Fred Duck Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I realise that this has been discussed before but I cannot get the search facility to work so am asking again. Our 'van needs new tyres. The current tyres are Michelin XC Camping 215/70 R15C 109/107Q load rating. The only camping tyre options seem to be Michelin, Pirelli or Continental Vanco Camping but I cannot find the latter in 15" diameter so, on the face of it, it seems that are out. I can, however, find 'standard' Continental Vanco 15" tyres at the same size and diameter etc. and, importantly, with the same 109/107Q load rating. I appreciate that camping tyres are made to suit the extra loads imposed by our vehicles but, if the load rating is the same as the existing Michelin Camping tyres, surely they must be suitable? Or am I missing something? FD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Basically camping tyres have a larger safety margin for overloading, standing stationary for a long time and reduced aging properties of the rubber compound. My recommendation would be the Michelin Agilis Camping tyres and they are far superior to the XC tyres you currently have. Not cheap, but I think are worth it. The Agilis Camping are also the only camping tyre rated M&S. (Mud and Snow) edit - typos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Kwik Fit recently quoted me on Continental Vanco camping at the size you want. From memory £115.50 each which included everything. fitting, balance, tyre disposal, new metal valves and vat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 If you know someone with a Cosco card try them for Michelin prices. They were the cheapest by far for my motorhome tyres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Duck Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Many thanks. Kwik Fit have just quoted £120 fitted for the Continental Vanco Camper in the size I want. That's the good news. Bad news is that they haven't got any and neither have Continental UK. Currently on 5 - 6 week back order and Continental will not guarantee delivery even then. FD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazeck Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 WHEN BUYING MOTORHOME TYRES FROM KWIKFIT MAKE SURE THEY KNOW THEY SHOULD FIT HIGH PRESSURE VALVES Their normal stock valve only goes to maximum of 65psi and motorhome tyres can be inflated upto 80psi depending on loading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 You will find that none of the big tyre firms keep high pressure valves. I know from having the same problem recently. Do an online search (as this site search does not work) and find your own valves to take with you. Somebody on here posted a source for them but that is a fat lot of use here. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I got hp valves from ford, about £1.50 each, and always keep a few spare in the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Chapman Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 For Metal Clamp-in high pressure valves try:- www.auto4.co.uk/143 Regards, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger20 Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Mike A very useful post and a good idea to keep one or two as a spare. However there do appear to be several different sorts. I have a current X250 Ducato with 15" wheels. Could you possibly say which is the most appropriate because without taking a tyre off its not clear which would be the correct one for this wheel. Thanks Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Chapman Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Hello Roger, I am not sure what the correct tyre valve is for your X2/50 it will depend on whether the wheels are steel or alloy. It would probably be best to speak to Auto4 directly they have a range of valves greater than the web-site examples shown. Mine has Burstner alloy wheels and the rim hole is 11.3 mm but the metal clamp in valves fitted do not match any shown in their catalogue. They are metal clamp in valves but have a much shorter valve stem than the ones shown. Will carry on trying to find out and let you know the result. Regards, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Duck Posted April 7, 2010 Author Share Posted April 7, 2010 Update on the tyres. I was quoted various prices, the cheapest three being £120, £115 and £110 per corner fitted and working for Continental Vanco Campers but all the suppliers, when they tried to order, came back with the same answer. Their aren't any and won't be for a least a month and even then, Continental will not make any guarantees. Imagine they wait until they've got a mass of orders and then make a batch. Pretty poor way to do business and I've taken the hint. Best price I could find on Pirellis was £128 each. Again, many suppliers tried but none could actually get any. Another Company that doesn't want my business. Prices for Michelin seemed high. £135, £140, one place on the internet, £160 supply only. Then the people who'd quoted the cheapest price for the Continentals came back to me and said that the Michelins Agilis Camper were the only camper tyre they could find available in my size and quoted £125 each fitted and working with high pressure valves. Two day delivery so I've ordered them. Small, one unit local tyre place that have been there for ever (I bought Uniroyals for my Mk 1 Escort from them in 1973). Kwik Fit could also supply at £20 a tyre more. I'll wait until they've actually arrived and had them fitted but, by a long way they tried the hardest to sort me out and if it all works I'll post details for anyone else in Yorkshire that needs tyres. FD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Good news FD, but make sure you check the manufactured date on the tyres before you have them fitted to ensure they are not 'old stock'. Tyres start ageing from the day they are manufactured, not from the day they are fitted and some may have already lost a year or more of their useful life if they have been in storage. For an example we regularly drive cars at high speed at work and are not allowed to use tyres older than 6 months on the test track even if we know what they have been used for before. Ask if you need to know how to date the tyres and I'll find a link for you. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Fred, in my view it is not so much they wait until they have orders but they make in large batches scheduled into the supply program, If they run out due to high sales they run out until the next scheduled batch is made. You get what you pay for and the Michelin at £125 is a good price and offers better value for money even though they seem expensive. At the end of the day you have to also take what you can get if you are needing tyres. What you should make sure off before they fit is what the manufacturng date code is and preferabbly within the last 6 months and all the same date code. If you do high mileage and wear out within 4 years it is not so much an issue, but often Motorhome tyres are replaced due to agee not wear so why start off with a tyre already say 2 years old. Make sure they use metal clamp in high pressure valves, there are too many issues in the past with rubber ones and over 65 psi rated tyres which wil be lasting mre than a few years rubber valves are not suitable... fine for commercial vehicles wearing tyres out faster than you can blink, but having driven a van on new tuyres and high pressure rubber valve and then deflating puts me off ever using rubber valves again on a van. What the fitter may do is just replace the inserts if you have metal clamp in valves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Keith has beat me to it on age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Brambles - 2010-04-07 9:39 PM Keith has beat me to it on age! Great minds think alike!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick noe Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 in answer to your question...... as long as you do not overload your motorhome and the tyres you fit are rated correctly for load/speed they will be fine [the tyres have no idea if they are carrying a motorhome ,loaded van, or flatbed builders truck :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Keithl - 2010-04-07 9:41 PM Brambles - 2010-04-07 9:39 PM Keith has beat me to it on age! Great minds think alike!!! ...and fools seldom differ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 I to need a couple of 215/70/R15 Continental Vanco Camper tyres. Telephoned Kwikfit who had quoted me a good price and they cannot get them, as has been said. Tried two other major tyre companies, same reply. Telephoned Continental to see what was going on, they promised to get back to me, pretty predictable I suppose but as yet they have not done so. Kwikfit say the Vanco 2 is the same tyre with a slightly differant tread pattern, would like to check with Con. to see if this is true.Have now got to do a big search to try and find some motorhome tyres of any sort that will fit, no luck so far. Anyone know of someone who has some in my size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Hi Rupert, If I was you I would look at other brands of tyre. I only needed one as a spare and went for budget brands. I got a Mohawk tyre at a much reduced price from a local independant tyre firm. As an aside, the dealer thought my 16" Michelin Agilis were right on the borderline for a 5 tonne MAM motorhome. The Mohawk tyre is rated at 114/116 which is a bit higher than the Michelin, which I believe is 113. I would ring round the independants anyway for availability and price. BTW; A number of tyre manufacturers have closed factories and moved production abroad. By the sound of it, the supply cannot keep up with demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 rupert123 - 2010-04-09 10:21 AM I to need a couple of 215/70/R15 Continental Vanco Camper tyres. Telephoned Kwikfit who had quoted me a good price and they cannot get them, as has been said. Tried two other major tyre companies, same reply. Telephoned Continental to see what was going on, they promised to get back to me, pretty predictable I suppose but as yet they have not done so. Kwikfit say the Vanco 2 is the same tyre with a slightly differant tread pattern, would like to check with Con. to see if this is true.Have now got to do a big search to try and find some motorhome tyres of any sort that will fit, no luck so far. Anyone know of someone who has some in my size? This really makes me angry about tyre fitters, they are not the same tyre with a slightly different tread partern. It is similar but has extra reinforcement, different rubber compound and a slightly different tread pattern. The improved properties are extra reserve of strength, tyre walls more resistance to climbing kerbs , rubber has better aging properties and better for standing stationary for long periods amonst others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Spoke to soon, just had a phone call from Continental. For information the new batch of M/H tyres are due in the UK on 14 May. Also spoke to technical department and they confirm, more or less, what Jon said in his post. However they also said differance is not huge and the Vanco 2 will be fine on a M/H of under 3500 kgs providing you fit two on same axle. Loadings/speed ratings are the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Chapman Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 roger20 - 2010-04-07 12:36 AM Mike A very useful post and a good idea to keep one or two as a spare. However there do appear to be several different sorts. I have a current X250 Ducato with 15" wheels. Could you possibly say which is the most appropriate because without taking a tyre off its not clear which would be the correct one for this wheel. Thanks Roger Hello Roger, Sorry it has taken a while I needed to get the Auto4 catalogue. The Auto4 part numbers for the valves are:- Alloy wheels - Part no. 2563 Valve hole 11.3 mm Length 42 mm Steel Wheels- Part no. 3103 Valve Hole 11.3 mm Length 42 mm The Valve for alloy wheels have a plastic washer betwen the valve and wheel. Regards, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Duck Posted April 13, 2010 Author Share Posted April 13, 2010 Further tyre update. Michelin Agilis Camping x 4 fitted today. All tyres made week 8 2010, new, correct type, HP valves, fitted and balanced at £125 per corner. Job turned round in 40 minutes including final torquing with torque wrench. £15 a tyre cheaper than Kwik Fit quoted and they couldn't do the valves. John Pitchford Tyres 9 Queen Street Ossett West Yorkshire WF5 8AW 01924 265344 Highly satisfied, thoroughly recommended. FD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 As I said in my earlier post: DO NOT RULE OUT THE INDEPENDANT TYRE COMPANIES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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