2 MICHELIN
®
RV Tires
PRESSURE REQUIREMENT
The amount of pressure required in each tire depends
on the weight of the fully loaded vehicle. So the RV
owners cannot determine the tire’s correct pressure
unless they know their vehicle’s actual weights. The
maximum load capacity allowed for the size tire and load
rating and the minimum cold inflation pressure needed
to carry that maximum load are located on the tire’s
sidewall. The lower the pressure, the lower the load that
the tire can carry. A complete load and inflation table is
available at www.michelinrvtires.com; MICHELIN
®
RV
Tires: Guide For Proper Use and Maintenance and RV Tire
Information – MWL43146; and the MICHELIN
®
Truck Tire
Data Book – MWL40731.
WHEN TO CHECK RV TIRE PRESSURE
The RV owners need to know the correct pressure per
axle for their RV, and they need to know when and how
often to check the MICHELIN
®
RV tires.
Here are a few recommendations for the RV owners:
1) Check at least once a month and before any major
trips.
2) On long trips, check every morning before driving.
3) Check before and after storage.
4) On short trips of a day or less driving each way,
check before you leave and before you return home.
Always try to check tires when they’re “cold” and have
not been driven for more than one mile. The stated load
capacity for a given cold inflation pressure is based on
ambient outside temperatures. The pressure in a “hot”
tire may be as much as 10-15 psi higher than the “cold”
tire pressure. If the RV owners must check the tires when
they’re warm, be sure to allow for an increase in pressure,
and make sure the pressure of the tires on both sides of
the axle are within a couple of pounds of each other.
Never let gas out of a hot tire.
To make checking the tire pressure easier and more
accurate, Michelin recommends that the RV owners
purchase a quality truck tire pressure gauge with a dual-
angled head. This allows the RV owners to check the
pressure of the inner and outer dual wheels. And the
easier it is to check the pressure, the more that the RV
owner will do it. Nothing should restrict the RV owner’s
ability to check their tire pressure daily when driving their
RV. Be sure to use pressure-sealing valve caps to prevent
gas from escaping the valve stem. If the valve stem
extension hoses are used, make sure they’re good quality
stainless steel braid reinforced and are securely anchored
to the outer wheel. The joints should be soaped
immediately after initial installation to check for pressure
loss. If the RV has wheel covers, consider removing them
since the extra time and effort they require could lead the
RV owners to avoid checking the tire’s pressure.
DETERMINING THE RV’S CORRECT
WEIGHT
The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) and the
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) stickers on the RV
(normally located on the support pillar next to the driver’s
seat) will show the chassis manufacturer’s and/or the RV
manufacturer’s total vehicle weight ratings and per axle
weight ratings.
The GVWR is the maximum total weight rating — this
includes passengers, fluids, and cargo. The GAWR is the
maximum for a single axle.
These ratings can vary
based on a number of
components, so RVs of the
same make and model will
vary because of different
options and personal loads.
That’s why the RV owners
need to weigh their RV in a
loaded condition to know
its actual weight. Michelin
recommends weighing
each wheel position of the
vehicle. Why? Because
when you weigh the entire
vehicle at once, it’s possible to be within the GVWR, but
overloaded on an axle. And when you weigh one axle at a
time, it’s possible for one wheel position to be overloaded
even though the GAWR has not been exceeded (we’ve
seen as much as a 1200-pound difference between left
and right front tires). Weighing each wheel position will
give you a clear indication of how the weight of the RV
vehicle is distributed, so you can determine the correct
tire inflation pressure.
For instructions on how to weigh by wheel position, see
next pages 3-5. Once you know total weight and weight
on each wheel position, the tire load data chart will show
you the correct inflation pressure for each wheel position.
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