Tyres
Hi all
we have just bought a secondhand motorhome,and will be picking it up on 5th august,and we have booked a CL for the following weekend.
We are new to this,but wanted to get a few trips in before the end of the season arround our work commitments. the vehicle is an 03 plate,and the tyres look ok,but not sure how old they are,and to be honest i dont think the dealer knows either.
we live live in essex,and are going to suffolk,a couple of hours driving each way,
we have read that tyres
should be changed regardless of condition after five years, would welcome any advise from you veterans, thanks from us newbies.
Comments
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Hi Kymart and welcome
Your last sentence is a recommendation only and is aimed at caravan tyres.
You are using a motor vehicle and I've never heard of any such a ruling for a car, van etc. You will of course be governed by the depth of legal tread which is a minimum of 1.6mm. I doubt a vehicle of 15 years old will be on original tyres anyway. I'm surprised about the dealer not knowing if he is selling them, seems odd to me. Is the dealer MOT/ servicing the van for you if so he should check the tyres. If not then check the tread depth and feel for splits and bulges, especially on the inner tyre walls. If in doubt take them to a reputable tyre dealership for their opinion.
Safe tyres are vital.
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Welcome to Motorhoming.
Five years is the time when you look at your tyres very carefully. They may not need changing at that point but by 7 - 8 years they probably will. You can see how old the tyres are by looking for a code on the tyre wall; it will be something like 1017 meaning that the tyre was made in the 10th week of 2017, 4015 means 40th week of 2015 and so on. As you are buying from a dealer he has the responsibility to ensure that the m'home is in reasonable condition for it's age ('mercantilable quality') and is fit for purpose ie roadworthy in every respect. If the dealer does not know how to tell how old the tyres are he should not be in business; just ask him to show you how old the tyres are, he should show you the code. He really should do a full mechanical and habitation service before you collect it. I assume your driving licence covers a motorhome?
Wise to go on a short local trip first. Get the seller to run through everything with you when you collect it and on you first trip do it all yourself to ensure you check everything and are familiar with all the various controls.
Post posting edit. Just seen other posting. It is not the law that tyres on caravans are changed at 5 years. But after this time they can deteriorate due to the sun and being static for prolonged periods.
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If you are picking up your new to you motorhome from a dealer they should have checked the condition of the tyres and hopefully they would not be passing on a vehicle with obvious defects?
If you do need to change them you should seriously think about a good set of motorhome tyres like Michelin Camper or Continentals
See picture below for where to look for age.
David
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Two bits of my experience with tyres. My wife's last car had only done 25k miles from new and at 7 years old, on close examination, all the tyres had cracks around the sidewalls and had to be changed, regardless of the fact that they still had 5mm of tread on them.
I have just had to change the tyres on our three and a half year old Bailey Barcelona when I discovered serious cracks and splits in the sidewall of one of them. The tyres were Michelin - so a reputable make, supposedly, - and the van is in use for at least a week every month, so hasn't been sitting there idle. Although the other three looked OK, they have been changed as well just to be on the safe side. Again, there was plenty of tread left at 7mm.
Having experienced a blow-out on a boat trailer a few years ago - on the M5, I never want to go through that experience again.
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Over the years, I have twice changed tyres on 2 low mileage VW polo's which had plenty of tread left and were technically "legal". On both occasions they were 7 or 8 years old, a quality brand, and on both occasions it involved all 4 tyres. On both occasions there were tiny cracks visible but only on very close inspection. On the first car one tyre split open on the drive overnight and on the second, I changed them all on finding the age and more tiny cracks. I understand a blow-out at speed is a memorable experience, should you survive .....
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The advice provided so far is sensible. There is an easy guide from an independent organisation which pulls it all together for you:
https://www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/motorhome-tyre-safety/
It includes a tyre pressure calculator but you will need to know your van's individual axle loadings [search and you will find advice on how to get your van weighed] to get the recommended tyre pressures. You can also ring up your tyre manufacturer if you know your axle loadings - Michelin and Continental are used to such requests.
I suggest you get the dealer to provide you with a weighbridge ticket for the overall weight and the loading on each axle. Then you can work out the loading margin you have. Do not overload the van or individual axles.
It might sound like a mind field but take one step at a time and you will be fine. Keep asking questions!
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Thank you all for your support and advise,i drive a petrol tanker for a living and as such have to check my tyres every time i start a shift,so i am aware of all the legal stuff and condition of road wothiness,but the thing that that threw me was if the vehicle has been standing for long periods of time,its an 03 with 18500 mls on clock,would the structure of the tyre be weak in one place.
Anyway will give the tyres a realy good look over when we pick it up,and check the age rating on tyre thanks for that info as i was not aware it was on there.
bye for now martin
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It is totally dependant on how long they have stood for. Assuming it gets a good run 4 or 5 times a year then you should have no issues. Van tyres run at high pressure and are usually C rated or 8 ply so are very robust. They do flat spot (particularly in summer) but they soon round off after a few miles.
The age issue is far more important, check the date code.
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It may pay to cover the tyres if the vehicle is parked in a way that tyres get full sun in the day.
Put your hand on the side wall of the tyre after it has been in full sun for a few hours, you'll get the message !
You can get tyre covers from silver screen manufactuers such as TaylorMade.( other makers etc)
Rgds
Only to add that tyres for mhomes can be different from white van man tyres, The mohome stands around for longer periods, is heavier, so flat spots and side wall deformation may take place.
WVMan tends not to have these problems as the tyres are constantly flexed when driving.
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