New Tyres..

[OxfordMorgan]

I have been investigating changing the tyres on my motorhome, for no other reason than they are getting a little old.

Plenty of wear left, but very minor signs of crackling around the walls on a couple of them.

 

They are on a 2006 Autocruise Sarasota, and the DOT stamp on them is 1605 which I assume gives them a manufacturing date of April 2005. And that makes them nearly 7yrs old.

 

The van is currently on Michelin XC Camping 215/75/R16 (111/113 load) and the vehicle is an Autocruise Sarasota, 4150Kg MAM with a rear axle loading of 2300Kg, so will need the 113 loading

 

Question is - Which Tyres????

 

Have heard a few rumuors the newer Michelin are not great, and heard good things about the Conti Vanco and Toyo H09.

 

Any comments M&S tyres? We use the Van all year round, and tend to stay on CL's (So mud is a common companion)

 

Do we need to buy tyres stamped as special CAMPER tyres?

 

Any good places to buy from? And what about fitting? (We are in Oxford)

 

Also, i was not going to replace the spare..any thoughts on this?

 

As ever, many thanks for your input.

 

 

[Wanderbirds]

We recently replaced identical tyres on our van, also for age. We looked at Contis and Vredestein but eventually decided on Michelin Agilis Camping, the replacement for the XC Camping. These tyres are M+S and seem quieter than the XCs. They have been fine on wet and icy roads. If you winter camp in Europe you might want to make sure you buy M+S tyres as these (or full winter) are now compulsory in Germany and some other countries/regions in poor conditions in winter.

 

Regards,

Carl

[Brock]

We replaced our Michelin Campers at six years. Like you, no cracks or other damage highlighted by a tyre fitter who checked them for us. However, as we intend keeping the van for a while, we decided we may as well get some benefit from new rubber so we changed now.

 

It wasn't that easy. We chose a time when there were no Michelin replacements in the NorthWest and Midlands. We asked numerous tyre outlets and all had the same story. Had to wait 5 weeks.

 

ATS did ours. Good price [there was a Michelin offer on] and good service. So far, I'm happy with the new tyres - 6 months on.

 

[Keith T]

we changed the front tyres on our Burstner a little while ago, due to tread wear, and it was more a question of availability than actual choice! We went to Michelin, as we'd had them previously on another motorhome, and they are certainly quieter on UK roads than the Continetals which came as standard on the motorhome. Yes, I think the general opinion is to go for the Camper tyres, and we used ATS who did a realistic price. From previous experience the Michelin tend to last longer, though that may depend on tthe specific vehicle?

We did have to wait a short while for availbility of ANY tyres though!

[Brian Kirby]

You may wish to consider Continental Vanco FourSeason as an alternative to the Michelin Agilis Camping. I can't compare, as ours are all Vancos, but just as an alternative. They are M+S marked (so winter legal in Germany), and have many more sipes in the tread, and a slightly more "aggressive", blocky, tread that suggests they should have better grip on soft ground. However, I have not yet tested that characteristic in anger! They are available in 215/75/R16 111/113 rating (and others! :-)). They are not designated "camping". They appear to have better grip on wet tarmac then the Vancos they replaced, and are no harsher, or noisier, in use.

 

There is no legal reason to stick to camping tyres. It is not entirely clear what the difference between a camping rated tyre, and a similar tyre of the same size speed and load ratings, from the same manufacturer, actually is.

 

There are claims that the camping carcass may be tougher, possibly a "10 ply" rated tyre being sold as a "8 ply". This results in a higher, but undeclared, load rating, supposedly to cater for accidental overloading. I have been told the tread compound of the Continental Vanco Camping tyres is a little softer than the standard Vanco 2 compound, to aid traction, though the tread pattern appears remarkably similar. I have heard claims that the tread compound may incorporate harder elements on camping tyres, so that they are better suited to standing on the same patch of tread while parked, without developing "flats". However, if you know your actual laden axle loads are within the axle limits, and the tyres you fit have at least the same profile, and load and speed ratings as those they replace, there is no reason to stick to tyres marked camping. If you feel the existing tyres are on their margins, there is no reason, subject to availability, why you should not up-rate to the next load rating above the existing. This would be likely to be a 10 ply rated tyre in lieu of 8 ply rated, so it may be expected to be less compliant, with a somewhat harsher ride, but would give a greater margin for error in loading, or just added peace of mind.

 

If you know exactly what you want, you may find it easier to source your tyres on the internet and pay to have them fitted locally. However, I'd first ask around the local suppliers to see what they can find, and then, when they can't get what you want, ask if they will fit if you supply. There is some resistance to fitting customer supplied tyres, partly for commercial reasons, partly because the fitter is legally responsible if disaster strikes just down the road.

 

I got my Vanco FourSeason tyres from Camskill in Whitehaven, Cumbria, over the net. Price was fair, they had the tyres, in fact they had tremendous stock, and their delivery and general provision of progress information was excellent.

 

Oh yes, and you should really change that spare as well. It is a old as the service tyres - and you are changing them mainly on grounds of age. If you lose a tyre while travelling, and it cannot be repaired, you will need to fit and run on, the spare until you can get a replacement for the dud. That may not be any more simple than getting the tyres you want now, so having a fully serviceable spare would avoid that nagging feeling, should the circumstances arise.

[OxfordMorgan]

Hi all,

 

Just posted this elsewhere, but also wanted to close down this thread with the news that i went for Michelin Agilis Camping..I also emailed Michelin and asked for advice on Tyre pressures..quite interesting...see below.

 

Dear Morgan

 

Thank you for your enquiry about tyre pressures for your motorhome.

 

The suggested tyre pressure for the rear of a motorhome running on the Agilis Camping is 80psi (single rear axle) 69psi (twinned rear axle). This is due to the construction of the tyre with 2 casing plies enabling the use of higher pressures. Its construction and the use of higher pressures is designed to cope with continual heavy loads sometimes found on Motorhomes and can help with wear pattern issues if lower pressures are used particularly on the rear axle.

 

The front pressures however can be adjusted according to accurately weighed axle loads for a more comfortable ride and optimum performance.

 

Taking the current rear weight away from the current gross vehicle weight gives a front axle weight of 1750kg. Our suggested pressure for the front tyres is therefore 55psi

 

Should you require any further assistance please contact us on 0845 366 1590 (UK & NI) or 0044 (0) 1782 401590 (ROI), quoting the reference number above.