How many miles

[michele]

On a set of Michelin can you expect to get our camper has done 18,000 and the tyres at the front are not looking as good as at the back .

 

Can anyone provide me with a little insight it has been looked after and we often rotate it on the drive as well as we are always using it .

What is the best website to look at to see for cost of new ones and where do we go if we need them .

Thank you all.

[Brambles]

Michele,

Tyre wear is extremely variable depending on yoru style of driving.

I have done 30K so far on mine and only half worn, but a friend only gets 8K out of his, but then he always accelerates hard and drives at 70mph on motorways and brakes quickly as well. Driving fast on some of the european concrete motorways really eats tyres as well.

If you have too high or low a tyre pressure tyre wear is also faster.

 

As to getting good value for tyre prices I came across this site. (May have been on this forum, cannot remember.)

 

http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/article.asp?id=542&title=Michelin-XC-Camping

- should open at the michelin camping selection page.

Last time I checked their prices were very good...you will need to enter your tyre size.

 

Hope this helps a bit

Jon

 

p.s. I have checked the fitting locations - there is one near Kitchen Table!

[Brambles]

Hi Again,

now seem the other thread.

The tyreshopper site seems to be a division of National tyres.

Prices. 215 70 R15 camping are £90 each

225 65 R16 camping are £125.

[panagah]

:-D now ive waited for this one "how long is a peice of string? :-D

 

sorry it's not in my nature to be grumpy just couldn't resist it.

 

Anyhow your tyres. depends on so much weight load, driving style, miles covered per trip due to heat, but I have 20k on My motorhome and think that my skiing trip in a coule of months will be when the new ones are put on. With front tyres on a front wheel drive the power is at the front so naturaly they will wear out quicker.

[Derek Uzzell]

It also might be a good idea to have the motorhome's tracking checked as a small tracking inaccuracy can have a large adverse effect on tyre wear.

 

Even if a vehicle rolls off the factory-line with its tracking correct (and there's no 100% certainty this will be so), it doesn't take much to knock it out of true - hitting a big pot-hole in the road for instance.

 

Some years back Pilote made a tracking-check at 1500km a mandatory condition of the warranty. This was at the motorhome buyer's expense and the requirement was stated in the owner's manual not just once but 5 times - so, presumably it was felt to be important! A follow-up check at 20,000km was strongly recommended.

[Brambles]

Excellant point Derek as most tyre wear is accountable to poor tracking.

 

[Basil]

panagah - 2007-11-02 11:00 PM

 

:-D now ive waited for this one "how long is a peice of string? :-D

 

sorry it's not in my nature to be grumpy just couldn't resist it.

 

 

Thats easy,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twice the length from the middle to the end! :-D :-D :-D

 

Bas

[michele]

panagah - 2007-11-02 11:00 PM

 

:-D now ive waited for this one "how long is a peice of string? :-D

 

sorry it's not in my nature to be grumpy just couldn't resist it.

 

Anyhow your tyres. depends on so much weight load, driving style, miles covered per trip due to heat, but I have 20k on My motorhome and think that my skiing trip in a coule of months will be when the new ones are put on. With front tyres on a front wheel drive the power is at the front so naturaly they will wear out quicker.

:D :D :D :D

Ok Ok I 'll let you have that one hope you have snow chains because we came a cropper straight away they are aMUST and I'm glad we listen to Don.

[michele]

Derek,

Can any tyre place balance these wheels or does it have to be specialised.?

[Keith T]

Sold my previous Rapdio 710F earlier in the year, which had Michelin XC tyres. First set of tyres gave me 30K+ miles, and front ones I replaced as they were getting down to the legal limit, although probably had about 3k miles left, the rear had probably 50% more mileage in them, but at 5 yrs old were showing signs of deterioration on the sidewalls, so changed those as well. didn't want to sell the van where someone could come back and claim all was not good! Silly me, I guess!!

[Basil]

Hi Michelle,

 

Not motorhome but on a 3.5 tonne commercial 4x4 I am still on the origional Michelin tyres having done 55000 miles and still legal for a good while (probably another 10000) though I am considering changing them due to age as they are now six years old, the spare has never been used!

So it does depend on how you drive.

 

Bas

[Mel E]

Michele,

 

A few thoughts:

 

1. Front wheel drive wears out both front and rear tyres faster.

 

2. The correct tyre pressures (which will normally be a bit higher when under full load (eg., of French wine on the way back?) make a big difference also.

 

3. As a comparison, our Michelin shod 4.2 tonne A-Class with rear wheel drive onto single rear axle with 4 wheels, had done just under 50,000 miles when I sold it. The rear tyres were almost as new and the front had half their tread left.

 

4. Based on wear to date, my current 3.5 tonne Renault Master should reach about 38,000 miles provided I swap front for back at about 22,000 miles.

 

5. Swapping front for back brings a big bill (4 tyres vs 2) less often but ensures that your less uses tyres don't get too old. On many less used motorhomes, this matters. Tyres are supposed to be good for about 7 years, but only if you look after them - correct pressures, over-inflate before storing for 3 months or more, and so on).

 

Mel E

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[Brian Kirby]

Michele

What you didn't say, is how long you've had the motorhome. 

Have you got a tread depth gauge?  Useful tool!  If you don't have one, try Halfords or a similar motor accessories shop.  Then, measure at the centre of the tread in two/three places around the tyre, and repeat near both edges.  There shouldn't be too much variation from spot to spot going around the tyre, but if the tread at the centre is noticeably less that at the edges, it may indicate the tyres are over-inflated for their actual load.  If there is a noticeable difference in tread depth from spot to spot going round the tyre, it may suggest the wheels are out of balance, but I think you'd have noticed out of balance wheels through steering vibraiton.  If the edge tread is much thinner than the centre, either you hammer it round corners, or they may be under-inflated for load. 

If the tread generally has consistently feathered edges to one side of the tread blocks/ribs, especially if these are on the opposite sides of both front tyres (i.e. both outside edges, or both inside edges), definately do as Derek suggests and get the tracking checked.

Remember, there is only about 8mm of tread on a new tyre.  Try checking the rears and the spare in the same way, you'll then get a much better idea of how much has been worn away.

[Brambles]

Ho Mel E,

 

"1. Front wheel drive wears out both front and rear tyres faster. "

 

Front wheel drive cars wear out front tyres faster and the rear less compared to a rear wheel drive. Have I mis-understood what you are comparing to?

Jon.

 

[Ranger]

My old mate went 20,000 on his front tyres on a front wheel drive high top Autosleeper, and he drives very steadily and carefully, rarely over 50MPH, a bit of a pain to try to keep behind him, but both him and the 'van should last forever. Rear tyres like new so they are now on the front. I think rear tyres on a front wheel drive only being trailed, so not worked hard would only suffer from old age, & UV rays rather than wear.

[davenewellhome]

Tyre wear rates are too subjective to be generalised. For example, years ago I had a fairly sporty Fiat 131 with wide low profile front tyres. I fitted Avon Turbospeed to it and while they stuck to the road like the proverbial on a blanket they did not last too long, around 24,000 miles as I recall. Now a couple of years ago I was using a LDV Cub van for work and doing 30,000 a year. It was shod with Michelins and even after 70,000 miles there was still over 4mm of tread on each tyre. Mind you they were bloody terrible for grip, especially in wet weather.

 

D.

[michele]

Brian Kirby - 2007-11-03 12:57 PM

Michele

What you didn't say, is how long you've had the motorhome. 

Have you got a tread depth gauge?  Useful tool!  If you don't have one, try Halfords or a similar motor accessories shop.  Then, measure at the centre of the tread in two/three places around the tyre, and repeat near both edges.  There shouldn't be too much variation from spot to spot going around the tyre, but if the tread at the centre is noticeably less that at the edges, it may indicate the tyres are over-inflated for their actual load.  If there is a noticeable difference in tread depth from spot to spot going round the tyre, it may suggest the wheels are out of balance, but I think you'd have noticed out of balance wheels through steering vibraiton.  If the edge tread is much thinner than the centre, either you hammer it round corners, or they may be under-inflated for load. 

If the tread generally has consistently feathered edges to one side of the tread blocks/ribs, especially if these are on the opposite sides of both front tyres (i.e. both outside edges, or both inside edges), definately do as Derek suggests and get the tracking checked.

Remember, there is only about 8mm of tread on a new tyre.  Try checking the rears and the spare in the same way, you'll then get a much better idea of how much has been worn away.

Feb 06 its 20 months old Brian just to say i have loads of tread left but I notice not as good as the backs which still look like they were purchased yeasterday

[Vernon B]

For what it's worth Michele I've got 35,000 so far out of mine in 4 1/2 years on a 3.85 'van. There's plenty of tread left and I expect to change these through age rather than wear. I think that may be the "norm" with Michelins - incredible value for money when you think what these bits of rubber do.

 

Anyway keep those wheels turning.

 

Vernon

[Mike Parke]

Minimum legal level is 1:3mil. of tread over 3/4 the tread pattern around the entire circumference. Most tyres have a 1:3mil block moulded into the tread at frequent intevals. Wait until this block is level with the rest of the tread then change your tyre(s). I prefer to buy two fronts at a time to buying all four by changing them around. That said though our 'old' m'home had only one set of front tyres bought & fitted during the 56k miles we travelled in it (her?). I do not have a 'heavy right foot' these days nor do I brake late & hard but I agree with all the other respondance it all depends on the distance travelled and the manner which driven!

 

Regards Mike.

[Brambles]

do you mean 1.6 mm?

 

1.6 mm may be the legal limit but it is generally accepted tyres should ne replaced long before this amount of wear. Recommended is 3mm of tread left tyres shoud be replaced.

 

Jon.

[Clive]

38 k 10 years and changed one tyre because its the one that gets the sun and it was starting to show signs of perrishing. Michelins of course.

 

OK OK I cannot justify having a motorhome with such a low average mileage. But can you?

 

C.

 

[Mike Parke]

Brambles - 2007-11-04 5:39 PM

 

do you mean 1.6 mm?

 

1.6 mm may be the legal limit but it is generally accepted tyres should ne replaced long before this amount of wear. Recommended is 3mm of tread left tyres shoud be replaced.

 

Jon.

 

 

Yes, sorry, thinking of earlier regs.!! I still reckon that @ 3mil a tyre has still got a lot of life left in it.

 

Regards Mike

 

 

[Brambles]

Yes at 3mm it still has a lot of life, but you do have to note braking distance and grip is drastically reduced. Hence the recomendation to replace sooner. Its a small price to pay for new tyres to improve road handling and safety, and a high price if you lose grip on a bend in the wet or have to stop suddenly to prevent a fatal accident. I really cannot stress enough tyre condition is the most importamt factor on your vehicle..its your only contact with the road and there may be a lot of life left in the tyre but that is of no importance if you as a result take someone else life or indeed your own.

Sorry if this is overstated but worth thinking about when your tread gets a bit low, and tyre is over 6 year old or 10 years if unused.

[CliveH]

Another factor not mentioned (as far as I can see) is the type of compound used. Motorcycles can have a very sticky compound to give extraordinary grip - but you are lucky to get 2000 miles from a tyre as the compound is so soft.

 

Michelins I always found to be long lasting but not as good as some other tyres in the wet. I always understood (info from a local tyre fitter) that this was because Michelins are harder compound and tighter tread pattern - i.e. more runner on ground for less wear but less grooves means less grip in the wet due to poorer water displacement.

 

From my experience I prefer Pirelli Scorpions or BF Goodrich - both last well and give excellent grip.

 

I would imagine with a MH, the tyre choice is critical. After all they are not exactly light machines are they? I would be tempted to upgrade to a wider tyre as tyres on a motorhome always look far to "skinny" for the job they are being asked to do.

 

 

 

[Mel E]

Brambles - 2007-11-03 3:06 PM

 

Ho Mel E,

 

"1. Front wheel drive wears out both front and rear tyres faster. "

 

Front wheel drive cars wear out front tyres faster and the rear less compared to a rear wheel drive. Have I mis-understood what you are comparing to?

Jon.

 

Yes, I was comparing single with double rear wheels, as often fitted to single axle rear wheel drive vehicles. Sorry if that wasn't completely clear.

 

Mel E

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