Tyre wear problem

[Sam Vimes]

I had my caravan serviced yesterday and they noticed that one of the tyres has uneven wear. The inside edge has become somewhat smooth. This is reminiscent of tracking problems on cars. Do Caravans have similar issues?

The tyres are 5 year old according to the date code but we've only been running on them for the last 3.5 years . Probably less than 8K miles. Tread depth is 5mm.

Its possible is just the trye. Ovation V-02. Some years ago I had two Avon tyres fitted to my car. After a few thousand miles there was uneven wear on the outer edge of the front two. I got the tracking etc checked and it was correct. Further investigation showed that I was not alone having this problem. When I discussed it with the local garage they were aware of the problems and were not recommending or fitting Avon tyres any more.

 

[otherclive]

I’ve never had uneven wear to the side. Could it be your suspension going out of line or sagging?

 

[Jcloughie]

The caravans geometry may well be out of true. But there is no adjustment so far as I am aware.

The tyres should be changed at 5 years anyway. Even if this is perhaps too often, at least it is on the safe side. It is nothing to do with the ‘used for’ duration.

In your case, the scrubbing may cause a detrimental affect on mpg.

John

 

[Jcloughie]

I’ve never had uneven wear to the side. Could it be your suspension going out of line or sagging?

Yes, or worn bearings. But he would soon know about that.

John

 

[Dustydog]

Are there many roundabouts on Skye?😜
How old is your unit?
If the heights are ok just replace the tyres

 

[Sam Vimes]

What's a roundabout? Are they to be found at the bottom of potholes of which we have an abundance.

I checked the suspension and as far as I can see both sides are the same height but I can't check for stiffness. Can't work out yet how to check chassis alignment.

The unknown fact is - This has never been picked up in previous services. So has it occured just this year - not good. Or has it been a gentle wear problem and no previous service has been as thorough as this one ( although same place as last year but....)

We're finished this year anyway and I think I may put the spare on at the start of next year and change the tyres at the end of the season, providing nothing more serious occurs.

Does anyone rotate their caravan tyres? I do on my car.

 

[otherclive]

What's a roundabout? Are they to be found at the bottom of potholes of which we have an abundance.

I checked the suspension and as far as I can see both sides are the same height but I can't check for stiffness. Can't work out yet how to check chassis alignment.

The unknown fact is - This has never been picked up in previous services. So has it occured just this year - not good. Or has it been a gentle wear problem and no previous service has been as thorough as this one ( although same place as last year but....)

We're finished this year anyway and I think I may put the spare on at the start of next year and change the tyres at the end of the season, providing nothing more serious occurs.

Does anyone rotate their caravan tyres? I do on my car.

I never rotated my caravan tyres other than when moving it. 😂

On the car which is FWD I move back to front when the front are worn. Then put new tyres to rear. Tyres are unidirectional so not conducive to rotation. Currently front are summer Continental with 5mm, rears are quite new Goodyear Vector all seasons with 7.5mm.

 

[Dustydog]

This from Caravan Talk may help you. How many miles have these tyres done?

Excessive wear on the inside of one tyre. Possible causes and fixes.

Hi all, Just had a new mover fitted to our 2020 Bailey and the fitter showed me the wear on one of the tyres. Its very, very noticeable (once you know its there) on the inside. Its only about 2 inches from the edge the rest of the tyre is fine. He suggested that the axle may be bent and could hav...

www.caravantalk.co.uk

 

[Hutch]

I have not had the wear on one side of my caravan tyres.
I know this next statement will create controversy, but my tyres are now almost 7 years old, on my caravan. Totally no ageing cracks or problems,
There is nothing from tyre manufacturers to say replace tyres at Xx years old except for commercial vehicles.
So why should I replace my tyres, I have tyre pal , pressure sensors, as an added safety measure.

 

[Buckman]

Have the wheels been balanced. They should be good for another 2- 3 years however being Ovation brand tyres I would dump them as soon as possible.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Wear such as you have discovered on your caravan can only have a limited number of cause. The fact its appears to be very even all the way round the the edge of the tyre points to a tracking error.

I'm not aware of any adjustments that you can make on a caravan chassis for tracking, so it suggests its a component that might be damaged.

A worn wheel bearing,
bent stub axle,
damaged swing arm,
damaged/bent cross caravan torsion tube.

I have once come across a tyre that was faulty, but it didn't affect the whole circumference

 

[Buckman]

Wear such as you have discovered on your caravan can only have a limited number of cause. The fact its appears to be very even all the way round the the edge of the tyre points to a tracking error.

I'm not aware of any adjustments that you can make on a caravan chassis for tracking, so it suggests its a component that might be damaged.

A worn wheel bearing,
bent stub axle,
damaged swing arm,
damaged/bent cross caravan torsion tube.

I have once come across a tyre that was faulty, but it didn't affect the whole circumference

Interesting. Would a collapsed rubber possibly cause the issue? I am not a mechanical just going by what I have read in the past about caravan dropping on one side.

 

[Dustydog]

Prof has pointed out all the possibilities. The remedy ,is not simple.
According to Al-ko the tracking is adjustable, at their factory!

https://caravanchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/caravan-chassis-handbook.pdf

If there is no sign of a collapsed axle nor external damage I’d buy two new tyres and see how they go

 

[ProfJohnL]

Interesting. Would a collapsed rubber possibly cause the issue? I am not a mechanical just going by what I have read in the past about caravan dropping on one side.

The rubber is part of the torsion tube, so yes. Anything that causes the swing arm to lose its correct alignment could cause uneven tyre wear.

Prof has pointed out all the possibilities. The remedy ,is not simple.
According to Al-ko the tracking is adjustable, at their factory!

https://caravanchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/caravan-chassis-handbook.pdf

If there is no sign of a collapsed axle nor external damage I’d buy two new tyres and see how they go

I wold swap the wheels over That will extend the set's working life, and show if the problem was tyre or chassis/axle related.

 

[Sam Vimes]

Thanks for all your replies and thoughts.

Today I went under the caravan to see if I could spot anything obvious. The suspension arms look to be in the correct position as per the chassis handbook that Dustydog posted a link to. I measured the gound to chassis distance and both sides are within a couple of mm of each other.

Hand a short lived panic when I looked at the nearside suspension and noticed a large lump of iron that wasn't on the offside. Then realised it was the bit that holds the receiver for the Alko-Secure lock. - phew. I wonder if I can remove it and save a kilo or two

The axle shows no sign of damage and neither does anything else I could easily see.

So, as per some suggestions I'm just going to swap the tyres around and keep an eye on things. Caravan is now having a rest before the season starts again next year. That's when I'll swap them.

Thanks

 

[Dustydog]

We as it the NS or OS tyre?
What sort of roads have you been useing and where?

 

[Sam Vimes]

OS tyre.

Furthest we venture for example is Northumberland. This entails the majority of driving through the Highlands hilly and bendy roads. Then some on dual carriageway and goodish A roads.

The roads near home are not good....potholes which are unavoidable to some extent when towing. Not always deep or sharp just bad surfaces. I know where most are so slow down.

Just remembered.... One roundabout as you come onto Skye from the Skye Bridge.

 

[Dustydog]

OS tyre.

Furthest we venture for example is Northumberland. This entails the majority of driving through the Highlands hilly and bendy roads. Then some on dual carriageway and goodish A roads.

The roads near home are not good....potholes which are unavoidable to some extent when towing. Not always deep or sharp just bad surfaces. I know where most are so slow down.

Just remembered.... One roundabout as you come onto Skye from the Skye Bridge.

A mystery🤔
NS I had some theories. Try out the changes and review next season

 

[Buckman]

They are cheap and nasty Ovation tyres!

 

[Martin_E]

Are all the heavy items on the o/s such as fridge?
I asked Al-Ko about this some years ago everything measured correctly, their theory said it could probably point overloading on that side, full fridge etc. I guess it could also be exasperated by low tyre pressure

 

[Buckman]

Are all the heavy items on the o/s such as fridge?
I asked Al-Ko about this some years ago everything measured correctly, their theory said it could probably point overloading on that side, full fridge etc. I guess it could also be exasperated by low tyre pressure

Our first brand new Lunar a 2004 model had oven, fridge and battery all on one side with the double bed at the rear. It was hairy to tow and if you were not careful it would start snaking. We took a hit and traded it in within 7 months.

 

[Sam Vimes]

Are all the heavy items on the o/s such as fridge?
I asked Al-Ko about this some years ago everything measured correctly, their theory said it could probably point overloading on that side, full fridge etc. I guess it could also be exasperated by low tyre pressure

Thanks for the reply, Martin.

This is something I did think about and indeed the fridge is over the OS and other stuff gets loaded on that side as well. However, the wear on the tyre is on the inside edge and if the van was leaning to towards the OS then I'd expect the wear to be on the outside edge. Well, that's my theory anyway.

I always check the tyre pressures before towing.

 

[otherclive]

Are all the heavy items on the o/s such as fridge?
I asked Al-Ko about this some years ago everything measured correctly, their theory said it could probably point overloading on that side, full fridge etc. I guess it could also be exasperated by low tyre pressure

My Swift had spare wheel, battery, water heater, sink kitchen, cooker and wardrobe (heavy table inside it) toilet/shower all on the offside. I didn’t have any uneven tyre wear but the offside suspension went. I contacted Swift and they told me the 55/45 weight ratio had been accounted for. But when tyres were changed I upgraded to higher load index. When loading the van most of the stuff went to the nearside. It towed very well.