Tyres and ride quality/pliancy

Crazyj

Crazyj

Joined
Nov 9, 2021
Posts
79
Likes collected
68
Funster No
85,358
MH
ENC Fifer Touring XL
Exp
Since 2012
Apologies - I’m sure there are hundreds of threads relating to this…

I have a Ducato 540 based PVC and its ride quality in abysmal. Before I look into air or semi-air suspension I thought maybe changing the tyres might be a quicker/ more cost efficient way forward, initially.

Michelin Agilis 225/R16 camper tyres are currently on the van and I know that people often ditch these in favour of other tyres. Has anyone on here done that, and to which tyres, with what sorts of results?

Thanks in advance

Jason
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
A frequent question and you'll get loads of do/don't responses. If you really can't live with the ride quality and the debatable safety of CP rating tyres doesn't bother you then Toyo Observe always seem to impress people.
 
Upvote 0
I changed from Michelin Agilis to Hankooks and am very pleased that I did so. The Michelins were cracking and noisy and gave a harsh ride.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
Hettie's Crew said:
I wouldn’t recommend anyone lowers tyre pressures on ’Camping tyres’ from the recommended. They are designed to run at high pressures and therefore the side walls aren’t meant to flex much.
Click to expand...
Carthago recommend much lower pressures for them.
 
Upvote 0
Thanks for all the replies so far….it would seem that changing to a non-camper tyre will improve things. It’s just a question of brand…..🤔
 
Upvote 0
Lenny HB said:
Carthago recommend much lower pressures for them.
Click to expand...
I’ve run mine at anything between the recommended 5.5 bar and as low as 3 bar….reducing the pressures, for me at least, has not resulted in a better ride, just poor handling.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
We were due to change our Continental Camper tyres on the front of our Burstner coach built and the tyre fitter suggested we try Pirelli Carrier Camper.
The difference was noticeable and a much 'softer' feel to the ride.
Not had them on long enough to comment on durability.
 
Upvote 0
I run my Agilis CPs at 80psi rear and 65psi front as advised by Michellin. I cheat though by setting them when hot - hehe :doh:. 15k miles later and I've not ended up crashed in any ditches yet. The ride is marginally improved, the grip is still woeful but the handling is great.
 
Upvote 0
Unless your an infrequent user of your MH then I wouldn't use cp tyres C - commercial tyres will be fine.

Also if your running 121 tyres these will be stiffer than 111 or 116 tyres which you could fit on a 3.5t van front and rear....

The tyre loading has to be more than half the axle loading...
 
Upvote 0
Went from Michelin campers to continental Vanco 2 all season and its made a big difference to the ride,at last, a list of tyre pressures vs weight.
 
Upvote 1
Jamesh said:
Unless your an infrequent user of your MH then I wouldn't use cp tyres C - commercial tyres will be fine.

Also if your running 121 tyres these will be stiffer than 111 or 116 tyres which you could fit on a 3.5t van front and rear…..

The tyre loading has to be more than half the axle loading...
Click to expand...
Very helpful - thank you!
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
I run the Michelins on my Compactline at the Carthago pressures and have no complaints about the ride or handling. Perhaps the Carthago/Fiat/Alko is just a much better set up than than my previous Hymer/Mercedes set up.
 
Upvote 0
Crazyj said:
Forgive my ignorance…but what do you mean?
Click to expand...
Exactly as the previous poster said...If you ask Michelin what tyre pressure is with Camping tyres they always say we recommend the maximum of 80psi which is a hell of a ride over potholes etc . Continental gives you appropriate pressures according to your weight .So you get loaded up and go to your local weighbridge and get front and rear axle weights then look up the pressure on your Michelin tech data ,,, a much better solution and a comfy ride.

.
 
Upvote 0
Well after months of cogitating and research (thanks to the Funsters who answer my PMs) bit the bullet and fitted Maxxis VanSmart All Season AL2 - 225/75 R16 C 121/120R TL, supplied and fitted by Border Tyres in Dunbar, who were excellent.

I went for these as Toyo’s seemed to be unavailable at a sensible price, thought of Yokohama but couldn’t find any reviews on them. The Vansmart came fourth in a promobile test so thought I would give them a go.

First impressions are that they are definitely quieter than the Michelin Agilis camper tyres they replace. I have to adjust the tyre pressures to suit the axle loadings but all in very pleased. Total cost for 5 tyres including fitting and new brass/steel values £567.00. You may be able to get it slightly cheaper but I wanted a one stop shop.

Once we have used them in anger for a bit I’ll post an update.

PS This is also worth looking at.

www.tyresafe.org

Motorhome Tyre Pressure Calculator | TyreSafe

Our motorhome tyre pressure calculator gives you the correct pressures for your motorhome. Check your tyres regularly for your safety.
www.tyresafe.org www.tyresafe.org

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
That TyreSafe calculator still gives higher pressures than Carthago recommend.
 
Upvote 0
Ivory55 said:
When people say about poor handling, what sort of speed are they doing as it’s only an old van with living accommodation inside not an S class merc
Click to expand...
When I refer to poor handling it is not about going fast. When my tyres are deflated by a couple of bar the van rolls more in corners with no appreciable improvement in ride comfort. Rolling in corners is a part of poor handling.

And S class Mercs are not the last word in fine handling either 😉
 
Upvote 0
Crazyj said:
When I refer to poor handling it is not about going fast. When my tyres are deflated by a couple of bar the van rolls more in corners with no appreciable improvement in ride comfort. Rolling in corners is a part of poor handling.

And S class Mercs are not the last word in fine handling either 😉
Click to expand...
We ran our with less air and was ok , but all different

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Crazyj said:
Apologies - I’m sure there are hundreds of threads relating to this…

I have a Ducato 540 based PVC and its ride quality in abysmal. Before I look into air or semi-air suspension I thought maybe changing the tyres might be a quicker/ more cost efficient way forward, initially.

Michelin Agilis 225/R16 camper tyres are currently on the van and I know that people often ditch these in favour of other tyres. Has anyone on here done that, and to which tyres, with what sorts of results?

Thanks in advance

Jason
Click to expand...
Before you change the tyres you should take the vehicle to a weigh bridge so you have accurate measurement for each axle, then consult the Tyresafe website to get the correct pressures which you will find are probably far lower than the base vehicle manufacturers recommendations which are based on a fully loaded delivery van. You many find, as many have, that properly adjusted pressures make a huge difference.
 
Upvote 0
iandsm said:
manufacturers recommendations which are based on a fully loaded delivery van
Click to expand...
The problem OP has is he is on Camper Tyres which tend to have much higher pressures recommended. You won't have these on a delivery van. Therefore not sure your theory is strictly suitable.
 
Upvote 0
poppycamper said:
The problem OP has is he is on Camper Tyres which tend to have much higher pressures recommended. You won't have these on a delivery van. Therefore not sure your theory is strictly suitable.
Click to expand...
My advise was based on the advice received from Continental Tyres technical department. Certainly camping tyres have higher recommend pressures because they are capable of taking them, but, they do no have to be inflated to those higher pressures. Michelin advise rear camper tyres to be inflated to 80 psi regardless of axle weight on the assumption that a camper may at some point be loaded to the maximum permitted axle weight. Of course if the axle weight is known to be far less than maximum that would be like riding on bricks. Continental recommend my camping tyres pressures as Front 1689KG = 43.5 PSI rear 1700 = 47.1. I add a safety margin of 50KG each axle so that gives front 47.14 rear 50.76. These pressures are far lower than Michelin for a tyre which in all respects of so similar to the Continental camping tyres I have as to make no difference. They give a good ride with good handling and no more noise than higher pressures but a slight decrease in MPG of about 1.5 miles per gallon which I am happy with.

Having done a lot of research before I purchased the tyres fitted to my PVC on this and other forums and more importantly with the tyre manufacturers I am confident that my tyres are at the correct pressures for the axle weights quoted. I would not have replied to the OP as I did had I not been confident in what I suggested, Axle weights are crucial in determining correct pressures which is why I mentioned that.
 
Upvote 0
iandsm said:
You many find, as many have, that properly adjusted pressures make a huge difference.
Click to expand...
As mentioned earlier, I have tried inflating my tyres at all sorts of pressures between 3 and 5.5 bar to no avail. The consensus is that the stiff sidewalls on a camper tyre remain just that - stiff - regardless of pressure. As I use my van fairly frequently I do not need camper tyres so should hopefully be able to find tyres which will run at lower pressures AND give a more pliant ride. And of course, my axle weights will be checked so that the correct tyresafe pressures are used.
 
Upvote 0
Crazyj said:
As mentioned earlier, I have tried inflating my tyres at all sorts of pressures between 3 and 5.5 bar to no avail. The consensus is that the stiff sidewalls on a camper tyre remain just that - stiff - regardless of pressure. As I use my van fairly frequently I do not need camper tyres so should hopefully be able to find tyres which will run at lower pressures AND give a more pliant ride. And of course, my axle weights will be checked so that the correct tyresafe pressures are used.
Click to expand...
I tried changing the pressures when I had the dreaded Michelin tyres I found it made no difference at all.
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top