Braided or solid valve stem extenders?

GD3

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2024
Posts
26
Location
Carlos, close to Lake Woebegon
We purchased our 2018 Thor Fourwinds 23U Class C, it had around 5000 miles on it. We did a 18 day trip to California and back, 5000 miles, on our last camping weekend last fall. While sitting behind the rig and I noticed the drivers side inside tire was very low to flat. We drove it part way home until we found a fleet farm store that agreed to check it out. They found a leaky valve stem. Lucked out there.
But after that scare I’ve been scouring this site for info to educate myself, so today I take the rig into to have it checked over before we start using it this season.
I have 2 questions, junior sales/ service guy comes out checks the tires and says he sees no problem should be good for the season. They are original tires, now with 13,000 miles on. Good I think, but I bought a used rim as I want to have a spare, so I’m talking to the service guy about getting a spare tire, getting alignment checked, tires rotated and also getting a TPS system from them. The head service guy steps in and says your tires are 7 years old and they need to be changed, he was sitting at the desk the whole time, didn’t even come out to look at the tires, just says 7 years old change them.
Question 2, valve stem extensions, manager says braided steel only way to go, I ask about leakage, and what about all metal steel or brass might be more trust worthy , nope says manager braided only way to go.
After searching this forum I can’t say I’ve found any consensus on the right valve stem extenders. Is this topic like an oil thread on the motorcycle forums? If so sorry to bring this up. But I’d like to know. I’m still wrapping my head around removing the fake plastic pop on chrome wheel covers Thor uses.
Thanks for any insights.

Dave
 
Most tire sales shops will tell you to replace your tires at 6 years because; they sell tires.

At 7 years you are in the area where you need to frequently check your tires for problems like cracking, dry rot, etc, but tire manufacturers say you should get 10 years on tires with good tread still on them and no abuse.

Solid or braided? You're right, no consensus. Some people have experienced leaks on braided and then swear off them. Many more people have no issues at all.
 
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With a TPMS I would go another year or 2 as long as you keep watching for wear. It’s my opinion that braided extension are good as long as you secure the ends well if short solid ones work still secure the ends. Just this weekend we went out and rear outer tire solid extension turned so I lost 6 lbs psi that the sensor alerted me . I pulled to safe place tighten the valve extension more added air good the rest of the weekend.
 
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I've had problems with the braided extensions. They are really just a rubber hose with the braided cover for "protection' but it also makes it impossible to inspect for deterioration. A solid extension doesn't have that issue but might cost more up front. Either way, a TPMS will give you early warning about a slow leak but won't prevent a blow out.

As Ace mentions, good quality RV/Truck tires should be good for ~ 10 years but after ~ 6 years should be checked carefully before every trip. In addition to tread depth, check for sidewall cracks, tread separation, etc. While new tires are expensive, a blow out can be much worse. Even if the blow out doesn't cause thousands of dollars of damage to the RV, you could be stuck on the side of the road and at the mercy of roadside assistance. Buying new tires before they fail means you can shop around for the best price/service and do so at your convenience.

I took off the wheel covers when we had a class C (they were stainless steel but only held on by a couple of 1/4" screws). After losing a couple it wasn't worth trying to replace them once a year. Our ACE has better covers - held on my three lug nuts. So far, so good with those.
 
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I don't use valve extenders. I have two different valve chucks that allow me to reach the standard tire fill valve even on the inside rear duals. Extenders can cause problems and it is no problem for me to use the valve chuck.

If I was going to use a valve extender, I would use these. Even if they break or come off it won't affect the tire pressure. Unfortunately I couldn't get them to work on my tires.

 
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I have only the strongest recommendation for using actual dually valves rather than extenders. Too many ways for extenders to leak. If you’re going to get new tires it’s the time to replace regular valves with dually. Mine were about $200 for the set and I had to pay to dismount and remount the tires but you could skip that step if you’re buying tires. It the ONLY sure thing!
 
I don't use valve extenders. I have two different valve chucks that allow me to reach the standard tire fill valve even on the inside rear duals. Extenders can cause problems and it is no problem for me to use the valve chuck.

If I was going to use a valve extender, I would use these. Even if they break or come off it won't affect the tire pressure. Unfortunately I couldn't get them to work on my tires.

I like the steel because it is easier to add air, but I use braided on the two inside duallys. Do you know why the extender you posted does not need to be clamped? It seems like it would bounce around with a tire sensor on it? I am also not sure what make it different from other braided if it were broken or if it came off?

FWIW, my RV came with two braided as OEM. One was hard to add air, it did not leak and WBGO sent me a replacement for free and dealer put on one day. Later I bought two new one just because they looked nice. I have had no issues, but getting a steel one coming from the inside dually would be hard to mount the outer wheel and hubcap to me. I have wheelmaster metal extenders on all of the other 4 tires, I believe they are 45 and 135 degrees. I have chuck too, but it was just a pain adding air with it.
 
My 2023 Thor Axis 24.1 uses steel on outer rear tires as shown in attached photo and then uses longer braided ones for the other rear and the front tires. The rear steel ones were leaking and Thor sent me new ones. I think they just were not tightened down.
 

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As usual, I agree with Ted. It is recommended by Somitomo: 5 to 6 year life to on the front max and 7 to 9 year on the rear. You have a back-up tire on the rear if one goes. If a front goes suddenly you are in for a wild ride and the first one to witness. the accident. If a deflated front tire leaves the rim (it is not supposed to), be sure you ascertain just how far the ceiling is from your head before you release the seat belt. Usually it is a long way to fall.
 
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