There is a lot of talk about tire age these days, what is the truth? Most industry experts would agree that the failure rate of RV tires goes up as they get older, but where do you draw the line?

We feel from our experience and from what other industry experts have said that 5 years is a good line. This could be affected up or down by mileage and how the RV has been stored and used. Of coarse we or no one else can tell you when or if a tire will fail and the decision of when to replace them is ultimately up to you the RV owner.

Is that from date of manufacture or from when they were put in service? we feel that time in service is the main consideration. Heat, road forces and exposure to ultra-violet rays seem to be the main factors the beat down the tire casing. If a tire was properly stored in a warehouse that should have a very small affect on the deteriation process.

A tires date of manufacture can be determined from the "DOT" number that is on the sidewall of every tire sold in the US, see below.

A typical Pre -1999 DOT number GJHV234319

GJ= Manufacturing plant code
HV234= other production information
319= date code 31st week of 1999 (9=1999)

A typical 2000 up DOT number BTFR872001

BT= Manufacturing plant code
FR87 other production information
2001 = 20th week of 2001 (01= 2001)