Replacement tyres

[Rees]

We own a MIRAGE 5000 (1994) which has tyres that need to be replaced. The current (and original) tyres are 215/75R 16C Michelin XC Camping tyre, 113/111Q at 80 psi. I do not know the date of the tyres but is it this: 06-542-02.

 

These tyres are expensive to replace. What will be a suitable and cheaper replacment? I will try and include a photograph of the existing tyres.

 

Sorry but I have ailed to find how to make an attachment

[twooks]

hi rees,

 

if you use the search option in the little box top right you'll find that there've been lots of comment recently on tyres

there are two threads simply called 'tyres' / 'TYRES'

 

and google for tyre language will help you understand the heiroglyphics on the tyre walls

http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/passenger/care/age.aspx

 

 

 

:D

[Brian Kirby]

I think your best bet will be to take the tyre details to a tyre dealer, and ask what they can get at the best price.  You should have a choice (assuming they all produce the appropriately sized "Camping" designated tyre) between Continental, Michelin, and Pirelli, if you want to stick with "Camping" tyres. 

I assume your van must be on the "Maxi" chassis, as it has 16" wheels but, from the tyre pressures, that the tyres will have been running near their maximum load.  So, when talking to the tyre fitters, make sure you also have a note of the maximum permissible axle loads, to be sure that what you are talking about is relevant.

The alternative (probably cheaper) would be to go for a standard van tyre, which will carry just the C designation rather than CP, but for those pressures (and so I assume axle loads) I think you may have to go to a 114/116 rated tyre to be on the safe side.

Ultimately, whatever you choose/want you can only get what the supplier can supply and, if you mean the tyres on your van are the originals (which I hope you do not mean!), their replacement is well overdue, (in fact, about 12 years overdue!) so I wouldn't delay in getting them changed.

If the van has a spare, even if completely unused, and if it over 7 years old, I would say it would be highly desirable to get that changed as well.

So, to summarise, best price for 5 (probably) tyres is what I think you want!

[Rowan Lee]

We have the same tyres and I looked into this only yesterday. The Michelin website is extremely helpful, and there is even a section on "how to read your tyres". http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/buying-guide/when-should-i-change-my-tyres There is an outline box stamped on ours with 0803 in it. This means they were made in week 8 of 2003. We had been planning to change them even though we have only done 24,000 miles but Michelin say there is no definite lifetime for tyres, which is not what I had been led to believe, which was that they should be changed after a certain number of years (5 or 6?) and this is what I was planning - indeed we are now at coming up to eight years. However, Michelin's advice is that they should be regularly checked after five years and changed after ten. Yippee, two more years to go, with luck!

 

My research also revealed that they are now called Agilis Camping and prices are around £130 each.

[Derek Uzzell]

Useful examples of tyre date-codes are shown on:

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

 

It's worth remembering that, as the date-code has to change, the code is stamped INTO a tyre's side-wall. Any 'permanent' data that are moulded ON TO a tyre's side-wall won't be the date-code.

 

In Rees's case, as his 1994 Mirage's tyres are original, the date code will be 3-figure. The first two digits will indicate the week (01-52) of manufacture and the 3rd digit will indicate the year of the 1990s decade. So "324" would indicate a tyre manufactured in the 32nd week of 1994. (As "324" could also indicate a tyre manufactured in the 32nd week of 1984, you'll normally find a small triangle next to the date-code of a 1990s tyre.)

 

Just for the record, Continental's "VancoCamper" in 215/75 R16 size will be "C"-marked, not "CP"-marked, even though all VancoCamper tyres are full-blown camping-car tyres. This is explained on Continental's website.

 

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/automobile/themes/van-tires/summer-tires/vancocamper/vancocamper,tabNr=4.html

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Rowan Lee - 2011-03-05 3:17 PM

 

We have the same tyres and I looked into this only yesterday. The Michelin website is extremely helpful, and there is even a section on "how to read your tyres". http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/buying-guide/when-should-i-change-my-tyres There is an outline box stamped on ours with 0803 in it. This means they were made in week 8 of 2003. We had been planning to change them even though we have only done 24,000 miles but Michelin say there is no definite lifetime for tyres, which is not what I had been led to believe, which was that they should be changed after a certain number of years (5 or 6?) and this is what I was planning - indeed we are now at coming up to eight years. However, Michelin's advice is that they should be regularly checked after five years and changed after ten. Yippee, two more years to go, with luck!

 

My research also revealed that they are now called Agilis Camping and prices are around £130 each.

 

Eight years is a long time and I suggest you inspect the condition of your tyres very closely, especially their inner walls.

 

I vividly recall checking the tyres of one of my cars prior to selling it. The tyres had done about 15,000 miles, were less than 2 years old and the vehicle had been recently MOT'd. When I took the car's rear wheels off I discovered a crack in the inner side-wall of one of the tyres. This crack was only a millimetre or so above the wheel-rim and virtually invisible. However, it went through the full depth of the side-wall and ran all the way round the tyre.

[Rowan Lee]

Absolutely Derek, couldn't agree more.

[starvin marvin]

Since I' ve no idea how old my tyres are, I've just looked at the two I can see. Firestone Vanhawk on the front which certainly does not have any numbers impressed into the tyre. All numbers and letters are raised up, and some numbers are raised within recessed panels, and the only one I can see that might just correspond with those suggested show 00 2087, which means....what exactly?

 

The Michelin Agilis on the rear does have impressed numbers and letters. It appears as 1801 which seems to mean the Michelins are almost 10 years old and look fine, loads of tread and no cracking. Have they been making these tyres for 10years?

 

The Firestones are how old?..... well possibly anybodies guess.

 

Confused? I am.

[Derek Uzzell]

starvin marvin - 2011-03-05 5:16 PM

 

Since I' ve no idea how old my tyres are, I've just looked at the two I can see. Firestone Vanhawk on the front which certainly does not have any numbers impressed into the tyre. All numbers and letters are raised up, and some numbers are raised within recessed panels, and the only one I can see that might just correspond with those suggested show 00 2087, which means....what exactly?

 

The Michelin Agilis on the rear does have impressed numbers and letters. It appears as 1801 which seems to mean the Michelins are almost 10 years old and look fine, loads of tread and no cracking. Have they been making these tyres for 10years?

 

The Firestones are how old?..... well possibly anybodies guess.

 

Confused? I am.

 

The date-code is (as far as I'm aware) only ever 'branded' into one side-wall of a tyre. Unfortunately, Sod's Law says that the side-wall with the date-code on it will, more often than not, be on the inner 'invisible' side of the tyre when the wheel has been mounted on the vehicle. If you can't find the date-code when you've looked at your Firestone tyres, it's because it's on the tyres' inner sides.

 

Regarding Michelin's "Agilis" pattern, I'm sure they've been around for at least 10 years. There used to be an indication of the ply-rating on the 1st generation of Agilis, so there was Agilis-41 (4PR), Agilis-51 (5PR), Agilis-61, Agilis-81 or Agilis-101. Continental used to do the same with "Vanco" (eg. Vanco-6, Vanco-8, Vanco-10). Now both companies have stopped this, which is in some ways good and in others not.

 

You need to be particularly careful with old tyres on motorhomes (and on caravans) as the tread depth and side-walls can look perfectly OK, but the tyres may have cracked deep within the tread pattern itself. This may not show up easily when the tyre is inflated but, once the tyre is removed and flexed across the tread's width, any serious cracking (often in the circumferential grooves) will become very evident.

[nowtelse2do]

I have just replaced 2 Michelin tyres with Firestone's and the date markings were indeed on the inside wall as Derek point's out.  3 numbers in a little circle. My old Michelin's were 448 = 44th week 1998, my van was reg in 1999 T reg.

Dave

[Derek Uzzell]

Rees & Rowan:

 

As the tyres on your motorhomes are Michein "XC Camping" pattern, it's probable that the tyre-valves are metal high-pressure 'clamp-in' type. Your current tyres are, respectively, 17 and 8 years old and it's logical to assume that your tyre-valves are equally ancient.

 

It's common practice in the UK for tyre fitters to replace just the 'core' of a clamp-in tyre-valve but, in your cases (particularly in the case of Rees) it would be wiser to replace the whole tyre-valve. The rubber valve-to-wheel-rim seal at the base of the valve won't last forever and replacing the valve means you'll get a new rubber seal.

 

There's a strong likelihood that tyre-fitting outlets won't keep suitable clamp-in valves in stock so, if you want replacement valves, you may have to source them yourself before having the tyres replaced. You'd also need to be confident that the tyre-fitter knew his job, as 'metal' valves need care during installation as the clamping-nut should not be over-tightened (around 5Nm maximum).

 

I can't help with which clamp-in valve would make a suitable replacement, as the stem-lengths vary and I don't know the diameter of the wheel-rim hole for Fiat Ducatos tyre-valves. The norm is a nominal 11.3mm diameter, but there are smaller/larger alternatives. (I've a vague feeling that older Ducatos had a 15.7mm diameter wheel-rim tyre-valve hole, but I could well be wrong about that.)

 

Whatever you decide about keeping/replacing your existing tyre-valves when your tyres are replaced, you should insist that the tyre-fitter does NOT replace a clamp-in valve with a standard flexible-rubber 'snap-in' valve. The latter are OK for vehicles with tyres that are not inflated beyond about 60psi, and it is possible to obtain high-pressure snap-in valves good for 100psi, but, for motorhome applications, you'd be better off with 'metal' clamp-in valves that are usually designed to cope with up to 200psi.

 

If you have clamp-in tyre-valves on your motorhome, you can be confident that these will handle any inflation pressure that (realistically) will ever be put in the tyres. If you have snap-in valves, then you need to be certain that those valves are correct for the tyres' inflation pressure.

 

My experience is that UK tyre-fitters can be far from fussy when it comes to installing suitable tyre-valves and many have developed a habit of fitting common-or-garden (60psi max) 'car' snap-in valves as replacements for high-pressure snap-in valves.

[starvin marvin]

Derek,

 

Thanks for the reply. I'd just assumed that both sides of a tyre would carry the same markings. I'm going to check the other side of the van today.

 

Many thanks

[bigal]

Rowan Lee - 2011-03-05 3:17 PM

 

We have the same tyres and I looked into this only yesterday. The Michelin website is extremely helpful, and there is even a section on "how to read your tyres". http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/buying-guide/when-should-i-change-my-tyres There is an outline box stamped on ours with 0803 in it. This means they were made in week 8 of 2003. We had been planning to change them even though we have only done 24,000 miles but Michelin say there is no definite lifetime for tyres, which is not what I had been led to believe, which was that they should be changed after a certain number of years (5 or 6?) and this is what I was planning - indeed we are now at coming up to eight years. However, Michelin's advice is that they should be regularly checked after five years and changed after ten. Yippee, two more years to go, with luck!

 

My research also revealed that they are now called Agilis Camping and prices are around £130 each.

I worked in automotive engineeing for many years on everything from a 5cwt van to a 40 tonne commercial vehicle and I can verify what you are saying Rowan. I also had a HGV licence and travelled many miles with both loaded and empty vehicles without any tyre trouble at all. The secret is to keep the pressures correct at all times, Don't overload the vehicle, don't speed excessively, and don't leave the vehicle stood in one spot for more than a week without turning the wheels or moving the vehicle to change the tyre contact point with the ground. I have my own compressor to check tyre pressures at home where the vehicle is kept and remember that as soon as you drive off the tyre pressures change due to the heat created in the tyre from friction with the road so if you must travel to check tyre pressures go to the nearest place you can. I have a friend who owns his own tyre business and also take advice from him if I am not sure of anything. Sorry to be long-winded with this answer but a lot of rubbish is talked about tyres. The only proviso I would make is that sometimes you don't know the history of your tyres if it is a second hand vehicle. Hope this helps :-D B-)

[bigal]

Rowan Lee - 2011-03-05 3:17 PM

 

We have the same tyres and I looked into this only yesterday. The Michelin website is extremely helpful, and there is even a section on "how to read your tyres". http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/buying-guide/when-should-i-change-my-tyres There is an outline box stamped on ours with 0803 in it. This means they were made in week 8 of 2003. We had been planning to change them even though we have only done 24,000 miles but Michelin say there is no definite lifetime for tyres, which is not what I had been led to believe, which was that they should be changed after a certain number of years (5 or 6?) and this is what I was planning - indeed we are now at coming up to eight years. However, Michelin's advice is that they should be regularly checked after five years and changed after ten. Yippee, two more years to go, with luck!

 

My research also revealed that they are now called Agilis Camping and prices are around £130 each.

I worked in automotive engineeing for many years on everything from a 5cwt van to a 40 tonne commercial vehicle and I can verify what you are saying Rowan. I also had a HGV licence and travelled many miles with both loaded and empty vehicles without any tyre trouble at all. The secret is to keep the pressures correct at all times, Don't overload the vehicle, don't speed excessively, and don't leave the vehicle stood in one spot for more than a week without turning the wheels or moving the vehicle to change the tyre contact point with the ground. I have my own compressor to check tyre pressures at home where the vehicle is kept and remember that as soon as you drive off the tyre pressures change due to the heat created in the tyre from friction with the road so if you must travel to check tyre pressures go to the nearest place you can. I have a friend who owns his own tyre business and also take advice from him if I am not sure of anything. Sorry to be long-winded with this answer but a lot of rubbish is talked about tyres. The only proviso I would make is that sometimes you don't know the history of your tyres if it is a second hand vehicle. Hope this helps :-D B-)