The most important thing to remember about preventive RV maintenance is that looks can be deceiving. Shakespeare cautioned us that “All that glitters is not gold.” When it comes to RV safety, we know that just because the tires and suspension look good doesn’t mean they are. This is quite literally where the rubber meets the road, and nothing is more important than knowing you’ve done everything you can to keep it that way.
The first time we pulled a 16000-pound fifth-wheel at highway speeds, I’m sure we both held our breath. The long list of things that could go wrong overwhelmed me, and I gripped the wheel and hoped for the best. Roughly 20,000 miles and four years later, I still hold my breath at times, and I fully understand that on any given day, something can go wrong, but I also have grown in the confidence of knowing that I’ve done what I can to improve the chances of getting from point A to point B unscathed.
The original Westlake tires on our Vanleigh Vilano 320gk were manufactured in the 37th month of 2020. Although we put only about 8000 miles on them, and they still look almost new, they have been sitting still in the Florida Sunshine way too long. As we prepare to take the RV on a 4000-mile journey this summer, we decided to err on the side of caution and replace them. Our concerns were validated when the tire shop removed them from their rims the beads on the tires split and shredded.
After researching the best replacement options, we chose five new Sailun S637 G-rated tires (spare included).
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