Hi I have just checked the tyres on the caravan are normal car tyres 195/55/13 I was wondering if they would be suitable or do I change them for proper caravan tyres.
It depend of load index. Look on tyre sidewall there will be 2 numbers & a letter probably 80H for that size. That gives you 450kg for each tyre so your caravan needs to be somewhat under 900kg all up for those tyres to be ok.
Are you sure you have read size right? It is quite an unusual size so you may have limited choice. If tyres are old then they should be changed anyway.
Itys not correct that caravan tyres should always be 8ply van tyres. Provided load rating of both tyres together add up to over caravan loaded weight then car tyres are often sufficient for lighter caravans.
I would never use car tyres on a caravan regardless of the weight as there are 4 car tyres on a car so the weight mass is distributed equally 4 ways whereas on a caravan there are only two tyres which the mass is being distributed only just 2 ways therefore 8 ply commercial tyres are the way to go with any caravan in my view. Also car tyres are designed for cornering at higher speeds so 4 ply are more flexible and designed specifically for the application but because a caravan is not cornering in the same manner as a car then the tyre design needs to be constructed differently for the purpose of carrying extra weight. You will find that most responsible tyre fitters won't fit car tyres to caravan wheels anyway.
use van tyres,that is what ive been told when i replaced all 4 on mine,even though they looked fine they were out of date.cost 160 quid.van tyres take a good load and are priced well.dont risk cheap or dated tyres.especially for what they cost
Quote: Originally posted by joe blog on 23/3/2014
Hi I have just checked the tyres on the caravan are normal car tyres 195/55/13 I was wondering if they would be suitable or do I change them for proper caravan tyres.
It really depends upon the wight rating of the tyres. Your tyres will have
A load index on the side wall after the tyre size and before the speed rating so for instance they may be 195/55/13 91v Where the load index is 91 and the speed rating is V . You can check what the load index means on this site http://www.ctyres.co.uk/tyre_info/tyre_load_index.html
For a single axle van if you double the weight that the load index gives you it must be greater than the plated max weight of the trailer. If it is then it does not matter what ply rating it is or whether it is a car tyre or van tyre, it will do the job.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
Quote: Originally posted by Mick S. on 24/3/2014
Surely the caravan tyres will stand the, well, standing about, better than car tyres? I wouldnt even put car tyres on my builders trailer.
If they are built and designed to carry a particular load then that is what they will do, what matters is the load rating. If the tyres require extra support to meet a particular load rating they will get it. There is no such thing as a car tyre or a van tyre, they are all just tyres with a load rating that matches the requirement
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013