New tyres
when its time to replace tyres (at 5 years old) is it necessary to replace with trailer tyres or is it legal and wise to replace with budget car tyres that (hopefully) will last considerablly longer, mileage dependant obviously, seems to me a waste to dispose of tyres with so much tread left
Comments
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I don't think the problem is with the tread wear but rather that the tyre compound hardens with age and becomes fragile.
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Caravan tyres virtually never have to be changed due to tread wear but degradation of the tyre compound due to UV Light etc and possible failure of the tyres structure particularily the side walls. Any sign of cracking is an example of this. Replacement
must be with a comparable tyre particularily as regards its Load Rating1 -
We've just replaced our caravan tyres after 6 yrs, and have done so with the equivalent rated small truck tyre, as advised by my regular tyre fitter, who is also a caravanner.
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Car tyres don't have a sufficiently high load rating.
It's normal to use van tyres, which have a higher load rating.
I bought some Hankook Vantra tyres for ours recently and they seem very good.
As others say, you will never wear out caravan tyres before they need replacing due to age.
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I had a tire fail on my two year old twin axle swift.
I was surprised that they are normal load rated car tyres.
The reason is that there are 4 tyes supporting the weight.
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Check the condition of your 5 year old tyres before you buy new. If they are still in good order (ie. no cracks and plenty of tread) you can continue to use them. The 5 year 'rule' is only advisory & not a legal requirement. When they do need replacing do a like for like change. By that I mean size and load rating. Most trailer only tyres will be 'N' speed rated and light truck tyres will have a higher speed rating.
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Tyres have been discussed on this forum many times. Chris (above) is quite correct in saying it isn't a legal requirement to change your tyres every 5 years, but the reason it is recommended is that caravan tyres have a 'hard life' in many respects, particularly in that they sit heavily loaded in one position for sometimes a very long time. This can lead to internal weakening of the plies, which won't be detectable from external inspection of the tyre.
For me, the risk assessment is that while the chances of an age related tyre failure will remain low even if you stretch out the life another couple of years, the potential harm of what will be a catastrophic tyre failure if it happens is so high, that the cost of a new pair of tyres every five years is worth it. This is personal choice at the end of the day, as is whether to have your caravan serviced or your gas appliances checked every year etc. They will probably be fine if you don't but do you risk getting gassed in the night or your brakes failing?
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I always use tyres suitable for light commercial vehicles which as well as the Load Index will also be "C" rated. recent purchases were Firestone Vanhawks. Having seen how they stood up to White Van man when in the wilds of Turkey they should be okay for the van. Firestone are owned by Bridgestone. Other that I have had were GT Radial Kargomax ST and Kenda KR 16 Kargopro.
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Twin axle caravans are not compensated. i.e. all the weight can be carried on one axle under eextreme conditions such as speed bumps etc. It would be unusual for all 4 tyres to carry equal weight. Is this why blow outs seem more frequent with twin axles? I would certainly increase the load rating. Maybe 50% is right.
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