Tyres? Yes, sorry, yet another post about tyre choice ;-)

[Dean14]

Ok, Ok - I know this topic has been posted about on numerous occasions so do apologise but I am seeking advise regarding improving the ride (to make it less crashy and harsh) in our McLouis 373. After much reading I have almost certainly narrowed my choice and specifically ask can anyone that may have changed from Michelin Agilis Campers (run at Michelin's crazy recommended pressures) to Continental VanContact Campers (run at Continental's much lower recommended pressures) post their opinion? Has it improved the ride or made little or no difference?
The MH is only 3 old and tyres have done under 2k miles but I'm prepared to pay for newer tyres if they do actually make a difference, hence my post. I have already had VB semi-air fitted to rear axle and uprated coils on the front. I have read hundreds of posts about the matter and appreciate that switching to C (instead of CP) tyres would probably give a better ride but if I ever need to explain my tyre choice to my insurance company (or the police) then personally I'd prefer to be able to point them to the actual tyre manufacturers' recommendations - and in correspondence with Continental they have recommended camper tyres for MHs. I also appreciate that full air would probably be better - but that's out of budget.
Thanks for any input.

 

[Lenny HB]

Changing to C tyres or fitting full air gives about the same level of comfort improvement.
I did both on my last van. I fitted Toyo Observe Van a winter tyre but worked well in summer and a lot cheaper than Conties. Lots of Funsters run Faulken all season tyres with good results.

 

[funflair]

Why not drop the pressures on the Michelins for a little run out and see what difference that makes, then if you like the result but not happy running below recommended pressure you could then switch to C tyre from somebody more sensible than Michelin.

 

[Garry - June]

Are you seriously suggesting that by fitting Commercial C tyres you will somehow run in to difficulties with the Police or Insurance..

 

[funflair]

Are you seriously suggesting that by fitting Commercial C tyres you will somehow run in to difficulties with the Police or Insurance..

Not sure who that question is aimed at

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[Garry - June]

Not sure who that question is aimed at

It was a statement made in the original post..

 

[funflair]

It was a statement made in the original post..

Ah I see thanks.

 

[gus-lopez]

tyres would probably give a better ride but if I ever need to explain my tyre choice to my insurance company (

As long as they are legal,can carry the weight & are inflated to a reasonable pressure for the ride. neither of the aforementioned have an opìnion .

 

[Gellyneck]

Changing to C tyres or fitting full air gives about the same level of comfort improvement.
I did both on my last van.

That's why he's always snoozing with his feet up on the dashboard when driving!

 

[PaulW2]

That does raise an interesting question. All tyres are comfortable at very low pressures and none are at very high pressures. So how much is due to the tyre and how much due to the pressure?

I would guess it's probably mostly pressure that makes the difference (with some also due to the rigidity of camper tyre sidewalls) and that different tyres will then differ most decisively on performance - wet and dry braking, handling, aquaplaning resistance and so on.

The tyre's maximum pressure is, I think, usually reserved for running at its maximum load rating. At lower weights one can run at lower pressure.

I have 116 load rating tyres and could in theory have a 5 ton van on them. But mine is 3.5t and the maximum rear axle weight is 2,000.

So I could run softer. In practice, calculators such as Tyresafe still insist on 80 psi at the rear. I run at 65 in front and 75 at the back and this seems to be ok. I think it's mainly the front pressure that affects my comfort while driving. It's fine as I have it. Not a limousine but also not a truck.

For the rest I'm mainly interested in the 'other' stuff as measured by those who do the comparisons - braking, handling, even tyre durability, fuel consumption, noise - rather than absolute subjective comfort while driving.

(Edit: Some vehicles - for example my previous Iveco-based coachbuilt - are underbraked to the point where it's not tyre adhesion that is the limiting factor in braking performance. Or so top-heavy that it's not measured tyre handling performance that is the limiting factor there. Or used for such low mileages that measured tyre durability, and even fuel consumption, is almost irrelevant. My current van, and my use of it, isn't like that and so all these metrics do matter to me.

Edit 2: A related point is that trucks - actual, proper lorries - have pretty good brakes. Some motorhomes, on van underpinnings, don't. It would be quite interesting to understand the relative performance of different motorhomes on such vehicle safety metrics - braking, handling etc.)