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Time for new tyres all round, Continental, Michelin or Toyo?

12K views 62 replies 18 participants last post by  jiwawa 
#1 ·
Looking at :

Continental Vanco camper
Michelin Agilis Camping

But also tempted by the Toyo H09

The Toyo is a winter tyre but the tread looks great for getting off muddy fields. We only do a few thousand a year so summer wear isn't an issue. I see others have gone the H09 route.

Thoughts?

Its for a Swift Lifestyle 6.4M 3.5T
Based of the Fiat Ducato chassis.
 
#3 ·
Toyo H09, same as we have just got on the van we pick up in 12 days. You are correct they are great for getting off muddy fields, snow, rain, everything, you only have to look at the tread pattern to see why.
Got 6 of them for 470 euros so a good price too, just over £400.
 
#5 ·
Another one for the Toyo H09...........................very happy with them for the price..........................sometimes the other finer points of tyres..........like ride quality etc

just passes me by.

We have air suspension and whether it's fully inflated or not at all,the drive quality is..........................about the same
 
#7 ·
I go for the cheapest I can find on blackcircle.com that are up to spec, so many on here and other forums reckon there is little difference between the makes, and you pay for the name.
 
#8 ·
Agreed Kev. When I renewed 2 years ago I bought 5 X Hankook Vantras on the internet. Might have been Black circle, can't remember. The point is they were off the radar as far as most motorhome recommendations went, but they were up to spec and on offer at a very good price. People talk about harder or softer rides from different makes but can people really tell the difference?
 
#10 ·
True Lee, it's a long running debate, as a courier of many years I always went for Hankook, but they started upping there prices, so I discussed it at length on a courier forum, just get the cheapest up to spec, when I got into motorhomes I asked at several tyre outfits large and small, cheap was the advice again from most.
 
#11 ·
Conti Vanco Campers for me. No complaints whatsoever. Price and availability are an issue, as is what kind of environments you're going to subject your tyres to. Mine are a bit pampered. Indoors all winter, and not many rough roads. Also keep in mind they should be replaced at 7 years of age maximum.

When I bought the last set, there was a shortage and I could only get 2 tyres, the balance of 3 I bought the following year. Consider also if you should need to buy any replacements whilst on a trip. Is your choice likely to be available (in Europe?) at a fair price?
 
#12 ·
Mine are Michelin Agilis Camping M&S 215/70R15CP and the advice from the manufacturer is to keep the rear ones at 80psi. This seems to go against previous advice which was to match the pressure to the load on the axle.

My dealer suggested that the 80psi was relevant when storing but that I should run on 60 all round.

Must say I find it all a bit confusing.
 
#26 ·
Mine are Michelin Agilis Camping M&S 215/70R15CP and the advice from the manufacturer is to keep the rear ones at 80psi. This seems to go against previous advice which was to match the pressure to the load on the axle.

My dealer suggested that the 80psi was relevant when storing but that I should run on 60 all round.

Must say I find it all a bit confusing.
Who else uses the Michelin Agilis Camping M&S 215/70R15CP - and do you run the rear ones at the 80psi recommended?

I'm running mine at 60 all round which seems to be grand.
 
#13 ·
Yes I'm aware of the advice on the life span of the tyres. And advice ranges from changing them every 5 years to every 10 years.
I emailed Continental for their advice a few years back and they suggested 10 years max but it all depends on how they have been treated and the condition of them.
Our tyres (and van) have only done 24K miles in 10 years so the ones on it have loads of tread left (especially as I rotated back to front)

I won't be changing the spare as its done about 8K Miles and is under the van so out of the sun etc. Not prepared to pay £100 for it to sit there for another 10 years.

So it will be a set of 4 and if we get a puncture the spare will just be a limp to garage or home.

I agree its much of a muchness as long as they meet spec but the H09s have the tread pattern that's of interest. getting stuck on wet grass is a more frequent issue for us than long runs at speed on hot summer roads.
 
#14 ·
Thought I'd update this topic.
Eventually went with the Toyo H09s
Got them for under £240 for 4 delivered to my door from Demon Tweaks
Then paid ATS £60 to fit, balance and dispose of the old.
Guy wasn't too happy as they didn't have camper on them.
I pointed out that they had the same spec, same loading rating, same speed rating same side wall ply count.
He wasn't happy but fitted them.

Customer support at Toyo UK very helpful. Said a lot of motorhomers used them. Even gave me tyre pressures based on my axle loading (65psi front 69psi rear)

Done a few hundred miles since. Quieter and smoother ride now and handles then same. Not had a chance t chew up any wet grass yet ;-)
 
#15 ·
Just back from nearly 2K miles on the new tyres. They are great. Possibly a little more weave when passing big trucks at high speeds but hard to compare.
The ride is so much nicer now. Its less noisy and less tiring.
And the grip is great. Got squeezed onto some mud passing a coach in a very narrow scotish lane. Tyre sank upto wheel trim but the tyres just dug a way out.
Very happy with them.
 
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#16 ·
We are 3850 and was told by Toyo to run them at 60 and 65 rear. They are 225 70 15

Check your info about 69 rear........................... I am sure they have a maximum of 65 psi written on ours.
 
#18 ·
That's interesting Pat...................are they the same size ....................don't know if that makes a difference to the PSI.......................but that's a fair old difference
 
#24 ·
Just to round off @Pat-H my HO9 have a 65 PSI rating but they are 225 70 15 so the size must affect the pressure rating.

Still very good tyres and would recommend to others.
 
#28 ·
Good thing you jogged my memory Webby1. I just checked and my revised pressure labels inside the passenger door say 62PSI front and 65PSI back.

Having dug out the whole email chain the original values of 65 and 69 PSI were based on the conversion from the continentals I had before. The current tyres, in my size, do have a max that supports 69psi but the guy at Toyo UK who took my axle weights came back with the 62 65 PSI suggestion and that's what I'm using.

I now suspect the original pressures where too high and explained, in part, why the ride was so noisy and hard!
 
#25 ·
Only commenting on the tyre pressure point but the maximum pressure on the tyre is only that - it is not the recommended or correct pressure. All too often people (and garages) think that they need to pump the tyres up to the max pressure on the tyre - that is mostly wrong. The pressure should be that which is appropriate for the the weight on the tyres / axles and you only know that by weighing the vehicle.

My tyres show a max pressure 80psi on them but the correct weights (per Michelin based on my axle weights) are 50 - 55psi on all 3 axles. It doesn't half make a difference to ride comfort!
 
#31 ·
Yes, Michelin Agilis 225/75 R16CP but only because they came with the PVC.

AutoTrail specify 5.5bar (79.8psi) on all four wheels and as the ride and steering feels fine, I'll leave it as the manual specifies.

It'll be interesting to see how it handles on snow/mud in the UK.

.
 
#33 ·
Yes, Michelin Agilis 225/75 R16CP but only because they came with the PVC.

AutoTrail specify 5.5bar (79.8psi) on all four wheels and as the ride and steering feels fine, I'll leave it as the manual specifies.

It'll be interesting to see how it handles on snow/mud in the UK.
I think that Autotrail has specified what the maximum pressure should be under maximum load. If your tyres have the load / speed rating of 116Q then the maximum load is 1,250kg per tyre and if 118R it is 1,320kg per tyre.

I don't know your axle weights but I believe the max weight of your van is 3,500kg. If that was split evenly between the tyres then the load per tyre is 875kg. I think it is quite likely therefore that you are over-inflating two tyres if not all four. Apart from ride discomfort it can cause to a skittish ride and handling problems in some circumstances.

I have the same tyres and with 1,500 kg on each of the rear axles I have the tyres at 50psi (per Burstner) and 55psi on the front axle which has a load of 1,750kg.
 
#35 ·
Yes, 80psi for the rear axle is usually wrong but the industry has moved that way for perceived safety reasons. I have previously had correct (and lower) tyre pressures from Continental and Michelin but now they only give the maximum 80psi figure regardless of axle loadings. Similarly Tyresafe https://www.tyresafe.org/check-your-pressures/motorhomes/ has gone the same way and only gives 80psi on a single rear axle in their calculator regardless of weight.

You have to ask why if a pressure is OK on the front tyres it isn't OK on the rears if the axle weights are the same. I think the reason is that many people unknowingly overload their motorhomes on the rear axle because most manufacturers almost fraudulently misrepresent the payload ability. It's one thing telling you that you have 500kg payload but if the "free" payload is at the front of the van and the garage is at the back, people are going to overload. So if in doubt, inflate the rear to the max is probably the safest advice,

A few years ago Tyresafe produced a leaflet (that I'll try to upload) that gave proper pressures for the rear axle.
 

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#39 ·
A few years ago Tyresafe produced a leaflet (that I'll try to upload) that gave proper pressures for the rear axle.
My Rapido 9series is built on a Merc Sprinter chassis.

Mercedes quote the following figures for my 225/70 R15 tyres in their handbook which came with the vehicle.

Front axle: Load 1 650kg (weighbridge said mine was 1 660Kg) - 3.1bar cf TyreSafe booklet - 1 641kg, 3.05bar
Rear axle: Load 1 800Kg (weighbridge = 1 840kg) - 3.5bar cf TyreSafe booklet - 1 832kg, 3.5bar.

[NB total mass = 3 500kg = limit! :crying:]

So there seems to be considerable agreement for ordinary van tyres, especially as neither source is specifying a make.

IF I had CP tyres [LI = 112], the loads change to 1 952kg (lowest quoted for single axle), 4.00 bar and 1 823kg, 4.25bar

I'm looking to renew 2 tyres (10y old - OOPS! but plenty of tread >:)) and would like to go with winter tyres.

However, none of the national companies seem to supply much choice.

I could go with Michelin Agilis CrossClimate for £130 approx from KwikFit or Conti Vanco four season for £123 from National.
Has anyone used "cheap" tyres such as Maxxis VanSmart (£80 + fitting from MyTyres) or MasterSteel All Weather Van ((£75 + fitting)?

We've just had considerable problems sourcing a tyre for the car through an internet supplier (DPD's fault) so I'm preffering to buy one from a local shop :frown2:.

Thanks - Gordon
 
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