Tyre query.

[kito]

Have a look at this page it may help you to decide

https://www.tyremen.co.uk/blog/do-i-need-specialist-camping-tyres-my-motorhome

 

[exwindsurfer]

I've ran GT radial for the last three years no probs at all .the next set when I wear theses one out will be the same .I use my van nearly all the time so only stands the od day or so .

 

[Byronic]

Have a look at this page it may help you to decide

https://www.tyremen.co.uk/blog/do-i-need-specialist-camping-tyres-my-motorhome

First paragraph second sentence "they (meaning camping tyres) have a much higher
carrying capacity than normal tyrse and van tyres" what's that supposed to mean?
A so called van tyre rated @118 can carry much the same load as a camping tyre
rated 118 to the best of my knowledge, a hint that it should indicate the manner in
which the rest of the info should be viewed. To me it's slanted a little towards sellers
of tyres informing the rest of the fraternity on a few tips on tyre selling spiel.

Anyway the best they can come up with is stiffer side walls which motorhomers
demand, but not that with having stiffer walls + increased psi generally comes a harsher ride
I note they don't say that m/homers demand that particular aspect though! Better grip on
campsites, which could mean softer tyre compounds, but perhaps increased tyre wear as a
consequence. A lot of m/homers don't cover much mileage so that could be a trade off worth
considering.

 

[kito]

The difference in a lot of motorhome tyres is the weight and the pressure that they run at a typical van/pickup tyre will have a Max of 65Psi a motorhome could be any thing up to 5.5Bar/82Psi thats why most motorhomes comes with steel valves because the max that a rubber can cope with is 65Psi and a lot of the new vans are over the 3.5 Ton so they have to have a tyre that van cope with the higher weight + pressure.

Another page to look at.

TyreSafe unveils new tyre guidance for motorhome drivers and a unique pressure calculator - TyreSafe - Promoting UK Tyre Safety and Driver Awareness

 

[mark61]

*Reads article on a website that says MH tyres have a higher weight carrying capacity, immediately checks data on the tyre manufactures own web site to see that isn't always the case.

Who do you think I'm going to believe?

 

[colinm]

*Reads article on a website that says MH tyres have a higher weight carrying capacity, immediately checks data on the tyre manufactures own web site to see that isn't always the case.

Who do you think I'm going to believe?

My van has 215/75-16 tyres, it comes as standard with C van tyres which are 116/114 rated, with this size of tyre CP's can only be built to 113 which is not up to the plated max for rear axle.

 

[st3v3]

The only thing I would say is that I will always use M+S tyres on mine.

We were in a *lot* of mud on Monday and I got out while many others were getting stuck. It is of course plenty to do with the fact that I have quite a bit of off-road driving experience, but I'm absolutely convinced the tyres made all of the difference.

 

[Byronic]

The difference in a lot of motorhome tyres is the weight and the pressure that they run at a typical van/pickup tyre will have a Max of 65Psi a motorhome could be any thing up to 5.5Bar/82Psi thats why most motorhomes comes with steel valves because the max that a rubber can cope with is 65Psi and a lot of the new vans are over the 3.5 Ton so they have to have a tyre that van cope with the higher weight + pressure.

Another page to look at.

TyreSafe unveils new tyre guidance for motorhome drivers and a unique pressure calculator - TyreSafe - Promoting UK Tyre Safety and Driver Awareness

An appropriately sized standard van tyre should be able to manage more load as required
and if the van manufacture finds no tyre will suit the load, they uprate the wheel
rim itself eg instead of say a rim to fit 15" tyres they may make the higher load rated version
sit on 16" maybe even 17.5" instead of 16". And then there may be no need to
increase tyre pressures.
Maybe camper tyre manufacturers realised that a lot of motorhome drivers were running
around near or over the max. for the tyres fitted, and instead of saying oi you lot
running around on overloaded tyres and blaming us, here's a tyre just for you, but we
obviously can't say they're great for overload campervans can we? instead we'll tell you how
marvellous they are in other ways. We could say just get a higher load rated standard tyre,
then someone might say well what's wrong with just the tyre the van manufacturer
put on, because it meets the spec. are van tyres not recommended for camper vans?
Keep going round in circles, like a wheel.!



I have 225/75R16C Light truck tyres (6.6tonne MAM van) the original valves fitted
by Mercedes were rubber. Recommended pressures as in handbook 4.4 Bar
(64PSI). Nothing special about the valves, but I reckon they were at or near the
limit based on a search which dug up nothing much more than that rating
for rubber valves. Anyway I changed them for so called Transit valves which
are rated @ 6.8 Bar (100PSI) a mix of brass and "rubber" no steel or nuts involved
obtained on eBay.

 

[kito]

An appropriately sized standard van tyre should be able to manage more load as required
and if the van manufacture finds no tyre will suit the load, they uprate the wheel
rim itself eg instead of say a rim to fit 15" tyres they may make the higher load rated version
sit on 16" maybe even 17.5" instead of 16". And then there may be no need to
increase tyre pressures.
Maybe camper tyre manufacturers realised that a lot of motorhome drivers were running
around near or over the max. for the tyres fitted, and instead of saying oi you lot
running around on overloaded tyres and blaming us, here's a tyre just for you, but we
obviously can't say they're great for overload campervans can we? instead we'll tell you how
marvellous they are in other ways. We could say just get a higher load rated standard tyre,
then someone might say well what's wrong with just the tyre the van manufacturer
put on, because it meets the spec. are van tyres not recommended for camper vans?
Keep going round in circles, like a wheel.!



I have 225/75R16C Light truck tyres (6.6tonne MAM van) the original valves fitted
by Mercedes were rubber. Recommended pressures as in handbook 4.4 Bar
(64PSI). Nothing special about the valves, but I reckon they were at or near the
limit based on a search which dug up nothing much more than that rating
for rubber valves. Anyway I changed them for so called Transit valves which
are rated @ 6.8 Bar (100PSI) a mix of brass and "rubber" no steel or nuts involved
obtained on eBay.

That could open another can of worms 6.6 Tonnes a lot of drivers don't have a licence for that weight I know when I bought my van I was never asked what licence I had.

 

[Fazerloz]

That could open another can of worms 6.6 Tonnes a lot of drivers don't have a licence for that weight I know when I bought my van I was never asked what licence I had.

That's not the dealers responsibility it's up to the driver to know what he is entitled to drive.

 

[kito]

The facts are not on your side, I'm afraid.

Firstly, just because the tyre has "max inflation pressure 65psi" written on it, that doesn't mean it is the maximum pressure the tyre is good for. It only applies in the USA, where lawyers distort reality. You will be fine inflating a trye above that pressure (apart from getting your teeth rattled out over bumps). However, you may be exceeding the valve's design capacity.

Standard rubber valves are rated for 65psi, but you can easily get 80psi rubber valves and also 100psi rubber valves, though those need a bigger hole in the rim (and I've never seen one).
Generally, if you inflate above 80psi, you will need the horrible, troublesome, expensive metal valves.

If you are running on tyres that need to be inflated above 80psi on a motorhome, I reckon you need bigger tyres and maybe bigger wheels.

My van has a 82 Psi for rear and if run it any less it makes the van unstable in the wind and heals in corners

 

[kito]

That's not the dealers responsibility it's up to the driver to know what he is entitled to drive.

Yes I agree with you totally

 

[Byronic]

That could open another can of worms 6.6 Tonnes a lot of drivers don't have a licence for that weight I know when I bought my van I was never asked what licence I had.

If you possess a standard car licence then you can drive up to 3.5 Tonnes as of right. If you
passed your car licence test before 1997 then you get the automatic rights including the
all important C1 licence to drive a vehicle up to 7.5tonnes (called grandfather rights) no
practical test required. One of the few perks in being over the min. of 37 years of age! As Fazerloz says
it's your responsibility to make sure you are driving in accordance with your licence conditions
no one else's.
Nothing to stop someone taking the actual C1 test itself to uprate their entitlement of course

 

[bobj808]

The C at the end of the number doesn't refer to Camping, it means Con trick. Every tyre has a load rating. You should never exceed it. Buy a tyre one rating up. Still far cheaper than a camping tyre.
Cheap is good because you probably won't wear the tyres out (except FWD fronts). You'll replace them through age. Chucking away a good cheap tyre is less painful than a chucking away a good expensive one.

That's a very valid point. When I bough my second low mileage motorhome (why do people not use them?) in April it still had the original tyres on the back. Plenty of tread life but were starting to crack at the sides. I got 2 new rears as part of the deal. They are obviously Chinese make - we really have the motorhome for my son's motocross all over the UK - and put on loads of miles (6000 up to mid July) towing a 12' box trailer. Cruise around 60/65mph on the m/ways and go to places no motorhome should reasonably expect to haver to go and the tyres have been fine. No blow outs, no skids, just fine. Been stuck a few times but that's what towing eyes are for which brings me to another point. Both our Citroen base and Fiat base towing eye holes in the bumper wouldn't accept the screw in eye because of rusty threads. Had to get both re-tapped. Pack them real full of grease or you may suffer the same issues and only find out when you need a tow. Bob.

 

[Byronic]

I don't know if the Chinese deserve the bad press they get, I suspect
some Chinese makes are better than others.
My own van was originally shod with Uniroyals a USA co. but made in
Germany. Within 4 years those tyres had cracked so badly particularly
the fronts that you could hide a thin biro in them! The van was only
used in the UK Norwich area and garaged at night, used on a regular
basis Needless to say they were not subjected to burning sunlight!

The tyres I have on the same van are 4 Bridgestones made in Japan
the fronts are 10 years old virtually as new the outer rears are 4 years
old virtually as new. The inner rear tyres are Avons made in England 4 years
old bought same time as the rear Bridgestones. I had to buy them due to
time constraints in sourcing another matching pair of Bridgestones.

These rear tyres have had an easy life never more than half rated load
all at the correct pressures the Avons never even getting direct sunlight.
However the Avons are starting to sidewallcrack, 1mm max. so far.
No guesses whose tyres I'll be buying. And it won't be Uniroyal
or Avon. They may manufacture perfectly good tyres, just not the
ones I was blessed with.

 

[korky]

I don't know if the Chinese deserve the bad press they get, I suspect
some Chinese makes are better than others.
My own van was originally shod with Uniroyals a USA co. but made in
Germany. Within 4 years those tyres had cracked so badly particularly
the fronts that you could hide a thin biro in them! The van was only
used in the UK Norwich area and garaged at night, used on a regular
basis Needless to say they were not subjected to burning sunlight!

The tyres I have on the same van are 4 Bridgestones made in Japan
the fronts are 10 years old virtually as new the outer rears are 4 years
old virtually as new. The inner rear tyres are Avons made in England 4 years
old bought same time as the rear Bridgestones I had to buy them due to
time constraints in sourcing another matching pair of Bridgestones.

These rear tyres have had an easy life never more than half rated load
all at the correct pressures the Avons never even getting direct sunlight.
However the Avons are starting to sidewallcrack, 1mm max. so far.
No guesses whose tyres I'll be buying. And it won't be Uniroyal
or Avon. They may manufacture perfectly good tyres, just not the
ones I was blessed with.

Your post just reminded me,when I went to look at Globecars, they had 2 in the showroom fresh from the factory in Germany and they had Bridgestones on, not camper tyres.

I was surprised when mine came with Michelin CP's.

Korky.

 

[kito]

Yes I agree with you totally

Its when you reach 70 and you have to amply for a new licence thats when a lot o people get caught out, one of my friends got caught that way he thought that he would not need his HGV licence so gave it up that drooped him down to 3.5tonnes he was ok with his old van but bought a new one 3.8 tonnes had to get medical and Dr report got it all sorted in end but it took weeks

 

[Deleted member 5816]

You need to get the weight of the van in fully loaded conditions with full fuel and water plus passenger get front axle, rear axle and full van weight.
Then email say Michelin stating tyre size and weights ( don't say that they are not there tyres )
They will normally respond with suggested pressures you can then adjust to suit.

Alf

People buy motorhomes, then find they don't have time to make use of them. Daft, but common.

Two years ago, I decided to change my tyres to the biggest size that will fit. That meant buying six, of course, and the change was forced by a front one wearing out.

It turned out that one of the back tyres was 13 years old, another was 12 and most of the rest were over 8. All of them were in good condition (apart from the front one that needed replacing)

It rides better on its bigger tyres, and the ride is smoother. That may be because the old tyres had gone hard with age, of course. I'm still working on the correct tyre pressures. At present they are definitely too high.

I suspect that I should take the maximum load for the tyre at its recommended maximum pressure, then reduce the pressure in proportion to the actual load it is carrying. But I have yet to get any sense from any tyre company on the subject.

 

[skippy]

Look at you tube (Budget vs premium). It's a no brainer for me when I look at my family travelling with me another £200 on top for 4 years use on premium brands is not an option I would consider . Circumstances can differ for some and I fully appreciate some peoples dilemma when looking for tyres .

 

[Canalsman]

People buy motorhomes, then find they don't have time to make use of them. Daft, but common.

Two years ago, I decided to change my tyres to the biggest size that will fit. That meant buying six, of course, and the change was forced by a front one wearing out.

It turned out that one of the back tyres was 13 years old, another was 12 and most of the rest were over 8. All of them were in good condition (apart from the front one that needed replacing)

It rides better on its bigger tyres, and the ride is smoother. That may be because the old tyres had gone hard with age, of course. I'm still working on the correct tyre pressures. At present they are definitely too high.

I suspect that I should take the maximum load for the tyre at its recommended maximum pressure, then reduce the pressure in proportion to the actual load it is carrying. But I have yet to get any sense from any tyre company on the subject.

Somebody posted a link to this recently:

Motorhome Tyre Inflation Pressure Advice - TyreSafe - Promoting UK Tyre Safety and Driver Awareness