Caravan and motorhome tyres are a different job from car tyres. They spend most of the year parked, carry a heavy static load, and then get asked to do a long motorway run fully loaded. That combination is why they tend to fail from age and standing rather than from mileage — and why a tyre with plenty of tread can still be the thing that ends your trip.
The Tyre Soldier is a mobile tyre fitter run by Matt and Keri out of Dundee. We cover Tayside, Perthshire and Fife, including the Highland Perthshire holiday routes up the A9 to Pitlochry. We come to where the caravan or motorhome actually is — home, a storage yard, or a pitch — so you’re not towing an unknown tyre to a depot to find out it needs replacing.
Why caravan and motorhome tyres fail from age, not miles
A car tyre usually wears out. A caravan tyre usually ages out. Sitting still for months at a time, often outdoors, the rubber is attacked by UV, heat and oxygen rather than the road. It hardens, loses grip and starts to crack — and a heavy van loaded for a holiday is exactly when that weakness shows up.
The general industry guidance is to replace caravan and motorhome tyres at around 5 to 7 years regardless of how much tread is left. That’s advice, not a legal limit — there’s no hard age cap for these in normal use — but it’s the sensible line because the failure is in the rubber, not the tread.
Reading the date code (DOT)
Every tyre has a DOT code on the sidewall ending in four numbers — the week and year it was made. So 2419 means week 24 of 2019. If those numbers put your tyres past five or six years old, it’s worth planning a change before a big trip, whatever the tread looks like. Not sure where to find it or how to read it? Send us a photo on WhatsApp and we’ll work it out with you.
Pressures, load and flat-spotting
Two more things catch people out after a winter of storage:
- Pressures set to the load. Caravan and motorhome tyres run at much higher pressures than a car, and the right figure depends on how the van is loaded. Check them cold, against the maker’s loaded-weight figure — not the car-tyre habit of a quick eyeball.
- Flat spots from standing. Park the same weight on the same patch of rubber for months and the tyre can take a set — a flat spot you’ll feel as a vibration or thump when you first pull away. A short flat spot can ease as the tyre warms up; a permanent one means the tyre is done.
A quick pre-trip check
Before you set off, walk round and look at:
- The DOT date code on every tyre — including the spare
- Cracking or crazing in the sidewalls and between the tread blocks
- Pressures, checked cold and set to the loaded weight
- Flat spots, bulges or uneven shape after storage
- Tread depth — the legal minimum, but never your only check on a caravan tyre
If anything on that list looks off, it’s cheaper and far less stressful to sort it on the drive than on a layby on the A9.
We come to the van — wherever it’s parked
You shouldn’t have to hitch up and tow a questionable tyre across the county. As a mobile fitter, we bring the tyres and the kit to you and fit them on site — at home, in a storage compound, or on your pitch. We source any brand or budget, and you get the all-in price before we set off, with nothing added on arrival.
We’re available 24/7 on 07449 206 581 (call or WhatsApp). Where the route allows, we’re typically with you in around 90 minutes. Check the areas we cover or get a quote with your tyre size and where the van is parked, and we’ll take it from there.