Although recreational vehicles are popular throughout the nation, many people are confused about what kind of tires they should have for their RV.
In fact, it’s safe to say that even people who have been RVing for many years, still let their local mechanic choose what kind of tires to put on their RV rather than know exactly what they need. Another fun fact about RV tires is, they sometimes increase the weight limit of your RV as recommended by the RVSEF
Getting the correct RV tires isn’t just a matter of weight, but safety as well. Tires are overlooked when it comes to maintaining your RV. In fact, Bridgestone[R] did a study showing that 25% of all RV on the road are underinflated. This damages the roads, your axels, and potentially your safety. Having improperly inflated tires will decrease the lifespan of the tire and put the traveler at higher risk of danger from a blowout.
The largest takeaway here is to choose the best RV tires for your specific RV weight. The recommended weight is listed in your owner’s guide. When choosing an RV tire, there is much to consider, for example, size, usages (offroad, on-road), brand, etc.
Yes, I do agree that finding the perfect RV tires is a lot of work and I’m sure if you are ready to get on with your adventure, you are not in any mind space to do that type of research. We got your back! We have put together a quick guide to help you find the best RV tires using our buying benchmarks. In addition to our buying guides, we also break the RV tire into types or RV with RV tire reviews from current customers.
Our mission is to help you find the best RV tires that fit your budget with the minimalist of effort.
Best RV Tire Comparison Chart
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Best RV Tires for Motorhomes (Best Tires for Class A, B, C, and Diesel Pushers)
So, you have a motorhome, and you are looking for tires specifically for your model? Below you will find some RV tires that highlight the pros and cons within each of the featured brands of tires.
Goodyear Unisteel G670 RV Tire
First, straight out, we will share that the Goodyear Unisteel Tire provides outstanding handling, grip, and traction regardless of whether your RV is traveling on either wet or dry surfaces. The G670 provides long tread life and handles heavy loads.
Most RV experts consider the G670 the best RV tires you can buy on the market for motorhomes.
Specifications
Width: 245 MM
Speed Rating: 75 MPH
Max Load (LB/KG): 3,415/1,550
Cosmo CT588 Plus Commercial Tire 245/70R19.5
Boto BT926 radial tires come in as a close second to the G70. These tires have a 5-rib design that makes them not only last longer, but also handle great under wet weather, and are very quiet.
Specifications
Width: 245 MM
Speed Rating: L
Max Load : 5,000
Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT All-Season Radial Tire
These tires will provide a very quiet ride and good handling and traction.
The biggest problem with the Goodyear Wrangler is that there are limited choices, so they won’t cover all RVs. Also, they do not tend to do well in snow, so if you live North or planning on heading this way, you might want to explore other options.
Specifications
Width: 255 MM
Speed Rating: T
Max Load : 3,090
Goodyear Wrangler Trailrunner AT Street Radial Tire
These tires are the opposite of Fortitude, in that they do well in wet and snowy weather. Unfortunately, the ride is quite a bit bumpier.
Specifications
Width : 235 millimeters
Speed Rating: S
Max Load : 2,679lbs
Michelin XPS RIB Truck Radial Tire
Michelin Tires are well known for their quality build and were it not for the poor handling in snow and ice, these tires might have been number one on our list. They are strong, quiet, and built like a tank.
Specifications
Width: 235
Speed Rating: R
Max Load : 3,086 lbs
Best RV Tires for Travel Trailers and Fifth Wheels
Travel Trailers and Fifth Wheels are not the same as Motorhomes (of course you know this already). We mention this because as they are not alike, they do wear the same way either. Typically, you do not need the biggest tires for these. However, it does help to have great ones. Below is our selection of tires you should consider.
Hankook AH12 Radial Tire
The Hankook is a great tire for people who RV in places like Seattle, where they
need a tire to handle a lot of moisture. These are great tires for that, and the ride is fantastic. They do tend to be extremely expensive.
Specifications
Width: 275 Millimeters
Speed Rating: T
Max Load : 2,535 lbs
Sailun S637 Trailer Radial Tire
The Sailun is designed for 5th wheel vehicles and is well rated by customers. These tires are a bargain and provide decent traction. The major hitch though is that these tires tend to bulge out at the sidewalls.
Specifications
Width: 215 Millimeters
Speed Rating: L
Max Load : 4,806
Carlisle Radial Trail HD Trailer Tire-225/75R15
They are available in multiple sizes, and well in all environments, particularly in rain and snow.
Specifications
Width: 225 Millimeters
Speed Rating: M
Max Load (: 3,415/1,550
Trailer King ST Radial Trailer Tire
One of the best RV tires for the fifth wheel and travel trailers on our list.
Specifications
Width:
Speed Rating: L
Max Load : 2,833lbs
Carlisle Radial Trail HD Trailer Tire
They are a decent make, and provide excellent traction but do have a tendency to have sidewall building problems.
Specifications
Width: 205
Speed Rating: M
Max Load : 2,150 lbs
What to Consider when choosing the Best RV Tires
All RVer’s have different needs and wants for their RV travels. Our benchmarks are things you should consider in addition to your own personal preference and styles. Adding our few points to your preference is guaranteed to brand a better RVing experience.
- Rating
Nearly all RV tires come with some form of the rating system, which includes weight and speed. The tire rating helps quickly determine if your RV tires can handle the weight of your RV during your adventure.
Load Rating
Just as we mentioned in the introduction, the load rating indicates how much the tire can handle after it has been inflated. Similar to your auto tires, you will find max loads engraved within the sidewall of the tire.
The load rating (weight rating) should be given the most important when buying a tire. If you do not choose the appropriate load rating for your RV, you can damage both the axel on the RV as well as the tire quickly.
There is a way to find the ideal load rating for your RV tires. Simply divide a fully loaded RV by four – always keep in mind that you and your guests will also be on the RV, so you will also need to include their weight and supplies – think boarding an airplane. One downfall of the owner’s manual is sometimes it assumes the weight of a new RV with no people are luggage so you should always over-guestimate if you can’t wait for everything.
Speed Rating
Similar to load rating, speed rating indicates the max speed that a tire can withstand. Usually, the speed rating matches the max speed of the RV at top performance.
When considering the speed rating, it is best to think of what you plan to do with the RV. I don’t think you will need H-Speed tires when you are merely camping in the mountains. Or these metrics become less important for this type of activity.
- Size
Manufacturers of RV design their vehicles with particular sizes of tires in mind. Just like your auto if you do not adjust your vehicle for the correct size tires it will damage the vehicle. The same is true for RVs. Also, due to the weight, if you have the wrong size, it could also cause unforeseen accidents on the road.
Always check your owner’s manual first to find the appropriate RV tires sizes. Additionally, you can also check out your manufacturer’s website and vehicle manufacturers’ data placard attached to the vehicle when considering new tires.
Related: The Best Four-Season Tents Review
Reading the RV Tire Size Chart
- Width: The first three number give you the tires width from wall to wall measured in millimeters.
- Aspect Ratio: The two-digit number after the after the backslash represent the tire aspect ratio. This ratio is the height of the tire’s cross-section to it width.
- Construction: The Letter “R” in the RV tire size stands for the Radial, which is the layers that runs radially across the tire.
- Wheel Diameter: The number after the “R” tell us the size of the wheel the tire is intended to fix. It is measured from one end to the other.
- Inflation Pressure
The inflation pressure is the maximum about of tire pressure allowed for the tire on its sidewall. You should NEVER go over the max inflation pressure and use only instruments that can properly check your pressure.
An underinflated tire cannot handle its listed max load, causing quick wear to your tires from the weight of the RV whereas overinflating can also cause damage when hitting bumps on the road due to high speeds.
- RV Tire Sidewall Strength
RV tire sidewall strength is kind of another way of thinking about the load rating. It’s kind of the same measurement.
- Weather
I always feel like the weather piece is largely based on where you live or where you are planning on traveling to. Typically, I would look for all-season type RV tires. But sometimes you know you are going into a tropical environment when would mean you should probably install rain tires on your RV.
- Brand
It’s usually a good idea to go with a brand and purchase all of your tires from that brand. A brand only becomes credible and reliable as it gains trust from its customers. RV Tires from popular bands are generally a safe bet compared to lesser-known brands.
At the same time, there are many other brands out there if you are willing to test and do your research you can get a sweet deal from a less known brand over one of the more popular sacrificing nothing to quality.
- Price
Having an RV is an investment. All investment requires upkeeping. Price should never determine the quality of the RV tires your purchase. Keeping good tires on your RV will ensure that it does not depreciate too poor upkeep. I would advise that you shop wisely for RV tires and not simply jump on the cheapest RV tires first. As the Idioms says – you get what you pay for don’t compromise your safety for a cheaper price.
