Motorhome Tyres

Motorhome tyres are probably the number one priority when it comes to ensuring your vehicle is safe and legal.

Yet every year serious motorhome accidents occur and many vehicles are damaged or written off because the owner has neglected their motorhome tyres

Motorhome tyres are the only parts of the vehicle which come into contact with the road and therefore safety in acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all depend on a relatively small area of road contact.

It is therefore absolutely imperative that all four motorhome tyres - and the spare - should be well maintained and in good condition before you set out on your journey.

Etyres, the UKs leading online tyres retailer, has been supplying and fitting motorhome tyres since the early 1990's and we can help you get your vehicle in good shape for the long journey.

Hundreds of satisfied motorhome owners have returned to us time after time to place repeat orders knowing our prices are up to 40% cheaper than the leading high street tyre depots.

And because we offer a mobile fitting service you don't have to worry about driving to a garage or manoeuvring into a tight spot in a depot, because we come to you and fit your motorhome tyres on your doorstep.

Due to demand from our customers, we have put together a comprehensive guide to motorhome tyres, covering everything from inspections and maintenance to repairs and replacements, even regulations abroad, all with the aim of making travelling safer for you and your family.

Check Your MotorhomeTyres

You must check your motorhome tyres regularly - not just before a long journey. Even if you have not driven the vehicle for some time the motorhome tyres may start to deteriorate and there are steps you can take to slow this process down.

First look out for any obvious signs of age deterioration in the motorhome tyres such as cuts, lumps, embedded objects, sidewall cracking and carcass deformation.

Motorhome tyres that are on a stationary vehicle are always likely to age more quickly than those in regular and frequent use. motorhome tyres exposed to coastal air are also prone to faster aging.

Also pay particular attention to the tread depth. Motorhome tyres, like all car and light commercial tyres, must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in order to be legal and roadworthy. However, in the interests of safety it is advisable to replace motorhome tyres well before they reach this legal limit.

Check the Pressure

Checking the pressure in your motorhome tyres is another vital step which is essential to the safety and stability of your vehicle.

Incorrect tyre pressure can have a catastrophic effect on the handling of the motorhome and can also lead to dangerous tyre failure, including blow-outs.

motorhome tyres that are incorrectly inflated will also wear out more quickly and also increase the vehicles fuel consumption. So running them at the correct level will also save you money!

The correct inflation pressure for your motorhome tyres will be given in the vehicle/chassis handbook. It is not the same as car tyres. Because the ply rating is much higher (up to six or eight ply as opposed to just two), motorhome tyres can tolerate a much higher inflation, often up to 65 psi (cars are usually around 40 psi or less).

motorhome tyres pressure should be checked and adjusted, if necessary, when the tyres are cold. Never reduce pressures when the tyres are warm, because they could be too low when they cool down.

This applies to the spare tyre too. The pressure should be set at the maximum required for your vehicle.

Find Out Your Tyres Age

Unless a lot of touring miles are covered it is unlikely that your motorhome tyres will ever wear out.

However, like all tyres, they will deteriorate with age and can become distorted if they are left unused in the same position. Also surface cracking of the sidewalls can occur if the motorhome tyres are allowed to become under-inflated and remain for a long period of time in that condition.

For this reason, leisure vehicle organisations recommend that motorhome tyres should be replaced when they reach five years old and they certainly should not be used beyond seven years.

It is also worth noting that etyres only buys tyres from the manufacturer when they have been ordered by a customer. This guarantees that our customers are getting the most up-to-date stock, not tyres that have been gathering dust on a store room shelf in a large depot for several years. You do not want to waste money on "new" motorhome tyres that are already half way through their life expectancy before they even see sight of your motorhome.

Follow these steps to find out how old your motorhome tyres are:

Date of Manufacture is shown on the sidewall of all motorhome tyres as part of the DOT (U.S. Department of Transport) code found close to the wheel rim. Example of a code is DOT A87C DEF 699, the final set of three, or four, numbers being the date code. Tyres made between 1990 an 1999 use a three digit code followed by a triangle and indicate the month and year in which the tyre was made (699 being June 1999). From 2000 onward a four digit code is used to show the week and year (0102 being the first week of 2002). A small number of tyres may not have the DOT code but in these cases the date of manufacture may still shown elsewhere on the tyre, for instance if you see as a separate group of letters 4202 that is definitely 42nd week of 2002. Fit the Correct Tyres

The original tyres for a motorhome are decided by joint consultation between the vehicle and tyre manufacturers. They weigh up all the information and take into account all aspects of operation.

Owners are seriously advised not to make changes in tyre size or type without consulting the vehicle or tyre manufacturers, to avoid detrimental effects on the handling and safety of the vehicle.

It is advisable to have the same construction of tyres on all wheels. However, if this is not possible, only tyres of equal size and service description (Load Index/Speed Symbol) and identical wheels should be fitted across an axle and carried as a spare.

The tyres originally fitted to your motorhome are usually of a "Light Commercial" (C) category. They are designed to cater for the higher loads imposed by motorhomes. Deviating from the original spec is likely to have an effect on the handling and general characteristics of the vehicle. Never replace tyres with ones of a lower speed rating or load capacity.

Overloading is a potential hazard for motorhome owners, it can greatly increase the risk of a tyre blowing out. So to safeguard against this, the UK tyre industry recommend that when choosing tyres, the maximum technically permitted (MTPLM) of the vehicle should not exceed 90% of the tyre load capacity as indicated by the tyre's Load Index.

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. A typical example will be 175/80/R/13 97T.

175 is the tyre width in millimeters, 80 is the sidewall height, expressed as a percentage of the width. R indicates a radial type construction. 13 is the wheel diameter in inches. 97 is the Load Index. T is the speed rating.

The load rating is a very important factor with all caravan tyres. It is not sensible to compromise by fitting a regular car tyre instead of a properly load rated caravan tyre. In fact in most cases this is actually false economy because there is little or no difference in price. The compromise often occurs because the correct tyre is not available. Ordering from etyres overcomes this problem, because we order in your exact tyre requirements.

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 Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM). The Load Index number represents the tyre maximum weight limit in kilograms. A pair of car tyres index coded 79 may not used on a caravan having a MTPLM in excess of 874 kg.


Tyre Sidewall Markings

The following diagram shows the markings that can be found on a typical light commercial vehicle tyre.

Note: The loads and pressures moulded on the sidewalls of many tyres are a North American requirement and do not apply in the UK and Europe.

On some later models of motorhome, a specialist tyre may be fitted. These are identified by the suffix 'CP' following the size marking, e.g. 215/75R16 CP 113N. 'CP' tyres carry only a single load index indicating their normal use as a single fitment. Where dual fitment is required the axle load capacity is 1.85 times that for a single wheel fitment axle.

See the charts at the end of the guide for more information.

Motorhome Tyre Care

You can take steps to prevent early deterioration to your motorhome tyres. Consider covering the tyres to shield them from direct sunlight and, if possible, jack the weight off them.

Maintain the correct tyre pressure which will minimise the chances of sidewall damage and turn the tyre occasionally to prevent flat surfaces.

Cleaning with motorhome shampoo will stop grime damaging the surface and avoid using pressure washers directly onto rubber, because the force of the water can degrade the rubber and cause problems when you're on the road.-

Punctures

The use of pre-puncture sealant is not recommended by the manufacturers. However, post-puncture sealants may serve a useful purpose in an emergency when its use can enable the driver to move the vehicle to a safer location.

It is also crucial to have the tyre on the other side of the axle examined, because it may have sustained damage while bearing an extra load.

Any tyre that has sustained a puncture and run - even for a limited distance - in a deflating or deflated condition is likely to have suffered internal damage and will be in need of replacement.

Tyron Safety Bands

Etyres fitters can also fit potentially life-saving Tyron bands, which are a simple but effective safety device used on tyres.

Tyron bands work by keeping the tyre on the wheel in the event of a puncture or blow-out, which will allow you time to drive to a safe place and stop to change the wheel.

Without the Tyron band the tyre would come off the wheel rim causing it to come into contact with the road and inflicting costly damage.

Usually when a mobilehome tyre collapses it causes an accident - and the higher the speed you are travelling at when the blow-out happens, the greater the chance of you suffering a catastrophic accident.

Having the safety bands fitted will give you extra peace of mind with the knowledge that if you suffer a puncture or your tyre deflates, you will still be able to maintain control of your motorhome whatever speed you are travelling at.

It is also worth pointing out that the police and emergency services fit them to their vehicles - so they must be worth the expense.


Tips for Driving Abroad
Tread Carefully

In some European countries the minimum tread depth for all car, light commercial and caravan tyres is 2mm. So it is possible to drive legally through one country, only to become illegal as soon as you cross the border into another. Your tour operator or the foreign office can give your further advice on the limits for each country

Hot Wheels!

Over the last few years there have been a number of reports of caravan tyres disintegrating in service. This has been more common on heavy caravans and often when the caravans had been used in southern Europe during the summer. This suggests the tyres may have been running very hot at some time in their life. The inference being that if you are covering long distances in high temperatures it is a good precaution to stop for rest periods to allow your caravan tyres to cool.

EU Rules

In some European countries it is illegal to use replacements which differ in certain respects (eg size, load and speed rating) from the tyre fitted originally by the vehicle manufacturer.

Winter Warning

If you are travelling abroad during the winter months, remember that some countries require you to have appropriate winter tyres fitted to your vehicle. However, even if the country you are visiting doesn't have such a law, it might be a sensible precaution to fit tyres that are designed to handle specific road or weather conditions.

etyres Top 10 Tyre Safety Tips for Motorhome Owners

• Inspect tyres for signs of damage
• Don't forget to check the spare!
• Ensure tyres are correctly inflated
• Check age of tyres - if over five-years-old consider replacing
• Fit tyres of the correct specification
• Avoid sidewall impact
• Do not overload motorhome or you risk having a blow-out
• Care for and inspect tyres even when not in frequent use
• Check jack operation and add a drop of oil on the screw mechanism
• Remember, etyres mobile service covers the whole of the UK - so if you need help with your tyres when you are at home or on holiday call us on 0800 028 9000.