5 years for tyres?

[Celi]

Hello all.
New here and looking for a little advice as I'm getting mixed messages from all sorts of sources! So.... I have a Bailey Pegasus 624 twin axle which I have owned for several years now and I believe that I should be considering replacing the tyres. They look perfect though - no cracking or anything - but they have reached the mystical 5 years old. I don't want to get caught out for the sake of a couple of hundred pounds as we're shortly off to Italy for a few months - but thendon't want to needlessly replace when said funds would buy an awful lot of red wine!!
Just after thoughts or experiences to perhaps sway my thinking......
Alan

 

[Parksy]

Hello all.
New here and looking for a little advice as I'm getting mixed messages from all sorts of sources! So.... I have a Bailey Pegasus 624 twin axle which I have owned for several years now and I believe that I should be considering replacing the tyres. They look perfect though - no cracking or anything - but they have reached the mystical 5 years old.............
Just after thoughts or experiences to perhaps sway my thinking......
Alan

Bailey introduced the Pegasus range just over a year ago and the 624 was unveiled earlier this year Alan so there are some glaring innacuracies in your post.
This might explain why you are getting 'mixed messages' about changing your tyres.
The username which you had chosen and which has been edited coupled with the innacuracies might lead forum members to wonder whether to reply to your post.

 

[Celi]

Whoops. Copy pasted as couldn't recall the model code. It's a carmague!! Username is celibugga which relates to silly old ****** and an affinity to the 'classic' 1970's Toyota Celica - two of which I also own... Quite clearly living up to reputation here!!
I've owned the caravan since 2003 but I'm afraid not all that clued up on it all as it has been used by family far more than me & the wife! Not to worry folks. I think I'll just get them done anyway..........

 

[Parksy]

The general advice is that caravan tyres deteriorate over time with five years being given as the length of time for these tyres to be safely used.
They should be changed regardless of the small amount of tread wear to minimise the risk of blowouts due to sidewall deterioration.

 

[Celi]

Cheers. Apologies for the scatty posting.

 

[monkeymagic68]

5 Years is a recomendation, that you should change your tyres, but you should never leave for more than 7 years, as with all tyres if you see any imperfections, cracking, blips, tread etc you should change them as a matter of urgency.

 

[readcaravans]

the actual NCC recommendation for caravan tyres to be changed is now 7yrs. it used to be 5yrs. again it is only a recommendation. tyres should be regularly inspected to look for cracks, splits or bulges and should be changed whenever there appears to be any problems. i have seen tyres that needed replacing after 2 years, and i have seen tyres older than 7 years which have been fine.

 

[Lutz]

Should you wish to travel through Germany and take advantage of the 100km/h dispensation, the tyres must be no more than 6 years old.

 

[Surfer]

If you look at the age of the tyre on your BRAND NEW caravan it will probably be 2 - 3 years old already. So in essence after 5 years use in reality you shoudl eb changing the tyres. Dealers conveniently forget to mention this when you purchase a brand new caravan!

 

[patroldriver1]

If you are off to italy, then i would change the tyres at five years, its not exactly a short trip, so for about £100 for 4 tyres is well worth the peace of mind. And no i don't sell tyres

 

[Robtel]

If you look at the age of the tyre on your BRAND NEW caravan it will probably be 2 - 3 years old already. So in essence after 5 years use in reality you shoudl eb changing the tyres. Dealers conveniently forget to mention this when you purchase a brand new caravan!

One of the first things I had a look at when I got my last caravan (bought new) home was the date on the tyres, all four were less than 5 months old.

 

[SimonB]

I have had issues with caravan tyres lately, I had a blow out in Belgium. The caravan is 5 years old and we had just purchased it from a dealer. On questioning the dealer they said they change tyres at 7 years as per NCC recommendations, Next I emailed the NCC and they returned with max 7 years or 5 years from caravan registration which ever is less. I then phoned the dealer and asked them to explain and they have it in writing that the NCC say 7 years, I have now seen this document.

The outcome is that both the dealer in question and NCC are changing it to 5 years maximum and this information is going to be sent to all dealers soon. I have also had all 4 of my tyres changed for free due to the confusion.

I don't know where the person who said £100 for 4 tyres shops but it is not in the last 20 years, correct load rated tyres for our caravan ranged from £250 - £500 depending on make. After having a blow out I would urge everyone to check their tyres soon.

 

[Lutz]

Are you suggesting that the age of the tyres was the main reason for the blowout? Judging by the age of your caravan I think that is very unlikely unless the tyre had been subjected to extreme exposure of ozone and UV rays as maybe encountered during prolonged trips to southern Europe in the summer and which would accelerate ageing.

 

[SimonB]

No I am not suggesting that the age was the reason for the blow out but it certainly wont help. There are many reasons for a blow out and no one can be sure after it has happened what caused it. As I bought the van second hand I have no clue what the tyres had been subjected to previously, this is another reason to change them. They could of been left in the sun, they could of been on a seasonal pitch and not rotated, hey may of been removed and stored in a garage, I really don't know.

If I had owned the caravan from new I may of left the tyres on for longer as we are always away in the van and they are never left in one position for longer than a couple of weeks and we would of known the history of the tyres.

 

[Guest]

5 years, 7 years, some say 3 years?!, I was thinking before long it will be measured in months!!
Whatever the total age recommendation or from whom, tyres should be thoroughly inspected at service and regularly checked by the owner in between, only then can problems be detected early and suspect tyres changed whatever their age.

 

[otherclive]

Now you are reconciled to buying some new tyres the fun really starts. You may find yourself being offered all sorts of inapproriate tyres so I suggest you go back to the Bailey dealer and ask him to fit OEM tyres (probably Trailermaxx) or I find the GT Radial Kargomax ST range very good as they have a good range of sizes and they are specific trailer tyres. They also do two load rating ranges and I went for the ST 6000 which gave me quite an increase over the ones supplied by Bailey. My van MPTLM is 1400kg and the load rating of the OEM tyres was 1420kg so not much margin there. I now have 104 load ratings which gives a much larger margin.

 

[Rubix]

If you look at the age of the tyre on your BRAND NEW caravan it will probably be 2 - 3 years old already. So in essence after 5 years use in reality you shoudl eb changing the tyres. Dealers conveniently forget to mention this when you purchase a brand new caravan!

I have to report one better than that. I was replacing the tyres of my van (found they had VERY SEVERE cracks on the inner walls), when I took the wheels with me to a tyre fitting company, I asked to see the "new tyres" before they fitted them, I found they had 3 tyres, one was 5, YES 5 years old and the others were 2 and 3. I walked briskly out and bought them elsewhere. When I told the member of staff that I wasn't buying them as they were that old, he didn't even know how to tell how old they were !!!