Caravan Tyre Poll Results
In our last newsletter, we asked you to give us feedback regarding the tyres on your caravans. As ever, we got a great response, and we appreciate your engagement. Here’s a round-up of what you told us.
Our initial question was: Do you check the tyre pressure on your caravan before making each journey? A reassuring 85% of you answered yes – well done! But of course, at first glance, that leaves 15% – 88 responders – who said they don’t.
That could be interpreted as a high number, but as expected, the majority of those who don’t check every time, told us that they check on a regular basis, just not every single journey – which makes perfect sense, especially if you use your caravan a lot.
Of the others, some feel they have the experience to check when required, while many have invested in an after-market automatic monitoring system, such as Tyrepal - see on the Safety & Security newsletter details of how to save 20% on Tyrepal pressure monitoring systems through the Club Shop.
However, a small but significant proportion of responders answered that they don’t have the equipment to check their tyres. This is an easy fix – a manual tyre pressure gauge can be purchased for as little as £5, with hand-held digital gauges available for under £10. Most of these also include a tread depth gauge as well.
And a slightly higher outlay – but still under £25 – will get you a digital tyre inflator pump that is powered by your battery and, of course, includes a digital pressure gauge. It’s a small price to pay for a key safety feature.
And remember, your caravan tyre pressures may vary depending on your caravan weight and particularly if you are driving a single-axle van or a twin-axle one. Make sure you know the correct pressures for your rig.
We also asked you about spare tyres for your caravan, and a reassuring 96% of respondents said they carry a spare. It’s hard to overstate how important it is to carry a spare tyre for your caravan, not to mention ensuring it’s in good serviceable condition. If you travel overseas - which around one in five of our caravanning members do - this becomes even more important, as sourcing caravan wheels on the continent can be time-consuming and disrupt your journey plans.
So the key takeaway here is simple: get a spare, always carry it, and when you’re checking the pressure on your caravan tyres, don’t forget to check the pressure on the spare as well.
Finally, we also asked you about the tyres on your tow-car, and again, a reassuringly vast majority of you check your pressures on a regular basis, or – as is more and more common these days – have a car that automatically monitors the pressure for you. Isn’t technology wonderful?
So there we have it. We hardly need to tell you what an important safety measure it is to have good-condition tyres that are regularly checked for tread depths and correct inflation pressures. Remember, whatever speed you’re doing and whatever surface you are on, your tyres are your only contact with the road. So don’t skimp on safety.
Just to hammer home the help and advice, here’s a link to our Technical Team’s blog post about all things related to Caravan Tyres and Wheels.
And don't forget, should you find yourself on the receiving end of a puncture or a blowout, the Club's MAYDAY UK Breakdown Cover can help get you back on the road.