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Caravan Tyres

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To buy caravan tyres online click here, or call our national sales team on 0800 028 9000 to discuss your requirements.

Caravan tyres can become overlooked because they are often half hidden under the vehicle, combined with the hassle of maneuvering the caravan in and out a tyre depot. etyres mobile fitting service means you don’t need to move your caravan, we can fit tyres even in narrow driveways.

Caravan tyre care

Before any trip make sure you look carefully for signs of aging and damage including cuts, lumps, embedded objects and cracks in the sidewall. Watch our video here on how to check if your tyres need to be replaced.

Tread depth

When checking the tread depth remember that caravan tyres, like all car or light commercial tyres must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in order to be legal and roadworthy. However, due to relatively low mileage and infrequent use the rubber and tyre quality may deteriorate before this tread depth of 1.6mm is reached. It is because of this that it is good practice to replace all the tyres every three years, and essential that they are replaced before they are five years old. The ‘how old are my tyres’ section of this page gives a step by step guide on identifying tyre age.

Tyre pressure

Having correctly inflated tyres on both the towing vehicle and the caravan are essential for safety and stability. Incorrectly inflated tyres are more likely to suffer from a blowout resulting in loss of control of the vehicle and potentially fatal accidents. Maintaining the correct tyre pressure will increase the life of the tyre by ensuring even tread wear and increasing fuel economy. When under-inflated the force needed to make tyres turn in greater, this means that the engine needs more fuel to work harder.

Always check your caravan tyre pressures before each journey and always when the tyres are cold. The correct pressure per square inch (psi) settings can be found in your vehicle handbook, make sure to note the different pressure settings required dependent on the weight added to the caravan, and see the overloading section below for more information.

Tyre overloading

All caravan tyres are designed to carry a specific load or weight, an overloaded caravan tyre will quickly overheat greatly increasing the risk of the tyre blowing out, for single axle caravans this is particularly dangerous. The load index is shown on the sidewall of all caravan tyres immediately behind the size coding and in front of the speed letter code e.g. 175/80/R/13 97T. Here 97 is the load index; this load rating is very important for the handling, stability and overall safety of the vehicle. To be legal, and safe, a single axle caravan must have tyres designated as suitable to carry at least half of the maximum allowable weight or Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM). The load index number represents the maximum weight limit in kilograms for that tyre, for instance a pair of car tyres index coded 79 may not be used on a caravan with a MTPLM in excess of 874 kg.

Tyre impact damage

Sidewall impact damage of caravan tyres is quite common because of the relative ease with which kerbs can be clipped while towing. The high stress loading when a sidewall impact occurs causes the plys between the tyre sidewall to delaminate. This is sometimes, but not always, visible if air escapes and forms a bubble between the plys. During cornering the load on caravan tyres can be up to one and half tonnes meaning a weaker tyre may suffer from a blowout, a bulge in the sidewall of any tyre cannot be repaired and calls for immediate replacement. If you have noticed such damage on your own vehicle click here to buy tyres online, or call our national sales team on 0800 028 9000.

Storing your tyres

When preparing your caravan for storage over the winter months don’t forget to make sure your tyres are protected to help extend their life. Firstly, examine all the tyres for signs of damage, make sure they are cleaned with water to remove traces of any chemicals and petrol that can cause the rubber to deteriorate. If possible jack the caravan up to release the pressure on the tyres and turn them frequently, it is also advisable to cover the tyres to protect them from harmful UV rays.

How old are my caravan tyres?

Older tyres are more prone to blowouts irrespective of the tread left on them, as a result it is recommended that tyres are changed before they reach five-years-old.

It is very simple to find out how old your caravan tyres are. The date of manufacture is shown on the sidewall of all caravan tyres, close to the wheel rim. Please see the image below for the DOT (US Department of Transport) code. DOT codes are tyre identification numbers, since the year 2000 tyre manufacturers have used a code consisting of four digits, the first two digits indicate the calendar week of production and the second two the year of production e.g. 3004; this tyre was manufactured in week 30 of 2004. Tyres manufactured in the 1990’s have a small triangle after the DOT code, if your tyre has a three digit DOT code or a triangle then it is too old.

In summary make sure you do the following:

• Check the manufacturing dates of your caravan tyres. If they are over three years old consider replacing them, and if they are five years old make sure to replace them before your next journey.
• Inspect your caravan tyres for cuts, sidewall cracking or imbedded objects, this includes the inner sidewalls.
• Check the pressure of all your caravan tyres, including the spare regularly.
• Check the tyre pressure of the towing vehicle; some vehicle manufacturers specify slightly higher rear tyre pressures when towing.
• Check tread depths; if they are less than 3mm consider replacing them, particularly if you are planning a long trip.
• Check the caravan wheel bolts are tight using a torque wrench.
• Check your jack; most jacks will need a drop of oil on the screw mechanism. It is also worth having a suitable piece of board available to prevent the jack sinking into soft ground when parked off road.