Caravan wheels may look the same as car wheels, but they’re actually designed specifically to support the weight of heavier vehicles. This goes for tyres too, as caravans generally utilise tyres which are designed to handle high loads and periods of inactivity.
Carefully checking your caravan tyres, including their age, tread depth, pressure and other general safety features, helps you to ensure safety on the road.
How to check the age of caravan tyres
You can find the age of your caravan’s tyre very quickly and easily. On the sidewall of every caravan tyre the age can be found in a series of numbers. However, the last four digits represent the age of the tyre.
In this example, the last 4 digits are 4219:
The first 2 digits tell you the week the tyre was produced, and the final 2 digits tell you the year. Therefore, 42 is the 42nd week in the year 2019.
If you haven’t checked your tyres already, it’s vital to give your caravan tyres a quick check through. In fact, you should be checking your tyres before every long journey as it should be part of your routine maintenance check.
Learn more about how to check the size of your tyres here.
Caravan tyre tread depth and the 1.6mm legal minimum
Legally, caravan tyres must have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tread around the entire circumference. This is the same legal minimum as car tyres, and it applies to any caravan up or trailer up to 3,500kg.
Dropping below this limit means you could face fines of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per tyre. It could also invalidate your insurance in the event of an accident.
The quickest way to check at home is by using the ‘20p test’, in which you drop a 20p coin into the main grooves. If the outer band of the 20p coin is hidden, then you’re most likely above 1.6mm.
Sidewall cracking and UV damage
As you don’t use your caravan daily, the tread may not wear down as quickly as your car would.
However, caravan tyres often suffer from cracking through age, which may begin to appear on the sidewall of your tyres. When your tyres are left out in direct sunlight for long periods of time, the ultraviolet light can eventually damage the tyre.
To slow this damage down:
- Keep your caravan out of direct sunlight where possible
- Fit tyre covers when storing
- Roll the wheels a quarter-turn every few months so one patch isn’t taking extra load and UV exposure
Caravan tyre pressure before towing
Caravan tyres generally run at higher pressure than regular car tyres as they’re always carrying close to their maximum rated load. Under-inflated caravan tyres are the biggest risk of blowouts.
Tyre pressure should generally sit between 50-65 psi, though the correct figure will be in your caravan’s handbook, or on a placard inside one of the lockers. It’s important to check tyre pressure cold (before driving anywhere), and inflate for a fully loaded van.
Caravan tyre checks and inflation with DA Techs
Air from caravan tyres gradually escapes over time, so it’s very likely that if you haven’t recently checked your tyre pressure for a while, they will be deflated. Under-inflated tyres will wear at a faster rate and could blowout completely. You should also carry out the same checks on your spare tyre too.
If you need your tyres inflating, our Nitrogen Tyre Inflator will ensure that they stay inflated for longer and improve the tyres’ life!
Get in touch today to book a service.