just put the spare on my caravan & 2 blocks of wood under the otherside & removed the wheels to have the tyres replaced & i've been advised to go with 165 13 instead of 155 13 as the 165 have a higher load & speed rating & yes they are 8ply & they are cheaper than kwik-fit with only a £5 fitting charge ( support your local small bussiness)
Quote: Originally posted by Thwack on 08/7/2009
Hi Simon23
This is a copy of part of a reply from Swift Caravans about tyres on another forum
"The Swift Group has always specified its tyres too the higher 80mp/h (130km/h) speed rating not the lower 60 mp/h (100km/h), remembering that 60mp/h is the legal towing limit in this country. By selecting the higher speed rating the load index automatically gains an additional 10% margin on the tyre loading (if the caravan is towed at 60mp/h). In addition it should be pointed out that not all the mass is transfered through the caravan tyres, typically upto 5% goes through the hitch and towball of the towing vehicle (although this goes up and down with towing and vehicle articulation)."
The post was made in 2007
Thwack
well i must admit i nevere heard of this we must tell all the people that need reinforced tyres to slow down and take on notice of the max permissable weight on tyre as the load index is irrelivant if you slow down a bit so in that case a 97 w tyre if you only did 60 mph how much more weight could it carry as it still says on side wall 97w not sure VOSA would agree if you ell them that because your going slower the markings for maximum on the side wall of the tyre are incorrect sure hgvs could save afortune by slowing down and buying smaller lower rated tyres!!!!! i think ill stick to using what is written omn the tyre as maximum and no where to be seen does it say go slower add 10% more weight safely
There is quite a bit of info on the Etyres site. My tyres are due (overdue) for replacement. Excellent Michelin X steel walls, but the date is well out. My local tyre suppliers seem to not cater for caravans, or have any knowhow, other than pointing to the most expensive available. It would seem that a C rated tyre would suffice and be safe to use.
thanks geejay but as a tyre fitter/ small business owner in the tyre trade for 17 years plus i was just pointing out the point that if a tyre could carry more it would say it on the wall were the load index is
Hi simon23. So is the advice I have been given-to fit 175R x 13 C rated, a sound one?. Your experience here would be worth having. My existing tyres are well out of date. I would hate to end up with my outfit upside down, for the sake of a couple of tyres. It just seems such a grey area when I discuss with local tyre fitters what is advisable.
Kwik Fit came out this morning and done a real good job. The fitter knew what he was on about, took real care in jacking the caravan up and I know Michael wanted to know what make of tyre they were supplying and I am pleased to say it was a Trailermaxx the very same that were taken off.
The tyres that were removed were in very good condition with no cracking and still loads of tread left but manufactured in 24th week of 2004.
Cheers
Noffy
sorry if i missed it as im in the library and little time to read.how much was the total for the tyres please?were they the correct loading or better,ta.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
what is the weight of your van geejay mptm then you need to get load index from tyre and if single axle x2 and you should always try to have a margin above the max weight if poss 10% is the aim if you can give the details of van and make of tyre i can find load index and help as much as i can
Hi Simon23
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well i must admit i nevere heard of this we must tell all the people that need reinforced tyres to slow down and take on notice of the max permissable weight on tyre as the load index is irrelivant if you slow down a bit so in that case a 97 w tyre if you only did 60 mph how much more weight could it carry as it still says on side wall 97w not sure VOSA would agree if you ell them that because your going slower the markings for maximum on the side wall of the tyre are incorrect sure hgvs could save afortune by slowing down and buying smaller lower rated tyres!!!!! i think ill stick to using what is written omn the tyre as maximum and no where to be seen does it say go slower add 10% more weight safely
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This is an exract from a Caravan Club document on "Wheels and Tyres". It's freely accessible to all members from the website.
"However, it is more common that manufacturers specify a tyre which is only just capable of such a load, and owners may wish to increase the safety margin when choosing replacements. Another issue with older caravans may be that the original tyres utilised a concept known as the „bonus load‟ It is possible to legitimately overload‟ tyres by 10% as long as they are not used at a speed above 62mph (100kph). Since caravans are restricted to 60mph in the UK, this is theoretically possible. This practice was quite common at one time, but it causes problems when caravans are taken over the Channel."
In my opinion any caravanner using the bonus load to carry extra weight would be stupid, but it does reinforce my original point that higher speed ratings do strengthen the tyre and are a plus when buying replacements.
In 1988 my caravan (new) was supplied with normal car tyres. I quickly changed them to reinforded tyres when I learnt about bonus loading which the manufacturer was claiming (common practice at the time with most manufacturers.
Kwik Fit came out this morning and done a real good job. The fitter knew what he was on about, took real care in jacking the caravan up and I know Michael wanted to know what make of tyre they were supplying and I am pleased to say it was a Trailermaxx the very same that were taken off.
The tyres that were removed were in very good condition with no cracking and still loads of tread left but manufactured in 24th week of 2004.
Cheers
Noffy
sorry if i missed it as im in the library and little time to read.how much was the total for the tyres please?were they the correct loading or better,ta.
Hi Michael,
The tyres are identical in speed and load. They cost £102 fitted (including Balance and valve) using the voucher in the CC mag. Which incidently they didnt ask for so if someone wants it then get in touch n0ffy at hotmail.com. It gives you £10 off until Sept.
The original thyres were not balanced which I was surprised to see.
I always try to support local suppliers but time was against me on this one unfortunately and my local tyre chap couldnt get what I wanted.
Hi Simon. Elldis Mistral, 1035kg. The tyre which are on are Michelin X with steel walls. Plenty of tread, but I have had the 'van about 7 years on the same tyres, so with all the info on tyres, am well overdue. Thanks for your interest. Regards, Gordon
Kwik Fit came out this morning and done a real good job. The fitter knew what he was on about, took real care in jacking the caravan up and I know Michael wanted to know what make of tyre they were supplying and I am pleased to say it was a Trailermaxx the very same that were taken off.
The tyres that were removed were in very good condition with no cracking and still loads of tread left but manufactured in 24th week of 2004.
Cheers
Noffy
sorry if i missed it as im in the library and little time to read.how much was the total for the tyres please?were they the correct loading or better,ta.
Hi Michael,
The tyres are identical in speed and load. They cost £102 fitted (including Balance and valve) using the voucher in the CC mag. Which incidently they didnt ask for so if someone wants it then get in touch n0ffy at hotmail.com. It gives you £10 off until Sept.
The original thyres were not balanced which I was surprised to see.
I always try to support local suppliers but time was against me on this one unfortunately and my local tyre chap couldnt get what I wanted.
Noffy
hi micheal these are ytrailermaxx not mx milers different firms manufacture trailermaxx is maxxis a good tyre but as you know max miler is giti or shortened to gt so they are not the same as you are looking for sorry to put a dampner on it though
geejay i will get some info togehther and post later today for you
Hi to everyone who helped. I have now found a tyreman at ATS, who has been very helpful. I have given him the specs, weight etc.and he will order, supply and fit new tyres for me, and balance and fit new valves. So thanks for the input.
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Topic: Tyre speed ratings
