As we know motorhomes do not really do lots of miles per year,In some cases I am told the tyres can last several years,I belive it is reccomended that you change your tyres every 5/6 years regardless of tread etc.Does anyone have any opinions or experience on this subject.thanks
The "recommendation" is to change your tyres after 7 years, many caravanners change after 5/6 years as a blow out on a caravan can be devastating even if the van does not turn over the damage caused to the underside of the van by the tyre can rip holes in the van floor.
How ever on a motor home with 4 wheels providing thorough checks for cracking in the treads & walls is done then 7 years should be OK
I had a rear blowout on what appeared to be an excellent tyre and it ripped the side skirt off.
The tyre fitter reckoned it was about three years old, so that arguemeint didn't hold water in my case!
A 'blowout' can be defined as rapid delflation of tyre. Usually the tread will partially separate from carcass & its the flailing tread that causes the bodywork damage. Manufacturers probably do not see the need for 'use by' dates as most tyres used on cars/vans will be worn out in 3yrs or much less.
So arguably the time limits suggested for low mileage caravan/motorhome tyre change are probably about right. Tyres can fail before that time for all sorts of reasons, it could be existing damage that is not noticed by owner or tyre of incorrect load index could have been fitted. Possibly 'budget' tyres are more prone to failure than premium brands?
Motorhome specific tyres are available which have stronger sidewalls & more suited to long periods standing & also it might be a good idea to cover tyres when van is standing long periods to protect from sun damage.
Low mileage motorhome use is usually very different from other low mileage vehicle use which might be a car just running regularly around a local area. A motorhome often stands still for months & then goes on a motorway trip of 100s of miles which would seem a poor regime for tyre use. So really one can only go on what seems sensible. I would say that 6 yrs seems about right & probably fitting premium brand motorhome specific tyres would give one the best chance.
The tyre remained in one piece, but the sudden deflation made the rim split it down the side wall.
I'd had two previously on a caravan, and they were nothing like this one.
I bit the bullet and changed the other three too.
October was an expensive month!
I would have thought it's the amount of mileage you do each year and/or the effect of the MH standing on the same spot for a long time which will affect how long your tyres last.
If you do a high mileage each year it will obviously wear away the treads.
Conversely having the MH stood on the same part of the tyre for month after month, think winter time, will cause that part of the tyre to bear all the weight and probably cause cracks to appear in one part of the tyre before the rest of the tyre.
About five years of average driving, say 30,000 – 40,000 miles, would be about the time to really think hard about replacement.
The last thing you want is your pride and joy having a blow out, especially when many MH only have the stupid rubber filler packs and no spare wheel, when you're away from home.
Cracks usually appear after a few years whatever mileage you've done and although most slight cracking is not a problem it would be best to check with a reputable, and hopefully trustworthy, tyre dealer whether they consider the extent of the problem requires you to renew your tyres before there's a real problem.
I have a ten year old Michelin Camping tyre which hasn't even touched the road yet to be used as a spare.
If it has to be fitted in an emergency it would be driven steadily to the nearest tyre depot for repairs or replacement to the damaged tyre but not used as a regular tyre.
Getting the correct tyre pressures, driving sensibly and checking them regularly will extend their life considerably but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and spend money on replacing them as old age takes the toll on them.
Quote: Originally posted by old chap on 19/12/2014
How ever on a motor home with 4 wheels providing thorough checks for cracking in the treads & walls is done then 7 years should be OK
We had a blowout soon after our MH passed its MoT when I'd thought such things were checked. Treads were much deeper than required, so there had been no warning noted on the certificate. Being an old vehicle, it had a spare tyre, but the AA man condemned that one too. (5 new tyres, who said campging was a cheap hobby?) Our blowout meant sudden barely controllable steering, OH managed to haul us into a bus-stop or else we'd have been stuck on a very busy dual carriageway; the wall of the tyre had a hole in it. Don't know how old the tyres were as we'd bought the vehicle second hand but I vaguely remember reading later that tyres have a date stamp on the wall and you should ensure you buy one that hasn't been sitting at the fitters for years deteriorating quietly.
Just after our motorhome passed its mot I read an article on tyres regarding age etc.I went out to check my tyres and everyone exhibited sidewall cracking .No advisory notice was issued with the mot .4 new tyres were fitted and I asked the fitter how old my tyres were.He told me they were made in 2007.My motorhome was registered in 2009 ! My new tyres fitted in July had a week 13, year 2014 stamp on them.I think £400 is a small price to pay for safety.
We had a tread tear off a kumho tyre that was only a year old. It caused around a thousand pounds worth of damage. The tyre company said he had never seen that before, I have but only on remoulds, this was supposed to be a new commercial tyre
We bought ours recently I checked the date on the tyres, and although they all had loads of tread left they had been on since 2006, so had the 4 changed.
The date your tyres were made will be on the sidewall in the form of four numbers usually preceded by the letters DOT. These numbers represent the week number and year, so 3410 will be week 34, 2010.
5/6 years old. Change them. Also remember the spare, that could be old too even if full of tread. Mine was when suddenly required this year. Never been used, (and a pig to shift) but that's another story. It got us home but only just. Suddenly went flat. Side walls crazed and just gave up.
Tyres are CHEAP. Motorhomes are not and you are a long time dead.
Another very important factor is the tyre pressure. Blowouts are often caused by under inflated tyres getting too hot. The rubber "de-vulcanises" , weakening the side wall/tread causing total failure.
Sometimes you can be warned by the hot rubber smell when you pull up.
------------- cramming for my finals in the twilight zone
I was in the 'Tyre' business for 20 years until I retired, I am amused sometimes by the theories put forward by laymen or the friends of same, Firstly a blowout is a misnomer, tyres 'blowout' because of deflation causing over heating, tyre falls into the well of the wheel and gets chewed up, the debris flies off causing the eventual damage some of you have mentioned. The age of tyres are not that important, it's the usage, you will often find the inside wall of the tyre is not affected, the outside takes all the weather and most cracks are just cosmetic and if you had a spare from new that had not been used it is just as good as a brand new tyre and it would not bother me at all using it. There is a well documented case in France, of a Citroen car owned by a farmer that had done over 100000 miles on the same set of Michelin ZX tyres and he used it every day, all I would say is that you try to use your motorhome as much as possible, mine is in storage and drive it round the site every week and check the pressures regularly.
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Topic: tyres on a motorhome
