Caravan tyres

[stevecrm]

What sort of price should I be paying for a pair of 175R13 :nenau

[(RIP) PLANK]

it depends on the load rating required! which is the all important bit on caravans!

[MudLifeCrisis]

You'll need 6 or 8 ply for a caravan , will look up a price when I'm in work tomorrow.


Brian

[(RIP) PLANK]

if it's a pretty light van you might even get awy with car tyres but, thres no harm in going for 6 ply all the same :thumb2

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

http://www.tyreline.com/trailer_caravan_wheels_tyres/trailer_caravan_wheels_tyres.htm

appears to be informative about tyre specs, though cant see option to buy or prices


http://www.allterraintyres.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7027

ok how does £53.58 grab you,

also try towsure.com

[stevecrm]

it depends on the load rating required! which is the all important bit on caravans!

thats the bit i need to learn about


http://www.allterraintyres.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7027

ok how does £53.58 grab you,

also try towsure.com

haha I saw the allterraintyres link and thought it was gonna show me some big offroad tyres for my caravan :lol

[stevecrm]

I'll try and sort the MOT first then maybe get some caravan tyres in the next few months :thumb2

[robobone]

if it's a pretty light van you might even get awy with car tyres but, thres no harm in going for 6 ply all the same :thumb2
should never put car tyres on caravans due to the amount of time they stand still
minimum 6 but better 8 ply

[andrewk]

should never put car tyres on caravans due to the amount of time they stand still minimum 6 but better 8 ply

Why should 6 or 8 ply tyres be any better at standing still than car tyres? Aren't commercial vehicles generally less likely to stand still than cars?

Do explain .........

Andrew

[andrewk]

if it's a pretty light van you might even get awy with car tyres ....

I keep hearing it said by folks on forums such as UKCS that 6 or 8 ply tyres should be fitted to caravans. On the other hand, many caravan manufacturers fit car tyres from new (where they are available in an appropriate rating).

My understanding is that reinforced or 6/8 ply tyres need to be pumped up to higher pressures, as the side walls are stiffer and hence generate more heat for a given inflation pressure, load and road speed. Running tyres at a higher inflation pressure will reduce the tyre footprint, affect the suspension dynamics and transmit more road shock into the caravan itself. I'm not convinced that this is a good thing.

Where caravan manufacturers fit appropriately rated car tyres to a new caravan after taking advice from the tyre manufacturer, why do so many caravanners seem to think that they know better when worrying about tyre replacement?

Despite having a lengthy ponder about this, I cannot come to a conclusion that stacks up. Any thoughts?

Andrew
(Confused of Oldham)

[robobone]

I keep hearing it said by folks on forums such as UKCS that 6 or 8 ply tyres should be fitted to caravans. On the other hand, many caravan manufacturers fit car tyres from new (where they are available in an appropriate rating).

My understanding is that reinforced or 6/8 ply tyres need to be pumped up to higher pressures, as the side walls are stiffer and hence generate more heat for a given inflation pressure, load and road speed. Running tyres at a higher inflation pressure will reduce the tyre footprint, affect the suspension dynamics and transmit more road shock into the caravan itself. I'm not convinced that this is a good thing.

Where caravan manufacturers fit appropriately rated car tyres to a new caravan after taking advice from the tyre manufacturer, why do so many caravanners seem to think that they know better when worrying about tyre replacement?

Despite having a lengthy ponder about this, I cannot come to a conclusion that stacks up. Any thoughts?

Andrew


(Confused of Oldham)

excert from caravan club information(which i think is a reputable sorce)
http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/nr/rdonlyres/aa21c69d-adcd-4264-9be5-090bdec6ef81/0/tyresandwheels.pdf

What do caravan tyres do? Surprisingly, perhaps, caravan tyres do their job is a different way to car tyres, and need to be treated differently, as a result. On a car, the tyre‟s traction (if it is on a driven wheel) is important, but caravan wheels are not powered. All the wheels on a car, but especially the front ones while steering need tyres which grip well particularly on wet or slippery surfaces – this is much less important on a caravan (although not entirely irrelevant, of course). Car tyres need to cope with higher cornering forces than are ever likely to be seen by a caravan, too. Also, if your car tyres generate lots of road noise, you will be aware of it, whereas on your caravan you would not. Cars tend to have much softer, more compliant suspension than caravans, and have sophisticated shock absorbing. Most caravans have simple, relatively basic suspension, with relatively little inherent shock absorbing characteristics (whether or not the caravan is fitted with separate shock
It is best if your caravan tyre does not end up like this….
3
absorbers). In practice, therefore, caravan tyres tend to provide a significant proportion of the shock absorbing capacity of the suspension, making their characteristics and crucially their inflation pressure particularly important. In essence, the harder you pump up your caravan tyres, the stiffer you are making your shock absorbers. Caravans do a fairly low annual mileage – on average around 2000 miles a year, so it would take many years of use to wear out the tread. However, two or three factors make them deteriorate in a different way, even with careful use. All tyres age and deteriorate due to exposure to sunlight and atmosphere, even if not used. Caravan tyres can suffer fatigue due to the repetitive small impacts they suffer in everyday use, without the protection afforded by the more sophisticated suspension found on cars. Also, being stored for long periods of the year without use can put undue strain on one particular part of the tyre. For all these reasons, caravan tyres need to be specified with care, used with sensitivity in terms of loading, inflation pressure and speed, and properly cared for when not in use. They also need regular replacement, irrespective of their visual appearance, as detailed below.

[andrewk]

Thanks for the quote from the caravan club.

The question I posed was "Where caravan manufacturers fit appropriately rated car tyres to a new caravan after taking advice from the tyre manufacturer, why do so many caravanners seem to think that they know better when worrying about tyre replacement?".

Have you any thoughts on that?

Andrew
(Still confused of Oldham)

[(RIP) PLANK]

i'm inclined to agree with andrewk, for example i one had 4 tyres fittred to a caravan, all michellin all the same model and tread pattern, in this case one "car" tyre had been fitted as opposed to the other 3 '6 ply' by mistake, if failed pretty badly. But that's not my point what is, is that apart from the load rating there was nothing obviously different between the car and van tyre.

I have notice howerer if you get two tyres the same make and model, one a six ply and one an 8 ply the 8 ply seems to be significantly heavier, and seems a lot stiffer and harder to mount on the rim.

Somehting else i have noticed, when standing, 8 ply tyres seem to deteriaorate faster, (through side wall craks etc than car tyres, could this be the higher running pressure allowing them less )flexibility?

I know a lot of the advice about tyres standing on one spot etc, is a left over fomr the 'cross ply' days and standing around really did ruin them, hence the winter wheels etc. for caravans.

[andrewk]

I don't really have a position on whether a particular caravan should have a car tyre or reinforced 6/8 ply tyre fitted. In general, I think that when you buy new tyres for a caravan, they should be of the same type and size as originally fitted.

I still cannot understand why many caravanners seem to believe that they know better than both the manufacturers of the caravan and its original fitment tyres.

Andrew

[(RIP) PLANK]

agreed AK, and that is size and load rating, that's about it!

Having said that it's not just caravaners who mess about with tyre sizes and types i hear 4x4 owners are rather partial to it too :lol