to rotate them. However, in my 2014 Vegas, I had uneven tire wear on my right front after 10-15k miles. I took it back to the guy who aligned the tires and he looked at the alignment and balancing and they were fine. He recommended rotating the right duals to the front and the fronts to the right rear. After 15k more miles, there was no uneven wear on the front tires or on the original front tires. He thought that the tire in question had a manufacturing defect that only showed up when mounted on the front. I don't know if that was the problem, but his solution worked.
Yeah, I don't know where the "don't change direction of rotation" for normal tires came from, but this Ford manual clearly shows rotating tires from one side to other. I also find it interesting that they make reference to readjusting air pressure after rotating, which normally applies to a front-to-back rotation.
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