Welcome to Grove RV’s – “RV How-To” – series. In this blog we’re going to talk about how to maintain your RV’s wheels and tires. Let’s get started!
Watch Our “RV Wheel & Tire Maintenance How-To” Video!
Visual Inspection
Look at the tire (everywhere that’s visible). Check for bulges, cracking, uneven tread wear, cuts, abrasions, nails, screws, etc.
On the wheel, check for rusting and cracking, and check the condition of the valve stem (where you put the air or nitrogen into your tire).
Inflation
One of the most important things to do for tire safety is to keep the tire presesure correct.
The recommended inflation for your tire will be printed on the sidewall of the tire and on the vehicle identification tag on your RV. You can also check your owner’s manual.
It is important that you maintain this tire pressure. Over inflation or under inflation can cause excessive tire wear, overheating and tire failure.
Check tire pressure before each tow while tires are still cold.
To check your tire pressure… take off the valve stem cap and use a pressure gauge as shown in our video above.
Tread Wear
Tread wear is normal. Tires will naturally wear over time the more they’re driven.
Abnormal tread wear is caused by improper inflation and poor wheel alignment.
Be sure to inspect your tire treads frequently to look for abnormal wear.
Tread depth should also be checked to maintain the minimum two one thousandth of an inch or approximately two millimetres required by law.
To check your tread depth… get a small gauge (as seen in the above video) from your local tire shop. Press it over the tread and down to get your reading. The mininmum dept that you can run a tire safely is two thirty-seconds of an inch (or about the thickness of a loonie).
Torque
It’s also important to maintain wheel nut torque as specified by the manufacturer to prevent a wheel from falling off while you’re driving. To find the correct torque specification consult your owner’s manual, or it may also be listed on a decal above your wheels.
If you’re comfortable with this, you can check it yourself with a torque wrench or you can bring it in to Grove RV & Leisure and we’ll check it for you.
There you have it! We hope you found this helpful. If you need further help; we invite you to contact our Parts Store or Service Department.
