# should we cover tyres in hot weather?



## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

I know we have hardly seen the sun here in the uk this year, but when we do it is very hot. Should we be covering the tyres to protect them? What do you do?


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

This question occurred to me too when I read the thread about replacing old rather than worn out tyres.

We put pieces of hardboard over the tyres where they face the sun when we are between trips and the van is not being used but we don't do anything about it when we are away. Not sensible really as, if we believed it was doing any good, then we'd cover them in the hot European summer sun as well.

G


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## hannah29 (Feb 13, 2006)

as far as i am aware its only necessary if the van is stood still for long periods i.e in storage or on a site for a month or two where the sun can get at them

hannah


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## Waleem (Nov 1, 2006)

I'm not sure it really does any good at all. Even if they are covered, if left for a long period they will still oval and crack. Maybe it slows this down? I think the answer for those of us who don't use our vans all year round is to change the tyres regardless every 5 years.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Hot Tyres*

IMHO (Thats H for Humble) it really aint worth the effort unless sat in the sun for months on end. I mean how many car /Truck/Bus tyres that do low mileage do you see covered in Sub Tropical countries?

Trev


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

*Re: Hot Tyres*



teemyob said:


> IMHO (Thats H for Humble) it really aint worth the effort unless sat in the sun for months on end.


I have two PVC covers which I use on the tyres facing the sun, takes all of 30sec to fit both.
It's the UV that degrades the rubber, not the heat but if they are only cheapo tyres being changed every couple of years it's probably not worth the effort. 
On the other hand if they cost the thick end of £1800 to replace (six 22.5" RV tyres) then yes, it is worth the effort.. 
There is also the safety aspect, UV will cause small cracks, and as most motorhome tyres are run at max load they are then more likely to blow out..


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Tyres*

Thats a fair comment Jim. However, what do the tyre covers cost? Tyres for Fiats are much cheaper and only require 4 !

Trev


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

*Re: Tyres*



teemyob said:


> what do the tyre covers cost?


Dunno.. I nicked them from another RV.. :lol: :lol:

Only kidding, they were given to me by a friendly tugger who had given up motorhoming.. so I have no idea, but anything will do, cardboard, black bin bags etc.. it is worth while.. :wink:


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## C7KEN (May 27, 2005)

We cover our tyres when the van is parked at home, obviously it is now extremely hot here and UV is not kind to tyres so they are covered with hession sacks, these were made for sand bags and I brought them over from the UK specifically for this purpose, before I used these I had a valve blow out which made me quickly get them on the wheels as I thought the heat may have damaged the valve, when i checked the pressures on the other wheels immediately after the blow out the pressures were very high due no doubt to the generall temperature and road surface temp, normal is 55psi and if I remember correctly the others were all up about 80psi plus
the sacking does the job well as the tyres don't feel hot to the touch under them


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