hallii Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Has anyone fitted these? Are they better in wet and on wet grass? I need two and if they are any good I will fit them on the front driving wheels. Yes, I know new tyres should go on the back but, on this occasion I can accept doing it the wrong way. I need the extra grip. Any other suggestions for good grippy tyres? 215 75 16 113 load rating. R speed rating to fit Transit. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Depends what you are comparing with. I shall assume you mean Agilis Camping. If comparing to Michelin XC camping they are far superior in the wet, on grass in snow, slush etc. However in comparison to Conti vanco then under certain circumstances they will be a bit better better but probably is subjective. Now as to putting them on the front with XC on the rear. DO NOT!. The XC will lose traction on a corner far sooner than the Agilis and with the Agilis on the front you will have a very false sense of security and handling so risk of loosing the rear end in the wet is very high. If you ever have to do an emergency stop you may well also end up loosing the rear end. Many poeple still run their front tyres at too high a pressure ( 80psi) this is unnecessary on the front and will not help with grip so make sure tyre pressures are correct for the axle loads. The usual headache is getting off picthes in morning not at other times. Even a simple bit of wood under the wheel will help stop it sinking in, or just run on the start of your ramps to spread the tyre load on ground a bit. Yes, I know Hallii, granny sucking eggs and all that, but mentioning for the newbies who may read etc. OK, I shall post and let the rest pull it to shreds. Edit - tidied up my typos and spelling to keep the spelling police at bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 OK Brambles, all points noted, the fact is my two rear tyres are OK and I don't want to fork out over £600 if I can avoid it! Yers, it is the camping tyres I am on about, the ones on at the moment are XC Michelin and I have found the grip to be wanting in several circumstances. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Just ordered them, my local Tyreservices they matched the best web price, (well it amounts to the same by the time I added delivery and fitting etc) £141 Each inc. fitting etc. Best web price I found was "Camskill" £126.60 plus delivery but that is plus fitting etc so it amounts to the same and Tyreservices are local. :-) H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I bought them (5) to replace my 5.5 yr old Michelin Camping, money very well spent. Better MPG, quieter and better grip. Just an altogether better tyre, but of course it should be with both the development and technological advances. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 hallii All currently marketed 'camping-car' tyres (Continental's "Vanco Camper", Michelin's "Agilis Camping" or Pirelli's "Chrono Camper") are 'summer' tyres designed for on-road use. Michelin's earlier "XC Camping" pattern performed badly for wet grip in contemporary Pro Mobil magazine tests compared to certain other makes of tyre with a similar 10-ply-rated load-carrying capability. No testing of any of these tyres' off-road capability was made. A tyre needs to be purpose-designed to provide good off-road grip. The tread-pattern needs to be very 'blocky' and (particularly important) self-cleaning so that mud is not retained within the tread blocks. These characteristics are not found on 'summer' tyres designed for light commercial vehicles or motorhomes. Michelin's Agilis Camping is M+S (Mud + Snow) marked, so should provide better off-road grip than a tyre not so marked (eg Vanco Camper) and, realistically, your new Agilis Camping tyres should provide noticeably better grip on any surface (on- or off-road) than the well-worn XC Camping front tyres they will be replacing. But they won't turn your Hymer into a Range Rover. As Brambles advises, preparation is all when it comes to not getting bogged down on a grassed pitch, as is judicious use of the accelerator and common sense. In March I saw a Hymer stuck on a wet grassed campsite pitch just off the site's roadway. The vehicle had been put on grip-mats to spread its weight but the driver had failed to maintain momentum when driving off the mats and couldn't get the motorhome to clamber over the low lip where the pitch met the roadway. Once he'd started to spin the front wheels and dig them into the grass, there was no chance he would get off the pitch without help. Even though your XC Camping rear tyres are still visually in good condition, thery will still be a lot less 'grippy' in wet conditions than your Agilis Camping replacements. It's your choice where on your motorhome you fit the new tyres, but (as Brambles warns) putting them on the front means you'll have at-least-5-years-old part-worn less-than-outstanding-for-wet-grip tyres on the rear axle combined with brand-new grippy tyres on the front. If you plan to sell your motorhome reasonably soon (and are prepared to have a tyre/axle combination that conflicts with best practice and could prove exciting in an emergency manoeuvre), then fine. But, if you plan to hang on to your Hymer for some time, its rear tyres' grip is going to progressively worsen and (assuming you accept received wisdom) you'll eventually need to change the rear tyres due to their age. If you then sell the vehicle, the new owner will benefit from the rear tyres you've needed to fit, not you. Obviously it's simple to avoid paying another £282 by not replacing the rear tyres, but will doing this actually be a wise long-term investment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 OK Derek, all points noted. I am a Land Rover owner and have done much "greenlaning" in the past, Oh! how I wish that the Transit had anything near the off roading capability of the Land Rover. The Michelins currently fitted are useless on DRY grass and they must be the worst tyres for grip I have ever driven on (apart from some Chinese tyres I had fitted to a car for one week!). My reasoning for not fitting them on the rear is that I want the grip on the driving wheels, and since the majority of the weight is on the rear wheels it should help keep them pinned down. Given that I don't exactly go fast or corner hard I hope I will be OK for a few months, then I have every intention of putting new tyres on the back as well, by then the pension will have built up a bit in the bank :-D As regards selling and buying one of these (see attatchment, the insert photo gizzmo seems to be not working) Mrs Halli won't let me, so I have to stick with this one. H Tanisjpeg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I have at present Continental Vanco Camping tyres fitted all round. Trouble is i need two new front tyre and cannot replce with same , no stock at any dealer.My local tyre man can get Michelin camping tyres and says it will be ok to fit these to the front. The problem now is what presure on the front ,at present on the Continental,s i run at 54lb front and 62 lb rear. Before when i had a set of Michelin camping all round i had 65lb front and rear. These figures were from the manufactuers after going to weighbridge. Question is what presures and is it ok to mix makes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Mickt - 2012-07-13 10:00 PM I have at present Continental Vanco Camping tyres fitted all round. Trouble is i need two new front tyre and cannot replce with same , no stock at any dealer.My local tyre man can get Michelin camping tyres and says it will be ok to fit these to the front. The problem now is what presure on the front ,at present on the Continental,s i run at 54lb front and 62 lb rear. Before when i had a set of Michelin camping all round i had 65lb front and rear. These figures were from the manufactuers after going to weighbridge. Question is what presures and is it ok to mix makes. Assuming that the Michelin Agilis Camping tyres you would be fitting are the same size and near enough the same specification as your Continental Vanco Camper tyres (I believe, for your motorhome, the size/load-index will be 215/70 R15CP 109, and the only (minor) difference will be that the Michelin product has a "Q" speed-rating and the Continental tyre has an "R"), then mixing the makes will be perfectly OK. Tyres having the same size/specification will require very similar inflation pressures to support the same weight-loading, so (if you buy the Michelins) I suggest you keep to the pressures you are currently employing with the Continentals. Received wisdom is that new tyres should normally be fitted to the rear wheels. I expect you are aware of this recommendation but, if I don't say it, someone else will. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Thanks Dereck, i take what you say and will put the new tyres on the rear despite what my tyre fitter says Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 If you still want Continental, Camskill (See here: http://tinyurl.com/7ygrzbh ) have stock on Vanco 2 (and Vanco Camper) for next working day delivery in your size. However, check load/speed ratings against originals. I have used them, and they were as good as their word. The tyres are new, fresh stock, and had new labels etc all attached, so your fitter should have no qualms about fitting. However, it would be wise to check with them first, as some are reluctant to fit customer supplied tyres, and some simply refuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Thanks Brian, I have already ordered tyres, to be fitted monday. Tyre man said he will fit tyres if i buy them at a cost of £25.00 per tyre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I too bought a set of Continental Vanco camping tyres a few weeks ago from Camskill. I noticed that they had '2012' stamped on the sidewalls.As I haven't been anywhere since they were fitted, I can't really comment on their handling properties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 bob b - 2012-07-14 9:36 PMI too bought a set of Continental Vanco camping tyres a few weeks ago from Camskill. I noticed that they had '2012' stamped on the sidewalls.As I haven't been anywhere since they were fitted, I can't really comment on their handling properties.This link provides lots of tyre-related information including an explanation of the code-system used to indicate a tyre's date of manufacturehttp://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.htmlA date-code of "2012" would indicate that a tyre had been manufactured during the 20th week of Year 2012 - ie. in mid-May 2012.This may also be of interesthttp://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/automobile/themes/tirelabel/download/european_tyre_labelling_regulation_en.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Just replaced four old (2004) Michelin Camping (done 36,500 miles) for the latest (week 2612) Michelin Agilis Camping. The front tyres were getting low on tread and uneven wear on one wheel, but the rears had plenty of tread. Looked online, best quote £136.01 fitted from Blackcircles. Would have had to drive 25 return trip to have them fitted. Went to my local (1/2 mile away) independent tyre supplier and asked for a quote, mentioning he was up against online prices, and he quoted £129.46 each fitted inclusive. He also checked and adjusted the tracking for £20.34. The firm for those living near Beccles, Suffolk is "Wheels and Tyres Direct", Units 2-3 Common Lane, Beccles (01502 717 885). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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