Author: Caleb Summeril
Snow Tires for the RV might just be essential depending on where your travels take you. Tires are a critical component of any RV. Where the rubber meets the road is the literal lifeline between what keeps you rolling down the highways or coming to a screeching stop. Good tires are essential on every vehicle and larger ones like an RV should demand even more attention as heavier loads and longer drives can wear out tires in a hurry. Bad tires will eventually lead to bad situations so it is imperative that you know the basics of tire care, use and life. For a look at all of that, check out this post for the basics.
In this post we will be taking a look specifically at winter and snow tires for your RV. While many of you may never drive your RV in winter weather, for those who do, having the right tires is a must. Bald tires or tires that are not designed for inclement weather can easily lead to loss of control in a snow storm. You could get stuck, skid or even cause a wreck due to poor quality tires. If you are going to adventure in your RV in the winter in a place that has serious seasonal weather, you are going to want a set of snow tires. You are going to want a set of chains. But as long as you are adequately prepared, you are going to have a blast. Let’s take a look at how to choose the right snow tires for your RV.
Know Your Size, Know Your Pressure
The first step in choosing snow tires for your RV is knowing what size you’ll need. Tires come in all different sizes but each vehicle has a specific size, or range of specific sizes, that work best. If you look at the sidewall of your current tires you will see the size listed there. The specific size of your RV tire should be listed in your owner’s manual and typically, you should stick with what the manufacturer recommends. A common RV tire size would be 305/75r22.5 for a class A RV. Let’s break this number down. 305 is the width of tire and reflects the exact number of millimeters wide the tire is. 75 is the aspect ratio which references the percentage of height to width of the tire. A 75 aspect ratio means that the tire’s height is 75% of its width. The last number, 22.5 represents the wheel diameter, usually in inches.
There are also letters to look for on the tire size that will let you know the specific load capacity of a tire. The higher up the alphabet the tire letters go, the higher amount of weight it can hold and higher PSI it can hold. RVs tires will have a high weight threshold and be able to hold quite a bit of PSI. Knowing what pressure your tires should be is also very important for safety and the longevity of your tires. Check your owner’s manual for this information or get the info from wherever who have your new tires installed. When you are on the road in winter you will want to check and maintain correct tire pressure often as changes in temperature can lead to changes in the pressure of your tires.
RV Snow Tires – What to Look For
Choosing snow tires for your RV is similar to choosing a pair for your regular vehicle, the sizes will just usually be larger. Dedicated snow tires are designed to respond well in slippery conditions as a result of winter weather. These tires are usually constructed of a softer rubber compound that will spread out evenly on slippery surfaces to offer more grip and control. In addition to the softer rubber, tread depth and siping also come in to play. Tread depth is the actual depth of rubber tread that your tires have. Good snow tires are usually 10/32nds of an inch or more. Siping is the pattern of grooves and cuts in the tread of the tire. These grooves allow for more grip on the snow and dedicated snow tires will have a good amount of siping on them.
You could possibly choose all-season tires for your RV and have good success in winter driving. The weight of your RV is an advantage here and will help you utilize all of the tire tread when conditions get bad. When purchasing a set of all-season tires make sure that it has an all-season symbol on it that looks like a snowflake, raindrop and mountain logo. These tires are designed for all conditions and can work in the snow as long as it’s not extreme. Be sure to purchase tire chains if you are running all-season tires.
RV Snow Tire Options
Here are some good tire choices to consider for the snow. A new set of tires will always provide good grip but all of these are specific to winter conditions. You will want to change back to your regular all-season or radial tires after the winter and keep these exclusively for when the flakes are falling and the roads get icy.
Bridgestone Blizzack – These are great snow tires that come in a variety of sizes that should work well and fit different RVs. These tires have a special Multicell compound that offers great grip and handling in snow and ice and also has special extended depth cell blocks for added grip.
Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow – This is another excellent winter tire option. The sizes run a little small so these might not work for every RV but if you can find your size, the special compound and focus on tread design of these tires will have you feeling safe and secure in the winter under just about any condition.
Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor Pro – These tires have excellent grip and tread depth making them a great option for RVs in the winter. Not exclusively a snow tire but designed for many different conditions, these tires will also work well for boondocking and other situations involving off-pavement travel.