What tyres

[rayc]

The sidewalls were stronger so they wouldn't deform so easily causing the flat spots.

Yes but why are they only used on SEVEL motorhomes.? You would expect the dynamics of Ford or Mercedes to be the same?

 

[hairydog]

I have always had CP types as they were fitted originally. Do you think I would get a better ride with non CP. I have to say my Fiat Rapido has never been what I would describe as smooth.

No, I don't think you would get a better ride. I know you'd get a better ride.

You need to do a little research to find the correct pressures for YOUR van: get the van fully loaded up, with water, fuel and everything else, including passengers, and take it to a weighbridge capable of weighing the axles separately. Not all can. And write the weights down!

Then look at your tyres: they will be marked with a load rating (something like 110 or 112 or even 112/110) and a maximum pressure.

Look the load rating up to find what it means (112 is 1120KG).

Then you can calculate the correct tyre pressure for each axle: it is a simple proportion of the maximum pressure and maximum load.

Assuming the front axle has a weight of 1660Kg and the back axle has a weight of 1800Kg and the tyres are 112 rated at a maximum pressure of 65psi, the weight on each front tyre is 830Kg, so the correct pressure is (830/1120) * 65 = 48.2 psi and the back tyre pressure is (900/1120) * 65 = 52.2 psi.

Some people say you should add 10% to the pressures for safety, but if you weighed fully loaded and calcualted correctly, I don't see the point. There will be a safety margin in the load rating in any case.

 

[cronkle]

Rayc. Memory also suggests that CP was invented by Michelin. Perhaps it was the French influence within the Sevel collaboration that did it.

 

[hairydog]

Then look at your tyres: they will be marked with a load rating (something like 110 or 112 or even 112/110) and a maximum pressure.

I should have said: the 112/110 load rating means 112 if there is one wheel each side. If there are twin wheels (common on the rear of larger motorhomes) you use the lower figure (1060Kg) when calculating the load on each wheel.

 

[cliveandann]

I should have said: the 112/110 load rating means 112 if there is one wheel each side. If there are twin wheels (common on the rear of larger motorhomes) you use the lower figure (1060Kg) when calculating the load on each wheel.

Good post. Just one thing. By quoting the 112 load rating as 1120 kgs you might give the impression that the load is 10 x the rating. This isn't the case. Anyone using the load rating should check the load rating table to find the correct loading. For example a load rating of 100 is equivalent to 800kgs not a 1000kgs

 

[Trek]

If i were in the market for new tyres for a sevel camper i would be seriously considering the new Michelin Cross Climates which now come in commercial sizes and load ratings

They are supposed to be good on slippery wet grass and mud !

But as these are all season then all corners should be changed out so your not mixing summer and all season


My Merc 5 ton sprinter drives beautifully on its Michelin Agilis Alpin winter tyres

 

[rayc]

Rayc. Memory also suggests that CP was invented by Michelin. Perhaps it was the French influence within the Sevel collaboration that did it.

I believe the design of the CP tyre by Michelin was paid for by the Fiat/Citroen/Peugeot SEVEL company. That is why CP tyres are fitted as standard to their motorhomes. I know that when Citroen was bankrupt in 1934 that its biggest creditor was Michelin. Michelin took over Citroen becoming its largest shareholder. To this day Citroen fit Michelin tyres to their vehicles. In 1968, Michelin were looking to sell their interest in Citroën - and an agreement was struck with Fiat to transfer the remaining 49% from Clermont Ferrand to Turin. Far from me to say its the money but obviously by limiting choice of tyre over the life of a vehicle there is money to be made.

 

[cliveandann]

If i were in the market for new tyres for a sevel camper i would be seriously considering the new Michelin Cross Climates which now come in commercial sizes and load ratings

They are supposed to be good on slippery wet grass and mud !

But as these are all season then all corners should be changed out so your not mixing summer and all season


My Merc 5 ton sprinter drives beautifully on its Michelin Agilis Alpin winter tyres

So does mine

 

[witzend]

If you choose to put new tyres on front thats fine by me but hopefully your not recommending others to do same

50 + years in the trade its what I,ve always recommended and done unless asked to do other wise which wasn't very often

 

[witzend]

this is what i said but apparently i am wrong

Not for front wheel drive in MHO

 

[rayc]

This is the response I received from continental regarding the pressures for my CP tyres v axle ratings.

 

[Trek]

No motor trade experience for me just formed my opinions from the tyre manufacturers advice over the many years that I have been driving

I assume they know better than me so have always followed their advice of new tyres on rear ( and will continue to )


But I apologise if I am wrong

Eg

 

[hairydog]

Good post. Just one thing. By quoting the 112 load rating as 1120 kgs you might give the impression that the load is 10 x the rating. This isn't the case. Anyone using the load rating should check the load rating table to find the correct loading. For example a load rating of 100 is equivalent to 800kgs not a 1000kgs

Yes, good point. I picked 112 as a likely value, but perhaps a less likely one would have been less misleading. 110 is 1060Kg.

 

[Carrerasax]

But, I had calculated mine at 45 front 54 back but when I had van serviced at fiat garage who do a lot of MHs they insisted that this was low and told me they should be 60 front 65 rear!!!

 

[trevskoda]

Tyres that wear out faster tend to give a better grip,softs or wets,very hard tyres are good for motor way high speed as they dont heat as much but give less grip,all motor bikers know this stuff.
The idea of putting rear tyre to front is so you get the wear before the use by date,though in bad conditions its a fact worn tyres dont do the biz,also remember it takes a few miles to wear in new tyres and in the first week take it easy.
Not in vans but cars i dont think i have ever got more than about 8 to 10 thu miles out of them,then again us irish realy do drive hard.

 

[Carrerasax]

Not in a MH surely!!!

 

[Rugbyreddragon]

Try Blackcircle.com Michelin Camper £167 each and then 10% discount fitted at local tyre fitters listed on their site.

 

[chas142]

You might also consider a brand not often mentioned on this site, but these Pirelli’s get really good ratings on wet performance, economy and noise ........

View attachment 42156

Good to see the details in this listing, whilst it is a commercial tyre and not a camper tyre it has the snow flake symbol, that mean it is made of a different type of rubber than a standard tyre, it's not so ridged in lower winter temperatures, so gives a better footprint, (dependant on tyre tread design), I have at the moment a selection of tyres on my car and MH, just the way it worked out. On MH I have Bridgestone Duravis, (originally had narrow tread economy commercials), on the front and Michelin Camper on the Rear.

On the Car I have winter snowflake tyres on the front, and slightly wider heavier load standard tyres on the rear, which turned out to be M&S, but made from standard rubber, just bigger snips / gaps to clear M&S.

My previous MH had standard commercial tyres as in that size no camper tyres were available, they always looked overloaded, so much so that I had comments about them from a big fat German who parked up next to us when we were in France.

In my experience the snowflake tyres give much better grip in cold and wet conditions over the standard tyres, and came with deep tread which I liked, they even gripped in the summer better than the original Eco tyres. The M&S tyres was much shorter in tread depth then all of the other tyres but it will be made from a harder rubber and theoretically take longer to wear out.

My conclusion is that Camper Tyres take the load better than standard tyres, if fitting standard tyres to a MH go for wider tyres and that should increase the load level by one level, But check that out and also make sure they will fit the rear and you can change the tyre yourself if you get a puncture. Can snow chains still be fitted if you need them?

As for the Bridgestone Duravis that I have, on grip they aren't much better than the narrow economy tyres in the wet, probably slightly better in mud and snow due to the wider footprint right out to the side walls, they look more overloaded than the Camper Tyres on the rear, that's due to the lower weight range and lower max tyre pressure that they can take.

Always check the weight range and pressure settings on the tyres, the spare tyre on the previous MH turned out to a none commercial tyre and the side wall gave out under pressure, luckily it hadn't been fitted and apart from that was new. I have also recently purchased 4 wheels with tyres and chrome Fiat covers, they are van/camper tyres, it lists on the side wall max tyre pressure then list separately on the tyre that for campers the pressure can be increased to *****bar higher than the van, You might not pick this up on a web site.

If you vehicle plate or manual says a particular tyre type and pressure it would at least be best to stick to a tyre that can take that pressure, just incase someone else blows up the tyres and doesn't realise the instructions don't match the tyre fitted, like I didn't!!!

If you fit standard commercial tyres you will get a better ride as they are obviously softer at the lower pressure, they will however be put under more flexing than the makers intended, I understand that some tyre manufactures say that only camper tyres should be fitted to a MH, as said above different vehicle manufactures say different things, I wonder what an insurance accessor, DVSA road side officer, or a police traffic officer say if you had none recommended, (tyre manufactures), fitted to a Fiat like mine where they recommend camper tyres. MMM, they will be changed to camper ones soon.

Has anyone found Camper, (snow flake), tyres made by anyone ?

 

[korky]

Worth mentioning if you have different tyres on different axles,what kind of tyre is your spare?In France the breakdown services or garages won't fit a tyre if it doesn't match the other on the axle, as it is illegal there.You could end up having to buy two. I would change the tyre myself, but many don't. For that reason all five of my tyres match.No need to worry if you don't cross the briny.

 

[chas142]

Worth mentioning if you have different tyres on different axles,what kind of tyre is your spare?In France the breakdown services or garages won't fit a tyre if it doesn't match the other on the axle, as it is illegal there.You could end up having to buy two. I would change the tyre myself, but many don't. For that reason all five of my tyres match.No need to worry if you don't cross the briny.

The spare matches one of the set, front or back, dependant on which vehicle. I would change the tyre myself. The snow tyres are rotational, only had 4 of them on spare set of rims for car, so spare for that is M&S none rotational. It had a silly narrow spare, would have to refit that then if needed. Didn't know the position in France but don't think we will be going over again. Last time was in the older MH, all commercial tyres, but not snow flake tyres so not allowed in Germany, Austria and some other places during the winter months, I think. Life is never simple is it.