An RV or motorhome tire is more often retired for age than for tread wear — most rigs don't put on enough annual mileage to wear a tire out, but its ability to carry a loaded coach's weight degrades with time, parked or not. Indianapolis Tire Shop, rated 4.8 from 40 Google reviews, checks for that before a trip.
The tread on an RV tire is rarely what fails first. Motorhomes and travel trailers put on a fraction of the mileage a car does in a year, so while the tire sits between trips carrying the rig's full weight, the rubber ages out long before it wears down. A coach that barely left the driveway all season can still be carrying tires that are past the point most manufacturers consider safe for full load, and that doesn't show up on a tread gauge.
Why does age matter more than mileage for an RV tire?
Because the tire's job on an RV is different from its job on a car. A car tire mostly needs to survive miles; an RV tire needs to keep carrying a loaded coach's weight for months at a time between trips, often parked in direct sun, and the rubber compound degrades under that load regardless of how far the rig actually drove that year. Two RVs with identical tread depth can be in very different shape depending on how old the tires actually are and how the rig was stored in between trips.
When's the right time to have RV tires checked before a trip?
Before the trip is booked around it, not the week before departure. Getting the rig in during the week, while there's still room to source a size or schedule a follow-up if something needs ordering, beats finding a problem the day before departure with no options left.
Indianapolis Tire Shop is open until 6:30 PM on weekdays and until 4:00 PM Saturday, closed Sunday — for a weekend departure, that means the rig needs to be in by Saturday afternoon, not Sunday morning.
How do I know if my RV tires are too old even with good tread?
Bring the rig in and have the tires checked against age and load capacity, not just tread depth — an RV tire can look fine and still be past the point of carrying full weight safely. This matters more on a motorhome than a car because the tire sits loaded for long stretches between trips.
Do RV tires need to be replaced as a full set?
Not always, but mismatched age or wear on a heavy, multi-axle rig behaves differently than it would on a car, so it's worth having the whole set looked at rather than replacing just the one that's obviously failing.
Can you fit tires for a large motorhome, not just a travel trailer?
Call ahead at (463) 282-2987 with the size currently mounted — motorhome and trailer sizing isn't the same, and it's easier to confirm what's available before towing or driving the rig in.
What are your hours if I need to get in before a weekend trip?
The shop opens at 8:00 AM every day it's open — weekdays that runs to 6:30 PM, Saturday it wraps up at 4:00 PM, and Sunday the doors stay closed. Getting the rig in by Saturday afternoon gives the most room before a Sunday departure.