Michelin displays tire loads...
Michelin displays tire loads per axle end in the load and inflation tables at www.michelintruck.com. For control of your RV, it is critical that the tire pressures be the same across an axle while never exceeding the maximum air pressure limit.
How much do you really know about your tires? If you said “very little,” don’t worry, you’re not alone. Although more than 11 million passenger car tires were sold last year by auto dealers, a majority of us still can’t distinguish one tire from the next. What we do know is that not all tires are created equal, especially for RVs and trailers.
To learn more about tires, we contacted the guy who seems to have all the answers, Matt Edmonds at Tire Rack, and we talked shop. Edmonds is Tire Rack’s go-to guy whenever we have a question, and this time we had twelve of them. Specifically we wanted to know about tires for people with tow vehicles or motorhomes, because there are some unique differences between standard passenger car tires and light- or heavy-duty tires.
Why Tire Rack? For starters the company is one of the largest online distributors of tires in the country. Also, Tire Rack has its own tire testing facility on site, which gives it an advantage in determining what works and what doesn’t before a product is sold to the consumer. You can find more in-depth explanations about tires at www.tirerack.com.
Q: Do tires for RVs, tow rigs, or trailers differ from standard passenger car tires?
Matt Edmonds: Most tires for RVs and tow rigs are LT, not P-metric. Trailer tires are definitely different in that they are designed to handle additional stresses and loads being towed.
The XRV radial is Michelin’s...
The XRV radial is Michelin’s all-position, Highway Rib Summer radial designed for recreational vehicles and motorhomes.
Look in the owner’s manual or the tire sticker that is required to be on the driver’s doorjamb of the vehicle declaring tire size and proper air pressures. Speed and load ratings are just as important to these tires as they are to passenger vehicle tires.
The load range or ply rating branded on a tire’s sidewall helps identify its strength and ability to contain air pressure. While specific load ranges are assigned to passenger tires, load ranges are identified in ascending alphabetical order for light truck tires (the higher the letter is in the alphabet, the stronger the tire and the greater amount of air pressure it can withstand and load it can carry).
Before load ranges were adopted, ply ratings were used to identify the relative strength of light truck tires, with higher numerical values assigned to tires featuring stronger, heavier-duty constructions.
Q: What’s the story on weighing your RV to get proper tire inflation?
The reason to weigh your vehicle is to determine the load your tires are carrying. Once you know the load you can adjust the tire pressure within the allowed pressure range for that tire (noted on sidewall) to properly support the weight.
Q: Does long-term storage of an RV affect tire life?
It’s what the tires are exposed to during storage that affects them the most. Since heat and exposure to the elements are the important factors that influence a tire’s aging, drivers can prolong their tires’ life by minimizing this impact. Keep the tires shielded from the sun and keep them clean, cool, and dry, and don’t use any tire dressing on them while storing.