Motorhome tyres

Putting 80psi in the tyres gives a hard ride and only those with well glued dentures should pump them up so high.

Michelin advise 80 psi at the rear regardless of weight, but it is a bit harsh so I generally go a bit below it.

Keith, my info came directly from Continental and pertains to my van's axle loadings...i emailed them after i got the van and weighed it in Jan last...

i would find 80 psi all round probably unbearable...the ride is really smooth on the Continental settings.

i see Michelin are adopting a 'half way house' position where rear axle 'recommendation' of 80 psi is 'due to construction of the tyre', yet even with same tryes on the front, is apparently ok to reduce this according to axle weight.....hmmmm....

make of that what you will....

Thanks to you all for your replies Ian 

BB - sorry for the wrong attribution but the figures are identical to a Continental reply to a post by UncleNorm (19/05/2010) on MHFacts.

I agree that 80psi is way over the top for the majority of Motorhomes but it's only when you've driven on lower pressures for any length of time do you realise how excessively hard are the 80psi tyres.

We came out of the Eurotunnel terminal and onto the M20 recently and the potholes on the Motorway give it a feel of a third rate countries roads.

If we had had fully (80psi) inflated tyres there would have been no 'give' and I think the suspension would have suffered long term as a result.

With our lower pressures at least the tyres were able to give a better, but not good, ride until the Motorway surface improved after Maidstone.

I now understand why many motorists drove in the middle lane to avoid the diabolical potholes on one of our prime Motorways - the M20 gateway to the UK is a disgrace.

 Cheng Shin tyres are known for their soft side walls. I and many others, use them on vintage trials cars and they're excellent for grip on deep rutted and muddy hills - not somewhere you'd want to take your motorhome!

Its horses for courses when it comes to tyres. On our last 3 motorhomes we've had Continental vango tyres with no trouble in over 100k miles. Tyre pressures are a matter of trial and error but the above advice is sound.

To answer your question, buy some decent tyres.

Branded tyres are expensive, relative to cheap tyres. I recently fitted Yokohama in one application and paid £120 per corner, there were Michelin and Conti up to £180 for the same application. What I find amazing is there were a few far east brands at £40 per corner. What the hell are they made of. I have a good idea of the cost structure in the industry and allowing for the premium advertising budget then how the hell they market them at this cost is beyond belief.

I spoke to a man who spent his life in the industry, his advice was simply that you only ever find out what you are paying the extra for when you really need to know, at the limit.

Personal opinion:

Best

Continental, Pirelli, Goodyear, Michelin

Very very good

Kuhmo, Yokohama, Hankook, Toyo, Dunlop

Also look for second brands:

i.e Continental have massive development and testing facilities and can justify their premium prices but they also market tyres under sub brands, Barum, Uniroyal, Matador, Semperit. This means that you benefit from the R&D benefits without necessarily paying for the high profile marketing.

As a rule of thumb, if the brand supplies an OE then you can be assured that their manufacturing and materials have been rigorously appraised.

What's and OE Phis?

peedee

Keith, no worries...perhaps all their repies are sent in a 'fixed' format and look very similar..

Peedee.....i assumed it means Original Equipment?...

however, choosing MH tyres is a world away from kitting up the many/various types of car.....compare a Carrera to a Fiesta?

whereas 'almost' all MH (as being discussed here) come within a weight limit (more than likely on a 3.5t or 4.25t Fiat/Merc chassis) and a similar 'sedate' performance spectrum....the usage model is also far different to a car.....some sit for ages and dont move, many are loaded to the gunwales and driven for thousands of miles on european tours...

the tyres need to reflect these traits and CP rated MH tyres (especially from Continental and Michelin) are designed specifically to cater for these 'different/specific' demands...

id certainly stick with one of these brands and try and get the pressures to suit my axle weights.

Peedee.....i assumed it means Original Equipment?...

I was thinking along those lines but one usually refers to such companies as OEMs

peedee

Yes OE means tyres fitted as Original Equipment by one of the major automotive companies.

Understanding your requirement is the first step, so you need the size, speed rating and load rating. Dont copy the rating on the tyres you currently have fitted, read the handbook to make sure someone didnt put lower rated budget tyres.

Once you have this there are many on line sites that will give you the available choices.

For motorhomes the tyres are virtually all known as light commercial or truck or 8 (or 10) ply. This is because they run a high loads compared to car tyres and generally higher pressures.

As long as you run the correct size and match or exceed the load and speed rating then you are OK.

There are many marketed segment types, motorhome tyres, van tyres, truck tyres but essentially they are all very similar and as a rule of thumb you get what you pay for. Expensive branded ones have excellent materials for the belts and the compound. They benefit of huge development budgets. 

The cheap ones meet the relevant specification and are perfectly legal. The difference is usually noise, stopping distance, wear, and handling.