Tyre life expectancy

[Guest malc]

I've had my first motorhome, a Murvi Morello,for nearly three years and find that my front tyres ( Vanco 205/70R) need replacing after only 18000 miles. As I've always got nearly twice that distance out of car tyres I just wonder if 18000 is about the norm for motorhome tyres. Can any of you with more experience of vans advise me ? Any more durable replacements recommended ? Thanks and all the best for the New Year.

[Guest Mel B]

From the mileage you've given I wouldn't have thought that you've had bad value from your tyres, especially since we usually only get around 22-25K miles on cars maximum. Don't forget that it's a heavier vehicle than a car, so it's pulling a lot of weight on those front wheel drive tyres, much more than a car would do as you don't usually have a car loaded nearly to its maximum all the time. Also, how may cars do you know that go onto the rougher terrain that some of us take our vans on to (such as CLs etc) or spend weeks on end not being moved around at all. Do you use your 'van for normal day to day transport or just for your 'leisure' pursuits? Whether you could've got more out of them is debatable as so much depends on your driving style as well as the quality of the tyres themselves but I don't think you've done bad, especially since it seems that your rear tyres are still okay. One way of keeping the replacement time down is to swap the front and rear wheels when your vehicle is serviced in it's second year, or at around 8-10K miles, assuming your rear tyres still have a lot of life left in them - this then puts the less worn rear tyres on the front where you really need the grip. The down side is that at some point you may need to replace all 4 tyres (don't forget to check the spare, just 'cause you ain't used it don't mean it's okay) but at least you should get a discount for bulk purchase! If you are likely to be changing the 'van in the near future just swapping the tyres would be a better bet that having the expense of 2 new tyres and letting someone else benefit from it. As for what to get, I'm not that well up on what's out there but if you do go for new tyres, just be careful that if you don't get the same ones again, you make sure they can be used with your existing rear tyres, you don't want to cause problems by mixing 2 totally different types with different characteristics ... remember radials and crossplys!!!

[Guest Mike C]

Hello Malc, I suppose the question is a bit like "What fuel consumption should I get?". It really depends on how you drive the Morello. It is possible to trash a set of tyres in just a few hundred miles or get phenomenal mileages. I make the assumption that you follow the guidelines on tyre pressures versus weight. From my experience 18000 miles from a set of Continental Vanco is slightly below average (20000 to 30000) but these tyres are a relatively soft compound like Goodyear Cargo and better in the wet than Michelin and Pirelli which use a harder compound and tend to do higher mileages. Personally I would stick with the Continentals and put the existing rears on the front and the new tyres on the back. After three years it would be worth having the trackin checked especially if the wear on the fronts is not uniform. There are several threads on this forum about tyres which would be worth reading. If I can be of any more assistance please ask. Regards, Mike C.

[Guest David Powell]

Hi Malc...I have noticed that well used 'van tyres, regularly used and therefore frequently "FLEXED" seem to stay more flexable and last longer than tyres on 'vans that just stand on their tyres over long periods of inactivity in sun light. On my last 'van [second hand] the dealer I bought it from had it MOTd for me, and the tyres passed, but by the time I drove it home, about 200 miles, the walls were all cracked up, so I had to get a new set. I phoned the previous owner, as the tyres were fairly recent according to the F.S.H,& found that he had not used the 'van for 9 months, so the rubber of the tyres had gone hard. The rough "rule of thumb" is 5 years for 'van tyres. But how old were they when they were fitted to your 'van? And where and how has it been standing? In the winter time I try to go for a run every couple of weeks just to keep the tyres flexing, I may be wrong but I think it increases their life span. A lot of motor homers keep their tyres covered, or at least shaded, that helps too. The odds are that with mileage you will do, you will never wear your tyres out, they will just die of old age. My Mrs always sez:- 'If you don't use it, you lose it'.

[Guest petec]

Is the van a front wheel drive? If so the front whhels will wear out much quicker than the rear As they not only do the steering but also they have to drive the vehicle Also as has already been said much depends on the terrain you are driving over and the tyre pressure - Van tyres are usually at a higher pressure - my own vehicle has 65psi in them Also HOW you drive Are you trying to accelerate the same as with the car? You have much more weight to get moving - Hence more rubber is left on the road I get between 22000 and 30000 miles from my front tyres

[Guest malc]

Thanks all for such helpful and speedy responses. To answer your questions : It's a front wheel drive, I regularly check the pressures and give the van a local run every couple of weeks or so, but most use is on longish trips e.g. Croatia via Czech Republic last year and Norways North Cape via Sweden this year. I got it new (so it may well have had a couple of thousand on the tyres when I picked it up). I usually cruise around at about 60mph (and don't accelerate like in a car). It's a great van so I'm unlikely to change it for some time so I'll just stick a couple of new tyres on the front - and it sounds like a good idea to keep to the same make and not mix types. I can understand the purpose of swapping front to back but don't fancy replacing all four in one hit eventually. The wear on the tyres is pretty even so I think tracking is o.k. Sounds like, in view of all the motorway driving I've done,18000 is not TOO bad after all. Thanks again to all. Cheers Malc

[Guest Don Madge]

Hi Malc, My front wheel drive Fiat Timberland has Goodyear Cargo G26 Tyres pressures front 4 bars rear 4.5 bars. Todate they have done 33000+ miles in 30 months it's just passed the MOT and there is plenty of tread depth left I expect to get 40,000 miles at least. If I got less than 25000 miles out of any tyres I would have a long hard look at my driving techneque if there were no problems with the tracking etc. Don

[Guest malc]

Thanks Don As your van is similar to mine I would expect to get the same kind of mileage from tyres. ( Mine's a 2.8 turbo diesel - possibly engine weight could be a factor ?) I'll take a look around locally for 'Cargos'. Other than that I may need to take a long hard look at YOUR driving technique as well ! Cheers malc

[Guest Bill Ord]

My last van a Autotrail Cheyenne 635 running on Michelin camping tyres did 44,000 miles in just under four years before needing a single replacement. The tyres were always at 5.5 bar (80psi)as I am usually loaded to maximum but then Michelin C tyres are noted for wear and not for grip. Bill Ord

[Guest Paul Chappelow]

I think 18000 is low mileage for your tyres unless as suggested it is a driving technique problem. I own an Autotrail Dakota which I bought new in April 2002. Mileage so fat is 28k and all the tyres are fine [ I drive like a maiden aunt - now I pay for the fuel after a lifetime of company car driving]. Next year when the van is in its 5th year I will look seriously at the issue and when I assume the mileage will be approx 35k. Regards Paul