Interesting legislation regarding tyres

[Darren.H]

1st February this year new C&U law was introduced regarding the age of tyres on axles of commercial vehicles.
Its stating no older than 10 years, my immediate thought went to the caravan and the is it 5 or 7 year debate to replace our tyres
Presumably the new legislation is wrapped in health and safety, so can we take it that now our tyres are good for 10 years?

https://movingon.blog.gov.uk/2020/1...rs-old-for-heavy-vehicles-and-some-minibuses/

 

[otherclive]

1st February this year new C&U law was introduced regarding the age of tyres on axles of commercial vehicles.
Its stating no older than 10 years, my immediate thought went to the caravan and the is it 5 or 7 year debate to replace our tyres
Presumably the new legislation is wrapped in health and safety, so can we take it that now our tyres are good for 10 years?

https://movingon.blog.gov.uk/2020/1...rs-old-for-heavy-vehicles-and-some-minibuses/

This came about because of the horrific crash on the northbound M5 north of Bristol in 2017. We were heading southbound seconds after it happened It was caused by a lorry that was used infrequently and had old tyres but they still had tread within the law. The new law doesn’t cover cars or caravans and many other vehicles.

What do you plan to do wrt your tyre age? I know where I stand.

 

[Fraseb01]

Mine are 6yrs now, no issues at all but i will be changing before the start of next sseason for peace of mind 👍

 

[Anseo]

If I read the legislation correctly it only applies to specific vehicle groups, i.e.

"From 1 February 2021 Construction and Use Regulations will not allow tyres aged over 10 years old to be used on the front steered axles of HGVs, buses, coaches or all single wheels fitted to a minibus (9 to 16 passenger seats)."

With my caravan and other trailer tyres I will follow the advice relating to the condition of tyres as it relates to cars etc. in respect of MOT testing.

That is, that tyres are subject to inspection for condition assessment, where this 5 year - 7 year etc. nonsense originated I have no idea but it has no status in law.

A friend of mine is an MOT tester (as such he is deemed 'competent' in law), he has demonstrated to me what to look for with regard to tyre defects, given that caravans and trailers are not subject to MOT then I regard careful assessment/ inspection as a critical part of trailer safety.

I will not be drawn into condemning tyres based on the date stamp alone,

 

[RogerL]

1st February this year new C&U law was introduced regarding the age of tyres on axles of commercial vehicles.
Its stating no older than 10 years, my immediate thought went to the caravan and the is it 5 or 7 year debate to replace our tyres
Presumably the new legislation is wrapped in health and safety, so can we take it that now our tyres are good for 10 years?

https://movingon.blog.gov.uk/2020/1...rs-old-for-heavy-vehicles-and-some-minibuses/

The ban only applies to the front steering axles of HGVs and buses/coaches although it applies to all tyres on minibuses with 9 or more seats.

 

[Darren.H]

My opinion is if the new law is to increase road safety doesn't that point towards saying tyres are good for at least 10 years?

So why don't caravan tyres have such a long life?

When we px'ed our old van I was subject to a surcharge for replacement tyres due to age!!!!

 

[GeorgeandAde]

Change mine every 5 years......maximum.

After recent caravan service,they found a bulge on the n/s inner wall.
This tyre was 5 years old.
(Reminder to myself).....must check both inner and outer walls more regularly.👍

 

[ProfJohnL]

My opinion is if the new law is to increase road safety doesn't that point towards saying tyres are good for at least 10 years?

That is the wrong inference to draw.

 

[otherclive]

Change mine every 5 years......maximum.

After recent caravan service,they found a bulge on the n/s inner wall.
This tyre was 5 years old.
(Reminder to myself).....must check both inner and outer walls more regularly.👍

Likewise 5 years. At £75 a throw for quality tyres it’s affordable peace of mind. The truck that caused the accident had tyres well over 10 years old and it was only used very infrequently. It’s difficult to legislate for all circumstances and usage types. I had a blow out on a van at 60 mph in the days before ATC and Tyrepal. Not nice, hence my conservatism.

 

[otherclive]

My opinion is if the new law is to increase road safety doesn't that point towards saying tyres are good for at least 10 years?

So why don't caravan tyres have such a long life?

When we px'ed our old van I was subject to a surcharge for replacement tyres due to age!!!!

No a maximum of 10 years not at least 10 years, if you are concerned with safety but only fir the defined categories of vehicle and tyre positioning. That’s all the new law says.

 

[JezzerB]

Caravan tyres sit there in the light for a long time on one spot. Something car tyres dont do ,maybe this exacerbates aging. Am not sure but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[otherclive]

Caravan tyres sit there in the light for a long time on one spot. Something car tyres dont do ,maybe this exacerbates aging. Am not sure but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

As well as UV deterioration lack of use affects the homogeneity of the plasticisers in the compound. Plus the tyres sit at a high pressure these days and certainly in single axles have higher loading than car tyres.

 

[Buckman]

If I read the legislation correctly it only applies to specific vehicle groups, i.e.

"From 1 February 2021 Construction and Use Regulations will not allow tyres aged over 10 years old to be used on the front steered axles of HGVs, buses, coaches or all single wheels fitted to a minibus (9 to 16 passenger seats)."

With my caravan and other trailer tyres I will follow the advice relating to the condition of tyres as it relates to cars etc. in respect of MOT testing.

That is, that tyres are subject to inspection for condition assessment, where this 5 year - 7 year etc. nonsense originated I have no idea but it has no status in law.

A friend of mine is an MOT tester (as such he is deemed 'competent' in law), he has demonstrated to me what to look for with regard to tyre defects, given that caravans and trailers are not subject to MOT then I regard careful assessment/ inspection as a critical part of trailer safety.

I will not be drawn into condemning tyres based on the date stamp alone,

I think it originated because caravan manufacturers fit the cheapest budget tyre onto caravans and these tyres deteriorate quickly. On a previous 4x4 I had a Bridgestone trye as a spare and it was an original tyre and was well in excess of 10 years old and in perfectly good condition considering that it did not have a cover over it.
I feel sure that if a caravan were fitted with mid range tyres, changing them at 7 years would not even be considered. Over the past year our caravan has probably done less than 1000 miles.

 

[RogerL]

I think it originated because caravan manufacturers fit the cheapest budget tyre onto caravans and these tyres deteriorate quickly. On a previous 4x4 I had a Bridgestone trye as a spare and it was an original tyre and was well in excess of 10 years old and in perfectly good condition considering that it did not have a cover over it.
I feel sure that if a caravan were fitted with mid range tyres, changing them at 7 years would not even be considered. Over the past year our caravan has probably done less than 1000 miles.

Caravan makers also fit the lowest load rating tyre they can get away with, typically just 10% over the axle rating to allow for side-to-side differences - car makers will fit tyres up to 50% higher rated than the axle rating - caravan tyres operating close to their limit are bound to give less reliability than car tyres.

 

[Buckman]

Caravan makers also fit the lowest load rating tyre they can get away with, typically just 10% over the axle rating to allow for side-to-side differences - car makers will fit tyres up to 50% higher rated than the axle rating - caravan tyres operating close to their limit are bound to give less reliability than car tyres.

On many twin axles car tyre s are fitted. I thought that on single axles it was commercial tyres with high load ratings, but probably as you state on 10% above axle rating on caravan. This is about right for our twin axle which has a MTPLM of 2000kg and tyres have a load rating of 90 or 600kg so safety margin of 200kgs.

 

[otherclive]

On many twin axles car tyre s are fitted. I thought that on single axles it was commercial tyres with high load ratings, but probably as you state on 10% above axle rating on caravan. This is about right for our twin axle which has a MTPLM of 2000kg and tyres have a load rating of 90 or 600kg so safety margin of 200kgs.

Caravan tyres do not have to be "C" rated it's the load index that prevails, although quite a number are "c" rated. There are two companies to my knowledge that make tyres specifically for caravans/trailers...Kenda and GT radial. I used Kenda on a Trigano pop top, and I had GT Radial Cargomax ST 6000 for five years on a 1400kg Bailey and I went for a higher load index than OEM. This was because when I had the payload upgraded by Bailey it was to 1400kg and the OEM tyres were at 1420kg total. Yet Bailey never said anything about requiring higher load rated tyre.

 

[Buckman]

By 'C' rated I assume to mean commercial? Our tyres are 175/65 R14 90 and I have not been able to find a car tyre higher rated tyre for load index.

 

[Beachball]

Change mine every 5 years......maximum.

After recent caravan service,they found a bulge on the n/s inner wall.
This tyre was 5 years old.
(Reminder to myself).....must check both inner and outer walls more regularly.👍

I am agreement with you when my caravan tyres are 5 years we will change them unless we find a bulge

 

[otherclive]

By 'C' rated I assume to mean commercial? Our tyres are 175/65 R14 90 and I have not been able to find a car tyre higher rated tyre for load index.

That is correct the "C" means commercial tyre and often this entries don't show and aspect ratio, but it's generally 80.

 

[RogerL]

That is correct the "C" means commercial tyre and often this entries don't show and aspect ratio, but it's generally 80.

It's standard that tyres without a profile % are assumed to be 80.

 

[Ern]

Caravans and motor caravans have a very high unladen weight compared to cars and Van's. A typical caravan is 85% or more loaded 100% of the time. The tyres just sit there 24/7/365 quite near to the loading limit. The same goes for the suspension. I check my caravan tyres thoroughly with good light, every few months. The likelihood of cracks is increased if the tyres are poorly made, and increased with age. To check well you must get under the caravan and examine the inside. I would not change them just because they are a certain age, but after 7 years I doubt if they are serviceable.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Caravans and motor caravans have a very high unladen weight compared to cars and Van's. A typical caravan is 85% or more loaded 100% of the time. The tyres just sit there 24/7/365 quite near to the loading limit. The same goes for the suspension. I check my caravan tyres thoroughly with good light, every few months. The likelihood of cracks is increased if the tyres are poorly made, and increased with age. To check well you must get under the caravan and examine the inside. I would not change them just because they are a certain age, but after 7 years I doubt if they are serviceable.

You make a valid point about the average weight of caravans vs cars, and about teh quality of teh tyre used, but I suspect its not the actual weight the tyre is carrying that's the biggest concern, but more likely the pressure at which they have to be inflated.

 

[Ern]

1. Vehicle Design. A highly loaded tyre will have a high surface bearing pressure. Increasing the size of the tyre so that the footprint area is increased, would reduce the surface bearing pressure. In real world this would require a tyre of greater load rating and would be difficult for many examples unless larger wheel rims too were used. Not practical or cost effective. The nature of caravans and motor caravans involves a higher proportion of the load rating being used, and therefore higher surface bearing pressure and more deflection of the tyre carcass.
2. Quality. Tyre construction specifications are a minefield. American ATR, and European ETRTO have now been supplemented by the once Japanes, now Aisian trade standards. The whole thing is a mess. An explosion of newbee producers has entered the market, in many cases making well known brand names. Some have become great and some haven't. Some brands are not producers at all, but simply buy what they can get and have the tyre branded.
If we want to avoid playing Russian Rulette, the only thing we can do is buy tyres of an established premium brand name, and carry out regular thorough inspections, from the first year onwards. If buying commercial tyres (as in C) then following the fleet van operators is a good move likely to involve longevity and economy. We aren't doing Forumala 1 here, so road holding performance is of no concern.

 

[RogerL]

If buying commercial tyres (as in C) then following the fleet van operators is a good move likely to involve longevity and economy. We aren't doing Formula 1 here, so road holding performance is of no concern.

Road holding performance IS of concern, although at the lower end of the scale - there are some cheap and nasty "ditchfinders" that need to be avoided - most caravans have tyres replaced on age, not wear, so grip is more important than longevity.

 

[Ern]

Road holding performance IS of concern, although at the lower end of the scale - there are some cheap and nasty "ditchfinders" that need to be avoided - most caravans have tyres replaced on age, not wear, so grip is more important than longevity.

Grip on a caravan? Are you using it for circuit racing?