# Tyres- Change every 5 years?



## StephandJohn

It seems to be advised to change tyres on motorhomes every 5 years and ours will therefore now be due. Is this necessary (including the spare?) and if they have to be changed so regularly before the tread has worn much, it seems pointless spending a lot of money on Michelin camping tyres which we have now.
What is the consensus on this and does this also apply to car tyres?


----------



## Zebedee

Hi Steph

I don't think a concensus will be much help in this case, since it is an irrefutible fact that the sidewalls of tyres degrade and crack after a certain time, whether the treads are worn or not.

Five years may be the lower limit, and perhaps 7 years is the upper - it's impossible to be categoric because (as in all things) some tyres show the problem sooner than others . . . and you don't know how long they have been in storage before you bought them!

It would definitely be worth getting them inspected.

The worst case scenario is a high speed, front tyre blow-out on the motorway. 8O 

Hope this helps

Dave


----------



## BrianJP

Steph said:


> It seems to be advised to change tyres on motorhomes every 5 years and ours will therefore now be due. Is this necessary (including the spare?) and if they have to be changed so regularly before the tread has worn much, it seems pointless spending a lot of money on Michelin camping tyres which we have now.
> What is the consensus on this and does this also apply to car tyres?


There are many threads on this subject here already .5 years is debatable ( The industry doesn't actually state any specific age) but you should certainly be looking at the tyre walls for signs of cracking at that age.Tread depth is irrelevant. Similar advice applies to car tyres but they generally dont last 5 years anyway if a car does average mileage.Camping car tyres are built for the purpose and are supposed to be better but there are other makes. available So the answer to your questions is pretty well yes to everything.If you see my earlier post on this subject you will see that when I replaced my tyres recently ,1 tyre (7 years old) that had slight crazing on the sidewall,developed a 4 inch long split when it was removed from the rim !!!


----------



## StephandJohn

The tyres have 06 on them so are 5 years old. The tyre walls look fine and there are no visible cracks.
Is it worth spending out when replacing them if the next lot will be discarded after another 5 years?


----------



## SorC

Hi Steph,
Ask yourself one simple question, is better to be wise than sorry or to risk a blow out at speed which if it occurred could result in complete disaster for occupants and motorhome you can't see inside the tyre wall so you don't knwo what state they are in internally. I changed mine at 5 years and replaced with Michelin Agillas and am very pleased with the increased fuel ecconomy and handling at £120 each it was money well spent don't penny pinch when your safety is concerned.
Regards,
Steve.


----------



## StephandJohn

Before posting this morning we had already decided to replace all 5 tyres with Michelin camping tyres but just wondered what everyone else thought - are there any other good quality brands?


----------



## blackbirdbiker

Steph said:


> Before posting this morning we had already decided to replace all 5 tyres with Michelin camping tyres but just wondered what everyone else thought - are there any other good quality brands?


I've just had these fitted but with the (M+S) stamp on them, they were very good on mud when we stayed on a ACSI site in Belguim last week. The van next to us had problems getting off his pitch but we just sailed through. :wink:

Keith


----------



## tattytony

I just replace mine with camping tyres they were 2005


----------



## StephandJohn

Thanks Keith, we've been stuck in the mud so many times we always get hard standing now. Other people just seem to sail over it and you wonder how they do it


----------



## Spacerunner

Take a look here for advice from Michelin.

They reckon start to think about changing at five years but definitely change at ten years.


----------



## coppo

Steph said:


> Thanks Keith, we've been stuck in the mud so many times we always get hard standing now. Other people just seem to sail over it and you wonder how they do it


Exactly the same as us Steph, kept getting stuck, seeing some folk sailing over the mud, thought we were rubbish drivers.

Then got some winter tyres fitted, now it us sailing over the mud, up the tracks, its 95% tyres, 5% driving.

Paul.


----------



## DTPCHEMICALS

Ours were changed before 5 years. Three of the four had lots of very small cracks in them. Only 15k miles at the time.

Cheaper than an accident

Dave p


----------



## brockley

Changed ours last year as they were five years old, I guess It's all down to how confident you are about dealing with a blow out 8O

I found the Toyo HO9's terrific, very good in muddy conditions too. I bought them through Tyreshopper.com. I do with all my tyres, much to the disgust of the local National Tyres manager because it undercuts them every time :? 

I must be a really valued customer because Tyreshopper have just sent me an e mail with a 5% discount code to enter which is valid up until June. 

If anyone is thinking of this route, pm me and I'll send the code.


----------



## HEYFIELD

A few years ago on my previous van I thought it had developed a slow puncture on one of the rear wheels so I topped up and drove the van to a nearby tyre dealer.

When he took the wheel off he pointed out a large "smile" on the inside side of the tyre.

It was showing the steel banding.

The tyre a Michelin Camping one was only 7 years old and had not been removed from the van in that 7 years.

It could not have been damaged from exposure to the sun due to the position of the tyre on the wheel.

I now always change my tyres at 6 years old.


----------



## richardjames

Consider fitting Toyos - I have them and I am pleased with the ride - I changed mine at 7 years and they were still good in and out 8O


----------



## Richard_M

BrianJP said:


> you should certainly be looking at the tyre walls for signs of cracking at that age.


Cracks are often on the inside and so you cannot see them.

I would always change at between 5 and 7 years. 7 max!


----------



## Hymervanman

Tyres are the only thing between your motorhome, its occupants and the road. Think about this fact when you purchase tyres and you will sleep a lot better!!!


----------



## rogerblack

I can add my wholehearted approval of the H09 from Toyo, they have made a world of difference in wet grass/muddy conditions, as well as snow, ice and wet roads. Only problem is, they are as rare as hen's teeth at the moment.

I also agree with all the previous comments regarding your well-being and also the monetary cost of an accident - what percentage of the total value of your 'van is a set of decent tyres? 

Or to put it into perspective, even at £120 a pop (bad choice of phrase!) to last five years, that's about the cost of a tank of diesel these days - the tyres will last you a lot longer than four fill-ups!!


----------



## TickTok

Steph said:


> Before posting this morning we had already decided to replace all 5 tyres with Michelin camping tyres but just wondered what everyone else thought - are there any other good quality brands?


Hi Steph

I am having 4 new Avon tyres fitted in the morning, we had them on the last motorhome with no problems only for two years before we sold it but 4 months of that was touring Europe. Have a look here http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/ purchase on the web and fitted at a local National Tyres. Our normal tyre place struggled to get within £50 of the price and that includes fitting, balance and a valve. Might be worth a look.


----------



## Techno100

Steph said:


> Before posting this morning we had already decided to replace all 5 tyres with Michelin camping tyres but just wondered what everyone else thought - are there any other good quality brands?


I bought mine with 7 year old tires and only 8.700 miles on but they were badly cracked in my opinion. I decided without a second thought to replace all four with Michelin camping which were on offer at 20% discount at Costco. I did over 400 miles through snow in December all on the way to Limousin. Never got stuck just put it in first and dropped the clutch with no revs and it chugged through anything. So I've no consideration for winter tires at all. quite often front ends slip in the mud but it's usually overcome by treating it like snow. I only use 57 psi in my fronts.
I figure with the mileage we do I'll probably wear mine out in 5 yrs so it won't be an issue in future. 
I whole heartedly recommend Michelin.

EDIT I have not replaced the spare it has never set foot on the road nor seen the Sun and IMHO it is fully serviceable


----------



## BrianJP

Steph said:


> Before posting this morning we had already decided to replace all 5 tyres with Michelin camping tyres but just wondered what everyone else thought - are there any other good quality brands?


Continental Vanco Campers are just as good as Michelin and a bit cheaper ( go to Black Circles.com for either anyway).Also I have found them much quieter as well.


----------



## Techno100




----------



## robrace

*Hankook*

Just replaced my tyres on my Ford Transit Bucanneer with Hankook which came highly reccomended,The original tyres were 11 years old and looked as good as new.There were no signs of crazing.The interiors looked good as well.I have been told that you need to replace tyres between 7 and ten years!so you pays your money and takes your choice.!I have had two blow outs buy both on my car which has tyres less than 5 years old...


----------



## CLS

I always advise customers of the age of tyres on a habitation check and recommend changing tyres if *over 7 years old *or before if any signs of damage or cracking / splitting of sidewalls. Surprising how many motorhomes and caravans we find with cracked sidewalls and the owners didnt know :?

Mark


----------



## StephandJohn

We seem to skate all over the mud with our current Michelin camping tyres; if we fitted Mud & Snow tyres is there any disadvantage in normal conditions?


----------



## rogerblack

Steph said:


> We seem to skate all over the mud with our current Michelin camping tyres; if we fitted Mud & Snow tyres is there any disadvantage in normal conditions?


The disadvantages of keeping M+S on all year in theory would be that they don't wear as well and they can be noisier. However, since the discussion we're having is that most of us don't do enough mileage to wear out treads, rather we change on tyre age, the wear issue doesn't affect us. As to the noise issue, I'd be surprised if you noticed it above the engine noise, rattling doors, window blinds, cooker grilles and all the other noises we tend to put up with in our 'vans!

I have made the decision to keep ours on all year, since wet grass/mud is as much if not more of a problem in the British 'summer' and they offer improved grip on wet roads anyway.

I also have winter tyres fitted on my Vectra Estate and probably won't bother to change those for summer either, since I don't do a high mileage in that either these days.


----------



## nicholsong

1 Is side-wall cracking delayed by putting MH on blocks during a lay-up?

2 Do spares deteriorate if stored in a MH garage?

3 Related to 3, is there any need to rotate spare with road tyres? - except that if left in situ it may influence the choice of next set to keep conformity.

Geoff


----------



## blondy

Hi steph, If we are going to a possible wet site I always make sure my waste tank near the rear is empty and that the fuel tank, near the front is full, this is what is known as wieght transferance and gives more traction.
Cheers


----------



## IanA

Well I've given up trying to find any Toyo H09s this side of September - not sure whether any will come out of Japan this year after their awful time. I'm having Toyo H08 fitted tomorrow morning, not winter tyres, but I'll get some snow chains later in the year. My current tyres are 02 and 03, so well past the 5 years - and there are signs of cracks on sidewalls which look like flexing of the tyre, so probably where it was standing, but there is also one on the back axle starting to crack around the circumference of the tyre, so a slow drive to the garage tomorrow


----------



## StAubyns

I've put 4 new Hankook RA08's on at a fitted cost of £310.

Ordered on the internet, fitted at a local tyre service.

Not been far on them yet, but I feel better for having them on  

They replaced 4 six year old tyres on a 5 year old van. All 4 were showing cracks on the inside/outside 8O


----------



## duxdeluxe

I replaced two about 6 months ago and the other two yesterday all with Michelin Agilis camping tyres, which are also M+S rated. In both cases I used Etyres (www.etyres.co.uk) mainly because the price difference was very small and they provide a free mobile fitting service so no issues with having to go out to a tyre place, saving a bit of diesel as well as some time. Highly recommended. The Michelins were a little more that the Continentals but I decided to keep with them as the Michelins are supposed to be a) quiet and b) supposed to offer much lower rolling resistance giving better fuel economy in theory

The advise given on the Michelin website about changing them seems to be very pragmatic - if over 5 years old keep checking them carefully etc. Mine were replaced, rears first as they showed signs of numerous small cracks and then the fronts 6 months later as they weren't as bad to start with. The spare hasn't been used and I can see no merit in changing it.

Hope that helps


----------



## DABurleigh

etyres have just left me having replaced four 6-year old tyres with Continental Vanco 2. Took him an hour. Very convenient.

Dave


----------



## wakk44

I have also had my tyres replaced recently with Continental Vanco 2's.I have done approx. 1000 miles with them and so far have been very impressed with the roadholding and quietness.

They replaced Michelin Camping tyres which were 6 years old and after 20000 miles had plenty of tread left but were showing small cracks in the sidewall.

They were much cheaper than the Michelins and tbh I prefer them.


----------

