Club 80-90 Forums

Is it true that tyres over 5 years old on a T25 camper could possibly invalidate an insurance claim when involved in an accident?
This is what I have been told by my local tyre fitters.

Maybe a phone call to your insurers might answer your question.It will be handy to know what they say.

That seems to be a strange rumour, I would have 3 vehicles to re-tyre if it were true, I cannot see it just applying to campers.

There's no law on tyre age but the tyre industry recommendation is 6 years; if you do average milage that's pretty much the life of even the best van tyres anyway, but on a camper that does only 3000 miles a year they will still have tread and be mot pass after 10 years. The mot isn't very tough on tyres yet they are the one(four)point of contact with the road.
Probably some insurer has tried it on with a vehicle with old tyres; if you have 10 year old tyres and one blows out on the motorway could it be argued that age was contributory factor without knowing the tyre pressure and state of the tyre before the blow out ? It's a stretch; but I do want my tyres to be good and fresh and doing their job which means being part of the suspension, old tyres feel dead, 15 year old BFGs drive like concrete compared to fresh ones, so the 6 year recommendation holds fair for me

A few years ago I checked my spare, it looked great but was a three digit date code from 1987 origional.

my personal limit is 10 years or less if they have any cracking.

there was a case of a bus tyre blow out a few years ago where the tyre was about 20 years old some people dies, it wasn't illegal.

Continental recon on 10 years for tyres stored out of sunlight, 7 years for tyres in use.

Also, check the treads. On my last set of tyres the treads started cracking after 6 years.

And check your valves too.



Some have only lasted a couple of years so I now fit metal valves instead.

Also worth checking date codes when you buy tyres, I have had them over a year old before although not for the van so I didn't bother complaining.

I would expect an insurance company to look at anything that might provide justification for non-payment of a claim, including your tyres. That would include correct load rating, whether your tyre size / width is compatible with your rims, and the age of your tyres. The manufacture date of your tyres should be marked clearly on the wall of the tyres, and you should check with the tyre manufacturer as to their recommended life span for those tyres.

BFGoodrich recommend that tyres over 5 years old should be inspected properly on an annual basis, and that in any case all tyres should be replaced no later than 10 years.

Many people though will replace at five years as a precautionary measure.

Hi, most insurance policies include some sort of clause stating that the vehicle should be 'roadworthy' and 'properly maintained' or words to that effect, however they cannot refuse a claim due to a defect on the vehicle unless they can reasonably prove that this defect was a contributory factor in the accident. So if your van is parked outside your house and someone runs into the back of it they cannot refuse to pay but if you slide side ways down the motorway into the armco and have 'defective' tyres they will probably politely decline.
I am not saying that anybody should drive around with faulty tyres and if you think your tyres are suspect in any way then get a professional opinion from a trusted tyre supplier or MOT tester. I am just stating what the insurance companies position is.

Hope this helps.

I worked for Goodyear for 20 years.
Tyres are not inert things, once vulcanised the slow degrading begins.
Sunlight and heat take out the resins that make it supple and retain strength.
The steel, nylon and rayon stay intact, but the rubber around them rots and detaches.
I change mine every 5