Michelin Agilis tyres - load index increased.

[BGD]

 

I've just bought another pair of heavier duty tyres for the rear axle on our ancient motorhome, as we carry a LOT of weight on the back axle.

 

The size I opted for was 215/75, Michelin Agilis (normal commercial, not "camping"), as a while ago the Michelin website quoted the load index of this size at 114, ie about 1150 kgs per tyre.

 

But - and this is the bit that others might find useful - one of the local tyre specialist that I got price quotes from told me that the latest versions of this size, and several other sizes, of Michelin Agilis tyres have had their load index increased (they've strengthened the side-walls apparently).

 

Thus he could get EITHER older stock 114 load index (about 1180kgs max weight) tyres, or very latest stock 116 load index tyres, for the same price. A load index of 116 equates to about 1250kgs max weight per tyre. The speed index is unaffected.

I've now had the 116 load index ones fitted on the rear axle, and they are very very good indeed.

 

I don't know which other Agilis tyres this increase in load index also applies to; and I don't know if the change applies to the "camping" versions as well as to the "ordinary" versions, but I thought it worthy of mention here.

 

 

If you are in the market for replacement Agilis tyres, it may be worth trying to establish if there is a new, higher load index version of the size that you want.

 

[Guest Peter James]

I notice a lot of vans have 225/75 tyres, which have a higher load index. Don't know if you can fit those on the same rim ?

[Derek Uzzell]

BGD

 

Assuming that you are talkng about a 215/75 R16C size tyre, then the historical load index (single-wheel axle) 'norm' for an 8-ply rated version was 113 (1150kg). However, it was commonplace for a 10-ply version to be marketed in that size with a load index of 116 (1250kg).

 

Michelin and Continental both used to indicate ply-rating in the tyre's 'name' (eg. Michelin Agilis 61 (6-ply rating) or Continental Vanco-10 (10-ply rating)).

 

215/75 R16C tyres with a 113 or 116 load index were available in, respectively, Agilis 81 and Agilis 101 versions, or Continental Vanco-8 and Vanco-10. In those days (for both Michelin and Continental) the tread design of the 10-ply rated version differed slightly from the 8-ply rated tyre.

 

Some while ago Michelin and Continental dropped the ply-rating reference from the tyre name, with Michelin using just "Agilis", and Continental using "Vanco 2", for their respective ranges of ordinary 'summer' light-commercial vehicle (LCV) tyres.

 

For Michelin this resulted in 215/75 R16C tyres previously identified as Agilis 81 (8-ply rated/load index 113) and Agilis 101 (10-ply rated/load index 116), both being branded just as "Agilis" with only the differing load index identifying their maximum load-carrying capacity.

 

Similarly for Continental, with 215/75 R16C Vanco-8 (load index 113) and Vanco-10 (load index 116), both becoming "Vanco 2" with just the 113 or 116 load index to differentiate between them.

 

The following links show the current Michelin Agilis and Continental Vanco 2 product ranges. It will be noticed that (particularly with Vanco 2) tyres can be identical in size but differ regarding their load index.

 

http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-agilis#tab-tyres-sizes

 

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/automobile/themes/van-tires/summer-tires/vanco-2/vanco-2,tabNr=2.html

 

There's nothing new (or very recent) about this - it's just the result of the tyre manufacturers consolidating their products under a single brand name.

 

In the past, if you wanted (or your vehicle needed) a 10-ply rated Michelin LCV tyre, you'd choose one from Michelin's Agilis 101 range. Alternatively, if you wanted (or your vehicle needed) an 8-ply rated Michelin tyre, you'd choose one from Michelin's Agilis 81 range. In both instances, even if the tyres were the same size, you'd get a tyre with the appropriate load index. Now, if you wanted a Michelin "Agilis" tyre and there were versions with the same size but different load indexes, you'd need to be careful to specify the load index you wanted/needed.

 

When it comes to Michelin's "Agilis Camping" and Continental's "Vanco Camper" specialised 'camping-car' tyres, there's less opportunity for confusion as there's no overlap within each product range.

 

http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-agilis-camping#tab-tyres-sizes

 

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

 

It's worth noticing that the 215/75 R16C Agilis Camping tyre has a 113 load index, whereas the same size Vanco Camper has an index of 116. This difference may be significant for anyone considering tyre replacement.

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=27569&posts=8

[BGD]

Peter James - 2012-05-19 8:45 AM

 

I notice a lot of vans have 225/75 tyres, which have a higher load index. Don't know if you can fit those on the same rim ?

 

 

 

Peter - yes I could have gone for the Agilis 225/75 instead, (they have a load index of 118, which is 1320kgs max), but I didn't need that extra weight "headroom", and the cost of a pair of them was significantly more than the 215/75 ones.