WARNING: Vanco Continental Tyres

[Stanski]

The cost of tyres

A few months after purchase on our first European adventure 2 tyres were bought on-route (Belgium) and then again this year (4 years later) they had to be replaced.

INITIAL EXPERIENCE
I had wanted Michelin as they were known to have deeper tread pattern so my innocent thoughts of possible adventures driving in snow or wet mud would also benefit from this. In addition research and advice advised me that 25000 miles would easily be obtained on michelins.

ON our first excursion over the water during a tyre kicking excercise after stopping in Bruge I noticed a bulge in the sidewall of one rear tyre and a cut in the other that had not been notoiced before - grrrr I said to myself for not recognising this. Oh well - Europe was known to have cheaper tyres and there was no option really so off to the garage. After finding a few MH dealers for advice I got to a recommended fitter.

The Belgian garage did not have Michelin of the size I needed and suggested an alternative which was VANCO, a type they fitted to delivery vans and had not qualms about putting them on a MH.
These stayed on the front wheels only and they experienced a lot during their life with me. Trips around Scandinavia, over to Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, down to Greece, along the French coast, up hills, over mountains (Literally), into racing car parks and fields as well as having to withstand off-road adventures occasionally, they endured over 35000 miles and still had about 2.5mm (3000 miles) life in them when I spotted an ebay opportunity and got them replaced with Michelin XC part worn for £70 inc fitting and balancing.

My rear wheels have always had Michelin tyres. When the above Belgian experience happened the fronts went onto the back as they had 5mm tread and were the XC variety so built with a stronger sidewall for the higher loads.
These lasted for 3years and 25000 miles approx. They were replaced with another ebay deal of 2 unused older tyres that had been found stored collecting dust which again I bought for £100 and £20 fitting at my local tyre fitter.

COSTS
In 2011 I discovered was that MH tyres were priced between £100 - £125 new. Options of Michelin XC, Aguila or Continental.

In 2015 prices had increased to be £120 - £145 new.

So what I have experienced is that I can do similar mileage on either Michelin or VANCO. (30k miles)

New
Had I bought new lets say £120 for one tyre then the cost per mile would be 0.004p/mile, multiplied by 4 = 1.6p / mile (not inc spare)

2nd Hand
£70 per tyre so cost per mile = 0.00233p/mile which equates to 0.933p/mile for all 4 tyres.

CONCLUSION

B****r - lost text. Now Xmas dinner to eat.

Both marques gave similar mileage of over 30k+ miles.
Tyre noise and personal confidence in road traction was indifferent for me. For others road adhesion only a concern which is debateable.

I have no qualms about using older tyres, experience of Coach tyres and Motorcycles says MH tyres are designed to carry larger loads so you pay for the thicker sidewall and extra casing strands.

For me getting suitable deals for cheaper tyres has been taken at the time they appear not when they are needed so you weigh up the options and make the best of the situation.

Having experienced recently a puncture in brand new pirelli for SWMBO car after only 150 miles then Sods Law cannot be accounted for. In this case £17 repairable screw hole was culprit. - phew.

 

[trevskoda]

Dunlop had a big factory not far from me and I worked in it on contract a number of times. They closed it a few years ago. I am certainly not anti Union but it was the arrogant Shop Stewards who closed it. I have never worked anywhere else as bad, they would go on strike or work to rule for the least bit thing.

There closing the mitch here later this year and said there is a global down turn on tyre sales,what they mean is china poland and others can make them for less.

 

[malagaoth]

Sorry Stanski but there is no way I would trust part worn tyres you have absolutely no idea what has happened to them in the past many (most) come of insurance write offs so the tyres could have suffered a heavy impact and although they pass an external visual inspection you have no idea what is going on below the surface.
Maybe I part company with my tyres too redily but unless they are less than half worn if they puncture they are gone - it costs about £7 to get a punctures fixed (and rebalanced) I just buy a new tyre (£45) and once they get down to about 3mm tread they are done - time to get rid. that couple of square inches of rubber is all that is keeping you in contact with the road and a blow out in a car with low profile tyres is scary enough in a M/h it must be terrifying

 

[Stanski]

Tyre life

Sorry Stanski but there is no way I would trust part worn tyres you have absolutely no idea what has happened to them in the past many (most) come of insurance write offs so the tyres could have suffered a heavy impact and although they pass an external visual inspection you have no idea what is going on below the surface....

I fully respect your comments and can understand why you would think this. For me I find tyres are more robust than one would expect and life has allowed me the opportunity to test this.

Having raced saloon stock cars where tyres get struck and work in a harsh environment very rarely I ever experienced a blowout or deformation of a tyre.

I have driven normal cars also in quite extreme racing as well as abused them on farmland with no major tyre incident.

On two occasions I have lost vehicle wheels whilst driving on normal roads (Garage forgot to tighten wheelnuts on one, studs sheered on another), these did make me require the need of a change of underpants as both outcomes could have been much worse.

In another life also I have had both a front blowout and in another incident a rear on my coach, both were traumatic but neither incident put the vehicle in major jeopardy and each journey was completed with only a delay in replacing the wheel. As a MH is lighter than the coach and thus I would expect it to be easier to manage in a similar situation.

... Maybe I part company with my tyres too redily but unless they are less than half worn if they puncture they are gone - it costs about £7 to get a punctures fixed (and rebalanced) I just buy a new tyre (£45) and once they get down to about 3mm tread they are done - time to get rid. that couple of square inches of rubber is all that is keeping you in contact with the road and a blow out in a car with low profile tyres is scary enough in a M/h it must be terrifying

When tyres are low on tread I agree with you a puncture repair is often best not done as it is not cost effective.

Referring to your additional comment I assume you are referring to a car tyre as you quote £45, and as you also make mention of a blow-out, here is my thought on this ( a bit contentious but here it is).
In a blowout situation the tyre collapses and thus more tread is actually in contact with the ground when needed, and even if no tyre the wheel is still keeping vehicle off the ground and also modern vehicles have power steering making it easier to keep the wheels pointing where you want them so the vehicle is probably in a controllable scenario.
If the wheel was cornering there is more to worry about as the wheel may not support the aggressive weight/load so could be a problem. I would expect a MH to be at a slower speed when negotiating a sharp corner so more in control thus less problematic.

If you have ever lost power steering then life becomes a tad difficult with an unexpected excessive effort needed to get the steering to move. ( have had this happen on more than one occasion ).

Conclusion
From my experience I believe tyres can be trusted as they are designed to be sturdier and stronger to cater for kerb parking, stressful turning and aggressive stones or holes on tardy roads.

Unexpected blow-outs are traumatic when they happen but can be managed and controlled.

The purchase of second hand tyres are viable as an option.

Comments welcome.

 

[colinm]

The purchase of second hand tyres are viable as an option.

Comments welcome.

Part worn tyres when sold commercially should meet a set standard, there have been a couple of investigations on BBC programmes, both found the majority of part worn did not meet the standard and a worrying proportion where classified as dangerous.

 

[trevskoda]

Part worn tyres when sold commercially should meet a set standard, there have been a couple of investigations on BBC programmes, both found the majority of part worn did not meet the standard and a worrying proportion where classified as dangerous.

Seen the programme and i can say i have had a few which were s--t.

 

[ricc]

Part worn tyres when sold commercially should meet a set standard, there have been a couple of investigations on BBC programmes, both found the majority of part worn did not meet the standard and a worrying proportion where classified as dangerous.

from memory part of meeting the standard is having something scrawled on the sidewall ... none of the part worn tyres ive ever bought have had this done, so would count as not meeting the standard on a bbc programm setting out to prove part worns were dangerous.

 

[Robmac]

I agree with most of what you say, apart from the rear tyres part.

I have experienced both front and rear wheel blowouts quite a few times and every time the rear wheel blowout has hardly affected control of the car, whereas front wheel blowouts have very nearly flipped me over.

 

[jagmanx]

Speed Kills

Nearly all the time (even on motorways) I drive at 50-55 mph ...for a few reasons

1 safety (less chance of an accident and any accident would likely have less serious consequences)
2 reduced tyre wear
3 better Fuel consumption

Obviously as traffic or speed limits or road condition/status determine speed is even less

I believe that tyre wall degradation caused by non-movement is the most obvious cause of needing to replace tyres

I was therefore advised to spend less on tyres and replace more regularly !

Our usage profile is somewhat unusual in that
A) in the summer 6 months we use the MH all the time and move maybe after a 2or3 day stopover.
B) in the winter the MH is stationary in indoor storage

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Hi gang.
I think we all ultimately do what we feel is a comfortable option when it comes to most things, Especially when it comes to the Safety.
& as such I am relying on say a combination of 2or3 Feet of material to keep Me, Others & in my case My Home of say 4500kg that regularly reaches 50-60MPH in ALL weathers Safe...So I make my Choice & Pay My Money that I'm comfortable is suitable. The same way I would imagine a Rock Climber Spends their money on a Rope !.

 

[Stanski]

Tyre use

 

[antiquesam]

Nearly all the time (even on motorways) I drive at 50-55 mph ...for a few reasons

1 safety (less chance of an accident and any accident would likely have less serious consequences)
2 reduced tyre wear
3 better Fuel consumption

Obviously as traffic or speed limits or road condition/status determine speed is even less

I believe that tyre wall degradation caused by non-movement is the most obvious cause of needing to replace tyres

I was therefore advised to spend less on tyres and replace more regularly !

Our usage profile is somewhat unusual in that
A) in the summer 6 months we use the MH all the time and move maybe after a 2or3 day stopover.
B) in the winter the MH is stationary in indoor storage

As an ex truck driver could I make a plea to you and all the others that drive on motorways at 50 to 55 mph when your vehicle is capable of higher speeds. Please, please take your speed up to, or above, the 56mph permitted to goods vehicles to avoid frustration and the added dangers of having large vehicles overtaking you.

 

[Stanski]

Respect the slower driver

... Please, please take your speed up to, or above, the 56mph permitted to goods vehicles to avoid frustration and the added dangers of having large vehicles overtaking you.

My typical speed is often about 56 - 60 for your reason but in response to your request, sorry antiquesam, but NO - As a PSV and HGV driver I have respect for the slower driver. Slow drivers have their use, they slow traffic down so helping as a kind of moving speed bump.

Truckers also have to respect other drivers and often don't especially when overtaking other lorries up a hill on motorwaysl. I offer courtesy when they pass and aid when possible to get them back into lane.

Although a vehicle can do more, why should it, driving habits in the UK are getting worse, many want to drive beyond the maximum and (younger drivers mainly) have poor regard for the other motorist (or the mature motorist).

 

[trevskoda]

To much speed these days,the overtakers end up at the undertakers.

 

[Tbear]

My typical speed is often about 56 - 60 for your reason but in response to your request, sorry antiquesam, but NO - As a PSV and HGV driver I have respect for the slower driver. Slow drivers have their use, they slow traffic down so helping as a kind of moving speed bump.

Truckers also have to respect other drivers and often don't especially when overtaking other lorries up a hill on motorwaysl. I offer courtesy when they pass and aid when possible to get them back into lane.

Although a vehicle can do more, why should it, driving habits in the UK are getting worse, many want to drive beyond the maximum and (younger drivers mainly) have poor regard for the other motorist (or the mature motorist).

I had a discussion with a tugger friend of mine once. Normally he was a friendly, generous and intelligent person but put him behind a wheel??? He pulled his van with a fairly low powered car so kept his speed well down to save petrol. He was braking no law so did not care how long a queue he had behind him. When I asked him if it was his daughter in labour in one of those cars, would he be happy with me travelling well under the limit in a wide vehicle up front? His wife and daughter took great interest in his answer!

Nobody should be forced to travel at a speed they feel is dangerous but if you are not happy at travelling at motorway speeds, use another road! When in the van I often pulled over to let people overtake. Sometimes good excuse for a cuppa and leg stretch.

 

[antiquesam]

My typical speed is often about 56 - 60 for your reason but in response to your request, sorry antiquesam, but NO - As a PSV and HGV driver I have respect for the slower driver. Slow drivers have their use, they slow traffic down so helping as a kind of moving speed bump.

Truckers also have to respect other drivers and often don't especially when overtaking other lorries up a hill on motorwaysl. I offer courtesy when they pass and aid when possible to get them back into lane.

Although a vehicle can do more, why should it, driving habits in the UK are getting worse, many want to drive beyond the maximum and (younger drivers mainly) have poor regard for the other motorist (or the mature motorist).

I take your point and wish that the trucks that drive up my backside when I'm struggling a little would take your advice.

 

[Stanski]

TUGGERS and SPEED

.... and intelligent person but put him behind a wheel??? He pulled his van ....

.... if you are not happy at travelling at motorway speeds, use another road! ....

Hi Tbear, Happy New Year to you. Two observations though -
first is a contradiction - surely a tugger cannot be intelligent -

second is that a motorway does have a minimum speed limit which allows the slow driver to pootle along, the faster driver needs to respect this. Noticed an article in the paper during the week that learner drivers may have motorway lessons. The sooner the better I feel, as I have seen and experienced some horrendous scenarios.

Now as you have reminded me - slow tuggers do annoy me at times, especially on a single road in the summer in the West Country.

Getting back to the OP subject of tyres though - new drivers also should be subjected to a more intensive test that covers tyre inspection, pressures and general car science. Modern vehicles have so much electronic support systems that many just drive the vehicle without realising what the car is doing to help them.

 

[Tbear]

Hi Tbear, Happy New Year to you. Two observations though -
first is a contradiction - surely a tugger cannot be intelligent -

second is that a motorway does have a minimum speed limit which allows the slow driver to pootle along, the faster driver needs to respect this. Noticed an article in the paper during the week that learner drivers may have motorway lessons. The sooner the better I feel, as I have seen and experienced some horrendous scenarios.

Now as you have reminded me - slow tuggers do annoy me at times, especially on a single road in the summer in the West Country.

Getting back to the OP subject of tyres though - new drivers also should be subjected to a more intensive test that covers tyre inspection, pressures and general car science. Modern vehicles have so much electronic support systems that many just drive the vehicle without realising what the car is doing to help them.

Happy New Year to you too!

Won't it be wonderful when the cars become intelligent. They will not move unless they are road worthy. They will not tailgate at speed or go fast in thick fog. Jumping a red light will be impossible and won't we all enjoy moaning about the nanny state saving our lives.

Richard

 

[antiquesam]

I travel roughly once a month to Toulouse crossing from the A10 to the A20 from Tours to Chateauroux on the D943, which is mostly single lane. My vehicle is a right hand drive van, so I can only sensibly overtake cars. I find that there are two particular types of French driver. One is the ultra slow, who seem to travel locally and the other is the speedy type who will put themselves in danger to get past you regardless of what is coming in the other direction. The ones that stick to the speed limit I can get on with. Seems the same the world over really. This is from someone who would be described as a white van man if the vans weren't black.

 

[Byronic]

I believe that tyre wall degradation caused by non-movement is the most lobvious cause of needing to replace tyres

You may be correct, but really need to quote substansive trusted evidence, if it is a belief just based on personal experience then equally I can state that my personal experience doesn't endorse your conclusion.
The manufacturer fitted tyres lasted 4 years before having to be replaced due to cracking, and a bulges in 2 sidewalls, the van was used on a regular basis ie most days and in the UK only. The replacements have lasted 10 years with no cracking, and yet for 7 months of the year the van moves perhaps 6 times (blow away the cobwebs) the remaining 5 months it's in regular use in the Spanish winter climate.
My 'guess' is that the difference in my experience is down to the tyre manufacturers standards, but I'm not certain, it could be that I wasn't diligent in checking pressures on the original tyres, and I've forgotten this maybe I hit some potholes akin to kerbing and that's how I got the bulges etc etc.