Buying new tyres
I anticipate being told by my dealer at the next service that my van’s tyres should be changed. They are just over five years old (though the van isn’t.) Of course I could just accept the dealerships quote. But it would be good to know what prices elsewhere
are like. However checking the tyres themselves I find it is not possible to match the codes on the sidewall to what is asked for on tyre websites. They read: 175R14C and 9998Q. Does anyone know how these codes are to be interpreted in order to complete
a quotation request? I’m wary of just asking a tyre dealer as I have had the wrong tyres fitted to van wheels in the past by a national tyre dealership.
Comments
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http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres
Are you sure you have the correct code from the tyre? you seem to be missing a profile!
Black circles allows you to put in your reg. and it will suggest tryes for your vehicle based on the DVLA records.
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Your tyres are standard caravan / van tyres. They don't include a profile as they are 80 profile as standard.
i.e. 175/80 R14C the same as on our caravan.
The downside of this size is that they only have a load rating of 775kg (i.e. 1550kg total) which I thought inadequate for our 1500kg caravan.
I changed them to185/75 R14.
These are almost exactly the same outside diameter (so no problem with wheel arch clearance or with the motor mover) and they have a load rating of 850kg (1700kg total) which gives a far better safety margin.
I bought Hankook Vantra tyres and they seem pretty good so far.
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Interesting info there Ian....every day is a school day!
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Interesting info there Ian....every day is a school day!
I'm surprised you didn't already know that CJ
LOL....I do now!
No, never come across 80 being the standard profile....but never had a van long enough to need new tyres!
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Forgot to mention, the 99/98 number in Jim's original post is the load rating i.e. 775kg.
A rating of 102 is required for a load of 850kg. (the 185 width tyres usually give this).
The example provided by CJ shows a load rating of 91 (675kg) which is relatively low - this must be a car tyre (the load is split over 4 wheels, so can be lower).
The W part refers to the maximum speed for the tyre.
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Thanks all.
IanH: I tow a basic and lightly-laden two berth, MTPLM 1235kg, so am fairly happy with the modest 775kg per tyre load rating.
From past experience (see OP) the thing I am most wary of is having a tyre dealership (in my case Kwik Fit) fit ordinary car tyres. Any key rule(s) of thumb about what to ask for to ensure this doesn't happen?
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Jim, Ask them for commercial 6 ply tyres as fitted to vans as well as caravans.
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My main advice would be to never use Kwik Fit.
You need to ask for van (as in 'van' not abreviated 'caravan') tyres and the load rating of 99 or 102 will usually ensure that this is what you get (vans need a higher load rating because they......errrr carry a load).
Good luck!
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Anybody who sells tyres should know what the load rating means, but it's amazing the times you see car tyres put on vans! That should have reinforced tyres, then people wonder why your more expensive, but were fitting the right tyre, not a cheap 91V
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Thanks for the advice folks.
One comment that I thought might have been more prominent is: 'Rely on your caravan dealer to fit new tyres.' I'll respond to it anyway...and my response is: although I am prepared to do that, and expect to pay a modest premium, I would like to have a sense
of what premium I'm paying.0
