Chris B Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Can anyone advise on the correct tyre pressures for a 2005 Autocruise Starspirt 'van, no information seems to be availiable in the handbook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelmg Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Hi Chris B Most tyres have P.S.I on the side of them to help with this problem. Also check how long the tyres have been on the rims, as you would not want to have a blow out on the road, this can be down to low pressure or over air pressure can be a problem. Keep a eye on any cracks or cuts as well. Happy travelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 1 Weigh independantly the front and rear axles on a weighbridge. 2 Look at the base vehicle handbook. 3 Turn to the page for "Tyre Pressures" 4 Adjust pressures up or down to comply. If you cannot find a weighbridge then assume the vehicle is at full load. Most coachbuilts are anyway! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrytraveller Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Hi Chris B, I have the 2004 Autocruise Stargazer (I do hate that model name!, but very please with the camper overall), the recommended tyre pressure as found on a sticky label on cab door piller is 72psi. Running 72psi made the vehicle into a bone shaker, so I loaded up for a two month tour, filled water tank with 90ltrs, two full gas cylinders, two pairs of knickers, the wife and fifty pairs of pre mentioned etc... a total of 3200kgs (3300kgs maximum). The weighbridge gave me axle loadings well under all the boundries laid out on the VIN plate. I emailed Michelin with the axle loadings, tyre sizes and types, they immediately emailed back with their recommended pressures for each axle. The tyres are Michelin XC Camping 215/70 15C, their recommendation for each axle was 45psi front 55psi rear, I actually use 50psi front and 60psi rear. The XC camping Tyre may have a maximum of 80psi pressure but you would be unwise and uncomfortable to run them that hard. I have now covered 20,000 on these tyres and they are not half worn yet, the wear is also even across the tread width. If you still find the ride hard, have a look at the air gap between the bump stop and leaf spring, you should find about one inch to one and half inch air gap. The problem is if you go over a bump or down a shallow pot hole in the road, the bump stop hits the spring and jars the vehicle. All the models are the same, as a previous subscriber commented, the campers are always fully loaded or nearly so, the answer is to remove the bump stops and fit driveright or the like assisted air suspension, try a search for Marcleisure, he fitted mine and the ride is 200% improved, in fact its better than my 1938 Morris Eight use to be! Regards Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Although many motorhomes may approach their maximum permitted overall weight limit, it's likely that few get anywhere near their individual axle-load maxima and it's the latter data that the 'chassis' manufacturers tend to quote tyre-pressures for. My 3500kg Hobby, fully-loaded, comes in at around 3300kg, but, at that weight, the load on the 2250kg limited rear-axle is just 1800kg. For a 2250kg load the tyre-manufacturers advise 69psi, but 53psi is recommended for 1800kg. A 16psi difference in pressure can have a considerable effect on ride comfort. It needs highlighting that, on modern commercial chassis, the 'bump stop' for the rear-axle can play an important role in the vehicle's springing. In such cases, the fact that there is no air-gap between bump-stop and leaf-spring does not indicate a fault (or overloading), it's a deliberate part of the rear suspension's design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Hi, Chris this subject has been covered quite a few times I have put a link to an earlier thread below. But my main consern is that if you do allter the recomendations of the vehicle manufacturer you could find yourself in trouble if you were to have an accident and someone checked the pressure as this could be seen as a contributing factor in the accident ?. To avoid this weigh your vehicle then contact the tyre manufacturer by email and as said in the tread below you can then carry the writtern reply with you to avoid any possible problems http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4245&posts=5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 I appreciate your advise and will get the van weighed then check with mitchelin via the web site. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I've got a starspirit (which is similar weight and size to a stargazer) and I run my tyres at 55 front and 60 rear which seems to give decent ride and handling (within the limitations of the vehicle of course) without the dangerous understeer or oversteer on bends that tyres too soft or too hard can give respectively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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