Under pressure

[Nathan]

Hi, I'm most confused when it comes to the correct tyre pressure and am now worried I might over-inflate my tyres on my caravan thus risking a nerve shredding blow-out on the motorway on my next trip.
I have blown all the tyres on my Land Rover Freelander 2 tyres to 32psi (as recommended in the manual) but was startled to see the recommended psi for my Swift Danette 6-berth was a whopping 54psi.
Can this be right? Do I really have to inflate the caravan tyres so much more than those on the tow car? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Is it a single or twin axle?
What is its MTPLM?
What are the max pressure and load limits printed on the tyres?

For a single axle the approx tyre pressure is half of MTPLM divided by max load printed on tyre, multiplied by the max pressure stated on the tyre.

For twin axle it is half of the above.

YES - caravan tyre pressures can be quite high. My single axle Lunar requires 58 psi per tyre. Caravans tend to use light commercial vehicle tyres as they have the higher load index.

 

[swpostie]

Basically - yes!

Remember, the weight of your caravan is spread over just two wheels (assuming it's a single axle) rather than your car's four.

You can find more information here:

http://www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/caravan-tyre-safety/load-and-inflation-tables/

 

[Thingy]

If it puts yout mind at rest, my pressures on a single axle are 59 psi. Check the info on your tyre sidewalls. It gives a maximum pressure along with all the other stuff.

 

[NigelHutson]

As others have pointed out, 54 psi is not high in caravanland! Our own caravan (single axle with MTPLM of 1500kg) has pressures of 65 psi.

 

[Hutch]

As Nigel has stated, our Coachman 560 VIP has tyre pressures Max of 65 psi. The tyres have a stronger sidewall by construction. Just make sure that your tyres are rated to take the load of your caravan and previous owners have not changed them for "Car tyres" which may not have the same loading rate.

 

[Raywood]

ours has 54 and previous caravans were all similar so do not worry. As for the tow car that looks low and we use the fully laden figure which is far higher for towing but you need to check your handbook.

 

[chrisn7]

Caravans by definition have a MTPLM, so a tyre is chosen by the manufacturer that will have a suitable load index, and this will include a safety factor, in case of minor overloading There is no need to have a higher load index, since there is no expectation that the MTPLM will be exceeded. A so-called 'car tyre' is perfectly acceptable as long as its meets the load index figure.

Light commercials on the other hand may have highly variable loads, and again will therefore need to have a tyre with a load index to meet the maximum load allowed to be carried. Tyres may be made in a given size, but with a range of load indexes, and those with a higher index may be referred to a 'van tyres' or 'reinforced' tyres. As above there is no need to buy these since you will never get anywhere near applying the the loads for which they are intended.

There have been several mentions of checking out the maximum pressure on the tyre sidewall. However this may not be present as it is not AFAIAA a legal requirement. The Firestones fitted 6 months ago by my dealer have no pressures on them at all.