Caravan tyres

[annierich]

Our Lunar Clubman single axle is now 5 yrs old and we are aware that the advice is that tyres need changing after 5 yrs. We have travelled the length and breadth of the U.K. so we have done a reasonable mileage. Our query is - does the unused spare tyre (which is stored under the caravan) also need changing? So do we need to replace 2 or 3 tyres? TIA.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

If the spare has been subjected to road salt, rain, muck, etc then it may be best to change it. You will need to check its condition for side wall cracks, etc, however it will not have been exposed to sunlight damage which is the main killer.

 

[Jaydug]

My spare travels in a well built into the floor so when I changed the tyres six years ago, I just changed the two road wheels. Just recently I've changed them again but I changed one road wheel and the spare. The other road wheel became the spare. Incidentally the spare - both rim and tyre were pristine never having seen the light of day - but the tyre was 15 years old. I couldn't help but notice that when the guy took it off, it ended up on a rack at the back of the shop.

 

[chrisbee1]

My spare travels in a well built into the floor so when I changed the tyres six years ago, I just changed the two road wheels. Just recently I've changed them again but I changed one road wheel and the spare. The other road wheel became the spare. Incidentally the spare - both rim and tyre were pristine never having seen the light of day - but the tyre was 15 years old. I couldn't help but notice that when the guy took it off, it ended up on a rack at the back of the shop.

Did he still add a "disposal" charge to the bill?

 

[Raywood]

According to the engineer who services our caravan the spare although unused will deteriorate with time and should be replaced at least after eight years but needs removal and inspecting each year after five. Any sign of cracking or deterioration means it should be replaced.
You should always remember that a faulty tyre can blow out and at 60mph on a motorway that could be dangerous so do not risk problems with it. Having said that most tyres never get used and so you might simply want to abandon it and work on the theory that if you get a puncture you will get a tyre then. It will cost more than if you had replaced it but the chances are you will not need to do it.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Hi Annierich I have just looked up on the Caravan club Re tyres and they say change tyres at 5 years old but no longer than 7 I think this depends on tyre condition if there is no cracking showing on the side walls.Not Quite sure but maybe Damian will come in here I think the regulations were changed to 7 years .I dont mind being corrected if Im wrong .
Sir Roger

 

[JonnyG]

tyres are manufactured with a 10 year lifespan by major tyre manufacturers as consumables go that a decent time .. that said i wouldn't be using one as even a spare at that age. but if it has been kept well and shows no cracking on the sidewalls i certainly wouldn't be rushing out to replace it at 5 or 6 years of age....

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Annierich I have just looked up on the Caravan club Re tyres and they say change tyres at 5 years old but no longer than 7 I think this depends on tyre condition if there is no cracking showing on the side walls.Not Quite sure but maybe Damian will come in here I think the regulations were changed to 7 years .I dont mind being corrected if Im wrong .
Sir Roger

Hello Sir Roger

Bow Bow an tugs forelock, Sir there are no regulations about he maximum age of a tyre, the 5 and now 7 years is like tow ratios a recommendation only. The only legal stipulation is the tyre must be serviceable.

 

[Hutch]

This is from Micheliens website.

How old is too old? The five year test
After five years or more in service, your tyres should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year. If the need arises, follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer regarding replacing the original equipment tyres. As a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture (see how to read a tyre sidewall), Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator.

So thats from a tyre company.

Best regqrds
Hutch.

 

[chrisn7]

This is from Micheliens website.

How old is too old? The five year test
After five years or more in service, your tyres should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year. If the need arises, follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer regarding replacing the original equipment tyres. As a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture (see how to read a tyre sidewall), Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator.

So thats from a tyre company.

Best regqrds
Hutch.

Yes, this 5 yr thing originated from the Caravan Club, like the 85% MTPLM business, and like that has for some people turned into a 'rule'. Its the CC playing safe, as you would expect it to especially for newbies, and that is reasonable advice. For the more experienced, it's as Hutch says

 

[martindf3]

Don't know what to say here . I too was going to say ten years and then change them . But !!!!! Just had van serviced by caravan engineer ,wife insisted . He inspected tyre whilst off . So had I . He told my wife that they were 8 years old and caravan club might not pay out after an accident .... I accepted defeat . Anyway tyre chap came replaced first one that was fine ,next one, on my insistence we had another look ,and blow me the start of longitudinal cracking in treads . All of us missed it . Egg on my face and humble pie for tea . .. Moral of story ,take em off to inspect and look really closely . If we still have this van in another 7 years , might change the tyres .

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Van was serviced July last year (@ 3 years old) and needed 2 new tyres due to side wall cracking. Van serviced June this year and one replaced tyre had side wall cracking and needed replacing. I refused to pay for another replacement as it was on the van for less than 1 year and should have a longer life than that. Luckily main dealer agreed as they were the people who fitted the tyre the previous year. The original tyres had a date code on them less than a year older than the van was.

Cheap stock or badly stored before 1st use?

 

[Woodentop]

This is from Micheliens website.

How old is too old? The five year test
After five years or more in service, your tyres should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year. If the need arises, follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer regarding replacing the original equipment tyres. As a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture (see how to read a tyre sidewall), Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator.

So thats from a tyre company.

That quote relates to low usage car tyres. A caravan tyre out in all weathers with long periods of going nowhere and subjected to sunlight/heat/UV will deteriorate significantly faster than a car tyre. A car tyre is not under so much load either as it has four of 'em!

I note that some people in this thread have referred to cracking at the edges of the tread that could lead to delamination. Crazing or hairline cracking in the bottom of the tread grooves can be just as dangerous and should not be overlooked.

 

[Parksy]

Our caravan is 8 years old now and I replaced the four tyres a year ago. The tyres that I replaced had hardly any tread wear but there were small cracks running along the bottom of each tread groove as described by Woodentop. I had the replacements fitted at home by Tyres on the Drive, who balanced the wheels at the same time.
Just over £160 was a small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

[Jaydug]

.
That quote relates to low usage car tyres. .

In March I took my C5-X7 for MOT. Towards the finish the test guy called me into the workshop and pointed to my rear tyre which he had at eye level on the hoist. He pointed to an area of fine hairline cracks in the sidewall. He invited me to slide my fingers over the area and sure enough I could feel a slight bulging. The tyre was a Michelin 225/55x17 and the manufacture code only 1512. He didn't fail it but suggested I might want to get it changed.

A few days later at the tyre depot I asked the fitter what had caused it. His reply "Aging" "At 4 years" said I. He just nodded!

 

[JonnyG]

This is from Micheliens website.

How old is too old? The five year test
After five years or more in service, your tyres should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year. If the need arises, follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer regarding replacing the original equipment tyres. As a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture (see how to read a tyre sidewall), Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator.

So thats from a tyre company.

That quote relates to low usage car tyres. A caravan tyre out in all weathers with long periods of going nowhere and subjected to sunlight/heat/UV will deteriorate significantly faster than a car tyre. A car tyre is not under so much load either as it has four of 'em!

I note that some people in this thread have referred to cracking at the edges of the tread that could lead to delamination. Crazing or hairline cracking in the bottom of the tread grooves can be just as dangerous and should not be overlooked.

just curious, why? why would a caravan tyre deteriorate quicker than a car tyre, everything you state could equally apply to a car tyre. as far as i am aware there is no basic difference between a car and caravan tyre or a van tyre and given say a 3.5t van tyre [commercial] could carry more per axle than a caravan ,i am curious as to where you are coming from..

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Jonny G. I guess the reason van tyres differ is because of the time they spend stood still in a field and the sun on them all day causes the the cracking etc. Better to be safe than sorry I say.
Sir Roger

 

[DrZhivago]

I guess the reason van tyres differ is because of the time they spend stood still in a field and the sun on them all day

I still don't understand. Cars are just as likely to "be in the sun all day" as a caravan. No shade in the car park where I work, and on my drive the caravan is in more shade than the car. Caravan spending more time standing still also means less mechanical fatigue surely.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Doctor Zhivago I will rephrase my last post and ask you does your car stand in a field for four months without a wheel turning . Unless you are very fortunate i guess the answer is no. Where by lots of us do have our vans probably stand from October to March .Where damage is done
Sir Roger

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

There is nothing special about caravan tyres and they are not made just for caravans, which would be cost prohibitive. In fact you will find they are made for light commercial vehicles as they need the higher load index, and then used for caravans as they also need the similar load index. You cannot therefore compare the usage rates/profiles of car tyres with commercial van tyres as commercial vans would be expected to be in use fairly regularly and carrying heavy loads. The comparison, therefore, is between commercial van usage and caravan usage on the same tyres - completely different.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Don't know what to say here . I too was going to say ten years and then change them . But !!!!! Just had van serviced by caravan engineer ,wife insisted . He inspected tyre whilst off . So had I . He told my wife that they were 8 years old and caravan club might not pay out after an accident .... I accepted defeat . Anyway tyre chap came replaced first one that was fine ,next one, on my insistence we had another look ,and blow me the start of longitudinal cracking in treads . All of us missed it . Egg on my face and humble pie for tea . .. Moral of story ,take em off to inspect and look really closely . If we still have this van in another 7 years , might change the tyres .

Hello Martin,
Unless an insurer makes a specific reference to the age of tyres on a vehicle, they cannot use age alone to decline a claim. They will require the running gear Including tyres to be kept in a road legal condition, so provide the tyres meet the legal tread and general conditions that should be sufficient.

Tyres do age and will deteriorate over time, but that depends on how where they have been kept, so you cannot put a specific time limit on when a tyre may become unserviceable due to its age alone. However some tyre manufacturers do make worthy advice about how age related deterioration, and it would be unwise to ignore their recommendations, but remember this advice will relate to tyres kept in optimal storage conditions, tyres on any vehicle will be subject to more adverse environmental conditions and will deteriorate more rapidly.

 

[BryanTheSnail]

This tyre business seems like a bit of "Black Art" being a subject with so many queries and views. Adding to the mix I remember reading some years ago that the chemical composition of the tyre is sustained by the continual flexing as the vehicle travels. There perhaps lies the difference between car tyres and those on a caravan. Unlike car tyres, the caravan tyres spend many weeks, sometimes months with one part of it compressed where it is in contact with the ground, but no flexing which causes the chemical deterioration in the structure.

 

[KeefySher]

The 'Black ' in the tyre is carbon black or burnt oil that it is produced from burning oil under control to determine the particle size for the reinforcing filler in the compounds used in tyres. When the oil price was high unscrupulous tyre compounders would substitute cheaper clay or chalk fillers, think China here. The advent of tyre cracking is around the time oil was at a peak :evil:

Flex cracking is a resultant of ozone attack, which again is dependant on the protection system in concert with the curing system. The protection system gives protection from UV as well. Again a lot are dependant on cost parameters and QC. What you get as PPAP samples from China are not necessarily what you get for full production :evil:

Ozone is created by electric motors commonly. So on a caravan tyre there are electric motors in the motor mover, in the fridge and water pumps that are all near the tyres.

Another aspect of tyre degradation is hysteresis or heat history that includes the process inducing heat at the compounding, extruding and curing stages, followed by flexure of the tyres in service. Heat generation is increased on incorrectly inflated tyres, the softer the higher heat generation. Heat generation degrades tyres and can cause internal delamination of tyre cord interfaces and tread interfaces.

Thats the technical bit in as close to layman terms I can put it.

Then we have the elf and safe tea industry that has grown exponentially in recent times due to poor education, that means everything is too risky. In concert with tyre sellers who are commercial entities reliant on sales we get the oft lauded 5 year renewal requirement. Whilst cracking in sidewalls and treads is visible, more importantly is visibility of tyre cord both metallic and non. Cheap tyres will exhibit exposed tyre cord, better tyres will have been made using a process that ensures impermeability of tyre cord. If tyre cord is exposed bin the tyre.

My tyres are usually worn out tread wise well before any risk of failure due to cracking.

 

[mandrake1]

i have a question about the tires on my van ,ive checked them thoroughly after cleaning and the tread lookslittle worn on both tires ,the sidewalls ar perfect ,no cracks no crazing in fact they look virtualy new and no cracking in the tread pattern but are 13 years old ,i took them to kwik fit ,and asked for advice on replacements ,they were looked at and pronounced fit for use , the guy did say if you want new then i will fit new ones but i wouldent bother .i also took them to a couple more tire fitting bays and my local mot garage i use same answer . there both identical makes ,hankook i think offhand ,now the spare was removed cleaned and i found the remains of the original label on the tread so its been under the van unused since fitted new ,thats some 8 year old and a different make . anyway i have a mind to change them just for my piece of mind mind you ive seen nigh on new tires that have gone bang before today . i have been offered a pair that are under two years old for 10 quid each ,then there's fitting to pay as well the spare will be kept for just that . it just loaths me to dispose of two perfect looking condition tires away and they have been pronounced fit for use .advice on here may help me decide

 

[Damian]

It is entirely your decision.
The recommended maximum age for caravan tyres is 7 years as long as they are in good condition.
It is a fact that caravan tyres never wear the tread out as cars do, but it is the exposure to the sun and general atmosphere that kills van tyres.
As far as getting advice from Kwik Fit, that again is your choice as to take their word or not, personally I do not trust them.
As far as the "nearly new", or second hand tyres go, that for me is total NO as you have no idea what the carcase is like or what forces it has undergone.

The cost of tyres is relatively low in comparison to the cost of a van, and minimal to the value of you and your family.

I do not think it is worth the risks involved to run on 13 year , or 8 year old tyres.