Stop Worrying About Your RV Tires While You Drive

Last year I saw an RVer pulling a 5th wheel down Interstate 10 at freeway speed with two blown tires on the same side of the trailer. He continued driving oblivious to the smoke contrail and tire shrapnel billowing out behind him. Have you ever seen what a blown tire can do to an RV? Here is an example of a tread separation and what it can do. I have often been temporarily robbed of my RV driving pleasure due to a nagging feeling my tires might be compromised. I always visually check my tires and air pressure before I travel and frequently along the way. Nails, screws, and other debris can puncture your tires and you won’t even know about it until it’s too late. I was preparing for a six hour drive as I pulled into an RV dump and while I was emptying my tanks I did a visual inspection of my 5th wheel tires only to find three large nails firmly imbedded in the tread. In the middle of nowhere South Dakota I had a tread separation and a guy in a pick-up pulled up next to me to waiving me over. That’s all behind me now because I’m using the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) from Mobile Awareness. As I was using this system on my motorhome going over the mountain passes of Southern Oregon an audible alarm went off and a high pressure warning came up on the LED display. I pulled over immediately and adjusted the pressure on my tires. Had I not been using this system I most likely would have had a tire failure. Now I drive with complete relief knowing my tires are constantly monitored. TPMS is a great product (much better than comparable products) because you don’t have to take the sensors off to add air. The sensors have a built in valve stem so you won’t accidentally lose or damage a sensor. The sensors are waterproof and stay put on your existing valve stems. For dual tires the system is shipped with valve extensions called “tracheas” that allow you to mount the sensors in a convenient location. The sensors have a built-in battery that will give you years of service. They continuously send a signal to a receiver that I installed under my motorhome consul. The receiver has an external antenna mounted under the coach. This antenna helps pick up the signal from the rear tires that are located some 35 feet behind the front of the coach. The receiver is connected to the LED display I mounted on my instrument cluster under the back-up camera monitor. The way this system works is to immediately tell you if there is a serious under-inflation or over-inflation problem. It also monitors the tire temperature and will alert you to dangerous temperature conditions. This is important because you could have a tread separation and not have a change in tire pressure that will not be noticed by other tire pressure monitoring systems on the market. TPMS on the other hand, will give you an alarm when the temperature elevates above normal operating ranges. When your tires are running in the normal range for air pressure and temperature the unit will display a green light and periodically light up and run through a visual display of the exact tire pressure and temperature of each tire and then go blank until the next display cycle. You can push the button and get a readout anytime. When there is a problem the system alerts you with an audible alarm and the indicator lamp flashes red. You can manually set the warning parameters for your specific needs. I talked with the president of Mobile Awareness, Gary Rothstein, who told me the story of his company and his passion for keeping truckers, RVers and Emergency Vehicle operators safe on our highways. His company, Mobile Awareness, is on the cutting edge of safety providing great safety products and is also involved with ongoing safety education and work with safety organizations serving the trucking industry. You can find more information on the Tire Pressure Monitoring System here (TPMS). I’ve prepared a informative video on this great product for your viewing pleasure. I still do the visual checks and physically ensure correct tire pressure with my air pressure gauge but having this system allows me to relax and concentrate on my driving and enjoy the scenery. This system is well worth the money and I highly recommend it to all RVers! Keeping you and your RV safe - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing