How To Check The age of your Caravan Tyres
ByOne of the most important things, and probably the first items you should check when bying a second hand caravan or motor home, is the condition of the tyres and the year of manufacture.
If you don’t, you could end up having a serious or even fatal road accident, and heres why !
Tyre Ageing can be deadly !
Rubber compounds used in modern tyres contain anti-oxidising chemicals that help to slow down the natural aging process of untreated rubber. However, tyres do deteriorate with age and this increases the risk of tyre failure. Tyre ageing can show in several different ways such as:
- Cracking/crazing on the side wall of the tyre, caused by its flexing
- Distortion of tyre tread
- Deformation of the carcass of the tyre
There will also be a deterioration of the ride quality caused by vibrations through the tyre. This may signify the tyre’s performance has been affected by age and should be investigated as soon as possible.
Tyres that have been in storage should not be used if they are over 6 years old, to check the age of the tyre locate the DOT number stamped on the sidewall of the tyre, it will look something like “DOT XXXX 3406″ and in this example the tyre was manufactured during the 34th week of 2006.
Below is the image of one of my tyres from my current Caravan, you can clearly see at the end the 4 digit code of 0207 – this means the tyre was made in the second week of 2007 – January 2007
When a tyre has been in regular use, the effects of aging are lessened to a degree, but such tyres should still be replaced after 10 years.
The effects of aging can be brought about prematurely under certain conditions. Tyres fitted as spare wheels or used on caravans and trailers may age prematurely, if tyres on caravans or trailers are not in regular use, then they should be inspected before every journey. Tyres used predominantly in coastal areas will age at a greater rate due to the saline conditions, and several cleaning products may also harm the chemicals in the rubber.
In most circumstances tread depth can be used as a suitable indication of when tyres should be replaced – as tyres generally wear out before their age effects their performance. However, the age of a tyre will affect its safety and increase the risk of failure, and you should inspect tyres for the signs of aging regularly.
