Zydeco Joe Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Whats the average miles you can expect out of a set of new front tyres on a Fiat based 2.3 Lt, 6 meter motorhome ?. Like most if not all MH drivers I am not a boy racer and sticking to the normal speeds roads etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 It tends to be age rather than wear that prompts renewal. The conti vancocampers that came on my 2.3 fiat base were about half worn at 12,000 miles, but were seven years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Far too open ended to answer! :-) Depends on driving style, tyre make and type, van layout and weight distribution, where driven (i.e. mountains or plains), how long left standing, and how much exposed to strong sun, whether tyre pressures are appropriate, etc. etc. About 7 years is the recommended life span for a tyre, beyond which they begin to crack and become prone to blow-out. 20K miles would not be bad, IMO, but +/- 50% quite possible, before worn to legal limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 ....from experience I'm quite "light" on tyres (fleet manager has commented on it in the past). After 5 years and 30,000 miles, my fronts still have 5mm+ left, with the rears somewhat better (and this on a 'van where the front is light, so it can "scrabble" a bit). . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zydeco Joe Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 The tyres were replaced in August 2013 with Yokohama Super Van tyres M&S rated and have been as far as I can tell ok. They gave us a nicer quieter ride and possible better braking . We have 3 long trips a year to Spain in the summer and winter Slovenia France etc in the summer at 6 or 7 weeks a time. Some mountains like up to 1600 meters passes in Slovenia. Just looked before our May trip to France and the fronts look a bit low after 16,400 miles . Need to change the spare as its too old and should I have any new ones put on the front again or on the rear ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Last van had Conti VancoCampers tyres, 29,000 about 5mm tread depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Never yet changed the campers tyres due to wear 8-) ........... Although I'm not surprised these frontwheel drive behemoths eat tyres, when I drove my old mans Hymer back from Spain a few years back, I was surprised just how much the front wheels struggled to get a grip on slopes :-S............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 30 000 miles in 4 years driving fairly fast and about 5mm left on the front. By the time they are replaced my tyre costs will work at a bit more than half my diesel cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w1ntersun Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 3 ltr engine pulling 4350 kg automatic gearbox average driving 15,000 miles. back are still on at 26,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 And that's about the best plum answer you'll get Joe. There's no set answer. Flat roads good heavily cambered not so, strong side winds poor following winds good. And so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zydeco Joe Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 Thanks guys. Off to Black Circles to get some new boots along with Tesco points to go towards our Channel Tunnel winter trip to Spain, we use the ferry in spring and summer. Have read its best to put new tyres on the rear if not putting a new full set of 4 on the van, is this the best idea ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 ....current "wisdom" is that, unless you want to risk the rear of the vehicle overtaking the front in bad conditions, new tyres should be on the back (regardless of front- or rear-wheel drive) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalobs Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 On the original 16 inch Vanco Conti supplied at 5years and no more than 4 mm tread left we changed them for Vanco Camper and noticed the difference though we do push the weight limits on our 6 metre PVC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Zydeco Joe - 2015-05-03 11:46 AM Whats the average miles you can expect out of a set of new front tyres on a Fiat based 2.3 Lt, 6 meter motorhome ?. Like most if not all MH drivers I am not a boy racer and sticking to the normal speeds roads etc. Our 2006, 7 metre, 3.9 ton MH on a Fiat 2.8 JTD had done about 40,000 miles on the original Michelin XC tyres when I changed them because of their age. The unused spare had 10mm tread, the fronts 4mm and the rears 8mm. I drive it fairly gently and cruise at under 60 mph, which might have helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Running Michelin at moment and clocked 48,000 and still have 4mm front, 6mm back. This includes driving solo, A frame and sometimes a trailer. Going to change them due to age but intend to stick with Michelin. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Just had my XC Michelins changed due to age, just over ten years old, and at 43000 miles with plenty of tread left, taken off and promptly shipped out to India or God knows where, to no doubt to get another 43000, over the next ten years. :D Who's the mug.................I'm £420 poorer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Joe90 - 2015-05-15 8:35 PM Just had my XC Michelins changed due to age, just over ten years old, and at 43000 miles with plenty of tread left, taken off and promptly shipped out to India or God knows where, to no doubt to get another 43000, over the next ten years. :D Who's the mug. You! I replaced mine when they where 9 years old and then sold the part worns on fleabay and they paid for 2 of the new tyres! Result!!! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 HI The perceived "Wisdom" used to be not to take them over 5 years. regardless of tread wear. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 PeteH - 2015-05-16 6:42 AM HI The perceived "Wisdom" used to be not to take them over 5 years. regardless of tread wear. Pete Michelin recommend replacing at ten years, regardless of condition, or earlier if surface cracking is prominent. I would imagine other manufacturers aren't far off similar advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 StuartO - 2015-05-16 7:30 AM Michelin recommend replacing at ten years, regardless of condition, or earlier if surface cracking is prominent. I would imagine other manufacturers aren't far off similar advice. Continental also recommend 10 years with a similar caveat. I have never yet seen any manufacturer who quotes only 5 years (although I do stand to be corrected). It seems to be those with most to gain who quote 5 years :D Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Considering bus and coach tyres have been found to be getting on for 20 years old, and the fact there is only a visual check at MOT time, and no checks at all on touring caravans, does makes me wonder why there are no regulations relating to tyre age, seems a complete anomaly, or is it the fact that my apparently perfectly good 10 year old tyres ( as tested and commented on by the last MOT tester ) were simply that. (!) Oh well, I've got my four new Michelin Agilis Camping Green X now, and seem just the same as my old XCs, just as noisy.........money well spent. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 On these Sevel vans the front tyres provide the grip for applying the power, steering the vehicle, and making sure that the brakes can stop you, they provide the major part of the braking effort. The rear tyres are there to provide some of the braking effort, prevent the back of the vehicle from sliding sideways, and to stop the back of the chassis from dragging along the ground. If you look at the wear pattern on your tyres you will find that the front tyres wear to a squarish shape across the tyre, because most of the work they do is pulling a straight line when either accelerating or braking. The rear tyres tend to wear into a roundish shape, because most of the work they do is resisting the rear of the vans attempts to drift sideways because of the road camber, cross winds, or centrifugal force as you turn corners. If you put the rear tyres onto the front axle they will do their best to become more or less squarish by scrubbing off the rounded shape thereby accelerating the wear pattern. The new tyres you put on the back axle will do their best to develope round shoulders ready for when you put them on the front. It is my experience that motorhomes are not generally driven like rally cars. The cornering speeds have more to do with trying not to disturb the contents of the lockers than achieving the perfect four wheel drift, the acceleration and braking is undertaken with similar things in mind, and all in all, they are driven quite gently with no great stress on the rear tyres. I don't know why manufacturers recommend putting the new tyres on the rear axle, surely not just to make us wear our tyres out quicker, but I will always insist on the best tyres being put on the front wheels of my vehicles, front or rear wheel drive, because I am more concerned with being able to stop and steer the car than maximising the acceleration, and I don't intend to push it round corners flat out. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Best tyres on the front is not good practice http://www.tyresafe.org/media-centre/latest-news/69-motorists-get-their-tyres-%E2%80%9Cback-to-front%E2%80%9D and there are videos which show why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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