Tyre pressures

gettingolder2 said:
If your tyre pressure is correct the wear acrossthe tyre will be even. If the middle of the tread only shows signs of wear the pressure is too high.
If the edges show signs of wear then the pressure is too low. However if the wear at the edges is not equal then the tracking is out regardless of the pressure.
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Er, dunno, phone a friend please
 
mfw said:
You may find some of the recommended tyre pressures are max pressure for the tyres so worth looking at the tyre and seeing what the max pressure is for the tyre and then making your own decision on what pressure you want to use in them
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Not so if you check 15 inch vanco camper tyres it says max pressure 60 psi . That is for American Market only
 
I always thought the max pressure (indicated on the sidewall) was the maximum the tyre could safely take allowing for expansion. Anybody?
 
Mine say 85psi on side wall but i run at 65psi which is set on cool days,van dont ride nice at high pressure with little load.
 
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Hallmut said:
Did you get written proof from Conti?. Just in case you get pulled in for a VOSA check. They will go with what is stated on the plate. Saves the hassle of having the vehicle impounded. I know this from a Professional point of view, and 'They' do not have any sense of humour:)
Plus it stops the attendant Police officer giving you a ticket for underinflated Tyres. Iff that happened you would probably have to attend Court with your evidence. All a load of faff to be avoided at all costs.
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Absolutely correct , that is why I run my van at the plated tyre pressure , that is the correct pressure .
 
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Millie Master said:
If you do run your tyres with significantly lower pressures than those given in the owners handbook then make certain that you carry a copy of the email/letter you received from the tyre manufacturer with you, just in case you ever get stopped for a DVSA road side check where they will almost certainly test the tyre pressures and if they vary from those given by the vehicle manufacturer, then they might well prosecute unless you have proof that you have been acting responsibly.
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Hi, thanks for that, yes, I have printed off a copy of the email from Continental, and keep it in the a Van.
 
I'm going to have to go to a weigh bridge, Nigel has dropped from 80PSI to 50PSI on the back and 80PSI to 47PSI on the fronts that should make for a nice soft ride. But as others have said, once I now the laden axle weights i'll email the tyre manufacturer for the correct pressures and carry a copy of the email as proof.

Thanks everyone.
 
Herman said:
i'll email the tyre manufacturer for the correct pressures and carry a copy of the email as proof.
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If it's Conti's they will give correct pressure front and rear, if it's Michelin they will give correct front pressure, but always give rears as maximum pressure.
 
Val54 said:
Good point, I have a copy email from Conti dropping our front axle spec from 80psi to 55psi, I'm surprised they gave a rear spec as per #3 as they usually will not risk giving a rear axle calculation because of comeback if the vehicle was then run at a higher load which potentially contributed to an RTA.
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and 50 front
 
I too got an email from Continental reducing a bone jarring 80 all round to 60 rear and 50 front. I think manufacturers think that all motorhomes are stupid and will automatically overload. I also asked Continental regarding renewal of tyres after recommended 5/6 years. They replied that they have no such limits, but you should check condition every year for cracks etc. They also said there was no need to use metal valves as they would be inclined to break rather than flexing as rubber. So far I have had no problems with any of these recommendations after 3 years.
 
gisjbert said:
I too got an email from Continental reducing a bone jarring 80 all round to 60 rear and 50 front. I think manufacturers think that all motorhomes are stupid and will automatically overload. I also asked Continental regarding renewal of tyres after recommended 5/6 years. They replied that they have no such limits, but you should check condition every year for cracks etc. They also said there was no need to use metal valves as they would be inclined to break rather than flexing as rubber. So far I have had no problems with any of these recommendations after 3 years.
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I've had both metal and rubber valves fail on the rear axle, metal valves can eventually corrode on the seating which may lead to a minor leak, the rubber valve wouldn't hold pressure at 75psi and a very small leak would result in a drop to 60psi after a few weeks, which it then stayed at.
 
Nigel L said:
After nearly 4 years of wondering what pressures should I be running, after reading all sorts of suggestions from various posters, I finally got round to going to a weighbridge and had the axles weighed. Then dropped an email off to Continental for the correct pressures.
what an eye opener! Have had the 5-5 bar in, as recommended by both the dealers and also on the sticker inside the door on the van. After speaking to Continental, am now running 3-25bar in the front, and 3-5 bar in the rears, and what a difference it has made to the ride quality.
Well worth the trip to the weighbridge, not only to get the pressures sorted once and for all, but also the peace of mind that I am also within the 3500kg overall weight restriction.
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I had exactly the same experience with Continental. Michelin however whilst accepting a reduction on the front will not relent on the 5.5 bar on the rears, even though the rear axle load is less than the front. Can anyone volunteer a rational reason why?
 
molly 2 said:
Absolutely correct , that is why I run my van at the plated tyre pressure , that is the correct pressure .
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When they screwed that plate onto your van, they were very clever to be able to tell exactly what the load on each axle would be, when you are travelling in it.
Can you look to see if next week's lottery numbers are there too?
 
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