Tire covers while storing 5th wheel for winter

[dpgllg]

I just winterized and covered our 5th wheel for the winter. I know it's late for SW PA but we just got back from Disney. It was winterized same day as return.

My question is tire covers. Are they a good idea? If yes, what should I look for in a tire cover? Does the color matter? Black absorbs heat etc.

My concern is sun damage. On my old 5th wheel I had to replace all four tires with at least 90% or more of the tread because they just basically split and crumbled after a winter storage.

Thanks!
Dave

[cummins2014]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
YEP "lucky guy" to have you constantly quoting me! Thanks so much.

Your welcome. 🙂

[JimK-NY]

Tire covers will not prevent dry rot although they might help slightly.

I learned about tire dry rot the hard way. I had a spare under my pickup bed that I decided to put into rotation. I bought an identical new tire which went on the rear right side and I put the former spare tire on the rear left side. A few weeks later I had not used the truck but the spare had horrible cracks and had to be discarded.

I discussed this with a couple of tire experts and learned that tires include compounds to delay dry rot which is caused by exposure to air/ozone. In order to activate these chemicals and bring them to the surface, tires need to be run, flexed and warmed up with regular use. After 4 years of storage - not exposed to sunlight - the unused tire had dry rotted and that became evident when I tried to put the tire into use.

Intense sunlight can speed up the dry rot process but tires will also dry rot without exposure to direct sunlight. If you really want to help prevent dry rot for stored tires, you can try Aerospace 303. The tires need to be cleaned and then coated on all sides. Recoating should be done every few months.

[Cummins12V98]

YEP "lucky guy" to have you constantly quoting me! Thanks so much.

[cummins2014]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Two sets of Michelin’s went 120k. Not a single crack. Several other sets no cracks.

Several GY’s never a crack.

You lucky guy, been well documented on the Michelins cracking. It seems that anything you buy its bulletproof, yes what a lucky guy . :R

[Cummins12V98]

Two sets of Michelin’s went 120k. Not a single crack. Several other sets no cracks.

Several GY’s never a crack.

[cummins2014]

RAS43 wrote:
My QAUALITY Michelins on both truck and trailer cracked badly within 5 years and the trailer tires were covered whenever it was not in use.

Big issue with Michelins ,big reason no more of them for me. Never a bad thing to cover the tires if sitting for any amount of time.

The sun is hard on anything. Quality tires are just as subject to the suns rays as anything else. Thats just nonsense that quality tires do not need to be covered. Just more bad advice that some seem to have.

[RAS43]

My QAUALITY Michelins on both truck and trailer cracked badly within 5 years and the trailer tires were covered whenever it was not in use.

[ford_truck_guy]

Dave,

been using black tire covers since I have been Rv'ing withe zero issues.. I really don't think I need them, but since i have them,I use them.. I clean the tire real well and cover for the winter. They are ready to roll in April at the start of the season...

[Cummins12V98]

I buy QUALITY tires and have never covered. Never an issue.

[Lwiddis]

I cover when parked for a week or more.

[Dick_B]

A piece of plywood will do as much good as vinyl covers. Mainly it is to keep the sun off to minimize heat buildup. None of them do anything for UV rays according to a recent study.

[Gulfcoast]

I guess it may be a good thing to do, but I've had trailers for 50-years and have never covered the tires.

[valhalla360]

If you are traveling every few days, not worth the trouble but...

If the rig is going to sit for months, yeah a cover can be useful to protect the tires.

[azdryheat]

You should always have your tires covered.