Should I replace my 7-year-old motorhome tyres?

[Basa]

My 2016 (September) motorhome (3.5t) has continental Vanco camper tyres fitted.
The tyres are now circa 7 years old and have covered 17,000 miles, show absolutely no signs of cracking in the treads, grooves or the side walls. No wall bulges either
I changed the same tyres on my older unit because they had cracks in the grooves

Should I change them or wait another year?
Thanks in advance for any replies
Basa

 

[Barclaybasher]

My spare wheel/tyre is original equipment - 22 years old and looks like new - even has the 'bobbles' on the tyre.

it's spent all its life under the van or in the vans garage.

it hasn't been used in 21 years so why would I change it (for another that might never be used)

if I need it it will be in an emergency just once then replaced

Condition of tyres (tread and cracking) is more important than age and unless you do a big mileage in a new vehicle are checked every year at MOT as well

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

An MOT would flag up dodgy tyre's, set aside the wonga for when it's next due if they are required.
Where is you're van primarily used, that would have a bearing on the decision as well?
Mike.

 

[Basa]

Thanks again for everybody’s input
Basa

 

[Korova]

An MOT would flag up dodgy tyre's, set aside the wonga for when it's next due if they are required.
Where is you're van primarily used, that would have a bearing on the decision as well?
Mike.

Don't rely on an MOT to spot tyres need changing. Yes if they are cracked and visibly worn they will but if its non visible age related then they won't spot anything to report. I speak from experience on both cars and motorhomes.

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[Richard n Ann]

Mine are 9½ years old. I'll have to throw a party in July when they're 10 . They've been to Benidorm and back 10 times and still got a few mm on them. They are layed up in the garage for 5 months a year. Vanco Continental camper

 

[Davecrawf]

My 2016 (September) motorhome (3.5t) has continental Vanco camper tyres fitted.
The tyres are now circa 7 years old and have covered 17,000 miles, show absolutely no signs of cracking in the treads, grooves or the side walls. No wall bulges either
I changed the same tyres on my older unit because they had cracks in the grooves

Should I change them or wait another year?
Thanks in advance for any replies
Basa

My understanding is that the age limit for tyres is mainly for commercial vehicles, such as a minibus. If the tyres don't show any signs of wear or side wall ozone cracking they don't need to be replaced.

My 2016 (September) motorhome (3.5t) has continental Vanco camper tyres fitted.
The tyres are now circa 7 years old and have covered 17,000 miles, show absolutely no signs of cracking in the treads, grooves or the side walls. No wall bulges either
I changed the same tyres on my older unit because they had cracks in the grooves

Should I change them or wait another year?
Thanks in advance for any replies
Basa

 

[Richard J]

One of the advantages of Black Circles is that they have a relatively high turnover so you are likely to get newer tyres. Maybe.

 

[ChesterB]

I learnt my lesson the hard way several years ago on an autobahn in Germany - luckily only doing 55-60 at the time. A rather elderly spare tyre, put on the rear offside earlier that week, simply exploded, with alarming results.
At a (then common) running pressure of 80psi, the tyre completely disintegrated in a split second, the internal steel belt unravelled like a whip and punched a sizeable hole through the inside of the wheel arch and into the cupboard space under the sink, doing a lot of damage in the process.
The effect on the vehicle was alarming and I am glad we were going in a straight line at the time, as we only got about 60-70 yards before we came to a dead stop - luckily no lorries following behind at the time!
So, in answer Basa, yes, if doing regular local runs in the Uk, maybe stretch it a bit, but anything like abroad and/or winter layups, your tyres are the one thing that you should spend a bit of time & money on.
For the record, I put winter tyres on the front of our 2016 HymerDuo when we bought it last year, swopped them onto the rear axle in spring and have just replaced the other two Agilis Camping tyres with Riken Cargo Speed Evo's at less than half the cost. I nurture a good relationship with our local Kwik-Fit and they swopped the tyres front to back again, while also identifying the slow leak in the RNS as a faulty valve, done & replaced at no charge.
Can't say fairer than that.
LennyHB, what are your reasons for not approving of winter/summer tyres on different axles please?
Cb.

 

[RetiredPope]

Some will say 5 years, some say 10.

Check with the manufacturer, Continental do recommend 10 years for one type of tyre. As far as I know, all other tyres are 5 years. Would be interested in anyone having insurance issues with tyres over the recommended life.

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[Speve]

One of the advantages of Black Circles is that they have a relatively high turnover so you are likely to get newer tyres. Maybe.

I’ve just had some Agilis cross climates fitted through Black circles and they have a date stamp for week 26/23

 

[Korova]

Just as an example of visual inspection not neccesarily showing the whole story, the tyre below as you can see had plenty of tread/little wear but still the sidewall came away on the M6.

 

[mike penstone]

I wouldnt worry about the age if theres tread and no cracks in the walls id leave them alone!

 

[VXman]

Ɓijou, is french for small, its actually a Chausson Flash 02, on a Transit Mk7 flat bed. Its the biggest moho that would fit in the front garden, wish i had known about the secure storage i now have, before i bought it, would have gone a bit bigger, most probably, but we enjoy it and thats what matters really.

Not just small but a 'Jewel'

I have a Burstner Énorme

 

[L' Hobo]

I run ours pretty much the same as my car. Our motorhome does not stand much and if it does it is on jacks and has covers on to protect from the sun. I check the pressues regularly as well as the torque on the wheel bolts. I have bought myself a pair of knee pads so I creak my way down to the ground and have a look for cracks not only on the side walls but in the tread. If they check out they are fine. The advice on 5 or 10 changes is anticipating vehicles to be stood for long periods exposed to UV.
If you watch Bangers and Cash, there are some vehicles that are 30 years old on their original tyres. They have been stored inside with low pressure in the wheels.

I would suggest you don't keep torquing your wheel bolts.
Every time you do it, you stretch the bolt just a little bit more.
Invest in a small 'tapping hammer' and just make sure they are not loose, but, of course, the choice is yours.

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[gus-lopez]

LennyHB, what are your reasons for not approving of winter/summer tyres on different axles please?

two completely different levels of grip.

 

[Ukbandit]

Changed mine at 5 years old, no cracking and loads of tread left, what you don’t know is how weak the walls have become. Saw one which had a blow out and the amount of damage to the van side was immense, a write off.
Ever since seeing that it made my mind up to change them every 5 years.

 

[Squeakin]

When I bought my motorhome the tyres were 12 years old, I ran them for the rest of the year and replaced them in spring. Didn’t have a problem, apart from the near £750 outlay

 

[dulvil]

Choice is, change now at home or local,or
Change at the side of the road when they go pop
Don’t risk it at that age

 

[Barclaybasher]

Does the age of tyres get mentioned as much on other vehicle forums - or is it just motorhomes?

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[L' Hobo]

Does the age of tyres get mentioned as much on other vehicle forums - or is it just motorhomes?

Probably not but, on other vehicle forums, the body shell on top of the tyres doesn't cost as much to replace?

 

[Lenny HB]

they advise changing within 10 years. Not seen that before, and I’d always thought 5–6 years was sensible,

Tyre manufacturers has always stated 10 year.
Providing they are no signs of determination and they are used regualy it's not a problem.

The key is used regualy cars tend to be driven nearly every day which keeps the rubber supple and the sidewalls are not under load for long periods.

Motorhomes are often left for weeks without being used thats one of the worst things you can do to a tyre, as it is left with a constant load on the sidewalls.
If you are not going to drive it every week change them at five years a blow out is no joke. I've had it on a caravan wrecked the floor and internal cabinets.

Normally find I've worn them out in 3 years anyway.

 

[Jim]

Does the age of tyres get mentioned as much on other vehicle forums - or is it just motorhomes?

A lot of leisure vehicles, the vast majority, will have long periods where they are not used. When a vehicle is unused it will rarely have its tyre pressures checked, and may well sit for months under inflated. This can damage the tyres. When re inflated in the spring/summer, and made to work hard, the tyre walls may well give way, this happens a lot on caravans, not so much on Motorhomes but it does happen.

If you know your tyres have been looked after, kept properly inflated all year, then I would say 7 or 8 is a good age to change or at least check more often. If I don’t know the tyres history, no matter how it looks I’ll change it at around 5.

 

[Stealaway]

I met a Dutchman last year who had a bad blowout at speed. It took a large piece of fibre glass rear panel.
He admitted it was his own fault as he had left them on until they were over 14 years old

 

[Barclaybasher]

Probably not but, on other vehicle forums, the body shell on top of the tyres doesn't cost as much to replace?

Agreed but a blow out can happen on any tyre if it hits an object, regardless of age.

I doubt a blow out would happen just because a tyre is 5-10 years old if it has been checked for tread and particularly cracks or side wall damage.

As Jim says caravans probably have more tyre failures because they stand for so long and most do so little mileage the tyres are probably never changed

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[L' Hobo]

Agreed but a blow out can happen on any tyre if it hits an object, regardless of age.

I doubt a blow out would happen just because a tyre is 5-10 years old if it has been checked for tread and particularly cracks or side wall damage.

As Jim says caravans probably have more tyre failures because they stand for so long and most do so little mileage the tyres are probably never changed

I agree but I was answering your question about tyre mentions on other forums??

 

[Cal54]

I changed all 4 tyres this spring purely down to age - 9.5 years old. The fitter said there was absolutely no problem with the rears was I sure I wanted all 4 doing! Given the age of the tyres I didn’t hesitate - it’s my a**s sat above them and I don’t want to take any risks, either at home or abroad.

 

[Genear]

Condition is a more important factor than age.
As others have said, make sure you inspect them and if there is any cracking on the sidewall (even small), then you should replace them.
My Land Rover Disco Sport just had a tyre blow due to sidewall cracking - Pirelli's and only 5yrs old, but sidewall was cracked so it gave way

 

[Barclaybasher]

I agree but I was answering your question about tyre mentions on other forums??

Sorry missed replying to your point.

I don't want to put anyone off buying new tyres if there is a need to.

As regards value of vehicles I take (too much) interest in classic cars and always check the MOT history of all vehicles out of interest (not buying!)

Sad but recently I've been watching the original Wheeler Dealers series and started to check the details of cars they 'saved'.

Some of the vehicles are still around and have been MOTd. It's rare to find mention of tyres at all in any MOT history.
Edit
If tyres are mentioned it's usually about tread depth

 

[Nitram77]

Hi just to add to the converstaion about how old 'new' tyres can be, this is a post I put on another thread. Might be useful to some. Apologies to anyone who may have read it before!

I replaced our motorhome tyres earlier this year. Lots of the online sites offering tyres will not guarantee recent manufacture dates e.g. I think BlackCircles will sell you tyres that maybe as much as 3 years old, but obviously unused. Given that age of tyre is considered by some to be a key factor for motorhome that are stationary for long periods I thought I'd flag 'mytyres.co.uk' to you. This site will let to stipulate that you want tyres manufactured this year for a small supplement (£7.99 as at April '23) which I considered a good investment to ensure I'm not looking at a replacement in 3 or even 2 years time (going purely on manufacture date), given how expensive these tyres can be! Mytyres have a number of local fitters they partner with so hopefully you can find a convenient one.

Hope this helps