Nigells Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I read that the Caravan and Motorhome Club and tyre manufacturers says motorhome tyres must not be used after 7 years of age . I therefore need to change the Continental Camper tyres on my Elddis Aspire this year. Any thoughts on who’s the best tyre fitting chain in the East Midlands? My dealer won’t fit tyres anymore and my local National Tyres and Kwikfit say as the mhome is too tall to fit in their depots, they can’t help either ! Any suggestions or recommendations please ? Thanks Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I use Mr Tyres in Worcester. An independent. These try harder and will normally not need to drive into there workshop. The Continental campers you have fitted are a fine tyre. I would certainly look for the same.Etb in Worcester are another good company and are also a wholesaler enabling them to have more stock than most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmac Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Hi I had a new set of tyres fitted to my old motorhome three years ago that I brought from Black Circles. If you look on their website you will see a list of all your local garages who fit for them. Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Nigells - 2018-02-28 7:52 PM I read that the Caravan and Motorhome Club and tyre manufacturers says motorhome tyres must not be used after 7 years of age . I therefore need to change the Continental Camper tyres on my Elddis Aspire this year. No you do not!!! Continental state that there tyres are good for TEN years as long as subject to regular checks! "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. Vehicle manufacturers may recommend a different chronological age at which a tyre should be replaced based on their understanding of the specific vehicle application; Continental recommends that any such instruction be followed. Consumers should note that most tyres would have to be removed for tread wear-out or other causes before any proscribed removal period. A stated removal period in no way reduces the consumer’s responsibility to replace tyres as needed." From page 122 of this publication... https://blobs.continental-tires.com/www8/servlet/blob/85806/e0854f2c7866c64da551474b998ef8b3/download-technical-databook-data.pdf I replaced my Continental Vanco C rated tyres at nine years old and sold the part worns to a white van man which paid for two of my new tyres! I'll find a link to the quote and edit this post. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Nigells - 2018-02-28 7:52 PM I read that the Caravan and Motorhome Club and tyre manufacturers says motorhome tyres must not be used after 7 years of age . I therefore need to change the Continental Camper tyres on my Elddis Aspire this year. Any thoughts on who’s the best tyre fitting chain in the East Midlands? My dealer won’t fit tyres anymore and my local National Tyres and Kwikfit say as the mhome is too tall to fit in their depots, they can’t help either ! Any suggestions or recommendations please ? Thanks Nigel Nigel......that's working on the assumption the caravan/motorhome is spending a major part of it's life static and in the sun. If you mh is in regular use then it won't suffer in the same way. The tyre walls generally crack when subject to standing in hot weather and that's when they fail. Has your MOT Garage given you an advisory on the tyres? If not then i suggest you get them to check. The tyres on my van had suffered the same as all previous owners barely used the van so despite plenty of tread depth, i had to replace all four tyres. Forget National Tyres or Kwikfit......prices are exorbitant and they will flog you stuff you don't even need. Find a small independent and go there. As another poster mentioned, they won't let anything like height restrict them......they will do the job outdoors! And at a better price! Phone around for some prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Bulletguy - 2018-02-28 9:20 PM Nigells - 2018-02-28 7:52 PM I read that the Caravan and Motorhome Club and tyre manufacturers says motorhome tyres must not be used after 7 years of age . I therefore need to change the Continental Camper tyres on my Elddis Aspire this year. Any thoughts on who’s the best tyre fitting chain in the East Midlands? My dealer won’t fit tyres anymore and my local National Tyres and Kwikfit say as the mhome is too tall to fit in their depots, they can’t help either ! Any suggestions or recommendations please ? Thanks Nigel Nigel......that's working on the assumption the caravan/motorhome is spending a major part of it's life static and in the sun. If you mh is in regular use then it won't suffer in the same way. The tyre walls generally crack when subject to standing in hot weather and that's when they fail. Has your MOT Garage given you an advisory on the tyres? If not then i suggest you get them to check. The tyres on my van had suffered the same as all previous owners barely used the van so despite plenty of tread depth, i had to replace all four tyres. Forget National Tyres or Kwikfit......prices are exorbitant and they will flog you stuff you don't even need. Find a small independent and go there. As another poster mentioned, they won't let anything like height restrict them......they will do the job outdoors! And at a better price! Phone around for some prices. As this, the garage that MOT's my cars didn't MOT my van as it doesn't fit there lift, but that didn't stop them fitting two new tyres, removing them outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigells Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 Thanks everyone for your advice . There are some small cracks appearing where the raised tread comes above the main body of the tyre. Yes two of the tyres do face south and the sun for a lot of the year . Thanks for the advice about smaller independent fitters , I will look at those too . Appreciate the very prompt responses ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Depending on what tyre pressure you run at, you may need to renew the high pressure tyre valves. Most tyre places do not carry them but may order them in for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Tyre dealers recommend regular replacement but then they are in business to sell tyres *-) My bike tyres are over 30 years old but then its spent most of that time in a dark shed with no sunlight to rot them. My van tyres are 10 years old. I don't plan to replace them soon, but they live outside in the sunlight so I don't expect them to last as long as my bike tyres. Always check online prices before buying, print them off and take them in with you or they will probably charge you a higher price. I've had many tyre blow outs whilst driving HGVs - including one on the front wheel of a 38 ton artic whilst travelling in the centre lane of a motorway at 60mph. None of them resulted in anything more than minor damage to mudguards etc. I had 4 blow outs in the first 1000 miles with a brand new 8 wheel trailer shod with brand new Michelins - part of a bad batch. So you can still get blow outs with new tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Don't assume Black Circles are cheaper just because they are on-line. The fitter still gets paid and BCs take their cut. My local garage quoted less than BCs without any mention of what their price was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 This 2010 Caravan Club article mentions the ‘7 years rule’. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/6671085/technical.pdf Michelin’s advice on tyre aging is in the "How old is too old? The five year test” section here: https://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/buying-guide/when-should-i-change-my-tyres If I were in Nigel’s position, with my motorhome's tyres’ age approaching 7 years, I’d be asking myself whether any of the tyres are well-worn and/or exhibit signs of deterioration (eg. the cracking Nigel has mentioned). In either case I’d choose to replace the tyres now. If the tyres were not well-worn and showed no signs of deterioration, I’d ask myself how long it was likely to be before I disposed of the motorhome. If I planned to get rid of it soon I would not replace the tyres, but if I believed I’d keep the vehicle for, say, another 4 years I’d replace the tyres now in order to get several years use out of the new tyres. As Nigel’s Elddis Aspire has Continental “VancoCamper” tyres at present, it’s likely that the motorhome will have (or should have) metal clamp-in high-pressure tyre valves similar to those in the attached photo. When a new tyre is fitted it’s standard practice to also replace the tyre-valve, but (as 747 mentions) tyre-fitting outlets may not keep ‘motorhome suitable’ clamp-in valves in stock. If that’s the case, just replacing the clamp-in valve’s core may be considered acceptable. There’s a risk that a tyre-fitter may decide to replace existing metal clamp-in valves with ‘rubber’ valves designed for the lower inflation pressures car tyres use, so it would be wise to check beforehand what a tyre-fitting outlet will do when a motorhome’s tyres are to be replaced. (Just to further complicate matters, there are two types of metal clamp-in valves - those that use a ‘stepped rubber washer’ as a base-seal and those that use an O-ring - and the torque-setting that should be used when installing the valve differs for each type. Hopefully a tyre-fitter will be aware of this...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigells Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 Thanks Dave for the full advice especially regarding metal valves I’ll check into. After saying that no doubt like many people today I’ve a huge potential problem with a failed water pump due to the cold even though the slide heating and water heating is on ! I’ll put the question regarding the pump and fuse location on a fresh post . Thanks again for all the advice about tyres - I’ll certainly find the right supplier and double check the valve issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Nigells - 2018-02-28 7:52 PM I read that the Caravan and Motorhome Club and tyre manufacturers says motorhome tyres must not be used after 7 years of age . I therefore need to change the Continental Camper tyres on my Elddis Aspire this year. Any thoughts on who’s the best tyre fitting chain in the East Midlands? My dealer won’t fit tyres anymore and my local National Tyres and Kwikfit say as the mhome is too tall to fit in their depots, they can’t help either ! Any suggestions or recommendations please ? Thanks Nigel Does your van have a spare wheel? If so, don't forget that it will in all probability be the same age as the others. However, if it has been kept away from sunlight, and it and the wheel are in good condition, it is probably a serviceable, unused, tyre. Could it be used as a service tyre, with the best of the existing tyres being consigned as spare? You'd only need to buy 3 new tyres then, with another two in a year or two, when you decide that the previous spare is life expired, and get rid of the old, part worn, spare. :-) My own experience with Continental VancoCamping tyres is that they show a quite sharp fall off in traction as the tread wears. I would expect that the front tyres on your van would be quite well worn after 7 years, assuming they are originals. From memory, there is a date of manufacture code cast into the sidewall, usually four digits, with the first two indicating the week and the second two the year. Thus 1211 would equate to week 12 of 2011. Might be worth checking these as it is possible they are not all of the same age. Do you/might you travel abroad, particularly (but not exclusively) Germany, and especially in late autumn, winter, or early spring? If so, have you taken into account the German law on use of winter tyres? This requires vehicles to have (in brief), at the least M+S rated, but preferably alpine snowflake marked, tyres fitted during winter when conditions are snowy or icy. There is a fine for non compliance. The only "camping" tyre that can presently meet this requirement is Michelin Agilis Camping, so you may be better advised to go for these in preference to the Continentals. Personal opinion, but having had both, and having swapped Continentals for Michelins, I find the Michelins a better tyre in terms of traction on slippery surfaces. I'm pretty sure this is due to its M+S rating, which implies a slightly softer tread compound, plus its slightly more "aggressive" tread design. It rides at least as well, is no noisier, and appears to deal better with standing water. Not orders of magnitude better but, in my experience, noticeably so. I believe NTS is owned by Michelin, so if you local depot can't take your van, see if there is one within a reasonable distance that can. Our local NTS has a truck bay, so can accept motorhomes - so they do exist. As an alternative, having also tried these, have you considered Vanco Four Season tyres? They are not "camping tyres", but they do have better traction characteristics than the Vanco Campers on slippery ground. There is also a Vredestein tyre (that someone will soon confirm, :-)) which has gained plaudits for its winter usability and its all round performance which, IIRC, is also acceptable in Germany etc. I believe it is also notably cheaper than the "camping" type tyres. Providing the tyre is available with the appropriate speed and load ratings, and is available in the correct size, there is no great reason to fit "camping" tyres, merely because the vehicle is a motorhome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Hi I don't know whereabouts you are in the Midlands but if you are in Derby / Ripley area there is a very good and competitive tyre company in Ripley. I had to get a new tyre when van failed MOT with a nail in the tyre.Geoff Cox sent me to this company just up the road and they were excellent and very competitive. Let me know if this is of interest and I will find the name bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 The Vredestein tyre mentions above is the “Comtrac 2 All season” range https://www.vredestein.co.uk/car-suv-van/tyre-finder/tyres/product/3/1011 that was discussed here http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Winter-tyres/48342/ http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Tyre-pressures-again/47775/ As Nigel’s Elddis Aspire currently has Continental “VancoCamper” tyres, if it does have a spare wheel it’s to be expected that this would also carry a “VancoCamper” tyre. So, unless Nigel decided to fit “VancoCamper” tyres as replacements, fitting the spare wheel to one of the motorhome’s axles would result in a mix of one “VancoCamper” and a different three other tyres, and the resultant effect would be unpredictable. On Page 180 of the latest issue (April 2018) of MMM magazine is an article headed “What brand of tyres should I choose to replace my worn ones?” Requests for advice on which replacement tyres to fit to motorhomes come up regularly on motorhome forums (example here) http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Camping-tyres-or-commercial-tyres-/37925/ but there’s no 100% definite answer. There’s helpful information here: https://www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/motorhome-tyre-safety/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Derek Uzzell - 2018-03-01 2:57 PM...................As Nigel’s Elddis Aspire currently has Continental “VancoCamper” tyres, if it does have a spare wheel it’s to be expected that this would also carry a “VancoCamper” tyre. So, unless Nigel decided to fit “VancoCamper” tyres as replacements, fitting the spare wheel to one of the motorhome’s axles would result in a mix of one “VancoCamper” and a different three other tyres, and the resultant effect would be unpredictable................. Agreed. My post wasn't sufficiently clear. Only do this if replacing the existing VancoCampers with new VancoCampers. Apologies to Nigel, and thanks to Derek for pointing out the ambiguity. In fact, on second thoughts (but only if fitting the existing spare as a service tyre, and assuming the existing tyres pass inspection), I think keep the best two of them (probably the rears), put one at the front, relegate the other as the spare, fit the ex-spare on the other side at the front, and then get two new VancoCampers fitted at the rear. Then, replace the three old tyres at a later date. However, I suspect this is mostly irrelevant, as I doubt that Nigel's van actually has a spare. Few vans made within the past seven years (or longer) do. If there is no spare, as an alternative to replacing all four (assuming two of the existing tyres pass inspection), just fit them at the front, and get two new tyres fitted at the rear. Then replace the remaining two later. I think this should be OK even if substituting Michelin Aglis Campers at the rear, but suspect it would not be recommended for either the Vanco Four Season or the Vredesteins. However, it would be worth enquiring, if wanting to spread the cost over a couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Elddis documentation suggests that Aspire models do have a “class-leading spare wheel and tyre”. Nigel was planning to replace his motorhome’s tyres due to their age coming up to 7 years, but the tyres also have "some small cracks appearing where the raised tread comes above the main body of the tyre”. Given visible signs of deterioration it would be wise to replace all four ‘in use’ tyres now, perhaps retaining the (hypothetical) spare wheel for deployment only in an emergency. Unless I were planning to drive in winter in countries that demand tyres with the ‘winter marking’, I’d be considering Hankook Vantra LT (RA18) tyres http://www.hankooktire.com/uk/passenger-cars/hankook-vantra-lt-ra18.html as these came out best in a 2013 comparative test and seem to be readily available. Like the Vredestein and Continental ‘all season’ patterns, RA18 tyres are C-marked (not CP-marked like VancoCamper and Agilis Camping) and are not intended to be inflated above 4.5bar/65psi. Only Continental, Michelin and Pirelli market CP-marked ‘motorhome’ tyres, but there is a plethora of C-marked ‘light commercial vehicle’ tyres with asking-prices ranging from around £55 to over double that figure. https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rshop/Tyres/215-70-R15/LLKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 It would be interesting to ask the 'Traveller' community if they change their van tyres according to some of the publicised information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigells Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 Many thanks for all your thoughts and advice here Brian. Yes there is a spare from new, also a VancoCamper. No we arent planning on taking the van overseas in winter. All four running tyres seem to be about half worn tread wise and the fine cracks appearing. Thanks again Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigells Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 Many thanks Derek. Yes there is a original spare VancoCamper. So I'll take the overall collective advice and keep the spare as it is and replace the four running tyres as they all have similar levels of wear and deterioration. i think I'll stick with the Continentals as I've been happy with these. Thanks again for all your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigells Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 Just a final point thanks on the tyre questions. Yes I do have winter tyres on my wife and my Skodas which are also both 4x4s. Thanks again to everyone for your advice. Yes please let me have the Ripley chap's contact details please Bob. Cheers Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Safety on the road is uppermost of course ... but does anyone know of an accident where the tyres have been proven to have caused or added to an accident. And if so is the tyre user / owner penalised. Do insurers ask for an assessment of the tyres ... or the recommended exchange date. Perhaps they never do and assess an accident by wording alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Hi Nigel I think it is called Wrights Good Tyres, Denby Road Ripley. Phone No 01332 883103. Good luck Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigells Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 Great , many thanks Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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