Chickery's Travels

Chickery's Travels logo. A blue-green Earth globe with continents surrounded by dots with an arrow denoting movement or travel and "Chickery's Travels" as part of the dotted circle. Next to this is a photo of their blue and white Arctic Fox 5th Wheel with the awning out.

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How to Reduce the Likelihood of Tire Blowouts on your RV

Tire blowouts can be more common on RVs than on “standard” vehicles for three reasons:

  1. RVs typically carry more weight than cars. Additional weight puts more stress on tires.
  2. RVs are often used for long journeys. This can cause a buildup of heat, and therefore pressure, in tires.
  3. The variation of terrain that RVs are often driven on (sometimes in a single day) means that matching the right terrain with the vehicle can be challenging.

Since tire blowouts can be disastrous, particularly if they happen somewhere remote, here are the ways that you can reduce the chances of your RV (motorhome, fifth wheel, or travel trailer) suffering a tire blowout.

Do not overload your vehicle

The more weight put on your tires, the more likely they are to fail.

While RVs are designed to carry more “additional weight” (weight that is not built into the vehicle itself) than a standard car, there are still limits to what any vehicle can carry before its tires become prone to blowing out.

You can discover the maximum weight that your RV can safely carry in its vehicle manual. The figure that you want to look at is the vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This refers to the maximum amount of weight a vehicle can carry including passengers and cargo.

If you are worried that your vehicle is overweight, then you can weigh it at a truck weighing station. These tend to be dotted along highways. A quick Google search should show you your nearest one.

Ensure that your tires are fully inflated

Underinflation is the most common cause of tire blowouts. 

Typically, vehicles lose 2 PSI of tire pressure for every 1,000 miles traveled. This can be higher for RVs since they are heavier than most other vehicles.

It’s generally recommended that you should check your tire pressure every 30 days. If you’re traveling long distances most days then this should be done weekly. You can obviously check the tire pressure with a tire pressure gauge, but for regular RV travelers, we highly recommend a tire pressure monitoring system. This will automatically warn you when your tires fall below their recommended inflation levels. At 25% underinflation, your tires are twice as likely to suffer a blowout as they are if they are fully inflated, so an automatic pressure monitoring system is well worth the investment.

Watch the video below of our tire pressure monitoring system.

You can usually inflate your tires at most gas stations, but it can get a little tricky with a large RV. We recommend purchasing a VIAIR Compressor to keep with your RV. That way you’ll have it with you no matter where you are, in a campground, boondocking, or on the road. If you know that your tires need inflation, it may be worth calling up nearby gas stations on your planned route to find out if they offer this. Google Map profiles are not always updated that regularly and are therefore unreliable for finding out this information.

The only time that you might want to be riding on underinflated tires is if you are driving on dirt or grass roads. Underinflated tires offer you a bit more give when it comes to bumps, and therefore can protect your suspension on unpaved roads. That being said, this should only be done if you are driving on off-road tires.

Take regular breaks to avoid overheating your tires

As you drive on tires, the friction causes the inside of the tire to heat up. This causes the pressure in the tire to increase.

If this pressure builds up too far, then tires can literally “burst” on the road.

Tires are designed to be able to withstand pressure above their recommended inflation levels, so overheating to the point of blowing out can only happen in a few, relatively rare, circumstances. These are:

  • Driving at a high speed (over 70 MPH) for more than four hours straight.
  • If a tire has been driven off-road for more than one hour (far more friction is generated during off road driving).
  • If you are traveling during a hot day (over 90 degrees Fahrenheit).

Taking a one-hour break can allow your tires to cool off to the point where they can be safely driven on without risk of a blowout if you ever find yourself in one of these two circumstances.

Choose the correct tires for your terrain

Different tires are designed for driving on different terrains. If tires are driven on the wrong terrain, then they can cause too much friction which can lead to shredding, burning or blowing out.

Here is a quick list of the best tire to use depending on the terrain that you will be planning to drive on:

  • If you are planning on driving almost exclusively on freeways then go for low rolling resistance tires. These offer the least amount of grip necessary for driving on these types of roads, thereby reducing the friction which can contribute to blowouts.
  • If you are driving off road, then use 10-12 ply tires. These tires have additional layers that make them more durable when being driven on uneven surfaces.
  • If you are driving on a combination of terrains then go for all-terrain tires.

Watch out for signs of dry rot in your RV’s tires

Over time, tires lose their moisture and become dry and brittle. Tires in these conditions are more prone to blowouts due to reduced elasticity.

The dry rotting process is sped up when tires are not driven on for an extended period of time. It is therefore particularly prone to happening in RVs that you only use in certain seasons every year.

Signs of dry rotting include:

  • Developing a greyish colour that does not come off when tires are cleaned
  • Visible cracks appearing on the tread and sidewall of the tire
  • Tires becoming very hard to the touch and losing their “rubberiness”.

If you notice this, then take your RV to the mechanic to get your tires checked out. Early-stage dry rot is treatable, but after a certain level of degradation, you will need to replace your tires.

Dry rot is more common in hotter climates, so be more vigilant of this during summer.

Summary

You have a lot riding on your tires. Don’t take unnecessary risks with your lives or belongings. Follow your manufacturer’s recommendations and the tips in this article to ensure your tires are in tip-top shape.

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Internet Solutions for RV Travelers

One thing RV travelers learn quickly is the challenge of getting reliable internet access on the road. If you only need to check the occasional email, you may be able to get by with campground WiFi or a local Starbucks. But if you need regular, reliable internet access, you’ll need a more robust solution. In this article, I’ll share what we have learned after 6 years of full-time RV travel and the equipment we use.

Campground WiFi

Many campgrounds advertise free WiFi, which sounds great! The problem is that it is rarely reliable. Our personal experience is that you cannot rely on it. Most times it is spotty at best. We’ve even been at campgrounds that have posted in their campground rules that you can’t use their WiFi to stream video services like Netflix because it takes up too much bandwidth.

We consider campground WiFi (when we have it) to be a bonus, but not something we plan on. Instead, we use cellular data plans for internet access.

Cellular Data

In addition to being able to make phone calls from cellular signals, you are probably aware that you can use it to access the internet as well. The great thing about this method is that there are more and more cellular towers all across the U.S. We use Verizon as our primary and ATT as our backup. When you are working from the road full-time and need reliable service, having more than one carrier can really make a difference. You can use an app like Coverage (created by full-time RVers) to compare the coverage maps for different carriers across the country.

However, there are drawbacks to using cellular data as well:

  1. It is not cheap. If you are working full-time from the road like we were, you will need a lot of data. This means using not only your cell phone’s plan, but likely also a backup hotspot (see #2 below for an explanation of why you need this). Verizon calls it a Jetpack. Unlike the built-in mobile hotspot feature in your smartphones and tablets, a hotspot or Jetpack is a separate device that lets you wirelessly share your Verizon network connection with other devices.
  2. It isn’t really unlimited. No matter what people tell you, we’ve learned there is no such thing as UNLIMITED data. Let me clarify that statement. Your cell plan may say you have “unlimited” data. Technically, that is true because all it means is that they will not charge you for how much data you use. However, there is a catch. At a specific point specified by your plan, they may throttle or slow down your access. For me, if I’m having a video call this often meant I could not longer do my job. Big problem! Some cellular providers use other names for this…instead of throttling, they’ll call it ‘network management.’ That isn’t any better in my opinion. Network management also means they slow down your access, but it is based on the usage of other users in the area. So if you are near a city, you might get ‘managed’ a lot.
  3. There are places where the signal is very low. A low signal means trouble accessing the internet. And forget about using graphics programs or video teleconferencing. To overcome that we use a booster.

Click here to download a FREE Cellular Information Guide from our friends at TechnoRV. They are full-time RVers with a background in training and have guides and videos for all their products.

WiFi and Cellular Signal Boosters

If you need reliable internet on the road, you are going to want to get a booster. There are all different types on the market. Some only boost WiFi and some only boost cellular signals. We choose to go with one that can do both.

We bought the Pepwave Max BR1 MK2 Cat 6 LTE Advanced Modem three years ago and it has been fabulous! As you’ll see if you click the link, it is not inexpensive. To us, however, it is essential and we consider it a cost of working from the road. And to us, that is a price we are willing to pay for location freedom.

We did not get the optional roof-mounted antenna and it has worked perfectly without it. We especially love being able to prioritize which source we want to use first (cell phones, sim cards, or campground wifi).

Here’s a list of the major features:

  • Dual Simcard Slots – Although the Max BR1 MK2 has one cellular modem, it allows you to use 2 SIM cards (cellular plans) in the one modem and switch between the two plans as needed.  This allows for the redundancy often needed to stay connected while on the road.  You can also set limits and rules for when you want to use one cell plan over the other which is a great feature when you are trying to conserve one plan and only use it as a backup.
  • WiFi – The Max BR1 MK2 has WiFi as WAN capabilities which means you can use it to access campground WiFi using 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
  • Supports Carrier Aggregation – Cat 6 routers like the Max BR1 MK2 support Carrier Aggregation (CA) which means they have the ability to connect to 2 cellular bands (from the same plan) at the same time.  By combining more than one cellular band together, it is possible to increase the bandwidth available. Traditional hotspots and phones are usually only able to connect to one cellular band and the tower selects which band you are using. With the Max BR1 MK2 you can choose which primary band you want to use (the tower selects the second) which allows you to avoid the crowded primary band used by phones and hotspots.
  • Works with the Major Cell Carriers in the US and Canada

Note: This is our second booster. We previously used the WeBoost, which worked for a year, then broke. The Pepwave has been going strong for 3 years. Read our WeBoost review here.

Sharing is caring! Please feel free to share this article on social media and the image below on Pinterest. 

Getting reliable internet access while traveling is tricky. This article provides reliable internet solutions for RV travelers.

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bites

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bites are a delicious snack to get your energy up when you’re feeling sluggish. They are perfect for driving days and to bring along on your sight seeing adventures.

Even better, they’re super easy to make, can be customized with different ingredients, and taste amazing! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup mashed banana
  • 1/2 freeze-dried strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Learn how to make PB&J Energy Balls, a healthy snack.

Instructions

  1. Mix together peanut butter, banana, and maple syrup in a bowl. Add oatmeal and freeze-dried strawberries and stir to combine.
  2. Use your hands to roll the mixture into bite-sized balls. If the mixture sticks to your hands you can coat your hands with a little oil or cooking spray. If the mixture seems a little dry you can add a bit more mashed banana. If it’s too wet, add a little more rolled oats. 
  3. Place balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. 
  4. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to eat. 

Yields: 15 – 18 Balls

PB&J energy balls are the perfect healthy snack that are easy to make.

These PB & J energy balls are a perfect snack for the RV, truck, trail, or anytime you want a healthy snack to tide you over until mealtime. 

Read my tips for eating healthy on travel days.

Find more healthy road trip snacks.

More Recipes

If you are looking for more recipes or a camping meal plan, check out my Cooking at the Campground cookbook.

Sharing is caring! Feel free to share this recipe on social media or save the image below to Pinterest.

If you are looking for a healthy snack, these PB&J Energy Balls will fit the bill. They are simple to make, easy to pack, and taste delicious.

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