What Tyres Does Your Caravan REALLY Need

Let’s be honest, choosing tyres for your caravan is about as exciting as waiting in line at the post office, until one blows out at 100km/h in the middle of nowhere. Then, suddenly, they’re very exciting... and expensive.

There’s no shortage of opinions on what tyres your caravan should be running. You’ve probably heard everything from “just match your tow rig” to “it doesn’t matter, they’re not even driven wheels.” Like most things in the touring world, the truth sits somewhere between bush logic and engineer-speak.

So, let’s break it down.

4x4 and caravan driving in red dirt

Do You Really Need Light Truck Tyres?

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Also yes.

Light Truck (LT) tyres are designed for heavier loads. They have tougher sidewalls, and can cop more punishment. Unlike your tow vehicle, which has driven wheels, the caravan cops the lot through the tyres and suspension.

LT tyres offer:

• Higher load ratings
• Stiffer sidewalls (better resistance to sway and roll)
• More puncture resistance
• Longer life under heavy loads

The majority of caravans you see on the road today will weigh over two tonnes once loaded, and that means they need LT-rated tyres. Why? Because LT tyres are designed to carry heavier loads, resist punctures, and cope with sustained heat and flex over long distances. A standard passenger tyre just isn’t built for that kind of punishment. An average LT tyre with a 121 load index can safely carry up to 1,450kg, multiply that by two or four tyres, and you’ve got the kind of capacity and durability a modern caravan actually needs for standard Aussie conditions, especially if you’re lapping.

Matching Tyres to Your Tow Rig: Does it Actually Matter?

A lot of people get caught up in the whole “match your 4WD” idea. And on the surface, it’s not completely stupid. Same size, same tread, same spare; that’s less gear to carry, less chance of stuffing up a tyre change, and more flexibility if things go pear-shaped out bush.

If your van just happens to run the same size wheels and tyres as your tow rig, then yeah, there’s some real merit to keeping things uniform. One spare fits both, same parts, and fewer surprises if you need to do a trackside swap halfway up the Tanami.

For the majority however, where the van’s on smaller wheels, narrower tyres with a completely different rolling diameter and entirely different stud pattern, trying to match the tread and size starts to make less sense. Here's why:

Your van doesn’t steer or put power to the ground like your 4WD does. It follows; it reacts; it gets dragged through the rough stuff, not into. It just needs to keep up, stay stable, and not shake itself to bits on corrugations.

Your 4WD likely has:

• A different track
• Bigger diameter tyres
• Aggressive tread patterns
• Better suspension
• Expensive tyre pressure monitors which unless placed in all spares, are useless

Matching your vans tyres to your tow rig might look good, but it doesn’t always make sense once you hit the road.

Here’s why:

• Aggressive tread wears faster when not under drive
• More rolling resistance = higher fuel use
• Extra road noise (yes, even from the van)
• Less on-road stability, especially on bitumen

For most setups, you’re better off choosing a tough, all-terrain tyre with a load rating that suits the van. Something designed to handle heat, weight, and distance. If you’re heading remote, get one with reinforced sidewalls and a tread pattern that’ll handle everything from gravel, all the way to the sharp rocks and deep mud you’re guaranteed to find out there.

4x4 and caravan posed behind highway road sign

Tyre Pressure and Heat: the Real Tyre Killers

One of the most common failures I see out on the road, particularly in the Outback, is tyre delamination. In my time, I’ve seen it happen to expensive tyres, budget tyres, and everything in between. More often than not, it’s not the rough tracks or the potholes that do them in, it’s heat. 

The thing people forget is this: your tyres are the only bit of your van that touch the road, and out here in Australia, that road has been soaking up heat all day long. Bitumen temperatures can easily push past 60 degrees, sometimes more. By the time your caravan rolls over it at speed, loaded up with gear, water, and whatever else, your tyres are dealing with a constant wave of heat, pressure, and flex.

Under-inflated tyres are especially at risk. More flex in the sidewall equals more heat build-up. Do that for a few hours and eventually the materials inside the tyre just give up. That’s when you get delamination, where the tread starts separating from the casing, and not long after that, it’s flapping around like a Barra in a boat, generally taking some sort of wheel arch, mud guard or paint work with it.

I’ve seen tyres peel apart just outside Karratha, explode outside of Birdsville, and fail silently until the sidewall lets go in the middle of the Gibb. It wasn’t always cheap gear either. I’ve seen premium all-terrains struggle, while no-name (that I can pronounce) budget tyres surprisingly held up (to the heat). It just proves there’s no perfect formula, and the relationship between price and quality isn’t always straightforward.

That’s not to say you should go out and buy the cheapest tyre you can find, but it does mean you need to do your research, and think about how you’re using your tyres. Caravan tyres spend most of their life loaded to the limit, travelling long distances at consistent speeds. That’s very different to how a 4WD tyre performs wrapped around the wheels of your Ranger or Cruiser. Just because a tyre works well on your tow rig doesn’t mean it’ll survive under the van.

If there’s one habit worth forming, it’s checking your pressures regularly, with a proper gauge, not the dodgy one at the servo. For most caravans on LT tyres, you’re looking at cold pressures starting at 50PSI, depending on weight and load index. Always set them cold, check them when you stop, and keep an eye on temps during long hauls. Heat is quiet. You won’t hear it coming, but it’ll cost you more than just a tyre if things let go at speed.

4x4 towing a caravan through red dirt

The Bottom Line

Your caravan isn’t a 4WD. It doesn’t need aggressive tread. It doesn’t need to match your tow rig. It also doesn’t care how much you spent on your tyres; it only cares whether they can carry the load, handle the heat, and hold together over thousands of kilometres of hot, Outback bitumen and tracks.

Light Truck tyres are non-negotiable. High load ratings, good sidewall strength, and a tread pattern suited to long-haul touring: that’s what matters. Don’t forget pressure. Get it right for the load you’re carrying, check it with a decent gauge, and you’ll avoid 90% of the dramas I see on the roadside.

If your van does happen to run the same wheels and tyres as your 4WD, great, there’s definitely value in that. Don’t go chasing a matching setup if it means compromising on what the van actually needs.

Tyres might be boring when they’re doing their job, but when they fail, they tend to do it loudly, dangerously, and expensive. At the end of the day it doesn’t come down to brand loyalty and having your tow rig match your trailer, it comes down to selecting tyres based on load capacity, construction, tread design, and real-world performance. It’s about understanding what your caravan actually needs to travel safely and reliably across tough Aussie conditions.