Tyre shock

Jan 14, 2019
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Gentleman came out to fit Alko shock absorbers and informed us that tyres we had on our caravan were 2005
Even though they were in excellent condition as van hadn't been used for touring they were well out of date
He checked spare as that had never been used but again 2005
Hopefully the dealer no we bought van off will sort this out
Glad we haven't used caravan yet as Dot number was on inside tyre and not on outside so we couldnt see it
He's putting shockers on when tyres are replaced
 
May 24, 2014
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I had an issue yesterday at annual service on a 30 month old caravan, tyres perished and dangerous.
Get em changed, they arent that expensive.
 
Jan 14, 2019
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They will be changed all 5
Either by myself or dealer
just a shock
though was told previous owner had never used it as a tourer
but would have thought dealer would have checked tyres
Considering they delivered it as well and drove 100 miles
 
Nov 6, 2006
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Caravan dealers are like car dealers, they won't tell you what is wrong or needed, you have to ask the question. In the end its always better to have a proposed purchase independently inspected, so the engineer is acting in your interests.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Especially with second hands goods (not just caravans) the buyer should always be thourough in their checks on the goods they are thinking of buying.

Items like tyres will always deteriorate, and of course may have been subject to damage or abuse that may not always be visible.

If you ask a dealer or seller a question about the goods they are required to answer it honestly. They may not know the answer, but they should tell you they don't know, rather than tell a lie.
 
Jan 14, 2019
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Well tyres are £399 for 5 and mobile call out for the 5 fitted is only £50 so happy
Dealer gave us £100 towards tyres as they said could get them for £40 each
Least unknown they are good tyres
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Tina2047 said:
Well tyres are £399 for 5 and mobile call out for the 5 fitted is only £50 so happy
Dealer gave us £100 towards tyres as they said could get them for £40 each
Least unknown they are good tyres

Rather expensive for caravan tyres and not very generous of the dealer to offer only £100. They should have offered at least £40 x 5 as the tyres were not fit for purpose therefore caravan was not fit for purpose of touring!
However you have gone ahead so enjoy touring with your caravan!
 
May 7, 2012
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Sixty pounds a tyre looks reasonable to me. Not sure how old the caravan is but if the tyres were 2005 I assume the caravan is of a similar age. The tyres should have been roadworthy which they were probably were given it was towed 100 miles which would make anything more than getting a gesture from the dealer unlikely.
Changing the tyres after a specified period is advice rather than a requirement, and so I doubt any tyre that has no visible cracks or damage is technically unroadworthy in the legal sense.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Buckman said:
Tina2047 said:
Well tyres are £399 for 5 and mobile call out for the 5 fitted is only £50 so happy
Dealer gave us £100 towards tyres as they said could get them for £40 each
Least unknown they are good tyres

Rather expensive for caravan tyres and not very generous of the dealer to offer only £100. They should have offered at least £40 x 5 as the tyres were not fit for purpose therefore caravan was not fit for purpose of touring!
However you have gone ahead so enjoy touring with your caravan!

Without knowing the make of tyre it’s not possible to take a view on whether they are expensive or not. Apart from Kendo and GT Radial I’m not aware of any other tyre makes that specifically market tyres for caravan applications. Their tyre walls are embossed accordingly. However if the OP bought Hankook Vantra LT then the price paid is par for the course. Same as if Michelin or any other quality brand was used. Given the caravan tyre is so highly loaded and tends to run at higher pressures than car tyres, and can spend lengthy periods static I know where I would place my money. Why should a caravan tyre be cheap?
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Changing the tyres after a specified period is advice rather than a requirement, and so I doubt any tyre that has no visible cracks or damage is technically unroadworthy in the legal sense.-Quoted above.
I agree,mine are stamped 2014 so was going to renew them this year,whilst I serviced it the other day I thoroughly checked them over,no wear or cracking,so I'll keep my eye on them every so often.

P.s mods how do I quote a part of someone's reply,as per above? Cheers.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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The other advantage of buying mainstream tyre makes for the caravan is that the age when purchased is likely to be quite a bit younger than if a non mainstream make were bought. I once had dealer fit two tyres, and when I looked at the manufacture date they were already 15 months old. Off they came. I now use only mainstream quality tyres bought online from the larger outlets such as Blackcircles or Pneus Online. Some are still warm from the moulds.
 
May 24, 2014
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well my caravan got Tyron bands on they were checked at a caravan dealer he said they are only 2 years old

Sorry, didnt mean to throw you offtrack. Its the way the code is written. You are seeing 2017 and assuming that is the year. Agreed, your tyres are two yeears old. A similar code would read 3617, week 36 of 2017. The first two digits refer to the week, the second to the year. I wasnt at all disputing the age of your tyres.
 
Jun 20, 2017
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I thought I would add a note to this thread.
We were away down south at the end of may, checked tyres and tyre pressures at that point and all was well.
Booked to go away for the weekend so Friday morning got my compressor fired up and pressure gauge out.
Checked tyre pressure on first tyres needed a slight adjustment, on putting the valve cover on, I noticed some crazing to the tyre wall, looking harder there was a split just above the rim! Checked other tyre and similar story.
Weekend cancelled and new, quality tyres ordered.
Having one tyre done tomorrow and one Tuesday (just to save taking both tyres off together)
Looking at the first tyre before putting it in the boot, inner face, away from kerb, is perfect.
Caravan was new in 2017, tyres show manufacture date of 2016.
Off again for the bank holiday then a good trip to the New Forest in September, didn’t need the expense but pleased my pre trip routine helped to avoid a possible blow out?
Just shows that the usual 5 year rule for tyres needs to be used with caution.

Kev
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Thank for that salutary reminder that you can’t just go by age alone and that they do need checking periodically. What make were your tyres. I assume that being on a new Swift they would have been a reputable manufacturer. Mine were Hankook back in 2012 and I replaced them with the same in early 2017.
 
Jun 20, 2017
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The I will look at the make Clive, makes you wonder how many vehicles are riding round with defective tyres,

Note. Tyres are made by Durun, a Chinese brand and seems to be a brand that swift use.
Lots to read on the web regarding their poor performance.

Check you tyres!

Kev
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Kevin2306 said:
The I will look at the make Clive, makes you wonder how many vehicles are riding round with defective tyres,

Note. Tyres are made by Durun, a Chinese brand and seems to be a brand that swift use.
Lots to read on the web regarding their poor performance.

Check you tyres!

Kev

Thanks, that’s interesting as it seems that Swift moved away from their policy of using more mainstream tyre brands as a way of providing more assurance to customers. Probably a cost saving measure.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Here’s a link from the CMHC website forum where someone with a Sprite of similar vintage found cracks on the inside walls of their Durum tyres. This in a van used regularly and never static for longer than two months.

Even though I have Hankook Vantra fitted I will be crawling underneath when the van comes out of storage. I suppose it’s a way of keeping my 70+ year old body supple. Hobbies are supposed to be enjoyable not keeping you on a knife edge for the subsequent safety event. The last time I crawled under a car to check tyres was as I returned home in my off road Pajero after a day out on green lanes. But that was self preservation in case a jagged rock had cut a tyre. Not because of rubbish OEM supply.

https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/discussions/information-technical-tips-advice/caravans/caravan-tyres-11/
 
May 24, 2014
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Been through that very scenario just a few weeks ago. In my case the caravan had been standing though at the dealers. Tyres were just about 4 years old, so it just goes to show that the recommended time span before changing the tyres through age is bunkum.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Thingy said:
Been through that very scenario just a few weeks ago. In my case the caravan had been standing though at the dealers. Tyres were just about 4 years old, so it just goes to show that the recommended time span before changing the tyres through age is bunkum.

I think the advice is tyres should be regularly checked for deterioration or damage and should be change between 5 to 7 years anyway. Just going by age is no guarantee of a tyre roadworthiness.
 
Jun 1, 2019
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I always upgrade my tyres to C (commercial) rated ones. I'm not saying 8 ply tyres will fare any better than regular ones but it gives you a bit more confidence, maybe! :)
 
Nov 11, 2009
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[sub][/sub]
Tourer-Ted said:
I always upgrade my tyres to C (commercial) rated ones. I'm not saying 8 ply tyres will fare any better than regular ones but it gives you a bit more confidence, maybe! :)

Swift were fitting C grade tyres around 2010 onwards but seem to have gone back to budget. C grade won't stop rubber deterioration which is caused by UV exposure, and lack of rotation. The rotation on the road enables the tyers protectant additives to stay distributed.

By the way although some adverts still say 8 ply its not relevant to modern radial tyres its a left over from cross ply days.
 

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