Re: [A/S] RE: Goodyear tires?

[Dick Kenan <as5368@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>I'm going to see what the good folks at Oasis have to say about
>changing out tires on one axle and leaving the older ones, that are
>still in really good shape.

         The age of the tires on a trailer is far more important than 
"looking good."  Good tread depth and smooth sidewalls are good to see, but 
if the tires are more than about 5 years old, forget about salvaging them 
and just get a full set of new, identical, tires of whatever brand you want.
         There is some disagreement among RVers about how long you can keep 
a set of tires, but the cost of fixing the trailer after a separated tread 
has beaten the bejeebers out of the wheel well can run to big bucks - that 
is over and above the cost of the tires and beyond the basic consideration 
of safety.  Trust me on that.  My personal preference is to replace them 
every four (4) years.  The last time was in 2003, after traveling around 
the NE US and Canada for a month on some pretty rough roads.  My tires 
looked fine, but Walt called me and told me I had three (3) tread 
separations!  Those tires were only about 3 years old.

- Dick
(5368)