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Do You Think RV Tire Covers Are Necessary – Or Useless Clutter?

Look around any snowbird RV park and you’ll notice that many residents have RV tire covers on every wheel of their RV. And while the tire covers look nice, if you’re like me and don’t use them, you can’t help but wonder: why do so many people think RV tire covers are necessary?

RV tire covers are necessary  – why?

RV tire covers are necessary
Rene Agredano

When I started full-time RVing I wondered about RV tire covers. We never purchased a set because my initial research revealed that the only time RV tire covers are necessary is when your rig is parked for long periods of time.

Like most new full-timers, we were constantly on the move during our first couple of years on the road, so the desire to look further into RV tire covers fell by the wayside.

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Today we boondock much more than back then, which requires us to relocate about every 10 days in order to dump our tanks. Covering our RV tires seems like a hassle and the covers take up precious space in our 27′ rig, so I still haven’t bought any.

RV tire covers takes up precious space in our little rig.

RV tire covers are necessary
Rene Agredano

But recently I was gifted a set of these really nice tire covers from ADCO Tires, a manufacturer or RV tire covers, among other vehicle protective products. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, we decided to use the covers during a longer stay with RV hookups and here’s what I discovered when I did more inquiring to find out if RV tire covers are necessary.

I decided to try these Tyre Gards by ADCO.

RV tire covers are necessary
Rene Agredano

Do RV Tire Covers Protect Against UV-Damage?

All tires come with UV-protection. As this manufacturer explains, tire manufacturers build it right into every tire that rolls off the assembly line. Each time a vehicle is driven and a new tire rotates, a UV-protectant comes to the surface. This is why RV tire advice gurus encourage us to drive our rigs to maintain healthy, safe tires.

But when an RV sits more than it actually moves and gets exposed to constant sunlight, the UV-protectant never has a chance to rise to the surface of the tire. You’ve seen how powerful sun rays can damage vehicle paint and wear down RV gel coats, so it stands to reason that the sun can also start to wear down our tires too.

UV-damaged tires are hazardous.

RV tire covers necessary
Rene Agredano

Although I couldn’t find any hard proof from tire manufacturers that say that the sun can eat your tires, what I discovered in various RV discussion forums is that most RVers take a “Well, it can’t do any harm” approach to tire covers and use them as a precaution against possible UV-damage.

These RV Tyre Gards stay in place.

RV tire covers necessary
Rene Agredano

Playing it safe is probably a good idea when it comes to anything that protects life and property, so if you’re giving RV tire covers a try, here are some worth checking out:




1 thought on “Do You Think RV Tire Covers Are Necessary – Or Useless Clutter?”

  1. We use tire covers when in storage, but usually not during travel. We found the bungee cord to be a pain to put on and off. Our solution was to secure some small bag dive weights with heavy string to each side of the cover. We made the string long enough to toss bag on string partially behind the tire. Easy on and off now.

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