Vacation plans are being made for the summer. Having your vehicle prepared for the trip is a major issue for travelers. What can be worse than to spend a few days somewhere strange having a used engine put in your travel vehicle? The worse thing that could happen in that situation is not being familiar with GotEngines.com. 1-877-268-0664..

There is one more thing we need to cover that has the potential to be worse. Perhaps more dangerous, however it is not as well know about and is the epitome of importance to your safety.

We need to make sure you understand that your tires go bad and need to be replaced too. It does not matter how many miles are on them or how much tread is left. I mention this because I preach about motor-homes and regular engine oil changes, cooling system maintenance and being diligent about evaluating every part of your vehicle before a trip.

People who travel regularly, know exactly what I mean. I think part of the fun for regular travelers is keeping your ride in tip top shape. My take on motor-home owners is they enjoy going through the maintenance procedures necessary to have a successful and uneventful trip, mechanically speaking.

Speaking of  tires. My neighbors, and best friends are motor-home people, they are retired and go away for 5 months a year. They just bought a pristine used 2004 house on wheels (literally) and it has the General Motors engine and drive-line with a real truck chassis. I don’t know if he likes preparing it for a vacation or actually going on vacation more.  He really does his home work and will not buy a Ford chassis motor-home due to the engine and transmission problems he repeatedly sees angry Ford motor-home folks discussing on the internet forums.

We (H and me)  were talking about tires the other day. He is putting new tires on this big beauty. I asked why and he said very clearly that once a tire reaches an age of 5 to 7 years old, the sidewalls start to weaken due to dry rot. Which the aging of the rubber and other materials sensitive to heat and sunlight. The problem with dry rot is that it is not necessarily visible to the eye. If you think about it, these rolling houses on wheels, they literally have many tons riding on the tires crushing the life out of them. Couple that with age and deterioration and you have recipe for a serious event if a tire blows out.

The front tires (and brakes) take the most beating, add that to the fact that you only have two front tires, it makes sense to have them checked by a pro and replaced every 5-7 years. Even if the tread is good. It beats the heck out of blowing a front tire and the possibilities that can occur (and the tow bill). The preponderance of motor-homes at least use dual rear wheels, and for those who don’t know, a rear flat beats a front flat any day. Why, the front tires do the steering, loss of steering is not too cool.

The lesson is don’t assume anything is in good condition until proven so. Use our GotEngines.com blog as a resourse full of proven tips, or scour the internet. Be smart like a BoyScout… Be Prepared.