MotorHome Tech Tips

Keeping your Tire Pressure Gauge Handy | Tire Inflation

For optimum tire wear and better gas mileage proper tire inflation is critical.

I have noticed that most RVers, when ready to leave either home or a campsite simply get into their rig and go, without first going through a pre-trip checklist. The pre-trip checklist gives the RVer a chance to check over many obvious systems on the coach or rig that might give him/her a "head's up" of a potential problem as well as the confidence that everything is OK and safe for the family to move about the country. I feel that the most important item to always check before, during and after any trip is tire pressure as the tires are the contact between you and the road and most important for safety. Even if the pre-trip checklist is glossed over and only given a cursory examination, the tires are one item that should be religiously checked frequently for damage, wear and pressure. This applies to both the coach or motorhome, the trailer or 5th wheel, and the tow car as well as the truck (if you are pulling a 5th wheel or trailer).

The tires are an easy item to check and to that end I keep my tire pressure gauge in a handy place right by the exit door, so that I see it every time I exit the coach. This reminds me to grab it and check the tires regularly, even if I am in a hurry and only want to give the other systems a "quick once-over." I have taken small pieces of velcro and attached the tire pressure gauge to the panel between the front windshield and exit door to make it easy to grab when I exit the coach. I also use a tire pressure gauge that is easy to take a pressure reading as well as easy to read. The Fleetline digital gauge is the one that I use for its ease of use in checking the tires, easy to bleed air out with the 'bleed button as well as easy to read with its digital read-out. The other item that makes this process much easier and quicker to accomplish without getting your fingers dirty, is to replace your old valve caps and install the Alligator V2B Valve Caps on each tire (as well as on the tow car or pulling vehicle), thereby you won't have to remove the valve caps to check the tire pressure.

One note of caution: after you have driven awhile, the tires will naturally build up pressure, so don't bleed off pressure if you take a pressure reading while enroute even though you see that the pressure has increased. The critical tire pressure issue that you want to be aware of enroute is that if you notice that the pressure has decreased, in which case you want to attend to that immediately as decreased pressure will cause the tires to heat up creating an unsafe condition.

Dial Type Tire Gauges at Camping World:

Deluxe Pistol Grip Tire Gauge

Long-Reach Tire Pressure Gauge

Dial Type Tire Gauges at Amazon.com:

Accutire MS-5010 Heavy Duty Dial Tire Gauge

Caution: The maintenance recommendations on this page are meant as general guidelines only. Always consult with a professional RV mechanic, your owner's manual, and/or your authorized RV dealer BEFORE performing any maintenance procedures. See 'Legal Disclaimer' below.

Legal Disclaimer & Caution: Before using any advice, and/or performing any maintenance procedures recommended on this website you should consult with your RV dealer, and/or a professional Motorhome or RV mechanic. The recommendations and advice given on this website are intended as general guidelines ONLY, and may not pertain to your particular make and/or model of RV or Motorhome. Use these suggestions, repair tips, and/or maintenance advice AT YOUR OWN RISK. Under no circumstances will this website, or any of its officers or employees be liable for any consequential, incidental, special or exemplary damages even if appraised of the likelihood of such damages occurring. The owners of this website do not warrant the information against errors, omissions or deficiencies of any kind.

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