Weighbridge, tyre pressures and TyrePal (1 Viewer)

[Puddleduck]

Well it has been to the weighbridge, really pleased!!!! Fully loaded with bikes, awning etc etc, full tank of diesel and 3/4 tank (75 litres-ish) of water and the two of us...... 1600 front axle. 1660 rear. So well over 200kg to play with, and that's with water and ALL the junk (we rarely take it all) in the garage.

So armed with the Continental Tyre Tech Printout we looked up our recommended tyre pressures and off to check at the air line. All the tyres were over inflated. She rides and handles a lot better now they are correctly set. The plate on the door pillar is the original FIAT van base plate and bears no relationship to what Continental recommend.

Home again and fitted the TyrePal. A bit of a fiddle but what a great piece of kit Just got it done before the rain started.

Oh and the weighbridge (flat plate type) cost £8.50, well worth the money for peace of mind.

 

[andy63]

sounds good Helen , just make sure you clean up the tyre pal sensors from time to time , especially if you have installed them with the lock/security ring with the tiny grub screws.. I left mine too long without lubrication and the little grub screws were seized ...right pain.....
ta andy

 

[wingman]

sounds good Helen , just make sure you clean up the tyre pal sensors from time to time , especially if you have installed them with the lock/security ring with the tiny grub screws.. I left mine too long without lubrication and the little grub screws were seized ...right pain.....
ta andy

Thanks for the tip on the grub screws Andy. What's the best agent to lubricate them with?

BTW, I thought that the definition of a 'grub screw' was sexual intercourse in the lunch hour

Being serious, those screws are fiddly. I take the wheel trims off to make the job easier. That said, TyrePal is a great bit of kit.

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[colinw]

Acf 50 is a good lubricant / rust inhibitor .

 

[funflair]

A bit of Vaseline as lubrication/protection.

I am being serious.

 

[colinw]

A damn site cheaper if it is as effective !

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[Puddleduck]

sounds good Helen , just make sure you clean up the tyre pal sensors from time to time , especially if you have installed them with the lock/security ring with the tiny grub screws.. I left mine too long without lubrication and the little grub screws were seized ...right pain.....
ta andy

A bit of Vaseline as lubrication/protection.

I am being serious.

Thanks for the heads up Andy.

Petroleum jelly.... brings back memories of playing in an orchestra - no not what you are thinking (randy musicians, I know) but PJ was used as an aid to slide the instruments together and apart.... nearly said lubricating the mouth pieces but we are back to you lot misconstruing randy musicians again ........

 

[hilldweller]

The plate on the door pillar is the original FIAT van base plate and bears no relationship to what Continental recommend..

Just to be nosey, how different ?

 

[Puddleduck]

About 20 psi...... the plate in the door says high 60s or 70 something (above the max rating for the Continental Camper Tyres, which I know is for the US market but even so) different for front and back, and the Continental Tech says 51 at the front and 53 at the back

Numbers might not be quite right as this is from memory.

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[Malcolm Bolt]

K Y jelly obviously not in vogue anymore then. Sos still in the bar in Castro Marim. I liked it here last year and it is just as chilled now. Can't get over how cheap it is to get by here. Portuguese telly showing Premier League. Liverpool on, so eldest son would be proud. (bit boring so far)

 

[Nigel&Debbie]

Just to be nosey, how different ?

Hi Brian @hilldweller . The Fiat recommended pressures on the door pillar on my 2013 Fiat Ducato autotrail (225/75x16) is 79.5 psi front and rear.

Having spoken to Continental themselves, the actual recommended pressures (having been to weighbridge) are:
Front @ 1830kgs 47.1PSI or @2100kgs 58 PSI (for a 116R Vanco Camper tyre)
Rear @ 2450kgs 68.8 PSI or @2600kgs 72.5PSI ( for a 121/120R Vanco2 tyre)

Even at max permissable loading, nowhere near the 79.5PSI quoted by Fiat. The difference is both ride and performance is really noticable (for the better)

 

[Nigel&Debbie]

Contact for getting the right pressures from Continental tyres is administrator.technical@conti.de They reply very quickly

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[hilldweller]

Even at max permissable loading, nowhere near the 79.5PSI quoted by Fiat. The difference is both ride and performance is really noticable (for the better)

Thanks, I go by the door pillar, using Avons, which is 79psi. Tyre wear is even across the tyre. Interesting though.

 

[Nigel&Debbie]

Thanks, I go by the door pillar, using Avons, which is 79psi. Tyre wear is even across the tyre. Interesting though.

It would be worth an email to Avon themselves to see what they recommend.

 

[colinw]

Having weighed my van the other day , I set my tyre pressures to the continental recommended pressures of 44psi front ( 1450kg ) and 55psi rear ( 1800kg ) . the ride has been transformed to a more stable less rattly ride . the van is a pleasure to drive .

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[Southampton]

Out of interest I have tyre pal and they recommend setting the upper limit 20% above the inflated pressure. My front pressures are 70 so I set the upper pressure to 84psi. Whilst coming home from Spain the alarm kept going off because the pressures had reached 85/86 psi. I assume due to road/air temperature being high. Anybody else experienced this with Tyrepal? What percentage upper limit do you set?

 

[funflair]

Out of interest I have tyre pal and they recommend setting the upper limit 20% above the inflated pressure. My front pressures are 70 so I set the upper pressure to 84psi. Whilst coming home from Spain the alarm kept going off because the pressures had reached 85/86 psi. I assume due to road/air temperature being high. Anybody else experienced this with Tyrepal? What percentage upper limit do you set?

Hi @Southampton, not sure what our upper limit is but I watch the display quite a lot and of front tyres are on 60 psi cold and might go to about 70 psi running/hot, rear 4 are just over 50 cold and go to about 60.

Don't know what tyres you have on or what your axle weight and speed is but I would not expect quite this much increase, we were running Conti fourseasons tyres in Spain so I would have expected a touch more heat from these because of the tread pattern and the compound.

Martin

 

[Southampton]

Thanks @funflair i have a tag axle probably running at max weight 5000kgs on the way home (2000 front and each of the back axles at 1500) Tyres are Michelin Agilis all round. I was travelling around 60-65mph most of the way. I am going to set the upper limit to 87psi and keep an eye on it when we go to Southport next week. I guess in UK the pressures will get up to about 80psi on that run. I am not concerned as all 6 wheels got up to those pressures at one time or another on the way home. Just interested what others have experienced.

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[Deleted member 29692]

Mine increase by about 10psi from cold to hot as well.

 

[ivorantony]

Perhaps of interest but you can buy a straight through tyre sensor from Tyrepal that doesn't have to be removed to pump up the tyres,

I didn't bother with the grub screws! If anybody wanted to nick them they could well bugger up the tyre valves with the possibility of leaving me stranded with flat tyres,

 

[Judge Mental]

Well it has been to the weighbridge, really pleased!!!! Fully loaded with bikes, awning etc etc, full tank of diesel and 3/4 tank (75 litres-ish) of water and the two of us...... 1600 front axle. 1660 rear. So well over 200kg to play with, and that's with water and ALL the junk (we rarely take it all) in the garage.

So armed with the Continental Tyre Tech Printout we looked up our recommended tyre pressures and off to check at the air line. All the tyres were over inflated. She rides and handles a lot better now they are correctly set. The plate on the door pillar is the original FIAT van base plate and bears no relationship to what Continental recommend.

Home again and fitted the TyrePal. A bit of a fiddle but what a great piece of kit Just got it done before the rain started.

Oh and the weighbridge (flat plate type) cost £8.50, well worth the money for peace of mind.

This the only way to get a comfortable ride IMO. pillar pressures are for commercial loads assuming van will be full most of the time so well OTT for most.....Motorhome usage so different. My Maxi PVC was unbearably harsh, after doing the above last year ride was transformed.

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[colyboy]

Interested to know what size tyres you have and what pressures Continental suggested. Recently had my van weighed and when the local tyre fitter saw the pressure recommended by Cont he thought they looked to low.

colyboy

 

[Puddleduck]

Our tyres are 215/70 R15 CP

The Conti recommended pressures as per their manual (unless I type it incorrectly) - please check with the tyre manufacturer before you use these pressures

Pressure (psi)/ Axle weight/ notes
44/1425
47/1520
51/1615
54/1705
58/1795
60/1854/recommended max load
62/1885/absolute max load
65/1973/abs max load
69/2060/abs max load

 

[Sandancers]

Did exactly the same thing last Friday. Took MH to weight bridge, 1600Kg on front axel and 1520 Kg on rear, with full water and diesel, and adequate stocks of Brown Ale for two weeks in France, plus wife. Means under weight by about 380Kg, can't be bad !!

Phone Continental, very helpful on the phone, worked out figures there and then, and for loads up to 1700Kg per axel came out at 3.25Bar all round. The rear had been 4.5Bar on the plate and the front were 3.6Bar. Not noticed a huge difference in ride, but a little less road noise.

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[Judge Mental]

Interested to know what size tyres you have and what pressures Continental suggested. Recently had my van weighed and when the local tyre fitter saw the pressure recommended by Cont he thought they looked to low.

colyboy

I have 16 inch wheeled conti Vanco four season tyres on mine as standard on Maxi vans with traction +

Yes on mine they looked a bit soft, and I did increase pressure for driving through mountain passes and the like as initially found ride a bit to soft on twisty bits...

OK found it: on the van it says 4.5 - 5 Bar!

"Axle-loadings(kg) to inflation-pressures(bar) for your Possl's tyres are as follows"

1725 - 3.0
1835 - 3.25
1950 - 3.5
2060 - 3.75
2170 - 4.0
2275 - 4.25
2385 - 4.5
2490 - 4.75
2595 - 5.0
2695 - 5.25
2800 - 5.5
2900 - 5.75

my van loaded was:

1640
3420
1680

So you can see if I went by van pillar 4.5 - 5 bar a tad OTT?

 

[Jaws]

Thanks @funflair i have a tag axle probably running at max weight 5000kgs on the way home (2000 front and each of the back axles at 1500) Tyres are Michelin Agilis all round. I was travelling around 60-65mph most of the way. I am going to set the upper limit to 87psi and keep an eye on it when we go to Southport next week. I guess in UK the pressures will get up to about 80psi on that run. I am not concerned as all 6 wheels got up to those pressures at one time or another on the way home. Just interested what others have experienced.

I have just checked on the Autotrail site for the Chieftain ( pretty much the same as yours... )
55 lb rears and 79lb fronts !
I have always run the rears at 70 ( the fronts I have at 75 ) and the ride has always been very harsh indeed ! I shall be changing mine to the Autotrail recommendation before the next long run I do

 

[Southampton]

I have just checked on the Autotrail site for the Chieftain ( pretty much the same as yours... )
55 lb rears and 79lb fronts !
I have always run the rears at 70 ( the fronts I have at 75 ) and the ride has always been very harsh indeed ! I shall be changing mine to the Autotrail recommendation before the next long run I do

Thanks for the info, I run at 70 all round. Michelin stated I should have 70 front and 80 on both sets of rear. This gives a very hard ride so I reduced the rears to 70 as well. This is still quite a hard ride. I might think about the AT recommendation for my trip to Southport later this week and see what it feels like.

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[colinw]

The other reason I went to the weighbridge was to see if I had the spare capacity to fit a spare wheel , which I do . the spare wheel came today , 27kg , plus the mounting kit , which hasn't come yet . you can see why they leave one off !