Campervan Tyres: Load Ratings, Pressures and When to Replace

Tyres are the one thing between a fully loaded van and the tarmac, yet they're the most ignored part of campervan ownership. A motorhome weighing 3.5 tonnes puts enormous stress on its tyres, and the consequences of a blowout at motorway speed are serious. The good news is that correct tyre care is cheap, quick and easy to learn.

Load ratings matter more than size

Every van has a tyre size and a load index moulded into the sidewall. The load index tells you how much weight each tyre can carry at a given pressure. Check the plate on the driver's door pillar or the owner's manual for the correct specification — campervan conversions are heavier than the base van, so never fit standard car tyres to a converted van.

• Car tyres: typically load index around 91-94.
• Campervan and motorhome tyres: often 100+ and rated for continuous high-speed use.

Fitting tyres with too low a load rating is dangerous and an MOT failure.

Get the pressures right

A loaded van needs higher pressures than a car — rear pressures on motorhomes frequently sit in the 55-80 psi range. Always inflate to the pressures in the owner's manual or on the plate, not the ones moulded on the tyre sidewall. Check when the tyres are cold, and remember that a cold UK winter morning can drop pressures by several psi.

Age beats tread

Legally, tread must be at least 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre, but for a heavy van you should replace well before that. More important is age: rubber degrades whether or not the van is driven, and most tyre manufacturers recommend replacement after 5-6 years regardless of tread depth. Look for the four-digit date code on the sidewall, such as 2521 meaning the 25th week of 2021. Tyres cost roughly £120-£250 each for van sizes.

Tip: check the sidewalls for cracks and bulges, and look at the spare too — it might be older than the tyres on the van.

Before a big trip

Check all four pressures, look over the sidewalls, and confirm the spare or tyre repair kit is present and in date. When you're comparing vans, tyre condition tells you a lot about how the previous owner looked after it — spot-check the date codes on search listings before you travel to view one.