MotorHome Tyres

[Peter Boyle]

I have been told after my Habitation service I need all new tyres because they are 6 years old, they have plenty of tread and look in very good condition, Do you all change your tyres when they are 5 years old and do you go with Camper van tyres, I have the continental Vanco on my Auto Trail, they are very expensive, would budget be ok.

[costaexpress]

Most searches will confirm that the trade recommends motorhome tyres should be replaced every 5 to 6 years. I do sufficient mileage to wear them out before they get to that age, however, if I didn't, would I change at 5 years, not sure, I would certainly keep an eye on them, check all round condition rather than just pressure, not sure I would be rushing down to Kwik Fit though. In answer to your second question I use CP rated tyres on the van and given how long they last couldn't see the point in searching out budget alternatives, appreciate not everyone can just splash out though.

[StuartO]

Last I heard Michelin were recommending replacement at ten years but earlier if visible evidence of surface crazing on the sidewalls was appearing. Mine are still good at seven years, although the front ones are getting low on tread and I did replace the last lot at about seven years. I replaced one recently on tread depth and a new Michelin Aguilis Camping cost £150 fitted after I shopped around a little. Other suppliers were asking up to £175 so it is worth shopping around. I think proper camping tyres are worth paying for and when the time comes I'll buy Michelin again.

[Keithl]

Continental recommend a life of TEN years for their tyres.

 

Read page 122 of their technical data book here... https://blobs.continental-tires.com/www8/servlet/blob/85806/e0854f2c7866c64da551474b998ef8b3/download-technical-databook-data.pdf

 

"Tyre service life recommendation

Continental is unaware of any technical data that supports a specific tyre age for removal from service. However, as with other members of the tyre and automotive industries, Continental recommends that all tyres (including spare tyres) that were manufactured more than ten (10) years previous be replaced with new tyres,even when tyres appear to be usable from their external appearance and if the tread depth may have not reached the minimum wear out depth."

 

Keith

[dawki]

Yes I was told by Continental that their tyres are good for 10years plus

Mine were nearly 11 years old when I changed them and still in great condition

So if I was you I wouldn’t even think about changing them yet if they look ok

[tealandsilver]

I replaced my Vanco tyres at ten years old, they were barely worn and only had minute cracking on the side walls. I used my local tyre and exhaust garage (not a franchise). They charged less than £400 for fitting 4 vanco tyres which I was delighted with.

 

I asked that they inspect the tyres when they took them off. Although the tyres looked ok, the inside of the tyres exhibited some signs of corrosion coming through the rubber, presumably from the wire inside the tyre.

 

Cheers David

[John52]

Tyre dealers say replace every 5 years, but then they are in business to sell tyres *-)

They won't last forever because the 'rubber' perishes and cracks with age.

How long this takes depends on things like the tyre material and how much sunlight it has been exposed to.

They deteriorate as soon as they are made, especially if exposed to sunlight.

When it reaches the stage where the tyre needs replacing is a matter of opinion,

I have my MOTs done at at place that only does MOTs, so they have no incentive to sell me tyres.

But I have had advisories for perished tyres, which have been passed without comment by subsequent testers at the same place when the tyres were years older.

Just an honest difference of opinion between qualified testers :-S

[John52]

We generally only hear about tyre blow outs when they are blamed for accidents, probably because the driver was going too fast with no margin for safety.

But I have had many tyre blow outs on lorries. Including one on a front wheel of a fully laden artic travelling in the centre lane of a busy M1 at 60 miles an hour, None of these blow outs resulted in injury to anybody. So I am not as scared of tyre blow outs as some people are. And I know that replacing the tyres does not take away the risk of a blow out. I once picked up a brand new trailer with 8 new tyres - 4 of which blew out in the first 1000 miles because they were part of a bad batch :-S

[colin]

I've had two front tyre blowouts on a hired motorhome, wakes you up, but as they happened on fairly straight roads not much else to report. If it had been whilst descending a mountain pass (which we did do in that MH) might have been a bit different.

[John52]

StuartO - 2020-09-28 4:24 PM

 

Last I heard Michelin were recommending replacement at ten years but earlier if visible evidence of surface crazing on the sidewalls was appearing. Mine are still good at seven years, although the front ones are getting low on tread and I did replace the last lot at about seven years. I replaced one recently on tread depth and a new Michelin Aguilis Camping cost £150 fitted after I shopped around a little. Other suppliers were asking up to £175 so it is worth shopping around. I think proper camping tyres are worth paying for and when the time comes I'll buy Michelin again.

 

I have never understood why van tyres are not suitable for motorhomes.

Whether camping tyres are worth the extra seems to depend on whether you believe the marketing.

Some people will pay a premium for specialist stuff

Like kids medicine has been found to be the same as adults medicine - except it cost more because the drug companies know that mums will pay more for their kids medicine than they will pay for their own.

 

My van came with Michelin Agilis which I replaced after 11 years with plenty of tread left on.

I replaced them with Hankook Vantra LT - about £40 cheaper per tyre than Michelin.

There is less vibration with the new Hankooks, probably because the Michelins had worn out of balance.

The only disadvantage I can see with the Hankook os you start off with 9mm of tread instead of 11mm with Michelin.

For another quids worth of tread rubber, the Hankooks would be as good as the Michelin.

But if you don't do a high mileage that doesn't matter - so they are apparently as good for £40 less.

 

[breakaleg]

Hi John 52.

I to have driven vans up to 7.5 t for years, my experience of camping tyres is that they seem to wear out quicker, so I stick to 8ply van tyres at around £65.00.

 

Sorry but I had to smile when you said about having a blow out in the middle lane of the motorway, I bet you would have been glad to have tyre pressure monitor to tell you what was happening. lol

 

Can you see the point of them? what you really need is something to clear lane one and hopefully find a hard shoulder.

Pete

[goldi]

Good morning,

 

My globecar pvc came with continental van tyres . Last week I had a puncture and so I took the opportunity to replace 2 tyres with hancook vantra lt which is a quieter tyre . The contis had a fair bit of mileage left but were 6 years old and I intend to keep the van for another 5years. If I had coachbuilt which was more prone to sway I would look at the camper tyres

 

[John52]

breakaleg - 2020-09-30 9:39 AM

 

Hi John 52.

I to have driven vans up to 7.5 t for years, my experience of camping tyres is that they seem to wear out quicker, so I stick to 8ply van tyres at around £65.00.

 

Sorry but I had to smile when you said about having a blow out in the middle lane of the motorway, I bet you would have been glad to have tyre pressure monitor to tell you what was happening. lol

 

Can you see the point of them? what you really need is something to clear lane one and hopefully find a hard shoulder.

Pete

 

The tyre went with a bang so everyone got out of my way and I was able to coast in to the hard shoulder

The only damage I know of was a bit of damage to the mudguard.

There was a bit of vibration through the steering thats all

But not as bad as it sounds - because we usually seem to hear about blow outs on the race track when cars are being pushed to their limits with no margin for safety.

Or when the police roll out a stinger which does several tyres at once.

I remember that tyre blow out because it was the scariest, but I have had so many others I can't even remember them.

[Derek Uzzell]

goldi - 2020-09-30 11:40 AM

 

Good morning,

 

My globecar pvc came with continental van tyres . Last week I had a puncture and so I took the opportunity to replace 2 tyres with hancook vantra lt which is a quieter tyre . The contis had a fair bit of mileage left but were 6 years old and I intend to keep the van for another 5years. If I had coachbuilt which was more prone to sway I would look at the camper tyres

 

This 2019 forum entry is probaby the most recent previous thread that refers to Hankook’s Vantra LT (RA18) tyre-range.

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Hankook-tyres-/51637/

 

https://www.hankooktire.com/uk/passenger-cars/hankook-vantra-lt-ra18.html

 

In 2013 the German motorhome magazine “Promobil” used Continental’s Contidrom test-track and testing equipment to compare six 215/70 R15 tyres fitted to three different-length Ducato-based panel-van conversions and using a 4.0bar inflation-pressure for front and rear tyres.

 

It’s to be expected that (for a short while) replacement similar specification tyres will be significantly quieter than the ‘old’ tyres. Noise testing revealed that the reading for the Vantra LT was 72.1 dB, with Continental’s Vanco Camper being quieter at 71.7dB, with Michelin’s Agilis Camping and Agilis+ being noisier at 72.7 dB and 73.0 dB respectively.

 

Tread depth was much the same for all six tyres on test, ranging from 9.8mm for Vanco Camper down to 9.1mm for Agilis Camping, with 9.5mm quoted for the Vantra LT.

 

Tyre weights varied from 12.7kg (Agilis Camping) to 14.4kg (Vantra LT). It sems to be commonly believed that ‘camping-car’ tyres' construction will provide increased sidewall stiffness and weight, but the Promobil testing indicates otherwise. The weight quoted for Vanco Camper was 13.4kg, but that’s still 1kg less that the Vantra LT weight. There’s little doubt that, if camping-car and ‘white van’ tyres were inflated to their usual maximum recommended pressure and fitted to the same motorhome, the vehicle should be expected to roll less when cornering, but a much harsher ride quality will normally result in the camping-car tyre’s case.

 

The Promobil test covered braking, direction changing, lateral grip and aquaplaning resistance on wet and dry road surfaces. The results were averaged and Hankook’s Vantra LT tyre was a clear winner (with a inexpensive China-made “GT Radial Maxmiler Ex” tyre coming second).

 

There MIGHT be an advantage in choosing ‘camping-car’ tyres for a motorhome that is normally driven close to its maximum axle-load value or its tyre’s maximum load-rating figure, but otherwise I’d have no hesitation opting for Vantra LT tyres at around £77 each, as opposed to Agilis Camping at around £122.

[23addy46]

Hi Derek - Re your last reply ReTyres -

Should you last paragraph not read 'Vantra LT' ?

Most interesting the German article - HOWEVER - what about the insurers view in that the tyres could be deemed as 'unsuitable or not as per original spec?

Dave Adams

[Derek Uzzell]

Well spotted - I’ve suitably edited my last posting.

 

This 2011 forum thread touched on the possible insurance implications that you mention (some of the links in the posting will be long-dead by now).

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Camping-Tyres/25115/#M280009

 

The significant thing (in my view) was the subsequent revelation that the “CP” marking has no ‘technical’ relevance. It is just an informational indicator (agreed with the ETRTO) that a tyre is aimed primarily at motorhome usage. (Though this definitely does not forbid a “CP” marked tyre being legitimately and legally fitted to a ‘white van’.)

 

This link is to the MOT inspection manual covering car, private bus and light commercial vehicle (class 3, 4, 5 and 7 vehicle) MOT tests.

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles

 

Section 5.2.3 relates to tyres

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/5-axles-wheels-tyres-and-suspension#section-5-2-3

 

and it will be seen that checking tyre load and speed ratings is not part of the Class 4 MOT test that applies to motor caravans.

 

Given the amount of ‘flexibility’ in the UK MOT test regarding tyres, it seems most unlikely that an insurance company could successfully reject a claim merely because a motorhome that originally had “CP” marked tyres now had equivalent technical specification (size, load index, speed rating, etc) tyres that were “C” marked (or vice versa).

 

I vaguely recall it being reported that an insurance company had quibbled over a motorhome-related accident claim after it had been noticed that the vehicle’s “C” marked tyres had been inflated to the high pressures recommended for “CP” marked tyres. If I remember correctly, the tyres' manufacturer was consulted and replied that their tyres’ design and construction was such that the amount of over-inflation that had been used should have still been ‘safe’. The claim was then met.

[John52]

mine are 225/75 R16C van (not camper) tyres

(larger size than the ones on test)

I measured Michelin Agilis tread at 11mm new

And Hankook Vantra LT at 9mm new

[Haybob]

As already mentioned, when the vehicles have an MOT the tyres are inspected. No doubt you will have had a good look at them too. In my opinion this is adequate maintenance as any issues can be addressed.

 

The tyres on mine are 6 years old, the front ones will need replacing soon, the rears still have lots of tread, the spare is unused. I will buy one new tyre and bring the spare in to use when the front tyres are changed.

[Muswell]

Haybob - 2020-09-30 6:23 PM

 

As already mentioned, when the vehicles have an MOT the tyres are inspected. No doubt you will have had a good look at them too. In my opinion this is adequate maintenance as any issues can be addressed.

 

The tyres on mine are 6 years old, the front ones will need replacing soon, the rears still have lots of tread, the spare is unused. I will buy one new tyre and bring the spare in to use when the front tyres are changed.

 

One week after passing the MOT I started to get severe severe vibration and before the end of the journey I had to keep speed down to 50. The tyres looked fine and I thought it was a failed shock absorber. When I took it to the garage they said it was because the tyres were breaking up from inside and put a wheel on the balancing machine to prove it was a tyre problem.

[747]

I have a Tag axle van and the tyres on the 2 rear axles only need to run at around 48 psi. I fitted Michelin Agilis Commercial (ie not Camping). As long as my spare is a 'Camping' tyre, I am covered in case of needing to change a tyre.

[varonda]

Just replaced the front tyres on my PVC , the Agilis that were on were 7 years old and whilst there was still plenty of tread left the offside tyre had started developing a bit of a 'swelling' on the side wall -- after a quick look at the prices for Michelin on the old tinterweb a visit to my local tyre dealer fitted me 2 CE stamped M&S type tread 8 ply with the same load rating as per the handbooks/ door stickers, balanced and done for just over the price of 1 Michelin CP -- now my reasoning is that at that price I can afford to replace 'em after 3 years and still be in pocket with new rubber on whereas the Michelin would have to go to the max before change meaning I'd be running about on 5 year old tyres whereas in 5 years I'll be on 2 year old tyres under my way of thinking -- so to cap this War and Peace posting 2 tyres fitted, balanced, specified load and ply rating for the price of 1 Michelin CP and we'll see what happens -- I suspect nothing barring a puncture. I'll be interested to read your comments.

[Derek Uzzell]

This list (in ascending price order) is taken from the tyreleader.co,uk websiite and relates to ‘summer’ tyres suitable or ‘light truck’ vehicles and having a 215/70 R15 specification and a load index of at least 109 (the standard specification for Boxers/Ducatos factory-fitted with 15” wheels.

 

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres-215-70-15-109/?s=S&m%5B575%5D=on&t=U&orderby=prix

 

The advertised prices range from £51.49

 

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/tristar/powervan-rf09/215-70-r15c-109-107r-761264

 

up to £163.19

 

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/continental/contivancontact-100/215-70-r15c-109-107r-636974

 

So it would be possible to obtain three of the cheapest tyre for less than the cost of the most expensive.

 

My late-neighbour used to buy nearly new cars. He purchased a one year old Vauxhall Insignia and showed it to me saying it had covered under 10,000 miles. I said “Are you sure?” as the car had an odd mixture of tyres with a Michelin tyre on one front wheel, a more worn Continental tyre on the other front wheel and two new tyres on the rear wheels with a brand name I had never heard of but suspected were made in China.

 

I looked in the car's boot and found an unused Continental space-saver tyre and guessed that the car had started life wearing Continental tyres all round, that one of these had become damaged and been replaced by a Michelin and, just before the car was offered for sale (by a local Vauxhall dealership), the ‘best’ two tyres had been moved to the front wheels and the rear wheels had been fitted with new tyres. My neighbour asked me to look on the internet for information on the rear tyres and this proved they were indeed of Chinese origin and that there were many complaints about their lack of grip. He went back to the dealer who confirmed my diagnosis and who told him that the rear tyres were perfectly fine as they carried the ECE symbol.

 

The trouble with buying motorhome tyres using price as the primary selection criterion is that there’s generally no certainty about their real world performance.

 

The 2013 Promobil test I mentioned earlier exhaustively tested six 215/70 R15 8PR tyres with a load index of 109 and speed ratings of Q, R or S. (All of those tyres of course carried the ECE marking.) Bottom of the league table was a tyre made in Italy, but a Chinese-made tyre (the cheapest) scored higher than all the other tyres except for the Korean-made Hankook Vantra LT tyre that was a clear winner but still less expensive than the Italian tyre. What the test did reveal was how different the on-road performance could be. For example, on a wet test track the stopping distance from 80km/h to 0km/h (using ABS brakng) varied from 32.8m (Hankook) to 40.9m (Italian tyre).

 

If there is no reliable information for a particular tyre (and the Promobil test results showed that the ‘wet grip’ marking of the labelling of the tyres on test could not be relied on when it came to emergency wet weather braking) It’s very hard to decide how much to pay. I wouldn’t buy the £51.49 tyre for my motorhome and I certainly would not buy the £163.19 tyre - but I would buy the Hankook Vantra LT 18 tyre (£78.68) as at least there are some credible data from the the Promobil test to persuade me that this would be a reasonable thing to do.