Apologies for asking again what must be one of the most frequently asked questions...
was looking at the tyres on our van a couple of days ago as it occured to me the van is a 2005 and most likely on the original tyres, suspision was correct, whilst visually in good condition are 5 years 9 months old.
seems an unusual size for a van of 205/65 r15 and is fitted with car tyres load rated to 750kg.
Looking about I can get either car or van tyres am I right in thinking I would be better fitting reinforced van tyres admittedly at a slightly higher cost?
The car tyres should be well within limit if your van is under 1500kg. The weight rating is at max speed rating of tyre & you will only be doing about 60mph.
I need to ask myself the same question about my 2005 Burstner S500TS, which is also on the same 205/65 R15 tyres (also 1500kg MTPLM). The tyres still look new, especially the spare which has never been out of the front locker. I don't think I'll come to an answer this year.
Unless persuaded otherwise, I would be tempted to buy car tyres with an adequate load rating. I don't see any advantage in buying van tyres with a thicker carcass that need a much higher inflation pressure to stop them running too hot. An increase in inflaton pressure will affect the suspension dynamics and road shock transmitted to the caravan.
Personally, I trust the engineering judgement of both Burstner and the tyre manufacturers. I really don't think there's much to be said for changing to tyres of a different spec on a whim.
if you had seen the guy i spotted on Sunday last on a blind bend with his caravan tyre in a million bits,goodness knows what it did to the caravan floor and fittings.i do know from reading a lot some have lost there fridge and had cooker damage and serious damage to the floor and inner liner.our tyres had reached 6 years from new and looked perfect.in fact they were passed by the caravan engineer on the service.the spare had never been out of the front.for this reason and piece of mind i had three new tyres fitted at a cost of £240.done on the drive and balanced too by EVENT tyres.great service.one new tyre was faulty with a blister on the side but they replaced it for free.i always advise 6 or 8 ply or van tyres to carry the loading.ours is 1272 MPTLM.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Quote: Originally posted by michael on 08/7/2010i always advise 6 or 8 ply or van tyres to carry the loading.ours is 1272 MPTLM
The caravan and tyre manufacturers are the best source of informed advice on tyre selection. Suggesting that folks flout that advice is not helpful to anyone!!!
Hi, when my tyres needed to be changed,took caravanvan along to local tyre company,they discovered the caravanvan had the wrong type tyres on it, they were car tyres and said they should be van tyers 6 or 8ply radials, something to do with the weight load being on only two wheels and not on four as with a car,and the walls of car tyre would be under more stress on a caravan than a car because of this, seamed to make sense, so i thought better safe than sorry,and fitted the industrial van tyres. have not found them to cause any problems with the sability of the van. maybe some of the tyre fitters on here could shed some light on thismatter, i for one would be very interested in the replys.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
My Nissan Patrol has a maximum gross weight of 3200kg. It has a maximum rear axle loading of 1800kg - higher, I think, than that for any single axle caravan.
It has a maximum speed of about 100mph, i.e. 40mph over the speed limit for a caravan. Its tyres are General Grabber AT2 all terrains that are EACH rated at 1215kg - but they are 2-ply, not reinforced 6 or 8 ply or tyres intended for vans. These 2 ply tyres are entirely suitable for my 'Troll despite the duty being much more onerous than for any caravan available in the UK.
Tyre fitters are experts at fitting tyres - but they are not experts at tyre selection. The only informed sources of opinion on tyre selection for caravans are the tyre and caravan manufacturers. It just isn't sensible to flout their advice.
Quote: Originally posted by AndrewK on 08/7/2010With respect, tyre fitters cannot shed light on anything. The only informed sources of opinion are the tyre and caravan manufacturers.
Andrew
The manufacturers can be wrong too, as I found out.
It is not that cut and dried. Manufacturers fit the tyres that are the cheapest and just within spec. The sale price of the caravan is always an important feature, and manufacturers will try and keep the price down wherever possible, especially seeing most people never look at tyre quality when buying a new van.
It is not true that if you fit "C" rated tyres, you run them at full pressure, you run then at the appropriate pressure for the weight of the van so that while the suspension effect might be slightly reduced for the caravan, the difference is marginal. When run at the appropriate pressure the tyres do not overheat.
Without doubt, fitting more robust tyres will give a better towing, as they reduce the side sway, and they are less likely to puncture due to the thicker tread. They will also stand more misuse, such as side-swiping a kerb.
Certainly my caravan is even more stable with "C" rated tyres.
IIRC from another thread, didn't you identify a misprint in the caravan's user guide?
My point is entirely valid. At the time of launch for a new caravan, a tyre is specified in conjunction with the tyre manufacturer that is suitable for the purpose. Caravan owners (and tyre fitters), no matter how well informed they believe themselves to be, are delusional if they think they know better.
Just had two 175/65/14 extra load van tyres fitted and balanced for £80. Tread depth practically the same as the ones that came off, but the side walls were cracking badly.
Fitter said it's against the law to fit car tyres to a caravan/camper, not sure about that one.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
the load of the tyre is not omly determined by the ply but the load index you can get tyres that are 103 load index on a 4x4 that are not commercila tyres yet some of the load indexing on said c or van tyres is as low as 92/94 dual load index but hey im just a tyre fitter what would these numbers mean to me
Quote: Originally posted by AndrewK on 08/7/2010IIRC from another thread, didn't you identify a misprint in the caravan's user guide?
My point is entirely valid. At the time of launch for a new caravan, a tyre is specified in conjunction with the tyre manufacturer that is suitable for the purpose. Caravan owners (and tyre fitters), no matter how well informed they believe themselves to be, are delusional if they think they know better.
Andrew
Yes I did, but the dealer in conjuction with the manufacturer paid for a set of "C" rated tyres to be fitted. They would not have paid for "C" rated tyres if they had been inappropriate. Interesting that the spare that was standard equipment on the caravan was a completely different rating. There is quite a long chain in the process. The company that makes the wheel and fits the tyre, the chassis manufacturer, and then the caravan manufacturer.
It is delusional to think manufacturers always get things right. No leaky vans, no bits that fall off or break. Utopia! My first caravan was a write-off with damp after 4 years despite extensive repairs in the first year. Please don't try and tell me that the manufacturer is always right and always selects the right materials for the job.
Quote: Originally posted by freeatlast on 08/7/2010
They would not have paid for "C" rated tyres if they had been inappropriate.
If you'd ever been involved in a customer service management capacity in a large company, you'd know that it is common practice to pay off complainers (who complain often enough and loud enough) whether their complaint is really justified or not - just to get rid of them. It's often cheaper in the long run to do that - providing of course that the payoff is without prejudice and you don't admit liability.
If the original fitment was technically unsuitable and hence unsafe, then they would be legally obliged to issue a recall on all of the affected caravans. Did they do that?
Quote: Originally posted by freeatlast on 08/7/2010They would not have paid for "C" rated tyres if they had been inappropriate.
If you'd ever been involved in a customer service management capacity in a large company, you'd know that it is common practice to pay off complainers (who complain often enough and loud enough) whether their complaint is really justified or not - just to get rid of them. It's often cheaper in the long run to do that - providing of course that the payoff is without prejudice and you don't admit liability.
If the original fitment was technically unsuitable and hence unsafe, then they would be legally obliged to issue a recall on all of the affected caravans. Did they do that?
Andrew
Firstly I never signed any disclaimers.
Secondly, the tyres were just within limits, so perfectly legal though very marginal. I also offered in writing to pay the difference between a standard tyre and a C rated tyre, they were happy to pay for the more expensive tyre.
Quote: Originally posted by blueexpo97 on 08/7/2010
Fitter said it's against the law to fit car tyres to a caravan/camper, not sure about that one.
Tyre fitters are experts at fitting tyres - but there is no reason to suppose they have expert knowledge of anything else.
Many caravan manufacturers still fit car tyres to new vans. In some European countries, it is illegal to fit differently rated tyres to those originally fitted to a vehicle.
Quote: Originally posted by freeatlast on 08/7/2010Secondly, the tyres were just within limits, so perfectly legal though very marginal. I also offered in writing to pay the difference between a standard tyre and a C rated tyre, they were happy to pay for the more expensive tyre.
This is called keeping a customer happy (at least, that is what they call it - the reality is that they were getting rid of a pain in the proverbials). So there was no recall?
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Topic: Tyres, an old chesnut
