WORDS BY CARAVAN COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, IMAGES BY TOMMY SALMON ADVICE: CARAVAN TYRES Professional automotive engineer Colin Young P.Eng from the Caravan Council of Australia reckons many have got it wrong Tyres play a critical role in determining the Handling and Stability characteristics of all caravans on the road. On a few frightening occasions, the tyres selected by a ‘van manufacturer have been dangerously “under-engineered”, in that their Maximum Load Rating was less than the Maximum Load that the tyres could legally (as per the GTM Rating) be subjected to! In far too many cases, the tyres selected by the ‘van manufacturer have been hideously “over-engineered”, in that their Maximum Load Rating was much higher than the Maximum Load that the tyres would ever be subjected to! While there may be some other opinions on how much a tyre should be loaded to, for caravan tyres it is reasonable to have the maximum Load applied to a tyre, at around 90 – 95% of the Rating. Certainly, it should not be around 50 – 60%. “BIGGER ain’t always BETTER”… certainly applies to caravan wheels and tyres. If you are not happy with the way your ‘van handles on the road, or if you have any other concerns about your ‘van’s Tyre Size or Inflation Pressures, you should discuss the issues…