Your caravan or camper is probably your pride and joy? An oasis of calm? A place to escape to?
Your van might be gleaming, but what about your tyres?
Chances are they have been sitting underneath waiting for you to climb aboard or be hitched up for another jaunt! But wait! How long have those tyres been sitting there waiting? How many months and years have they been supporting that load, in all weathers?
The Caravan Club recommend replacing tyres on campers and caravans at around five years old. Why? Just because there is probably a vast quantity of tread remaining on the tyre (we have replaced tyres with virtually the amount of tread they started with!) but the casing, the part of the tyre that the tread is moulded to, can deteriorate to such a degree that it can become dangerous and, in some cases, fail!
It’s the UV light in sunlight that is the main culprit in the breakdown of the tyre that, coupled with the tonne or so weight of the vehicle, which can have a really detrimental effect!
It is quite a simple exercise to tell the age of your tyre, each is stamped with a four digit code (3015) for example. This denotes that the tyre was built in the 30th week of 2015 so it pays to have the ‘newest’ tyres possible fitted. We would always do a visual check of the tyres before replacing them as age is only one factor. If tyres are stored out of direct sunlight and the weight is removed from them they may well be fit for several more years. Conversely if a tyre is fitted to a vehicle and under-inflated then signs of deterioration may well start to show dependent on how long it remains in that state!
If in doubt give us a call and we will happily check them for you and advise on the best way forward because, that’s what we do.
On a happier note, summer 2018 looks set to be one of the finest on record! (We made that bit up but the rest is true.
Call 01625 560560 or 01260 276276 or, visit www.tyrz.co.uk
