Caravan Season Has Arrived

After a very mild winter with very few snow days, we're already seeing the dizzying heights of 10°c across the EH postcodes! Whilst driving about to people's home addresses, I've already seen people on their drives washing and readying their caravans for the spring and summer months. After washing, you generally perform an overall inspection to ensure it's all good to go for when you head out. But, one of the more overlooked points is tyres.

Why are they so important and why should you check them?

It's the only safe point of contact with the road and encountering a blow out is a horrific experience!

How do you check them?

It's pretty easy!

There are one critical point and two slightly less so – but we will come onto that in due course.

Age and overall condition

How old is your tyre? Hometyre, as well as the Caravan Club, recommend that caravan and motorhome tyres be changed after 5-7 years. You can easily tell the age of your tyre by checking the sidewall. Referencing the image below, the date code will be in a little circle.

Four numbers (the most common). The first two numbers reference the week of the year the tyre was manufactured. The last two numbers reference the year that the tyre was manufactured. For example, 2218 would mean that the tyre was manufactured the 22nd week of 2018 and is six years old!

A common misconception with checking tyres is that the sidewall of the tyre looks perfectly fine so the tread must also be fine. That's not true! Cracks and perishing areas are more common in the tread and edge of the tyre so, when checking your tyres, always check the tread!

Pressures

After a caravan (or any vehicle for that matter) has been sat a while, it's a common occurrence to see the tyres loose pressure. Rubber is naturally slightly porous so will leak air very slightly. They will only go down a couple of PSI a year but, it is noticeable! This is why it's important to always check the pressures before heading out on a trip, especially if the vehicle has been sat!

Tread depth

As a majority of tyre changes for caravans are down to age, tread depths are still an important factor – especially if you're heading around the country and abroad a few times a year.

Like checking the age and condition of your tyres, checking the tread depth is also relatively easy! Take a 20 pence piece and place it in the centre of the tread. If the border is showing then you're beyond the 3mm recommended limit for changing!

So, if you're tyres are old, perishing, low on pressure or even low on tread and need some help, call us on 0333 444 5454 or want to book an appointment? Head here to book online!