Another Tyre question - what do you experts think

[Blaydon]

Hi Folks,
Like many others, our new van was supplied with Camper tyres. They are now getting thin and so I am looking to replace them. I have read about folks going to van tyres rather than camper tyres and so spoke to my local dealer about them. I trust his experience and while he may not run a motorhome, he has a lot of knowledge on van, and car tyres. He said the difference between Camper and Van tyres is the Camper tyre has UV resistance built in to the outer layer to reduce cracking when sitting on one place. Otherwise they are the same. Now he may be right, and the impact of that treatment results in the noise and ride impact that folks have experienced.
However, before I shell out on new boots, I would like to know what you experts out there would recommend. Technology is always moving on so what was put in a thread three years ago may not be accurate now. I am happy to report back on the option I select and let you know what, if any, impact I can detect.
The vehicle is a Fiat Ducato, 16" wheel 4.25t, A class.
So good people, what rubbers would you suggest?
(Please don't get too off the point or this may end up in Smile for the day!)

 

[CamperManLez]

Hi Folks,
Like many others, our new van was supplied with Camper tyres. They are now getting thin and so I am looking to replace them. I have read about folks going to van tyres rather than camper tyres and so spoke to my local dealer about them. I trust his experience and while he may not run a motorhome, he has a lot of knowledge on van, and car tyres. He said the difference between Camper and Van tyres is the Camper tyre has UV resistance built in to the outer layer to reduce cracking when sitting on one place. Otherwise they are the same. Now he may be right, and the impact of that treatment results in the noise and ride impact that folks have experienced.
However, before I shell out on new boots, I would like to know what you experts out there would recommend. Technology is always moving on so what was put in a thread three years ago may not be accurate now. I am happy to report back on the option I select and let you know what, if any, impact I can detect.
The vehicle is a Fiat Ducato, 16" wheel 4.25t, A class.
So good people, what rubbers would you suggest?
(Please don't get too off the point or this may end up in Smile for the day!)

A suggestion, all tyres suffer from Age, and 5 - 7 yrs is about your limit. If you go Van tyres you have access to a replacement just about everywhere, camper tyres will be an order item. I think there is a bit too much talked about on the 'benefits' of camper tyres, thousands of van drivers run our roads every day in Van tyres. 4.25 ton, suggest you pick 118 or 121 rating (the highest I run them = great). Good luck

 

[Haybob]

Wow such a lot of good information and choice of tyres. I was going round in circles. Just before this thread started I ordered two MICHELIN MICHELIN CrossClimate Camping 215/70 R15 CP off ebay. Via Asda with 20% off - total cost inclusive of fitting £334.98. I will wait for someone to say they have just bought them cheaper!!

These are to replace Continental Vanco Campers from 2014.

Perhaps I wont feel a better ride with the CrossClimate Camping tyres as they both have stiff side walls. They do have better grip ratings and may handle a bit of wet grass better. The Contis do wheel spin a bit on wet roads, especially hills and I don't have a lead foot.

 

[KMRobbo]

So decent van tyres will be fine. Also, consider where you are going for suitable tyres to cope with the Alps etc, In many such places, winter tyres are obligatory, but I’m at the limit of my knowledge in that respect.

NEW to motorhomes - When are winter tyres obligatory in the alps?

 

[kingspeed]

Hi there. We have self levelling and so the pressure is off the tyres when we are parked up. So the impact of standing in one place is minimal.

Hello,
Could you please tell me how your self levelling helps with your standing weight pressure.
For that you would have to be clear of the ground.
I could understand that it would totally alleviate the problem if you have self levelling jacks.
I have VB self levelling air suspension, and it has a self levelling mode It is perfect once parked up.
However it does not take any weight off the tyres. It just levels the vehicle.

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[Oldrat]

NEW to motorhomes - When are winter tyres obligatory in the alps?

France

 

[Soycd]

NEW to motorhomes - When are winter tyres obligatory in the alps?

You'll need full winter tyres in Germany starting October this year. M+S won't count as winter tyres, you'll need 3PFMS. I think the Toyo tyres Lenny mentioned early on in this thread are 3PFMS, although I could be wrong.

 

[Speve]

Michelins Agilis crossclimates are also 3PFMS

 

[Daffy64]

You'll need full winter tyres in Germany starting October this year. M+S won't count as winter tyres, you'll need 3PFMS. I think the Toyo tyres Lenny mentioned early on in this thread are 3PFMS, although I could be wrong.

It’s true that you need 3PFMS but lots of all season tyres have this.

I’ve got Michelin cross climates on the car and they are excellent in the snow.

Me digging it out!

 

[Blaydon]

Hello,
Could you please tell me how your self levelling helps with your standing weight pressure.
For that you would have to be clear of the ground.
I could understand that it would totally alleviate the problem if you have self levelling jacks.
I have VB self levelling air suspension, and it has a self levelling mode It is perfect once parked up.
However it does not take any weight off the tyres. It just levels the vehicle.

Hi there. We have the jacks system so can take the weight off the wheels or lift the whole vehicle clear of the ground. We usually have the front wheels up high and the rear just up, to get the vehicle near level.

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[Soycd]

It’s true that you need 3PFMS but lots of all season tyres have this.

I’ve got Michelin cross climates on the car and they are excellent in the snow.

Me digging it out!
View attachment 859583

Blimey, have not see snow like that since we lived in Germany!! Where is that? I see you have an SLB 640 on order, same here, it was due at the dealers on 17th Jan, still not there yet.

 

[bigtwin]

Given that, we don’t go off skiing so we won’t need winter tyres,

You are labouring under the false impression that winter tyres only provide a benefit in snow conditions; that is not the case, although their performance in snow conditions is impressive.

Winter tyres provide improved grip over ‘normal’ tyres at temperatures of 7 deg C and below. While perhaps not a strong argument in the case of motorhomes but certainly for cars (certainly those used for a daily commute), there is a strong case to have winter tyres fitted in the UK as throughout the winter period it’s rare that temperatures would be above 7C during the morning/evening commute.

We have winter tyres on both our MH and car and run them year round (we used to swap wheels/tyres for the winter period but don’t bother now).

Ian

 

[Daffy64]

Blimey, have not see snow like that since we lived in Germany!! Where is that? I see you have an SLB 640 on order, same here, it was due at the dealers on 17th Jan, still not there yet.

It was in Lech in Austria on 1st Dec last, some of the roads in the village were horrid to walk on and I was worried about going down 1 hill in particular but the Cross Climates handled it remarkably well.

We took delivery of our SLB in June ‘22 but I can’t seem to work out how to change the status, hopefully yours will be here soon so you can get to know it before the weather gets better

 

[Bag End]

Good Afternoon from a new member, just been Motor homing for 2 years, but a lot more years trailering boats and other experiences with tyres.
I would seriously recommend speaking to your Insurers before moving away from specific Motor Home/Camper Van Tyres. You don't want to risk a claim being refused purely because they do not like the type of tyres you have had fitted.

 

[Soycd]

It was in Lech in Austria on 1st Dec last, some of the roads in the village were horrid to walk on and I was worried about going down 1 hill in particular but the Cross Climates handled it remarkably well.

We took delivery of our SLB in June ‘22 but I can’t seem to work out how to change the status, hopefully yours will be here soon so you can get to know it before the weather gets better

Skied in Lech 20+ years ago! Glad the tyres worked well.

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[gus-lopez]

But you do see some motorhomers who cover up their tyres when camping.

Plenty of owner driver van users cover up their tyres when they get home at the end of the day here in spring/summer mainly

Apart much the Michelin ones who else makes a 3 peak, M&S CP rated tyre?

Plenty of companies

Is there any issue with changing the fronts only as the rears still have meat on them.?

No ,no problem but the new tyres really should be on the rear. You can then usually control the front if you lose the back,whereas if the new are on the front & you lose the back you will lose the van.It will spin

My weight is 1740kg Front, and 1810kg rear and I run them at 64 psi front and 73 higher psi rear which is more than the Tyre Safe specification for my weight which was an implausible 52 front 59 rear.

A 3500kg Transit fully loaded has a manufacturers tyre pressure of 3,5 bar . around 52psi . That is all I run mine at.

 

[Blaydon]

You are labouring under the false impression that winter tyres only provide a benefit in snow conditions; that is not the case, although their performance in snow conditions is impressive.

Winter tyres provide improved grip over ‘normal’ tyres at temperatures of 7 deg C and below. While perhaps not a strong argument in the case of motorhomes but certainly for cars (certainly those used for a daily commute), there is a strong case to have winter tyres fitted in the UK as throughout the winter period it’s rare that temperatures would be above 7C during the morning/evening commute.

We have winter tyres on both our MH and car and run them year round (we used to swap wheels/tyres for the winter period but don’t bother now).

Ian

Good points but when the temperature is below 7 I tend to stay at home and play in my workshop.

 

[bigtwin]

You don't want to risk a claim being refused purely because they do not like the type of tyres you have had fitted.

As has been stated by others earlier in this thread, CP tyres are not available for all motorhome sizes. Provided that they are appropriately load rated there is no issue. Any insurer would get short shrift if they tried the CP tyre argument for refusing a claim.

Ian

 

[JaG]

I have changed to Maxxis All Seasons A2 tyres on my Autotrail Cheyenne 740SE. Same size as yours - 225/79/16 rated at 121 and 10 ply.
They are a lovely ride as front are 55psi and rear 70psi.

 

[tonyysue]

Hi Folks,
Like many others, our new van was supplied with Camper tyres. They are now getting thin and so I am looking to replace them. I have read about folks going to van tyres rather than camper tyres and so spoke to my local dealer about them. I trust his experience and while he may not run a motorhome, he has a lot of knowledge on van, and car tyres. He said the difference between Camper and Van tyres is the Camper tyre has UV resistance built in to the outer layer to reduce cracking when sitting on one place. Otherwise they are the same. Now he may be right, and the impact of that treatment results in the noise and ride impact that folks have experienced.
However, before I shell out on new boots, I would like to know what you experts out there would recommend. Technology is always moving on so what was put in a thread three years ago may not be accurate now. I am happy to report back on the option I select and let you know what, if any, impact I can detect.
The vehicle is a Fiat Ducato, 16" wheel 4.25t, A class.
So good people, what rubbers would you suggest?
(Please don't get too off the point or this may end up in Smile for the day!)

Been using the van version rather than Camper version of the Michelin tyres recommended for my A Class for the last 24 years and 300,000 km without any problem!

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[Marauder]

Bridgestone Duravis

.
I got two Duravis AS on front. I like them good grip on grass etc.
I was told standard tyres driven a lot, flex a lot and so exude a UV protective substance. Undriven Camper tyres do not flex - so UV protective substance on Camper tyres is exuded automatically without flexing !

I've no evidence how true any of that is, but it's a great story . . . .
_

 

[3crispies]

The Falken you mention is a 4x4 tyre it's not a van tyre. Load rating is lower than a C rated tyre of the same size.

Lenny HB; having looked into this it appears a good shout, was going for falken for better grip with sufficent load rating (had this confirmed by Vwe who uplated a few years back) of 115 but as you state havent any side wall strength, also confirmed by falken technical- doh.
Had a long conversation earlier with someone at camskills who was adamant that if you had metal valves fitted and your vehicle was issued with CP tyres they must be fitted, also quoting the higher psi was needed for weight and stability. I explained that a lot of pvcs come fitted with commercial tyres and they are the same weight capacity. Whether it is facts or one companies beliefs it proves a minefield and as mentioned numerous times has anyone had an insurance claim with commercial tyres fitted instead of CP, also what happens if you have winter tyres and again they are rated to 7 deg C in warmer climates again the same outcome an insurance claim. Then there is the AT tyre option as these are not commercial tyres at all which was the original route I was going down.
After all of this all I am trying to do is get rid of the bone shakers, get a tyre on the spare I have had for nearly 2 years and get some all season tyres with the 3 peaks before we travel soon.......

 

[Lenny HB]

Lenny HB; having looked into this it appears a good shout, was going for falken for better grip with sufficent load rating (had this confirmed by Vwe who uplated a few years back) of 115 but as you state havent any side wall strength, also confirmed by falken technical- doh.
Had a long conversation earlier with someone at camskills who was adamant that if you had metal valves fitted and your vehicle was issued with CP tyres they must be fitted, also quoting the higher psi was needed for weight and stability. I explained that a lot of pvcs come fitted with commercial tyres and they are the same weight capacity. Whether it is facts or one companies beliefs it proves a minefield and as mentioned numerous times has anyone had an insurance claim with commercial tyres fitted instead of CP, also what happens if you have winter tyres and again they are rated to 7 deg C in warmer climates again the same outcome an insurance claim. Then there is the AT tyre option as these are not commercial tyres at all which was the original route I was going down.
After all of this all I am trying to do is get rid of the bone shakers, get a tyre on the spare I have had for nearly 2 years and get some all season tyres with the 3 peaks before we travel soon.......

Me thinks camskill are talking out of their rear end. Plenty of larger Motorhomes have van tyres, N&B, Morelo, Concorde etc.

 

[3crispies]

Me thinks camskill are talking out of their rear end. Plenty of larger Motorhomes have van tyres, N&B, Morelo, Concorde etc.

not disputing it either way, but what about the insurance part have you heard of anyone with forsaid van tyres after an accident. As I am sure no one can afford to not get a pay out after a crunch? does this not cross your mind with year round winter tyres but the other thing is I have never heard of a british MH being tugged abroad for these issues as I am sure the poliza are not interested.... and what is crazy just done configurator on our weinsberg if we have optional all season tyres they are continental 109 load where as ours are michelin 116 load !!!

 

[Lenny HB]

As long as the tyres meet the load rating I don't see a problem. Mo country I'm aware of has a law against winter tyres in summer so I don't see how an insurance company could object.
Summer tyres in winter in a country that requires winter tyres could give an insurance company reason not to pay out.

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[Daffy64]

As long as the tyres meet the load rating I don't see a problem. Mo country I'm aware of has a law against winter tyres in summer so I don't see how an insurance company could object.
Summer tyres in winter in a country that requires winter tyres could give an insurance company reason not to pay out.

I worked in Germany for a good few years and it’s very common for people to have 2 sets of wheels for their cars one with winter tyres and one with summer, that being said it’s common to run the winter tyres on during the summer when they get toward the end of their life.

People said that their insurance was void if they had summer tyres on in the winter but I’m not sure if that’s true - I think it’s more likely that you would be insured but might have a problem if the conditions were bad.

Winter tyres are fine in warmer weather but wear rates will be higher as the temperature increases.

 

[The Rum Runners]

Just out of interest Lenny, what pressures do you run? We have a 4.25T MH with Michelin CC's but am tempted to go for van tyres when they need changing as the ride can be unbearable and I see so many MH's mainly in Europe using van tyres rather than camper specific.

Thanks

I also run Toyo Observe and run 65 rear and 50 front on the advice of Toyo UK tech manager. Much better ride than the Michelin campers

 

[InvictaMoto]

I asked Michelin recently as I had the Agilis tyres on my 115. They sent this back in the email:

"Van tyres and camper tyres have some differences in terms of their design and performance characteristics. Here are the key differences: Van Tyres:

• Van tyres are specifically designed for commercial vans and light trucks.
• They are built to carry heavy loads and provide stability and durability for commercial use.
• Van tyres have reinforced sidewalls to handle the weight of the vehicle and the cargo.
• They offer good traction and braking performance on both dry and wet surfaces.
• Van tyres have a longer tread life to withstand the demands of frequent driving and heavy loads.

Camper Tyres:

• Camper tyres are designed for recreational vehicles (RVs) and motorhomes.
• They are built to provide a comfortable and smooth ride for passengers inside the camper.
• Camper tyres have a softer sidewall to absorb shocks and vibrations, enhancing the comfort of the ride.
• They offer good traction on various road surfaces, including gravel and uneven terrains.
• Camper tyres have a lower rolling resistance to improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise.

It's important to choose the right tyres for your specific vehicle to ensure optimal performance and safety. For more detailed information, you can refer to the Michelin website."

Confused?