Tyres for our uprate

jim and pat dalton

jim and pat dalton

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Apologies if this has been done to death. But we are now two weeks into to our ownership of a 2016 Autotrail Imala 730.

It came with a good quality motorcycle rack attached mad by Armitage ....yippee!

As a 3.5t van its going to be knocking on the limit when we are full and carrying a 130kg scooter and beer rations. Frankly I think I could cope with being overweight but why should I?

So we are booked in to AS-Airsuspension to have our rear end upgraded on the 25th Sept. Svtech said that to replate our van the 217/70R 109 rated tyres will have to be replaced with tyres with a load rating of 112 or over.

Great! except I cannot find tyres of that size with more than a 109 load rating. I can find 225 sized tyres that go beyond that rating tho

Given that I'm not the first person here to "tread" (scuse the pun) that path. I wondered what other people may have done tyre/brand/type/rating wise and if anyone could advise?

We would be grateful of any feedback

Jim n Pat
 
Are you sure about that tyre size? I don't think a width of 217 exists!
 
Must be typo, it should be 215 or 225, I think you might struggle to find a 215/70 with a 112 load rating, there will be more choice with 225 assuming that width will fit your rims.
 
I uprated our van but nothing mentioned about the tyres we were already on 16 inch rims. I also fitted air assist on the rear and HD springs to the front. Svtec also supplied the new weight plate. Just checked the tyres fitted and they are 225 75 16 CP 20230117_090513.jpg
 
There is little difference between 215 and 225 tyres and I would (and did when I uprated my Autotrail) go for the 225/70R15.

Something to bear in mind after uprating .... Check what Breakdown cover you have for the Motorhome. Most policies you get direct with the breakdown organisations only cover upto 3.5t. Don't want to be left stranded accidentally!
 
What size are the wheels, 15” or 16”? What will the rating of the axles be? You really need that before you start with tyres. SVTech helped me find a suitable rated tyre when I was struggling, another reason I willingly use them 👍
 
16s make it a lot easier to upgrade it seems, just wider up rated tyres, and maybe airbags.
 
Used SVtech when I uprated mine from 3.4. To 3.5. Already fitted airbags.
But trying to keep it to the 3.5. So any driver can use it…
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Why do they even make a sub 3.5t as a motorhome, totally pointless.
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Depends on the chassis chosen. Wasn't a Motorhome but my Renault Master was 3.3t
My first conversion was a 2.4t VW Transporter. Actually had a benefit as sub 2.5t Motorhomes had cheaper tarrifs on some bridges.

But I would agree... if basing on a chassis like a Ducato, Master, Sprinter, etc, makes sense to use the 3.5t version for maximum flexibility.
 
Be carefull fitting wider or taller tyres/wheels, on my car i went up from 175/50/15 to 175/55/15, not a lot but they now rub on the inner gard on full lock & on the back they hit the plastic arch protector on bouncy road with passengers in back seat.
Messure twice fit once.
 
trevskoda said:
Be carefull fitting wider or taller tyres/wheels, on my car i went up from 175/50/15 to 175/55/15, not a lot but they now rub on the inner gard on full lock & on the back they hit the plastic arch protector on bouncy road with passengers in back seat.
Messure twice fit once.
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Dodgy Skodas!
 
Reading this has reminded me of something that I need to address.
I’ve already had 225x15 tyres fitted to my existing 215 rims.,The ride quality seems to have improved, as does road holding.
Several people have commented on, perhaps my tyre pressures were low.
Checking them, they’ve always been within a couple of psi of the standard recommendation.
I’m wondering if, because of the greater volume of the tyre, I should increase the pressure by,say another 5 psi?
 
Trotter said:
Reading this has reminded me of something that I need to address.
I’ve already had 225x15 tyres fitted to my existing 215 rims.,The ride quality seems to have improved, as does road holding.
Several people have commented on, perhaps my tyre pressures were low.
Checking them, they’ve always been within a couple of psi of the standard recommendation.
I’m wondering if, because of the greater volume of the tyre, I should increase the pressure by,say another 5 psi?
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You would expect a better ride as you have more air volume and more 'give' between the road surface and the wheel rim.
It is one reason why people choose to get 'oversized' tyres for their vehicles. It also gives better protection against wheel damage from Potholes. Overall getting fatter tyres has many benefits, and the only two downsides are:
1) Doesn't look as 'cool' as rubber bands on big wheels. Who cares?!
2) Handling around corners at higher speeds is slightly worsened. It's a campervan with rubbish handling already so would anyone notice?

I think I have fitted bigger tyres to every single camper/Motorhome I have had :)
 
wildebus said:
You would expect a better ride as you have more air volume and more 'give' between the road surface and the wheel rim.
It is one reason why people choose to get 'oversized' tyres for their vehicles. It also gives better protection against wheel damage from Potholes. Overall getting fatter tyres has many benefits, and the only two downsides are:
1) Doesn't look as 'cool' as rubber bands on big wheels. Who cares?!
2) Handling around corners at higher speeds is slightly worsened. It's a campervan with rubbish handling already so would anyone notice?

I think I have fitted bigger tyres to every single camper/Motorhome I have had :)
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Understood. But have you altered Tyre Pressures?
 
I experienced quite a few problems with tyres eg poor ride quality, blowouts, poor handling etc on our Italian gadabout.
On our return, I changed them from 225x65x16 to 225x75x16 after checking to make sure there was ample room in the wheel arch. I have also uprated the load rating to 118.
I can honestly say the ride is superior in all respects, and the extra load rating is worth its weight in gold. I have a lot more confidence in the vehicle generally, and my eyes have stopped watering now from the cost of replacing five new tyres and rims.
 
RoaminRog said:
I experienced quite a few problems with tyres eg poor ride quality, blowouts, poor handling etc on our Italian gadabout.
On our return, I changed them from 225x65x16 to 225x75x16 after checking to make sure there was ample room in the wheel arch. I have also uprated the load rating to 118.
I can honestly say the ride is superior in all respects, and the extra load rating is worth its weight in gold. I have a lot more confidence in the vehicle generally, and my eyes have stopped watering now from the cost of replacing five new tyres and rims.
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With what you’ve already spent this year on your vehicle, what’s another couple of grand.
Sorry Rog, probably a bit under the belt.lol

In fairness, your MH is a good deal bigger than my 3.3tonne
17’s ? Maybe one day. ATM, I’m on 15’s, so 17’s is going to be a massive upgrade.
I’ll try for some professional advice. Only problem with that, is the H&S nonsense.
As I’ve moved on from standard, any professional wouldn’t be able to “advise”. I’d have to phrase my question differently. Something like, What would be the effect if I………..
 
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