Tyres (1 Viewer)

Dave and Val

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Our motorhome is just 3 years old and has only done just under 6000 miles on Continental motorhome tyres. My local C&G qualified tyre supplier tells me that they should be replaced at 5 years otherwise insurance companies can be awkward. I have read reports on forums that they should be replaced every 4year/3years. Where do I stand? Has anyone any real technical information on motor home tyres, without going to the manufacturer. He says if I replace them now, he will save them and fit them onto his mobile tyre fitting van, which has the same chassis as our van and he carries over 3 tons of equipment and tyres on the van.

Dave and Val
 

MikeD

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eddievanbitz

Speak with Eddie

There has been lots of posts on the forum about tyres and their failures or not.

Eddie is in the profession and gives good advice.

ps I may have spelt his name wrong but he is easy to find :thumb::thumb:
 
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In my opinion they are fine until either
1) they reach 5 years old
2) tread depth is close to legal limit (I prefer to change sooner)
3) they show signs of damage to outer walls such as crazing.

Sounds like your tyre guy is trying to pull one over you. If they are good enough for his van why aren't they good enough for yours?

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cmcardle75

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Our motorhome is just 3 years old and has only done just under 6000 miles on Continental motorhome tyres. My local C&G qualified tyre supplier tells me that they should be replaced at 5 years otherwise insurance companies can be awkward. I have read reports on forums that they should be replaced every 4year/3years. Where do I stand? Has anyone any real technical information on motor home tyres, without going to the manufacturer. He says if I replace them now, he will save them and fit them onto his mobile tyre fitting van, which has the same chassis as our van and he carries over 3 tons of equipment and tyres on the van.

Dave and Val

Ridiculous. Car tyres normally last 6 years before rotting. Commercial tyres (i.e. motorhome) can last much longer. This is presuming they are rotated regularly in winter, as long term storage under load isn't good for them. Just look for cracking in the tyrewall to tell you if they're getting too old. Your insurance company won't give a brown deposit how old the tyres are unless they are not actually roadworthy, a situation easily determined by an MOT test, or an inspection.
 

rainbow chasers

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Motorhome REAR tyres get a bit a grief due to body roll. If you take them off the rim, and look inside you will see a 'ring' halfway up the wall, this is where the tyre wears inside, and causes weak spots for blow outs.

Often before it gets to that stage, the outside starts to crack with the sun, as motorhomes stand up for long periods between use.

Get some reasonable standard tyres and replace them every 3-5 years depending on condition of them. I usually give the rears a couple of seasons and then transfer to the front. MOST will last around 5 years, if not more.

What to particularly look for is flat spots from long parked up periods (often a rumbling or 'lumpy' drive/vibration) when travelling , and cracking on the side walls and between the treads - if they are fine and do not have that then carry on for another season!

The main benefit of keeping REAR tyres in good nick is 1. the are a pig to change roadside (usually requiring two jacks, and the supplied jack never fits) and 2. If the rear does blow, it can make a mess of the fibreglass body if it catches that.

So try to get in the habit of running the rear tyres for two/three years, and then swap them for the fronts for the last two years as they are easier to change roadside!
 

Greenacres

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Just had Continental Vanco Campers put on today because there are cracks and grains on sidewalls of old ones. Done 28,000 and they are 7 years old so despite good tread they would not pass MOT. Safety a priority.

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Pikey Pete

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[HI]Motorhome REAR tyres get a bit a grief due to body roll. If you take them off the rim, and look inside you will see a 'ring' halfway up the wall, this is where the tyre wears inside, and causes weak spots for blow outs.[/HI]

Often before it gets to that stage, the outside starts to crack with the sun, as motorhomes stand up for long periods between use.

Get some reasonable standard tyres and replace them every 3-5 years depending on condition of them. I usually give the rears a couple of seasons and then transfer to the front. MOST will last around 5 years, if not more.

What to particularly look for is flat spots from long parked up periods (often a rumbling or 'lumpy' drive/vibration) when travelling , and cracking on the side walls and between the treads - if they are fine and do not have that then carry on for another season!

The main benefit of keeping REAR tyres in good nick is 1. the are a pig to change roadside (usually requiring two jacks, and the supplied jack never fits) and 2. If the rear does blow, it can make a mess of the fibreglass body if it catches that.

So try to get in the habit of running the rear tyres for two/three years, and then swap them for the fronts for the last two years as they are easier to change roadside!

Having worked for a number of years in the Tyre trade, that's a new one on me.
How can a Tyre wear on the inside unless it comes into contact with something?
A grossly under inflated, or flat tyre will show signs of internal wear if the rim traps the inner wall between itself and the road surface. Other than that reason, I am intrigued to know how visible inner wear can occur.

Pete:Cool:
 

haganap

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I'm an oldbie MH number 9
I change mine every 5 years normally.

The last set I changed on 6 years about 6weeks ago.

I fitted continental vanco camper tyres.

Why take the risk?

As for insurance?

I speak from experience of making a very expensive claim following a bike crash. The assessor went over my tyres with a fine toothcombe, if there would of been any slight crack m convinced he would of knock back or reduced my claim. :Smile:
 
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I change mine every 5 years normally.

The last set I changed on 6 years about 6weeks ago.

I fitted continental vanco camper tyres.

Why take the risk?

As for insurance?

I speak from experience of making a very expensive claim following a bike crash. The assessor went over my tyres with a fine toothcombe, if there would of been any slight crack m convinced he would of knock back or reduced my claim. :Smile:

Good advice...having spent many years in the insurance game. I like Conti Vancos but went for the latest Michelin Agilis Campers this time because Event Tyres had such a good deal available. Can't recommend them (Event) highly enough. Fitted and balanced on my drive at home with high pressure valves. Currently ruining them on Moroccan roads but they seem quiet and very comfortable whenever we find a decent piece of road.
:Smile::Smile::Smile::Smile::Smile:

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camocam1

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I contacted Michelin direct and they said should be good for 10 years but check every year after 5 for side wall cracking
 

haganap

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I contacted Michelin direct and they said should be good for 10 years but check every year after 5 for side wall cracking

weird, you must of spoken to the different guy at Michelin than I spoke too :Smile:

In all honesty though, you have to remember, many of us are not mechanics. Some of us think we are but we ain't. I would ask how many of us actually know what to look for when a tyre is cracking/glazing? How many of us look both sides of the tyres?

My Michelins that I replaced this time round looked perfect. They were 6 years old, when they were removed, it was obvious to see that on one of them it was very glazed with little cracks developing. Only obvious once pointed out.

Im no expert on tyres, in fact, im no expert on anything, but what I do know is that blow outs hurt, both the wallet and the body (sometimes). I will do all I can to keep my self and other road users safe, yes four new boots is expensive, but well worth it..

As said, only my opinion spent researching shed loads of threads, tyre talk and contacting manufactures. but I'm in no position to lecture anyone. each person will make up their own mind.
:Smile:
 

rainbow chasers

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Having worked for a number of years in the Tyre trade, that's a new one on me.
How can a Tyre wear on the inside unless it comes into contact with something?
A grossly under inflated, or flat tyre will show signs of internal wear if the rim traps the inner wall between itself and the road surface. Other than that reason, I am intrigued to know how visible inner wear can occur.

Pete:Cool:

We noticed it on the old hire fleet. The pressures were always check weekly, and the vehicles were 'mot'd' every 6 weeks so they we were made aware of any failings quite early.

On the tyres, there was a ring around the inside. Tyre garage stated that this was due to the weight/body roll and bouncing where the tyre contacts the road and 'bends' the wall. Whereas under normal circumstances, this is not an issue, a motorhome weight makes the van tyre experience full loading (if it were a van) all the time. This constant flexing of the rubber caused similar symptoms of an under inflated tyre through the side ways and bouncing of the rear end going over bumps. These were good quality tyres of around 3 years old.

I did question the contact theory, as that would make sense to me more, but they said it was more due to flexing and the tyres being under full load, and likened it to work hardening steel. It does not cause an issue on its' own, until the outer wall starts to weaken - then it can cause blow outs as there is a weak point each side of the wall.

It kind of made sense, as the fronts never suffered with it - so must be some sort of accuracy in what they said.

After their advice to swap to the front after two years (less weight), we ended up getting 4-5 years from them and had no real issues. It may have been a compounded issue due to the mileage and constant use of hire vehicles - we didn't suffer flat spots and side wall issues of a private vehicle as much - but the internal wear was an issue that we kept an eye on.

To get the best from them, I would always advise private users to swap to the front after a couple of years to 'spread the wear' as it were - apart from that, they are easier to change if they do go!:thumb:

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Feb 9, 2008
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From the other forum. (they seem to be more informed, in my view)

Extract from Continental Tyre website:

"Continental is unaware of any technical data that supports a specific tyre age for removal from service. However, as with other members of the tyre and automotive industries, Continental recommends that all tyres (including spare tyres) that were manufactured more than ten (10) years previous be replaced with new tyres, even when tyres appear to be usable from their external appearance and if the tread depth may have not reached the minimum wear out depth".

The link is here:

http://www.conti-online.com/generat...re-information/how-old-are-your-tyres-en.html
 

schojac

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Have just replaced mine after 6 years (Agilis C), slight cracking but lots of tread wear left ( 20K miles). I have have been reliably informed that 5 years is somewhat of an advisory and all tyres should be throughly checked for signs of deterioration. There are many factors, Uv, cornering speed, lack of rotation that all affect tyre life.

Insurance - I was advised to fit as supplied by the manufacturer otherwise this could be classed as a modification and could cause problems. Wise to seek advice and clarification from your insurer. (in writing)

At the end of the day £600 is a lot of money for replacement tyres but what price loss of control through a blow out.
 
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My Vancos are being replaced on Monday (mobile fitter etyres who I have used several times).
My tyres are 6 years old, and although they look OK to the untrained eye, I wouldn't risk it. Because my van does not have a spare, I have an extra reason why I want my tyres to be OK.

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haganap

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From the other forum. (they seem to be more informed, in my view)

Extract from Continental Tyre website:

"Continental is unaware of any technical data that supports a specific tyre age for removal from service. However, as with other members of the tyre and automotive industries, Continental recommends that all tyres (including spare tyres) that were manufactured more than ten (10) years previous be replaced with new tyres, even when tyres appear to be usable from their external appearance and if the tread depth may have not reached the minimum wear out depth".

The link is here:

http://www.conti-online.com/generat...re-information/how-old-are-your-tyres-en.html
This applies to tyres as a whole. Imo and many others motorhome tyres should be looked at differently because of weight and static issues ie hardly ever moving.
 

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