I think this is a blessing in disguise to some extent. We had a puncture in one of our tyres on our twin axle. I managed to change the Tyre for the spare to get home.
Having looked at the Tyre it could not be repaired as the puncture was too close to the edge. We have Matador Stella 175/65 R14 86T MP15 Tyre's with a manufacture date of 2006. The Caravan is a 2007 model and never been changed by the looks of things.
Managed to order a slightly higher spec, load rating and plies, set of 4 so went for the Hankook RA18 Vantra LT Hankook RA 18 - 175/65 R14 C 90T TL as reading a number of reviews on various sites the Matador Tyre's seem to have some historic problems of the inside wall cracking long before the CC recommended 5 years change period.
I have checked all my Matador's and no inside cracking, however, 9 years old time for a change
Cheers Mick
------------- Regards
Mick + Tina
Good Bye To Our Abbey Spectrum 520, Hello To Our Elddis Crusader Cyclone
To me you sound like one of the most irresponsible people i have came across for not knowing how old the tires on your van were.9 years you say ? your lucky you didnt have a blow out and kill some one.If it were me,i would have kept it to myself.
Rubber compounds used in tyres contain anti-oxidising chemicals that help to slow down the natural ageing process of untreated rubber. However, tyres do deteriorate with age, which increases the risk of tyre failure, and there are many ways in which this can be spotted:
Cracking/crazing on the side wall of the tyre, caused by its flexing
Distortion of tyre tread
Deformation of the carcass of the tyre
There will also be a deterioration of the ride quality caused by vibrations through the tyre. This may signify the tyre's performance has been affected by age and should be investigated as soon as possible.
All tyres that display signs of ageing should be removed and not put to further use.
Tyres that have been in storage should not be placed into use if they are over 6 years old, from their date of manufacture. When a tyre has been in use, the effects of ageing are lessened to a degree, but such tyres should be replaced after 10 years.
The effects of ageing can be brought about prematurely in several conditions. Tyres fitted as spare wheels or used on caravans and trailers may age prematurely. If tyres on caravans or trailers are not in regular use, then they should be inspected before every journey. Tyres used predominantly in coastal areas will age at a greater rate due to the saline conditions, and several cleaning products may also harm the chemicals in the rubber.
In most circumstances tread depth can be used as a suitable indication of when tyres should be replaced - as tyre treads generally wear out before their age effects their performance. However, the age of a tyre will affect its safety and increase the risk of failure, and you should inspect tyres for the signs of aging regularly.
There is no law on age of tyres the below advise may help those that are worried about there tyyres.
So how do you find out the age of your tyre? First of all look for the DOT (Department of Transport) number on the side of the tyre. These were introduced in 2000, and tell you the week number and the year your tyre was manufactured. They are the last three, or four digits at the end of the DOT marking. If it’s older than five years, examine the side wall very closely. You’re looking for age-related cracking. This is like a very fine crazing on the sidewall. The sidewall’s only purpose is to protect the body ply underneath. That crazing allows water and moisture to seep into the tyre. It can then attack the body ply, which is like the tyre’s skeleton. Once that gets damp it starts to lose its tensile strength and the tyre is more likely to fail. And that’s when accidents can happen. -
Hi Mick + Tina, I think you were extremely lucky, not to have had a serious accident, blowouts can happen even with new tyres, with tyres 9 years old the chances are very significantly increased, to the point it is almost inevitable that you would have a blowout at some stage or another on your journey, I see by your little smillie, that you have come to realise that it is important to check tyres regularly, and especially before a long journey. Tyre replacement recommended 5 years 6 max. hope that helps.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
I have 2 sets of tyres and i cycle them around, old tyres are used for the winter or extended storage and the new tyres put on at the start of the season.
I replace the oldest ones and then the others get relegated to storage use.
Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 07/7/2015
To me you sound like one of the most irresponsible people i have came across for not knowing how old the tires on your van were.9 years you say ? your lucky you didnt have a blow out and kill some one.If it were me,i would have kept it to myself.
To me you sound like the biggest drama queen i have come across , Read the Rospa Site on tyres, our van is used at least once a month, no visible tyre degradation or cracking, i think i am being very responsible changing them in the first place, and within 10 years.
Mick
------------- Regards
Mick + Tina
Good Bye To Our Abbey Spectrum 520, Hello To Our Elddis Crusader Cyclone
Jeff to be honest I thought your original comment unnecessary, it added nothing at all that was positive.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
my dealer changed my tyres F.O.C. last service and he only fitted them the service before-yes they were only a year old! Van is 5 years old on 10/7/15 and on its third set already !
Hi. I can see where Jeff is coming from with his reply, as I was travelling along the road to Fort William following a twin axed caravan when it had a blowout on the narrow stretch of road at Glencoe, the van started to snake excessively, tyres left the road, the van started to tilt into a string of oncoming cars, I dread to think how many casualties there could have been if van had not self righted itself.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Quote: Originally posted by janus on 08/7/2015
Jeff to be honest I thought your original comment unnecessary, it added nothing at all that was positive.
Totally agree with you on this janus, I think Mick+Tina posted what happened to them to highlight how easy it is to not know how old the tyres were, although tyres that are moved regularly won't suffer the same deterioration problems as little used tyres so can be used for a lot longer, guidelines are only guidelines.
I thought this forum was to help people with problems, not to attack them for admitting something that happened to them.
------------- 1st stop Brands Hatch
2nd stop Thruxton
Last Stop Brands Hatch
Next Stop Bournemouth Air Show
i recently owned a 1955 green goddess fire engine.. how old the tyres were on that i have no idea i will just assume they were pretty old.. none of them showed any signs of age degradation..
tyres dont just fail.. not if inflated properly..
the strength of a tyre is in the textile and steel bracing not the thin coating of rubber which covers the side walls..
if the bracing is failing visible signs will always be there.. the tyre will have a slight bulge or twist in it.. i have seen plenty like this over the fifty odd years i have been driving and visually inspecting tyres..
as to the cause of the observed blow out and swerve in this thread.. the cause is completely unknown.. assuming it was caused by an "older" tyre is speculative nonsense..
change them at five years if it gives piece of mind by all means.. i dont but i do visually inspect them on a regular basis..
Hi trog (Quote) "as to the cause of the observed blow out and swerve in this thread.. the cause is completely unknown.. assuming it was caused by an "older" tyre is speculative nonsense..".
In my reply I did not, suggest, assume, imply, or speculate in any way the observed blowout was caused by an older tyre.
It was to illustrate what I observed happen & what could have happened in a blowout situation.
PS.
I did go to give assistance if required when the caravan eventually stopped at Corran, and observed the tyres had slight to severe cracking on the walls, tyres looked to be under inflated, and cracks clearly visible.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
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Topic: New Tyres
, Read the Rospa Site on tyres, our van is used at least once a month, no visible tyre degradation or cracking, i think i am being very responsible changing them in the first place, and within 10 years.
