How To Look After Your Tyres For a Camping Trip

If you’ve been thinking about taking a camping trip, it’s best to feel prepared. To make sure you are ready for your trip, it’s essential that you get everything you need beforehand — and that includes looking after the tyres on your car.

To avoid flat tyre disappointments always inspect your tyres at least a day before your camping trip. Slow leaks, missing valve caps, poor alignment—all these can affect your driving experience during your camping trip. Here are some camping tips specifically for your tyres.

1. Clean your tyres first

Even if your vehicle has no mud or grime, scrubbing your tyres makes it easier to assess the wear and tear. When you clean and dry your tyres, give them a good once-over for uneven tread, cracks and debris. Use a soft brush to clean your tyres since stiff or metal bristles may ruin the print.

Tip: Use a torch to inspect your tyres. The more light you can get onto your tyres, the better to catch the wear early enough for repair or replacement.

2. Do a leak check

Image source: Utires.com

Slow leaks are the main culprits behind overnight flat tyres. The quickest way to check your tyres for leaks is by using soapy water. Mix some dishwashing liquid with warm water, spray or pour it over each of your tyres, and check if any part starts to bubble.

Do this leak check well in advance of your camping trip, so you’ll have time for a puncture repair. Keep your spare tyre for your actual trip when you may need it the most.

3. Keep your tyre pressure up

Compressed air is free at pretty much every local service station, so make it a habit to pump them up at least once a month. However, you may need to adjust your tyre pressure before your camping trip. The general camping advice is to use higher pressure if you’re towing a load and lower stress for off-road driving.

4. Check your tread depth

Image source: ProTyre

Worn treads affect your braking performance, especially in wet weather. Don’t wait until your tyre wear indicators are level with your tread. Instead, use a ruler on the mm side to check the tread depth. A brand new tyre has about 8 or 9mm depth, and anything under 3mm needs replacement.

Tip: If you enjoy off-road driving for your camping adventures, your tyres will undoubtedly wear quicker than regular driving. Buy a tyre tread depth gauge to keep track of your treads.

5. Keep your wheels aligned

Wheels get misaligned for various reasons, like hitting bumps and potholes, driving on uneven terrain, or simply through overall wear and tear over time. If you feel like your steering wheel is off-centre when you’re heading straight, or if your car slightly veers off to the left or right, it’s time for an alignment. This will ultimately make your driving easy, safe and stable.

6. Cap all your tyre valves

They may seem small and insignificant, but the caps on your tyre valves keep moisture and dirt out of your tyres and maintain your tyre pressure. You could safely drive without them, but if there’s crud in the valve, you’ll blow all of it into your tyre when you do your pressure check, which ultimately damages your tyre from the inside.

7. Consider buying camping tyres

If you like to go camping in a campervan, a set of camping tyres can make a huge difference in your driving experience. Regular tyres can work on a campervan, but there’s a higher chance of tyre failure if you overload your vehicle or underinflate the tyres. Camping tyres can carry the weight of your packed camping gear over long distances so that you can enjoy extended trips in the outdoors.

8. Check your spare tyres too

Before you head out for your camping trip, confirm that your spare wheel is functional. Ensure that you lubricate the wheel carrier, so you won’t struggle to get your spare tyre out in an emergency.

Clean the spare tyre as well, and give it the same checkup as the rest of your wheels. If you opt for a complete vehicle inspection before your camping trip, include the spares in your evaluation.

Arrive safely at Broken Head Holiday Park

With these tyre maintenance tips, you’ll confidently drive out to Broken Head Holiday Park for your beachside getaway. We want your trip to Byron Bay to go as smoothly as possible. Give your tyres a checkup, and book your holiday with us today!