Changing Tyres

lthoel2

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The Motorhome as been for its MOT today and it needs 4 new tyres. The ones on are Michelin Camping 215/70x15 109Q but I’m thinking of changing to Michelin Agilis CrossClimate 215/70/R15 109R or the Michelin Agilis CrossClimate Camping 215/70/R15 109R. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two and if anyone has them fitted what you think of them. Thanks
 
I think the camping ones just have a softer sidewall, I and others think that they are jsut overpriced, I've had vans with a lot of different tyres even standard van tyres it is difficult to actually tell the difference, I prefer the van tyres as the price is often quite cheaper and more available.

Best price is usually from Black Circles and they will have a fitter near you normally.

www.blackcircles.com

Michelin Agilis CrossClimate 215/70 R15 R tyres | Blackcircles.com

Buy tyres online and get them fitted locally with Blackcircles. Lifetime Guarantee now on all car, van & SUV tyres. Peace of mind, at no extra cost.
www.blackcircles.com

www.blackcircles.com

Buy Michelin Agilis Camping Tyres | Reviews and Prices | Blackcircles

Buy tyres online and get them fitted locally with Blackcircles. Lifetime Guarantee now on all car, van & SUV tyres. Peace of mind, at no extra cost.
www.blackcircles.com
 
Try the search function here and input "Michelin cross climates"
Loads of relevant stuff
 
My back axle runs at close to the rated maximum, so for that reason I use camping tyres from Michelin. We normally do about 9000 miles each year, so the tyres don’t stand still for too long so the sidewalls don’t get stressed. I am given to understand that there are more ply in the camping version to counter heavy loads and long periods of inactivity. That said many are perfectly happy with van tyres, so it is a personal decision.

Small price for peace of mind might be the deciding factor given the difference in price versus the cost of a damaged or written off van.

Davy
 
They are directional tyres remember, if you carry a spare in the same make then there’s a 50/50 chance it will be the wrong way round.
I got in touch with Michelin and the dork I was in touch with didn’t understand what I was telling them. “It will fit OK” is all I got.
Sod ‘em when I need tyres later in the year I will change manufacturers as I carry a full sized spare and don’t need to hassle.
 
lthoel2 said:
The Motorhome as been for its MOT today and it needs 4 new tyres. The ones on are Michelin Camping 215/70x15 109Q but I’m thinking of changing to Michelin Agilis CrossClimate 215/70/R15 109R or the Michelin Agilis CrossClimate Camping 215/70/R15 109R. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two and if anyone has them fitted what you think of them. Thanks
Click to expand...
Apparently the Camping versions of the Michelin tyres have a harder sidewall, the idea of which is to prevent distortion of the tyre when parked up and not moved for long periods (which can make sense when you look at the kind of super-low mileages so many Motorhomes have).
The harder sidewall also makes for a less comfortable ride though. I am not sure about the 'countering heavy loads' bit as a difference - the tyres are load rated and the load rating is not a part-time or percentage thing.

As far as comparing the Cross-Climate tyres against other types of tyres, my experience of the Cross-Climates on a car is that they were superior in the summer to the standard [premium brand] tyres fitted as standard, and they were superior in the winter to the Continental Winter tyre set I used to switch to. I wanted to try these to get rid of the need to have a Summer and a Winter wheel set and that worked out extremely well (y)

So when I got my new (to me) Motorhome in 2020, one of the first actions was to replace the various tyres with a full set of Agilis Cross-Climate tyres (225/70/R15 112S FWIW) and I did not consider any other tyre (the Camping version of the Cross-Climate was not out at that time so that bit of the decision was taken care of ;) )
I got mine from Black Circles and selected my preferred Tyre Dealer to fit them.
 
lthoel2 said:
The Motorhome as been for its MOT today and it needs 4 new tyres. The ones on are Michelin Camping 215/70x15 109Q but I’m thinking of changing to Michelin Agilis CrossClimate 215/70/R15 109R or the Michelin Agilis CrossClimate Camping 215/70/R15 109R. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two and if anyone has them fitted what you think of them. Thanks
Click to expand...
I went for Michelin Agilis cross climate ( 3 peaks M&S ) but went up a size to 225/70/15. They fit the van perfectly, and because 70% of 225 instead of 215, give a greater rolling diameter. Make the speedo a little more honest.
I know it maybe like teaching you to suck eggs, but 215(225)mm is the width of the tyre, 70 = 70% width 15 is rim size in inches.

I got my tyres through ASDA on line, they deliver to a local tyre fitter of your choice, All in price. My usual trye fitter said he couldn't supply them, let alone fit them at that price.
I wasn't aware there was a CAMPING option when I bought mine. All I can say is, I'm more than happy with my choice, and especially the price I paid.
 
Unfortunaly I changed the van tyres before knowing CrossClimates where available for vans.
I've been using them on my Suzi for years, I've found them very good.
As for the 'problem' of them being directional, whilst less than ideal, the compound is a major part of the tyre, and that will be the same, certainly will not be dangerous to drive until the tyre can be turned, at least nowhere near as bad as a car on a space saver.
 
For me good but not expensive tyres and change them more often.
I got a 2 new tyres in Switzerland in 2019..
This due to a puncture znd a very old spare.
I then needed another pair in 2020 (no mileage}
Did minimal mileage in 2021 and a bit more in 2022.
They will be inspected for tread wear and sidewall integrity soon.
Not expecting to need to replace..but not prejudging mot on monday !
 
I use CrossClimates on a 4.5t van - the 225/75/R16 121 - and very pleased with them. they are 10 ply with reinforced sidewalls, and the grip on wet
ground and grass is superb, compared to the CP's. Highly recommend.
 
I bought a set of Cross climate camping about 6 months ago. Im very impressed with them. I had a set of Continental Vanco on before and they were awful on anything off tarmac. The crossclimate are a big improvement.
I was up Glen nevis a few months back. It was -7 and the road was very icy to the point of being difficult to walk on and to the extent that the local taxi refused to go up and left 4 climbers stranded in the car park. I gave them a lift down and went back up to spend the night. I briefly lost grip once, other than that they didn't moss a beat. Very impressed.
I see no increase in road noise but a significant improvement in handling. Much less roll on corners and less bounce over bumps.
Expensive.... but for me...Worth it.

Black circle to a local garage to fit.

Promo video here fwiw.

 
I have been told it could affect any insurance payout if you have a tyre blowout with van only tyres in a motorhome, as they are designed for vans not motorhomes re the stronger side walls for camper tyres as described above, not worth the risk in my opinion.
 
I got told by a mobile tyre fitter ( the ones that are very quick ) that it was illegal to fit commercial van tyres to a motorhome.

He would lose his job, i would be liable for prosecution, it would fail the MOT and have a PG9 prohibition notice served on it.

That`s the biggest load of bollocks i`ve heard since someone told me they`d seen Elvis working in our chippy.
 
Budgie said:
I have been told it could affect any insurance payout if you have a tyre blowout with van only tyres in a motorhome, as they are designed for vans not motorhomes re the stronger side walls for camper tyres as described above, not worth the risk in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Let’s put a few things straight.

Firstly, insurers DO NOT insist on CP tyres - ‘C’ tyres are perfectly fine, provided they match the size, and at least match the weight and speed rating quoted for the vehicle. I have always fitted ‘C’ tyres, informed my insurer, and the replies have always been the same.

Sidewalls - the CrossClimate tyre is 10 ply reinforced, at least as good and probably better than any CP tyre, except now their own*. The 121 version has a better load capacity, and a higher max inflation pressure, so can be run ‘softer’ than the CP equivalent tyre, with a lighter load capacity.

*So many people moved to these that Michelin decided to add ‘CP’ to the tyre, and inflated the price by about 25% +

The spec of the CrossClimate CP is exactly the same as the ‘C’ tyre.

The CrossClimate is a great choice of tyre for a motorhome, albeit now rather expensive, as it has also increased heavily in price for the ‘C’ rated tyre. I don’t think they do the 121 weight rated in ‘CP’
 
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Fitted 'C' on the back axle of mine as the CP rating tyres were close to the max Load index so 121's on the back, plenty of spare capacity now.
 
The CP is not the same tyre as the C, there is a difference in casing construction. I can completely see why you wouldn't bother fitting them but they're not the same.

www.michelin.co.uk

MICHELIN CROSSCLIMATE CAMPING - Camper - All season tyre | MICHELIN GB

MICHELIN CROSSCLIMATE CAMPING tyres - information & user reviews. See if it fits your car (browse by size or by vehicle). Get yours today at the nearest tyre dealer.
www.michelin.co.uk www.michelin.co.uk

For me, the difference was £20 a tyre fitted.
 
The CP wasn't available when I fitted mine, some 21 months ago - and at £168.00 each. However, all the spec I have ever found for either tyre matches exactly - no difference that I can find.
As far as I can see, all that Michelin have done is added the 'P' to the tyre, and reduced the maximum pressure to 80psi - mine are max 85psi.

Be glad to see any proof of any difference, but don't expect to get any truth out of Michelin - they are never forthcoming on any queries.
The important thing for me was the reinforced 10ply casing - which my 'C' CrossClimates are.
 
Thanks everyone for the comments. I’ve decided to go for the ordinary tyre not the Camping. There being fitted tomorro. Thanks again.
 
I got the 10ply Van tyres for their extra Load index but I see the PR rating is an old unit of load capacity and doesn't now seem to indicate the layers off a sidewall plys:

"What is a tyre PR (ply rating)? A tyre's PR is indicated as follows: 8PR, 10PR, 12PR, 14PR, 14PR, 16PR... This is an index that measures the tyre's capacity to withstand the load at a given pressure. With older diagonal tyres, the PR was used to indicate the number of nylon layers that made up the sidewall."
 
lthoel2 said:
Thanks everyone for the comments. I’ve decided to go for the ordinary tyre not the Camping. There being fitted tomorro. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I fitted these over a year ago and I'm delighted with their performance.

I would never revert to a non-cross climate tyre.
 
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