TYRES AGAIN !

Jul 8, 2020
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Hi All,

Just had my yearly service and alde fluid change done, engineer said about my tyres which i allready knew about.

my question is are normal car tyres ok to use as long as load rating is the same ?

mine are 185 70 14 88.

Thanks,
 
Jun 16, 2020
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The 88 is the load rating. That equals 560 kg. Therefore your van should be below 1120 kg. But that is the minimum. Plenty of explanations on the internet, eg here.

Personally I prefer to exceed the minimum and give myself some extra assurance. Therefore, for my van at 1500 kg. I think I got 101 or 102 which equates to 1650 or 1700 kg. For this I needed van tyres which have extra ply’s built in, from memory mine are 4 or 5 ply.

They weren’t too expensive, just had to shop around for a stockiest/supplier and one which had enough room to take my van.

Also, please get them balanced, you know it makes sense.

John
 
Oct 17, 2010
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I would go for the original fitting. Not much deafferents in price if they are "C" rated.

But if the load rating is at or above the original tyres fitted should be OK.
 
Jun 16, 2020
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The 88 is the load rating. That equals 560 kg. Therefore your van should be below 1120 kg. But that is the minimum. Plenty of explanations on the internet, eg here.

Personally I prefer to exceed the minimum and give myself some extra assurance. Therefore, for my van at 1500 kg. I think I got 101 or 102 which equates to 1650 or 1700 kg. For this I needed van tyres which have extra ply’s built in, from memory mine are 4 or 5 ply.

They weren’t too expensive, just had to shop around for a stockiest/supplier and one which had enough room to take my van.

Also, please get them balanced, you know it makes sense.

John

When I wrote the above it was with the assumption it was for a single axle. For twin axle the principle is the same, but slightly different maths.

John
 
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Oct 17, 2010
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That will have to be your choice. " C" rated tyres will give you two load ratings one for single use and one for double use, as on the rear axle of a small truck, I don't know if this applies to a twin axle van or not. My advise would be to stick to the original fitted. As I've always done.
 
Jun 16, 2020
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That will have to be your choice. " C" rated tyres will give you two load ratings one for single use and one for double use, as on the rear axle of a small truck, I don't know if this applies to a twin axle van or not. My advise would be to stick to the original fitted. As I've always done.

Dave, the ‘C’ relates to speed, it is the preceding number which relates to load.

John
 
Nov 11, 2009
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That will have to be your choice. " C" rated tyres will give you two load ratings one for single use and one for double use, as on the rear axle of a small truck, I don't know if this applies to a twin axle van or not. My advise would be to stick to the original fitted. As I've always done.
That’s not correct my tyres are Hankook C rated and they only show one load rating. C is “ commercial” which indicates they are more for use on delivery vans. They are invariably 80% aspect ratio too.
 
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That will have to be your choice. " C" rated tyres will give you two load ratings one for single use and one for double use, as on the rear axle of a small truck, I don't no if this applies to a twin axle van or not. My advise would be to stick to the original fitted. As I've always done.

Dave, the ‘C’ relates to speed, not load.
My van is well above 1120 as its a twin axle, the tyres i belive are from factory when new .
🤔🤔🤔

You did not specify originally, therefore it’s 1120 x 2, = 2240. Sounds loads, but check.

Another consideration for twin axles Is the ability of the tyre to cope with the twisting effect when turning. I don’t know how you find which would be more suitable in that situation.
It might be that a tyre which has a more subtle side wall. Therefore less number of ply’s, or rayon as opposed to steel ply’s might prove best.

Considering that, I would be tempted to seek more professional advice. Perhaps contact manufacturers.


John
 
Nov 11, 2009
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If there are two load ratings on a tyre the lower relates to twinned tyres. Ie where a commercial vehicle has two wheels at each end of its axle. A twin axle caravan doesn’t have “ twinned” wheels as each axle only has one wheel at each end. Therefore the higher of the two load ratings is the one to use.
 
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C denotes they are used for commercial vehicles which may have a harder life. Ie Amazon delivery vans etc. The C isn’t speed rating.

I stand corrected, in my defence it does not mention that on the Goodyear link I gave the OP. As it was only showing the markings for car tyres.


Also, the OP has not said which letter is on their tyres.


John
 
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C rating is commercial as in mine 175R14C 99/98. Speed rating don't start until "L" 75 kph or there abouts.

It’s actually ‘F’ but when the speed rating is there its after the load rating, not where you have shown it. The OP has shown not shown a letter at all.

John
 
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If the OP is clear on the size and load rating of the OEM tyres why not just advise like new ones. Twin axles caravans have been around for years and brining up the issues of plies and sidewall flexibility really only serves to confuse. Plus what are the objective criteria on how to judge plies versus sidewall flexibility. Darned neigh impossible without a trip to MIRA and shed loads of cash.
 
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C rating is commercial as in mine 175R14C 99/98. Speed rating don't start until "L" 75 mph or there abouts.
There is no letter on mine at all but my engineer says those wete factory fitted by swift .
There has to be a speed rating marking on your tyres. It’s nit only EU law but internationally too. In UK and EU most vehicle tyres start at N and work up to Z. But there may be some that are lower letters down from N but it’s unusual.

RAC tyre speed ratings
 
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Oct 8, 2006
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One word: Avon tyres often look both a good option and the price is right but the manufacturer very specifically states that Avon tyres must NOT be used on caravans.
Always get 8-ply extra load (XL) rated tyres. Having read the above thread there doesn't seem to be anything about the age or date code of the existing tyres? There seems to be variation these days between dealers; assuming there is no visible cracking or deterioration some dealers will go with changing at five years, others will follow the older practice of changing at seven years.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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One word: Avon tyres often look both a good option and the price is right but the manufacturer very specifically states that Avon tyres must NOT be used on caravans.
Always get 8-ply extra load (XL) rated tyres. Having read the above thread there doesn't seem to be anything about the age or date code of the existing tyres? There seems to be variation these days between dealers; assuming there is no visible cracking or deterioration some dealers will go with changing at five years, others will follow the older practice of changing at seven years.

Good point about Avon/Cooper shame their press release did not say why they cannot recommend their tyres for caravans any longer as they used to be one of the brands you can rely on.

8 ply went out years ago when radial came in. It’s true that they indicate an increased “strength” for arduous duty but C rating does that for 80% aspect ratio tyres as does XL fir tyres with a lower aspect ratio. 8 ply is a marking on the sidewalls to meet North American buyers conservative views. But if you read the details of plies on the sidewall you won’t find many if any modern tyres with 8.

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/tire-ply-rating
 

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