I'm Still here Thankfully (1 Viewer)

[Brakers]

Hi All

I want to try and impart my experience to all you good people and hopefully save some heartache and perhaps you never know even someone’s life.

I am a retired Fleet Engineer who worked for Whitbread at Romsey in charge of all their HGV maintenance and repairs, also their forklifts we used to use sealant in all our vehicle front tyres.
I remember the sales chap coming in and showing me the video of a very large Army vehicle running over copious lines of boards with large nails sticking out of them and the sealant keeping the tyres sealed which was very impressive, so I decided that Whitbread Romsey would use the sealant. My family and me used to go caravanning way back when, we purchased an ABI Tristar single axle caravan the tyres looked as good as new but being in control of all Whitbreads vehicles and as we put tyre sealant in all our front tyres I also put sealant in my caravan tyres just because I could.

We were on the way to the bottom of France and on the motorway, when suddenly we herd what sounded like a Tommy gun going off, it was the sealant trying to seal the caravan tyre.

Amazingly I was able to bring the unit to a normal stop with no trouble at all, no swaying or anything. We got out too investigate, to be confronted with a tyre which had what could only be described as a large split in it. I don’t know how that sealant allowed me to stop that vehicle with such control, but it did.

I know tyre companies frown on such sealant but to be honest I don’t think I would be here now if it wasn’t for that sealant, and I’m sure at the least the caravan would have turned over taking the car with it. It still makes me shudder at the thought of it and what could of happened to my family and me.

I replaced the wheel with the spare and gingerly and very slowly drove to the next services where I got them to replace all three tyres on the caravan.

It’s obviously up to you but I would encourage all you good people to install it at least in the front tyres of your motorhome vehicles and in any caravan tyres especially if you don’t know how old the tyres are or even if you do, if the tyres are old as you have not used them to wear them out yet.

I know now that although the tyres look good most of their lives on this type of vehicle they are stationary and used much less than the main house hold vehicle so they tend to deteriorate over time with standing and can still look good even like new, so this is no indication of the serviceability of the tyre.

I’ve certainly learned my lesson that day and if I have any tyre that I don’t know the history of or the fact that it’s old but still looks serviceable then I will definitely be using the sealant.

I’m sorry if this has worried anyone but I just had to share my experience.

Best Wishes Tony

 

[TheBig1]

it is standard advice to replace motorhome tyres every 5 years regardless of wear. the tread can be like new, but cracks develop in the carcase that will cause sudden failure as you describe

 

[Figaro]

Not sure about the gunk but I`m sure anyone with tyres more than about 5 years should consider changing them even if they have plenty of tread. Been lots of horror stories on here.
Gunk won`t hold a split tyre wall !

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[Brakers]

Gunk won`t hold a split tyre wall !

Your totally correct but you would be amazed as I was if you saw that tyre, I still can't believe the state of it, although that's not a reason to take a risk like that.
I must admit I did not know of this risk as this was my first caravan and as I'd never been involved with a vehicle which stood for weeks or months on end I was unaware of the risks of a vehicle standing for that length of time, and I have notice that there is quite a few new comers to motorhoming so it's for them I post not really the experienced.

It might be standard practice to replace tyres that are 5 years old weather worn or not but who has told you that you should change your tyres every 5 years, no one in my life has told me that and I’m quite old LOL. I had to find out for myself with nearly dire consequences.

I’m sure no motorhome/caravan dealer said to a prospective customer “every 5 years you must change your tyres weather worn or not”

It’s all very well to say we should know about these things but they get overlooked for one reason or another, we have to protect the people we love and also those we interact with in our sphere of hobbies, to that end this thread.
Best Wishes Tony

 

[funflair]

We sold our caravan to guy as a replacement for theirs that had been written off when a tyre blew, hit the road and sheared the wheel studs, wheel went through the floor and wrecked the inside of the van.

He was very particular about tyres and took the wheels off every winter and stood the van on blocks, then when he refitted them he put them on the opposite side, doing this he managed to keep them until they were about 12 years old, and then BANG.

I replaced the front tyres on the motorhome at 7 years with loads of tread on.

Martin

 

[Welsh girl]

We replaced all 4 of ours last year as they were 6 years old. Still looked like new except one which had a small bulge. Even then tyre fitters said They were ok but felt uneasy with it.

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[Allanm]

What's the normal mileage people get out of their tyres on a motorhome? If it's used regularly, ( all year round) I would expect at least the front tyres would require replacing before 5 years. Ours is almost 3 years old with around 20k miles on it, the front tyres look like they will need replacing in another 10-15k.

 

[DBK]

What's the normal mileage people get out of their tyres on a motorhome? If it's used regularly, ( all year round) I would expect at least the front tyres would require replacing before 5 years. Ours is almost 3 years old with around 20k miles on it, the front tyres look like they will need replacing in another 10-15k.

The point is tyres are a bit like servicing, both time and distance are factors which need to be taken into account and in almost every case with a typical MH time comes first. Although there is no hard and fast guidance on the interval for tyres, not longer than 6 or 7 years seems fairly widely accepted with many changing more often.

This was the case which some might remember: Broken Link Removed

 

[tonyidle]

I'm considering a Tyrepal or similar system, not so much because of the pressure warning although that's very useful, more for the temperature indication. Almost all catastrophic blow-outs, no matter what the cause, are preceded by a rapid rise in tyre temperature which would give some warning of an impending failure. I notice Brakers mentions the front wheels as being most important: in reality it's a rear tyre failure on a motorhome that has most effect on stability.

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[DuxDeluxe]

Being one of the many motorhomers without a spare tyre (of the wheel variety, before you say anything) so for peace of mind had the puncturesafe product injected. Gets good reviews, but won't stop a blow out of course. However, their literature did say it would mitigate the effects as described above, so I'm quite happy.

 

[Brakers]

won't stop a blow out of course

You are correct, but it might just allow you to bring the vehicle to a safe stop, you would of been amazed if you had seen the tyre which blew out on my caravan, and yes it was a side wall that gave way.

 

[Minxy]

Its about time that tyre age was made part of the MOT ... after all they have to check the tread anyway!

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[Brakers]

it's a rear tyre failure on a motorhome that has most effect on stability

Not too sure I totally agree with that, if the front has a rapid deflation through a blowout it will rip the steering wheel out of you hand, no amount of strength will hold it, the van will veer one way or another depending which tyre blows out more than likely leading to a turn over. If a rear tyre has a rapid deflation you are correct up to a point the van will drastically lean to one way or another (less if the van has a tag axle), but will not be as uncontrollable as the front. It's a bit like the skid pan or ice, if you steer into it you just might be lucky to overcome the lean to allow you to bring the van to a safe stop, you still might not be able to control it but with the front you have no chance.

This is a good reason we try to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible

Best Wishes Tony

 

[Brakers]

This might be usefull to someone.
https://www.kwik-fit.com/tyres/information/tyre-age
Best Wishes Tony

 

[dryad]

am i right in thinking that tyres are marked with a manufacture date or did i dream that?

edit.. i see you replied whilst i was debating wether to post this or not, thank you brakers..

when i first started driving many years ago, five things were drummed firmly in my head, always check brakes, tyres, lights every journey, keep a cool head and listen and 'feel' your vehicle to catch any problems before they become expensive or dangerous ones..

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[Brakers]

am i right in thinking that tyres are marked with a manufacture date or did i dream that?

See my post above Dryad, are you in Pompey?

 

[dryad]

See my post above Dryad, are you in Pompey?

yes, i saw your post and edited mine to say thanks..

and no, am tucked away in the backwaters of kent..
why do you ask?

and as an aside, my poor old van has been stood since the backend of the summer sadly, so will be getting new boots and a brake overhaul when she goes for her mot in a month or so's time and will be pennies well spent..

 

[Brakers]

why do you ask?

Only because of your ID "Dryad", down near Pompey there is a naval base called HMS Dryad. Hope to meet somewhen.
Best Wishes

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[laird of Dunstan]

Hi Tony
I was sold on that tyre sealant many years ago,infact i alsmost bought the distribution rights for the east of England, i saw the videos of tyres getting 200 nails through them and bolts etc,they even let me hammer a sharpened screw driver into it. I intend to put it into my MH tyres,i have got it all ready in my bike tyres , anything that increases safety is a good thing ,ive had tyres go on my caravan ,that wasnt too bad but when i had 2.5 tons of boat on the back ,that was a bumb clencher ,and it did sound like a machine gun going off . I always change my tyres at 5 years now regardless of the ammount of tread.

 

[Fenman]

Is there a recommended manufacturer of the tyre sealant or are they all much the same?

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Is there a recommended manufacturer of the tyre sealant or are they all much the same?

Try "puncturesafe" - they also exhibit at shows

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[DuxDeluxe]

You are correct, but it might just allow you to bring the vehicle to a safe stop, you would of been amazed if you had seen the tyre which blew out on my caravan, and yes it was a side wall that gave way.

Yes, that is one of the things they said. I intend to put the same in my car sometime soon, but need to buy a 5 litre can of the stuff as it will work out cheaper that way for the future

 

[Allanm]

The point is tyres are a bit like servicing, both time and distance are factors which need to be taken into account and in almost every case with a typical MH time comes first. Although there is no hard and fast guidance on the interval for tyres, not longer than 6 or 7 years seems fairly widely accepted with many changing more often.

This was the case which some might remember: Broken Link Removed

I understand and agree with tyre age, my question was for those who use the van regularly, about the mileage they get out of tyres before they wear low enough to be replaced ( within the 5 to 7 years of course)

 

[Techno]

Agilis last far fewer miles than the earlier Michelin X and will most likely need replacing at around 25k miles compared to 44k my old ones did.
5 yrs is the time for more discerning inspection rather than replace regardless.
Parking up for months under inflated is a major factor in sidewall cracking.
A small amount of cracking is not dangerous and even normal.

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[pappajohn]

I even put SLIME™ in my lawn tractor tyres.

Bloody thorns are a pain.

 

[tonyidle]

Not too sure I totally agree with that, if the front has a rapid deflation through a blowout it will rip the steering wheel out of you hand, no amount of strength will hold it, the van will veer one way or another depending which tyre blows out more than likely leading to a turn over. If a rear tyre has a rapid deflation you are correct up to a point the van will drastically lean to one way or another (less if the van has a tag axle), but will not be as uncontrollable as the front. It's a bit like the skid pan or ice, if you steer into it you just might be lucky to overcome the lean to allow you to bring the van to a safe stop, you still might not be able to control it but with the front you have no chance.

This is a good reason we try to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible

Best Wishes Tony

Should be OK with PAS. It isn't my opinion - it came from an 'expert' but I can't remember where I read it. Given that many MHs are tail-heavy it makes sense to me. I lost a front wheel on a (much lighter 15cwt) van a long time ago. I was travelling at around 65mph and the only pull on the steering was my unnecessary attempt at correction. Even then I didn't cross the centre line. I let the thing slow down without brakes and eventually came to a stop under control. The front drum brake had worn through to the brake shoes. More modern vehicles have better front suspension geometry that helps to reduce pull from a deflated tyre & the reason for a rear blow-out being more difficult than a front to control is the dramatic lean you mention leading to fishtailing and loss of control. I've never seen a tag axle MH although I'm told there's an odd one or two about .