Can tyres really develop a flat area?

wildsprinters

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My van has been parked up for months now. As it is outside, like most vans, and parked under trees, I have bought a cover for it. To take the cover off and then replace it is a mammoth task, so I try not to do it too often. During the pandemic I have hardly removed it.
I read that it is not good for a van to be standing as it can cause a flat area on the tyre as well as flattening the battery (which I have now disconnected). Is this true?
Does it mean I have to take off the cover and drive it? Even moving the van a little bit with the cover on worries me as there are ties and fastenings on the cover which might catch a wheel. Any thoughts on this?
 
Flat spots are worse at higher ambient temperatures so reflective wheel covers are also useful.
 
Highly debatatable now as there is no rubber in tyres, or to be correct some brands have a little rubber, most are made from chemical compounds.
A tyre with a camper/ motorhome insignia embossed into it has a different compound in the side walls and is built different to any other tyre to cope with standing for long periods, they also help with body roll.
Rubber tyres will flat spot and crack especially in high heat /sunlight over a period of time.
Anyone notice you don't get high miles out of tyres anymore, ( no rubber just chemicals)
"Mate is a tyre dealer manager"
 
chrisjones18 said:
Highly debatatable now as there is no rubber in tyres, or to be correct some brands have a little rubber, most are made from chemical compounds.
A tyre with a camper/ motorhome insignia embossed into it has a different compound in the side walls and is built different to any other tyre to cope with standing for long periods, they also help with body roll.
Rubber tyres will flat spot and crack especially in high heat /sunlight over a period of time.
Anyone notice you don't get high miles out of tyres anymore, ( no rubber just chemicals)
"Mate is a tyre dealer manager"
Click to expand...

Absolutely correct, I only got 53,000 miles from my last set of Michelin Agelis
 
I have always got more that 55,000 mile from the tyres on my vans, not had to replace any due to wear just due to punctures where the offending piece of metal had damaged the side wall and then only two tyres changed and they were on different vans, the last van the tyres were changed because of the age not due to being worn out, 10 years old and around half worn at 55,000 miles on standard fitted Pirelli tyres on a 515 Sprinter, the Kia Sedona WAV we have has got to have new tyres next month due to cracking on the side walls, 11 years old in July and 50,000 miles, lots of tread left.
 
I can only speak from personal experience. When I was working I kept a car in London which sometimes sat unused for several weeks. Whenever I used it the first part of the journey included a section of the M25 with a very smooth surface. I could always detect a slight vibration when it had been sat for a while, but it was short lived and had gone within a few miles. When the car had not been standing for weeks it did not vibrate on the same section. My view then is that there is some flattening of parts of the tyres when a vehicle is left standing but that this is not really a problem as it disappears after a few miles of use.
I did a short journey in the van last week after many months parked and could not detect any vibration on the admittedly far from smooth local roads.
 
izwozral said:
Yes, the tyres can flatten. You can avoid this by moving the vehicle or putting it on axle stands suitable for the weight, or jack it up and spin the wheels a half turn.
Click to expand...
Ral all you need is camper tyres Inflated to the correct pressure
 
Mine show signs of cracking before any undue wear on the tread. The lifespan is around 5/6 years.
 
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