Knowing what PSI (pounds per square inch) your caravan tyres should be is a crucial step to ensuring you stay safe when you’re on the road.
These bits of rubber will play a significant role in ensuring you safely reach your destination, and knowing the correct pressure is going to be an important part of your caravan tyre care routine.
Caravan tyres generally have higher pressure requirements than car tyres. That’s because they are often commercial-spec, similar to a van, with stronger sidewalls.
Just in case you weren’t aware, in the UK, tyre pressure is measured in PSI (pounds per square inch) or Bar (1 Bar = 14.5psi). Most car tyres are inflated to between 30 and 40PSI, but caravan tyres often require 45 to 60PSI.
However, it would be difficult, and dangerous, for me to quote you a tyre pressure without more details. It’s crucial to check the figures for your specific caravan’s model and year, due to potential changes across seasons.
If you have a caravan from the past five years, you could start by checking the weight plate of your caravan, where it should be listed. However, we’d recommend checking it with the figure listed in your caravan’s handbook or, if you don’t have that, check the website of your caravan manufacturer or give them a call.
Alternatively, contact your local AWS caravan technician, or check out the excellent website, www.tyresafe.org, and search caravan tyre pressures.
It’s crucial that you know the correct pressures for your tourer’s tyres. Under-inflating your tyres will create wear on both edges of the tread, while over inflating them usually causes premature wear in the centre of the tread. Both faults will damage your tyres and could cause tyre failure and sudden deflation.
Cost-effective tyre-pressure-monitoring devices like TyrePal, beam the pressure from each tyre to a display on your dashboard in real-time. You can get an idea of what this involves in Nigel Hutson’s guide to how to install the TyrePal TC215.
The benefit of such a device is the reassurance it gives you in knowing that your tyres are performing as expected when you are towing a caravan. As towing gadgets go, it can definitely be worth considering.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Caravan magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things caravan related.
