Time to retyre ? would you ?

[sparkyvanman]

Hi all , advice please. My Hymer A class is now 5 years old . The tyres are the original ones from new . I have rotated the tyres to even out wear . They all have about 5mm of tread . I have done 26,000 miles . There is no signs of the walls degrading, I have Continental Van Contact Camper tyres. My question is should I put new tyres on the van ? The last thing I want is a puncture as I don’t have a spare only the tyre sealer / inflator. An online search tells me 4 new tyres will cost about £1k .

Should I fit new tyres ?



Thanks

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks for the advice , my tyres are 4818 , so i guess that they were made at the end of 2018 . So that makes them 6.5 years old . I think i will replace them before our trip to Spain in September . I am 67 , never had a puncture in all my driving years sinve passing my test at 18 .! . Have had a motorhome for ten years with no flats of punctures. My nightmare is having a blow out on a motorway, is this common

thanks all.

Our current Motorhome is the first one that I haven't had a puncher on & I've had two blow outs on caravans, I would never travel without a spare.

 

[Roby2008]

For 22 years I’ve changed mine every 5 years purely for peace of mind having had motorcycles for many years 49 in total ,tyres have been ultra important.Germany has a norm of 5years .not sure if it’s advisory or a rule.

Germany (Bavaria) is 7 years advisory, 10 years max......from 7-10 years you may get a maximum speed reccomendation imposed if the tyres are good but old.

 

[Northernraider]

Our current Motorhome is the first one that I haven't had a puncher on & I've had two blow outs on caravans, I would never travel without a spare.

You've been incredibly unlucky with that.

 

[slowdriver]

Our current Motorhome is the first one that I haven't had a puncher on & I've had two blow outs on caravans, I would never travel without a spare.

Do you carry a wheel brace and torque wrench to get the spare off and on?

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[Jammi]

Having had a blow out on M6 last year on older tyres that were otherwise in good condition, yes I would change them.

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Having had a blow out on M6 last year on older tyres that were otherwise in good condition, yes I would change them.

How old were your tyres at the time?

 

[Jammi]

How old were your tyres at the time?

About 7yrs old I think.
They were on the van when we bought it, so may have been left standing for long periods.

Luckily we were on a stretch of motorway with a hard shoulder!
I wouldn’t want to repeat the experience!

 

[terryshort]

I have a 28 year old Elddis Eclipse. It has only done 22,186 miles, confirmed with all MOT etc. I checked the dates on the tyres after reading comments a few weeks ago, did not realise that age mattered.
The spare was 22 years old, and the four on the MH were 18 years old, and still had fantastic tread. Obviously I changed all five for 185 80 14 Maxtrek CV 8ply tyres The cost with new valves and balancing, £300 for all five. Below is a writeup of when I checked info about them. At 76 and on a state pension only, I could never afford top brands at silly prices.
[ Maxtrek tires are developed to provide:good performance, handling, and durability, while also offering good value for money. The enterprise uses advanced manufacturing techniques and materials to produce tires that offer good traction, stability, and long-lasting wear. ]

 

[Lenny HB]

Do you carry a wheel brace and torque wrench to get the spare off and on?

I have an extending brace and a torque wrench.
Although a torque wrench is not really necessary just for changing a wheel I know when I've done the bolts up tight enough but leave it in the van anyway.

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

Thanks for the advice , my tyres are 4818 , so i guess that they were made at the end of 2018 . So that makes them 6.5 years old . I think i will replace them before our trip to Spain in September . I am 67 , never had a puncture in all my driving years sinve passing my test at 18 .! . Have had a motorhome for ten years with no flats of punctures. My nightmare is having a blow out on a motorway, is this common

thanks all.

If you had any UK trips planned I'd be happy to use up some more of their tread here, where a puncture could be dealt with relatively easily. For a yomp down to Spain, no fit new, but a couple of months before you go, lest there's any issue with the new ones.
Mike.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

I have a 28 year old Elddis Eclipse. It has only done 22,186 miles, confirmed with all MOT etc. I checked the dates on the tyres after reading comments a few weeks ago, did not realise that age mattered.
The spare was 22 years old, and the four on the MH were 18 years old, and still had fantastic tread. Obviously I changed all five for 185 80 14 Maxtrek CV 8ply tyres The cost with new valves and balancing, £300 for all five. Below is a writeup of when I checked info about them. At 76 and on a state pension only, I could never afford top brands at silly prices.
[ Maxtrek tires are developed to provide:good performance, handling, and durability, while also offering good value for money. The enterprise uses advanced manufacturing techniques and materials to produce tires that offer good traction, stability, and long-lasting wear. ]

Are they sanctioned by the manufacturer for Motorhome use, I noted a thread recently where the makers of more budget tyres had removed motorhomes from its approved usage.
Mike.

 

[Northernraider]

All these 5/6 year old tyres with good tread will be sold to part worn tyre garages and sold to van and camper owners for £25-30 a piece

 

[Swiss]

Thanks all for the great advice , can anyone tell me the differance between "camper" and "van" tyres , I assumed camper tyres were for the heavier weight ?
thanks

It's not a weight issue, a 3500Kg van for instance has the same max mass whether it is a van, campervan or motorhome. I believe that Camper tyres have stronger sidewalls because of the lateral stresses involved with variable shifting of lateral weight of large volumes of fluid stored in tanks without baffles, i.e. fresh water tank, grey water tank, black waste tank, drinking water tank, toilet cassette and gas bottles.

 

[Northernraider]

It's not a weight issue, a 3500Kg van for instance has the same max mass whether it is a van, campervan or motorhome. I believe that Camper tyres have stronger sidewalls because of the lateral stresses involved with variable shifting of lateral weight of large volumes of fluid stored in tanks without baffles, i.e. fresh water tank, grey water tank, black waste tank, drinking water tank, toilet cassette and gas bottles.

They have stronger sidewalls because unlike most commercial vehicles motorhomes and caravans spend a lot of time sitting on one spot . That's why if you use your motorhome all year round and regularly there's no need to fit camper specific tyres.

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[Heebson]

All these 5/6 year old tyres with good tread will be sold to part worn tyre garages and sold to van and camper owners for £25-30 a piece

I will be getting new tyres for going to the Alps in winter, the current ones are five years old, but look fine. I did wonder if the tyre fitters would give some cash back for the old ones!

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Our van came with Michelin Agilis CP tyres which are now circa 6 years old, soon to be replaced by (non-CP) Falken EuroAll Season Van11 (3PMSF) tyres. Fingers crossed the ride will be less harsh.

 

[Chajane]

Hi all , advice please. My Hymer A class is now 5 years old . The tyres are the original ones from new . I have rotated the tyres to even out wear . They all have about 5mm of tread . I have done 26,000 miles . There is no signs of the walls degrading, I have Continental Van Contact Camper tyres. My question is should I put new tyres on the van ? The last thing I want is a puncture as I don’t have a spare only the tyre sealer / inflator. An online search tells me 4 new tyres will cost about £1k .

Should I fit new tyres ?



Thanks

I’ve been caravanning for 54 years and currently with motorhome for 3 years and have always changed tyres after 6 years of age even with little wear and never had a problem. Tyres will degrade with light and even with standing idle in the winter. Play safe is my moto.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

I will be getting new tyres for going to the Alps in winter, the current ones are five years old, but look fine. I did wonder if the tyre fitters would give some cash back for the old ones!

Probably not, but he will let you keep the old ones if you ask nicely.

 

[Northernraider]

I will be getting new tyres for going to the Alps in winter, the current ones are five years old, but look fine. I did wonder if the tyre fitters would give some cash back for the old ones!

They won't. But they will most likely sell them to a third party who will sell them in a party worn shop .

They won't tell you they do that though but they do

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[Haybob]

Hi Sparky Van Man

As mentioned by another Funster - 2 x Continental Vanco Campers still on Autotrail from 2014, no signs of defects. It passes MOT's, my car has failed with Avon ZV7 tyres 3 times less than 4 years old due to cracking in the tread. I am happy the same MOT person scrutinizes the MoHo tyres so will continue with them.

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Hi Sparky Van Man

As mentioned by another Funster - 2 x Continental Vanco Campers still on Autotrail from 2014, no signs of defects. It passes MOT's, my car has failed with Avon ZV7 tyres 3 times less than 4 years old due to cracking in the tread. I am happy the same MOT person scrutinizes the MoHo tyres so will continue with them.

Do you have the inside of your 2014 tyres checked?

 

[Northernraider]

Do you have the inside of your 2014 tyres checked?

No one does but the inside is far less likely to have suffered any uv damage than the outside. If they haven't been run while flat there's a good chance they're fine.

As I commented on my first post the tyres on my current mh are 10 years old now. I had a leaking valve on my way south in November which meant I had to have one tyre removed to have a new valve fitted. Inside of the tyre was as good as the outside ... no cracks , perished sidewalls or any visible defects on my tyres .. they were fitted in 2014 but had done very little mileage before I bought the van last year. Since June I've done 11.5k miles with it. I might change them next year for winter tyres if I've worn them down a good bit before then

 

[sparkyvanman]

As I am so worried about a blowout or puncture in a remote location should I think about run flat tyres? I read you can have something put into the tyre so it can run flat for a short period , enough to get you to a garage ??

 

[Loftyjeff]

Hi all , advice please. My Hymer A class is now 5 years old . The tyres are the original ones from new . I have rotated the tyres to even out wear . They all have about 5mm of tread . I have done 26,000 miles . There is no signs of the walls degrading, I have Continental Van Contact Camper tyres. My question is should I put new tyres on the van ? The last thing I want is a puncture as I don’t have a spare only the tyre sealer / inflator. An online search tells me 4 new tyres will cost about £1k .

Should I fit new tyres ?
Yes shop around continental should cost about £190 each just had some fitted.


Thanks

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[the darkside]

Tyres degrade and can look as good as new,often degrading internally between the plies or layers of construction,a long journey can build heat causing various layers or plies to start to separate often a slight vibration can can be the first sign of something awry, overtime the plies or layers can separate causing deformation of the tyre,this can manifest in a blow out or serious deformation causing handling and steering issues. Tyres go through a lot of unseen stresses,impacts,heat, loading, under or over inflation,tyres tend to harden over time often over looked as they look like there still good,just remember the the cost of your beloved motorhome that you may still be paying for and the relative cost of a set of new tyres,mine was bought at 6 years old 6000 miles,tyres appeared in excellent condition but one of the first things I changed,completely different handling characteristics.also I wanted peace of mind going across Europe in various temperatures from mild uk to 40+ degrees in Italy and Croatia.