The Great Cover-up

Protecting the tire sidewalls on your RV is important — continued exposure allows the sidewalls to bake in the sun. Magne Shade has reinvented the tire cover by designing a clever spring frame that opens and closes with virtually no effort.

By Bob Livingston / Photos by the author

overing RV tires subjected to direct sun can help prevent all sorts of problems. Those warming rays can cause will premature deterioration of the tires — which of course, can lead to dangerous blowouts while on the road. Even if the tread looks great (and passes the 4/32-inch depth test), driving on tires that are cracked or have been subjected to intense sun for long periods of time — especially if older than six years — is a time bomb waiting to go off. Tires that blow out can result in handling/control issues as well as collateral damage to the RV, which is usually expensive to repair and sidelines the rig for longer than most people expect.

man holding 2 magne shade rv tire shades

Magne Shade’s EZ Fold RV Tire Shades were installed on a 40-foot diesel pusher with a tandem axle; tire size was 295/80R22.5. The six shades can be stored in two proprietary carry bags with handles. Once folded down, both bags can be stored in relatively little space. And no matter how many times you open and close the tire shades, they will fit in the bags with no effort.

Many owners cover their tires when in an RV park or the rig is in storage. Tire covers designed specifically for this purpose have been around for years, and owners have also been known to create makeshift covers out of wood and cardboard, which is unsightly at best to say nothing of being bulky to handle and store. Those using commercial products have a leg up on protecting tires, but installing and removing these covers still require getting on your knees, crawling under the RV and dealing with straps and buckles. Magne Shade’s EZ Fold RV Tire Shades change the paradigm when it comes to installing tire covers — and they look good, too.

Each tire shade is twist-folded into smaller rings and is easily retrieved from the storage bags.

Magne Shade (magneshade.com), a company that hung its hat long ago on building high-end windshield covers for motorhomes, took a whole new approach when designing its EZ Fold RV Tires Shades. Rather than using loose vinyl and adding a strap/buckle that is routed behind each tire, the company custom-fits exterior grade fabric to individual tires, whether it be for a trailer, fifth wheel or motorhome. Plus, the tire shades are made in the U.S. and the fabric has a high resistance to UV exposure.

But while these shades are designed to cover the sidewalls and still look like tires — instead of a wrap around the tires — the unique feature is how they fold for storage. A spring-loaded elastic frames the covers, which allows them to be twist-folded and stored in a compact travel bag. Its similar to the type of mechanism commonly used to store vehicle window shades, photo scrims and pool toys/rafts.

When folded into the storage position, the tire shades are very compact and easy to handle. Magne Shade holds a patent for the spring-design, which allows the shades to be quickly extended to full size and folded for storage with no effort.

The covers are expanded to full size by simply pulling on the edge and watching the frame pop into shape; Magne Shade owns a patent for the spring-frame design. Once opened, they are simply positioned on the tires by employing the elastic straps that slip over the top of each tire from the front. You may need to adjust the straps for the first time, but after that it’s not necessary. The covers snug up to the sidewalls and the hemmed center cut allows the wheels to show, which makes them almost imperceptible to those not actually scrutinizing the tires.

Opening these tire covers for the first time might startle the uninitiated. You won’t get hurt by the spring action, but it’s best to hold the cover away from your body. Actually, most first timers tend to giggle when opening, and the kids love the action. Closing takes some practice because the spring configuration must be twisted into smaller rings, which will compress together when the process is complete. If done correctly, the shades will fit in the travel bags every time, requiring little storage space while on the road. We’ve used these tires shades since their inception in 2014, and they have not exhibited any wear issues — and the fabric has not faded, even after being subjected to the harsh desert sun.

Ordering the tire shades on the website is simple, requiring the tire size to find the right fit, but don’t be afraid to call one of the company’s representatives with questions. Magne Shade will gladly help owners make the right decisions when ordering. Company personnel have become experts when it comes to ordering window shades, which are much more complicated and dependent on accurate measurements. There’s probably not a windshield they haven’t seen — and that experience extends to tire sizes.

Tire shades are available in black fabric or a Camo pattern that was recently released. You’ll have to provide the tire size from which the Magne Shade people will extract the width, aspect ratio (the percentage of sidewall height to tread width) and rim diameter of the tires; each cover sells for $60, with the Camo style retailing at $70 each.

One thing’s for sure: Installing the EZ Fold RV Tire Shades will certainly be an attention-getter in any RV park if they even get noticed as tire covers. If they do, covering tires will no longer look like the rig is in storage — and you can count on the protection afforded by the UV-resistant fabric.

The tire shades automatically pop into position once one edge of the folded ring is pushed out. From here the user guides the shade while it extends to full size. It’s best to get a good grip and not allow the shade to fly on to the ground. It takes only a couple of seconds to reach full size. First timers might get startled on the initial opening, but acclimation comes quickly. The process will certainly bring a smile to the user’s face.

Added Protection

Certainly, covering RV tires to protect the sidewalls from the harmful effects of UV exposure is the prudent thing to do. If you want to add an extra element of protection to the tires — and it’s no secret that new tires are expensive — consider applying a coating of Aerospace 303 Protectant after each cleaning. Doing so will not only protect the sidewalls from the road elements, but will also provide another layer in the war against premature rubber deterioration while in an RV park or when the rig is in storage. Aerospace 303 Protectant is available in many RV and auto parts stores, and Amazon. Buying the 1-gallon container ($55 on Amazon) is most cost effective; decanting into smaller spray bottles is a versatile method of carrying 303 on the road.

Cleverly designed straps are used to secure the shades to the tire sidewalls. It may require an initial adjustment of the straps, but that’s really easy.

The tire shades are simply hung on the tire from the front, making a snug fit against the sidewall. It’s best to inflate the suspension air bags (if so equipped) to allow extra room to reach on top of the tire.

EZ Fold Tire Shades are available for motorhome, trailer and fifth wheel tires. The standard fabric color is black, but the company recently released a camo pattern. When the shades are in place, the hemmed center cut allows for the wheels to show; those not scrutinizing the wheels usually have no idea the tires are covered, unless the camo pattern is chosen.

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