Our caravan tyres are almost 5 years old ('Trailermaxx', fitted as original equipment by Bailey)
I'll be putting Michelin 'Agila' tyres on, and will have the wheel balanced as part of the fitting. No weights on the wheels at the moment, so I suppose they've been unbalanced from new.
I'm also considering adding 'Slime' sealant - the stuff that seals small punctures after the occur. This (AFAIK) sloshes around the tyre during motion, and seals when required.
Sounds good - but, what about the sloshing effect on wheel balance? I assume that it makes any such balancing by the tyre fitter worthless?
Anyone use the stuff?, any other thoughts on 'Slime'.
Tests by manufacturers have cast doubts on the benefits of balancing caravan tyres. Ironically one manufacturer that does balance their wheels had a problem with wheels coming adrift. Definitely not related to the wheels being balanced though.
In my experience,tyre sealants such as slime are a waste of money,they spurt out when under the kind of pressure used in caravan tyres(mine is 65psi)also,if the caravan isn't used for some time it sinks to the bottom,of the wheel,and some types solidify causing imbalance, tyre repair fitters hate it because it's messy,sticky,and hides the cause of the puncture,you cant go above 30mph when there is a pucnture,and its only a temporary repair.
try the rubber plug type with its own gas canisters as a short fix,used it on my motorbikes and that works much better
Don't bother with the goo, just fit new tyres & have them balanced. Caravan manufacturers don't balance their wheels purely as cost saving. They source tyres & wheels separately, including balancing would cost £10s of thousands p/a more. You can't feel unbalanced wheels on a caravan so why bother? But from an owners pov, of course they should be balanced, its pretty obvious that balanced wheels will cause less bearing wear.
I would not get a puncture fixed on my van, i would just get a new tyre as thats the safest way to go instead of,worrying if the repair will hold ?
BTW,5 years is a long time to get out a tire with maybe it sitting for months at a time.4 years max is when i change mine no matter what they look like as this avoids blow outs due to cracking.
Quote: Originally posted by RogerGoff on 07/1/2015You can't feel unbalanced wheels on a caravan so why bother? But from an owners pov, of course they should be balanced, its pretty obvious that balanced wheels will cause less bearing wear.
Very true you cannot feel it in the car, but the caravan can feel it and could end up vibrating when ti gets to a certain speed.
We have had our wheels balanced and no more open drawers on arrival at a site and the caravan does feel better to tow.
I personally feel that having the wheels balanced when having new tyres fitted would certainly not be detrimental to the towing of a caravan and could more than likely stop any unnecessary vibration.As to the the tyre sealant that is put into the tyre to repair any small punctures that may occur,I would be very wary of using it.This type of sealant usually means a major puncture that could be easily repaired,can lead to a new tyres being required as effective repair of the puncture cannot be carried out owing to the sealant not allowing effective bonding of the plug to the inside of the tyre. Personally I would not even carry it for and emergency,I would rather take the time to change the wheel,and hope any puncture could be repaired at a later stage.
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I agree with others on the 'goo' stuff, not worth the money in my opinion and in fact anything that could potentially hide an issue (even if it did successfully plug a puncture), isn't a brill idea in my book.
Incidentally, I found the correct Trailermaxx tyres at Event Tyres when I changed them on my former Bailey; Event came and fitted them on the drive, including balancing etc. Is there any specific reason you've gone for a different tyre?
hi i dont agree with all that rubbish in 20 years vanning ive never had the wheels balanced after having new tyres who came out with that idea all i do is to keep them clean and look after them cheers .tom
I think that balancing will do no harm, even if it doesn't do much good (and it's part of the fitting, so won't cost anything)
I'm tempted to put the Slime in, not because it will mask problems - but because a puncture could easily cause the tyre to shred and smash up the wheel arch - surely, if Slime stops that it's worth adding???
As I understand it, Slime is water based and is easily removable from the wheel when the tyres are changed.
I thought the point made by AL53HX was valid, though - the Slime will spend months just sitting at the bottom of the tyre, this could possibly have a detrimental affect on the Slime, the wheel, and the tyre itself.
I suppose, in essence, I'm just looking for a cheap alternative to Tyron bands
Quote: Originally posted by Hooray For Horace on 07/1/2015
but because a puncture could easily cause the tyre to shred and smash up the wheel arch - surely, if Slime stops that it's worth adding???
A puncture will cause deflation, shredding with flailing tread causing damage to body work is caused by failure of tyre caracass, ie a blowout & is not usually caused by a puncture, tyres fail thus because they are old & perished or are of insufficient load rating. Tyron bands will prevent deflated tyre coming off rim. Goo will help in none of these cases.
Provided you fit quality tyres of correct load index & replace after 5-6yrs carcass is unlikely to fail & punture with sharp object does not usally cause rapid deflation.
I would certainly get them balanced after they have been fitted, but I would sooner know if I had a puncture rather than wait for a total tyre failure!
out of balance tyres cause problems at high speed.. good quality tyres should not be that far out of balance anyway..
as for the goo it will effectively seal a hole in the tread area of a tyre whilst the wheel is in motion and spinning.. it could (would) effectively prevent a tyre from going flat whilst running at high speed..
as for shredding and blow outs.. the cause.. a normal puncture with the tyre going down and the driver completely unaware until the increased heat causes it to fail and shred..
if your caravan tyre survive a puncture you will be very lucky.. mostly it will be run flat at speed for long enough to shred and be completely wrecked..
i am not saying use goo or dont use goo or have your tyres balanced or not.. goo may hide a puncture but that may be preferable to actually having one in the first place which you most certainly would have without the goo.. :)
goo is pretty effective an blocking holes up.. as long as the goo is in the right place.. when the van is stood the goo will not be in the right place and the tyre may slowly go down.. personally i think this is better than the tyre going down at speed which is the alternative..
Quote: Originally posted by trog100 on 07/1/2015
out of balance tyres cause problems at high speed.. good quality tyres should not be that far out of balance anyway..
as for the goo it will effectively seal a hole in the tread area of a tyre whilst the wheel is in motion and spinning.. it could (would) effectively prevent a tyre from going flat whilst running at high speed..
as for shredding and blow outs.. the cause.. a normal puncture with the tyre going down and the driver completely unaware until the increased heat causes it to fail and shred..
if your caravan tyre survive a puncture you will be very lucky.. mostly it will be run flat at speed for long enough to shred and be completely wrecked..
i am not saying use goo or dont use goo or have your tyres balanced or not.. goo may hide a puncture but that may be preferable to actually having one in the first place which you most certainly would have without the goo.. :)
goo is pretty effective an blocking holes up.. as long as the goo is in the right place.. when the van is stood the goo will not be in the right place and the tyre may slowly go down.. personally i think this is better than the tyre going down at speed which is the alternative..
it is water based pretty harmless stuff..
trog
Thanks for that - you understood my reasoning perfectly. I don't care if I have to replace the tyre - but I don't want it to puncture and shred. Obviously, a puncture would be noticeable, but not as noticeable as on the car - and that short delay could be enough to destroy the tyre (and the wheel arch with it)
So, yes, I'm minded to add the Slime. However, what are your thoughts about the effect of the Slime liquid on wheel balance? - I'm assuming that running with the stuff sloshing about would render any balancing pointless?
I suppose the only other option is to dig deeper and buy Tyron bands.
I think most caravan punctures are probably side wall blow outs and nothing will save the tyre. Regular checking of the tyre pressures prior to any journey is probably a better solution.
It must be remembered that even if you have the goo inside the tyre and you do get a puncture, the tyre will lose some pressure with the result that the tyre walls will flex more causing a blow out.
If you are really that concerned, get a Tyre pressure monitor.
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Topic: Tyre Sealant & Wheel Balance
