Why fit Camping car tires (1 Viewer)

D

DL42846

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Its not an issue at the moment but at some point I will have to fit some new tires. I have been looking around just to get some idea of cost and came across camping car tires from a couple of manufactures. They appear more expensive. Can anyone explain what is the advantage of Camper/motorhome tires as opposed to regular van type tires.
 

Jaws

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I have no idea.. They are all bloody noisy and are made of marbles and wood by the way they grip !!
I have just fitted 6 Avons to mine.. Well pleased so far ( I get them at about £80 a go as I have a trade account with them )
If anyone wants them I am happy to get them but you would need to arrange collection from Thetford though

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TheBig1

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what the french call camping car tyres are reinforced on the side walls to prevent damage from running fully laden 24/7/365 and to help prevent damage caused by the van sitting still for long periods. also they are capable of better handling the high air pressures specified by the manufacturers
 

scotjimland

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This was posted before but deserves another outing..

makes for interesting reading ...

Conti comes out top in German tyre reviews

Extracts >>


Back in 2006 Pro Mobil tested eight 'van / light truck' tyres on motorhomes. They tested the tyres using experienced drivers and sophisticated measuring equipment on two motorhomes at a Pirelli test track. The 215/75 R16C tyres were fitted to Ducato based Hymer A-class and Hightop motorhomes for testing. The results make very interesting reading!


The all important tests in the wet were a different matter altogether. When braking from 80 kph (50 mph) the worst tyre took 53% more stopping distance than the best. To put that into perspective - if these two motorcaravans were side by side at 50 mph and both tried to stop simultaneously, the vehicle with the worst tyres would still be travelling at almost 30 mph when the first one had stopped! That's serious by anyone's standards, a 30 mph impact is very damaging, even lethal. Even the market leading Michelin XC Camping tyre took 25% more stopping distance than the best Conti under these test conditions. It was also the worst tyre for aquaplaning - by some margin, very worrying!

Full report Link Removed

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denisejoe

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I would have thought al the manufacturers would have seen that and improved, not to say they have though and I know Pirelli are great tyres
Joe

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I've just had 2 new Michelin XC tyres fitted and the tread pattern is different From earlier ones, and they are also marked m+s (mud and snow).

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DBK

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Interesting that Pirelli tyres have been mentioned. I have recommended on the Murvi Club website folk check axle weights and then contact the manufacturer for a recommendation on pressures. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to work for Pirelli, I heard about today, who simply advised they couldn't specify a pressure and they should follow the advice in the vehicle handbook. It may just have been they some to someone inexperienced but even so a manufacturer should know what pressures their tyre should be inflated to at a specific loading.
 

Brian and Jo

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Many people think that Michelin,Pirelli and Continental manufacture camping tyres to enable them to charge more money for them:rolleyes: just not true.the camping tyres have several advantages.they have reinforced sidewalls to enable the tyres to be run at high pressures to cope with the vechicle being fully loaded at all times.They also have several sidewall protectors built into each sidewall which gives extra protection for tyre when the sidewall is scuffed.also there are many more sipes manufactured into the tyres tread to give grip on wet grass and mud and snow.so the benefits are fact and not just hear say.(y)
Brian & Jo
 
Oct 29, 2008
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This was posted before but deserves another outing..

makes for interesting reading ...

Conti comes out top in German tyre reviews

Extracts >>


Back in 2006 Pro Mobil tested eight 'van / light truck' tyres on motorhomes. They tested the tyres using experienced drivers and sophisticated measuring equipment on two motorhomes at a Pirelli test track. The 215/75 R16C tyres were fitted to Ducato based Hymer A-class and Hightop motorhomes for testing. The results make very interesting reading!


The all important tests in the wet were a different matter altogether. When braking from 80 kph (50 mph) the worst tyre took 53% more stopping distance than the best. To put that into perspective - if these two motorcaravans were side by side at 50 mph and both tried to stop simultaneously, the vehicle with the worst tyres would still be travelling at almost 30 mph when the first one had stopped! That's serious by anyone's standards, a 30 mph impact is very damaging, even lethal. Even the market leading Michelin XC Camping tyre took 25% more stopping distance than the best Conti under these test conditions. It was also the worst tyre for aquaplaning - by some margin, very worrying!

Full report Link Removed
The xc camping has been replaced and the new camping tyres are pretty good.

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JeanLuc

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I have thought about CP tyres before, but in the end, opted for normal van tyres each time I have bought new. Standard tyres were the original equipment when the van left Hymer and the load ability is well within the van's maximum limit. I have always bought Conti Vanco and last time, about 18 months ago, I chose Vanco Winter 2. These are M+S and Snowflake marked - excellent grip. Continental technical department told me they would be fine for all-year use on a motorhome and I run at lower pressure than the Hymer handbook (or Merc plate) state. I got the correct pressures from Continental having checked the actual axle weights in use.
p.s. If you decide to get CP tyres they run at much higher pressure than standard van tyres and you therefore need a valve that is capable of holding the pressure. Standard Schrader car/van valves are rated only to 65 psi.
 
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OP
D

DL42846

Deleted User
I have Conti Vanco on the Motorhome and they seem quiet good in the wet and not noisy at all. The front ones are about halfway down compared to the back ones. The Motorhome has done around 18 thousand miles. I also run a Land Rover Defender and tires makes a big difference on it. I also run a car which I switch to winter tires during the snow season. The tires I have on there are rubbish and I can't wait to change them. Normally I change the snow tires when the temperature increases above 9c. I'm told that snow tires are a softer compound than normal all year round tires. My Land Rover has also done around 18 thousand on the tires and don't seem to have worn hardly at all. I expect to get around 70 to 80 thousand out of those.
The front on the Motorhome look like they will be finished in another 18 thousand max. So i'm just getting a few thoughts together.
 
Jan 8, 2013
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I would be interested to know which type of tyres the member who had a rear one explode recently. That took out the whole rear wheel arch, and everything behind it.
 

Lorryman100

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I recently changed all 4 Continental Vanco campers for Michelin Agilis camper tyres as a necessity to up plate the rear axle. I could have gone down the van tyre route as they are cheaper than the camper variants but came to the conclusion that camper tyres are a necessity for my MoHo after all if they weren't necessary do you think the manufacturers would fit them instead of the cheaper van variants? A point to note from my experience so far after 700 miles is that the Michelins outrank the Continentals for ride and handling even with the manufacturers recommended 80 psi all round. JMTW (y)

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I have had 6 continental tyres recalled by continental, low profile mercedes car original fit, all the walls split on the inside, all refunded by the manufacturer
Never again will I have continental tyres, I have toyo and hancok now and have been more than pleased with them

now here's a funny thing, I questioned why I always bought pirelli, goodyear, dunlop,avon etc etc etc, and I came to the conclusion that all I knew about them was the advertising that they had fed me with, the tyres could be sh1t but if the advert was good I would choose them, now I try and AVOID these promoted brands and head for a recommendation, ask a taxi drive or a professional driver , another user, ask here, see what they use, you will be surprised

Have my TOYO's been great YES, are my HANCOK good yes, do I miss Continental .............. definitely NOT
 

Brian and Jo

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I would be interested to know which type of tyres the member who had a rear one explode recently. That took out the whole rear wheel arch, and everything behind it.
Unless you are really unlucky and hit an object on the road or a pothole then the reason that most Motorhome tyres fail in service is fatigue and is age related.
Another reason is that the tyre has picked something up off the road i.e. nail or screw and the tyre then gets run under inflated until it gets very hot and finally fails.
It's fact that in the whole scheme of the tyre industry that manufacturing defects in tyres are quite rare,not unheard of but not very common today.
Brian & Jo
 
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Emmit

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When we got the 'van two years ago, I soon decided that we needed new tyres.
As others have alluded to, we usually buy tyres based on the amount of money that manufacturers throw at the media.
I looked at the figures issued as a result of the Euro. Directive which stated the stopping in the Wet and the Dry, Fuel Economy and Road noise.
I settled on a tyre that no one has heard of called Sailun.
Currently on sale at Asda Tyres for a shade over £50. Does the job, with the same figures (at the time of purchasing) as those Michelin Camping Tyres for half the price.
I've got no complaints. We're currently doing about 7000 miles a year and the wear is good.
When I change, when I inevitably will have to at some stage, I'll be looking for some slightly wider tyres to give me a safer loading margin than I have now. Currently on 109/107 that only give me 30kgs over the weight per tyre on the back axle. No good for France where they make us go up and down those speed humps.
I would again seriously consider Sailun, (or any other make that ticks the same EU Directive boxes)
.

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Traveller_HA5_3DOM

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So if winter tyres are not made in camping car format, or indeed fitted as original equipment is there an argument to say that they are unsuitable and as such fail an MOT? I know in some countries where winer tyres are obligatory an exemption can be issued if S + M tyres are not available.
 

Badknee

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Reading threads on here there are winter tyres available, look for a snow cristal symbol.
 

funflair

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So if winter tyres are not made in camping car format, or indeed fitted as original equipment is there an argument to say that they are unsuitable and as such fail an MOT? I know in some countries where winer tyres are obligatory an exemption can be issued if S + M tyres are not available.

I am sure that the MOT on covers the legality of the tyres not the suitability.

Some campers come with "camping" tyres fitted but certainly not all, and even if they do I don't see that it is imperative that they are used at replacement time, I do know that the N+B factory fit the Continental fourseasons tyre to Flair's these tyres have a higher load rating than the available camping tyres in the same size and are snowflake and mountain marked so in my view are more suitable than the "camper" alternative with only M+S marking.

I have only once had a cheap (name I had never heard of) set of tyres on a vehicle and after about 200 miles I went back to the garage and they swapped them, he said I thought they would be good enough for the works van Noooo.

Martin

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Techno

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Unless you are really unlucky and hit an object on the road or a pothole then the reason that most Motorhome tyres fail in service is fatigue and is age related.
Another reason is that the tyre has picked something up off the road i.e. nail or screw and the tyre then gets run under inflated until it gets very hot and finally fails.
It's fact that in the whole scheme of the tyre industry that manufacturing defects in tyres are quite rare,not unheard of but not very common today.
Brian & Jo
All the more reason to invest in tyre pal
I constantly monitor mine each journey for any unusual changes
 

Photo4x4

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I am just about to replace the front two tyres on my MH (Bessacarr E495 - 4005 kg Gross) and for safety reasons I'm putting on exactly what the manufacturers recommend in the handbook and are on the vehicle as supplied by Fiat: Continental Vanco Camper 225/75 R16 CP.

Expensive, yes, but my family will be travelling in it.

I'd rather go with the recommendations of the manufacturer than risk listening to the opinion of someone's anecdotal opinion on a forum!

In this case 'you pays your money, you takes your chance'!

KH
 
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I am just about to replace the front two tyres on my MH (Bessacarr E495 - 4005 kg Gross) and for safety reasons I'm putting on exactly what the manufacturers recommend in the handbook and are on the vehicle as supplied by Fiat: Continental Vanco Camper 225/75 R16 CP.

Expensive, yes, but my family will be travelling in it.

I'd rather go with the recommendations of the manufacturer than risk listening to the opinion of someone's anecdotal opinion on a forum!

In this case 'you pays your money, you takes your chance'!

KH
& don't forget the 2 new ones should go on the back & the back ones moved to the front.(y)

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