Tyre inflation
Hi all,
I am seeking advise on how to inflate my vans tyres to 5.5 bar. The tyre pump I had with my car (working off 12v socket) was unable to achieve the pressure, likewise my foot pump. I eventually went to my local garage where the only way to get to the air pump is to que in the fuel lanes which are always full.
I did a little research online and people were recommending a "Ring RAC900 heavy duty tyre compressor". This has to be run off the battery terminal. On checking my van to see how practical this would be, I have found I cannot access the battery terminals. My van is based on a Fiat Ducato.
Can anyone advise on an alternative method of achieving the required pressure ? I am not very technical minded as far as vehicles are concerned.
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I would go to one of the tyre shops in town - but this is small town Cornwall and I only have a choice of four. Give the man a tip and he will do the job for you.
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I got fed up with the 12v versions as they always blew the fuses, especially trying to get to the high pressures required by some motorhomes. I purchased a mains 230v version (see picture) which does the job with no trouble at all. I appreciate that to use it you have to have access to mains but as I tended only to use it at home that was not an issue.
David
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I have a small 40 Ah battery which is used for both inflating the car tyres and running the pump for the air awning. Much more convenient, in the case of the latter, than having to bring the car close to the awning.
On the subject of that Ring RAC tyre pump - I would strongly advise looking for something else. I've had two - the first one being returned under warranty. They are good in the sense that they're capable of high pressures and quick to inflate but the fittings that connect the air hose to the pump are brass and I've had two sheer, rendering the whole thing useless. Added to which, the long plastic air hose seems an added convenience - in practice, it's a pain. It gets tangled around everything and trying to get it coiled up again to go in the bag is a p.i.t a. !!
I gave up with it in the end and went back to a rechargeable one, which so far, has proved to be a much better. Not sure it would achieve the pressure you are looking for, though.
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Most track bike pumps go to 100psi (7 bar).
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Not had any problems with this Ring one my son bought as a present. Easily reaches your required pressure and is rechargeable via a usb lead or can be used from a 12volt socket, although I’ve not tried that option yet, as like DK I was worried about blowing fuses. It wouldn’t be suitable for inflation from flat but is perfectly adequate for top up / adjusting pressure.
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5.5 bar = 80 psi. That sounds like to maximum pressure for your tyres and must give an uncomfortable ride. There have been previous discussions on here about working out suitable pressures base on the vehicle weight distribution. We used 60 front, 65 rear on our 3.5 tonne van following advice from Continental. We didn't have tyre pressure monitors so that was not a problem.
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I have the predecessor to this Bosch 18v battery pump, goes to 10.3 bar (150psi). Needs mains to charge but charge lasts a long time.
https://www.bosch-diy.com/gb/en/p/universalpump-18v-06039471000 -
I thought 5.5 bar seemed high but it's what is recommended by Roller Team.
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You’re opening a can of worms there! There can be a huge discrepancy between the base vehicle/chassis manufacturer’s pressures and that of the motorhome converter. Add to that specific tyre manufacturer recommendations. What a mine field!
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The Ring RAC900 is a great bit of kit, with a hose that easily reaches the rear of my MH from the engine comportment. This is where you hook up to your positive and negative terminals. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB0JL1ebcxk
This shows you how to access your terminals.
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The motor home manufacturers always quote the max pressure. If you contact the tyre company and give them the axle weights from your plate, they used to then give you the best pressures for your van. In past posts, a table for calculating tyre pressures was available.
if you do lower your pressures then your tyre pressure monitors will have to be reset by your local garage.
ps we did over 170,000 miles on 60/65 and never had a problem with steering or tyre wear.0 -
The axel weights for the base vehicle will change significantly post conversion, particularly when the original chassis is removed and changed in that process. The only way to obtain true axel weights is to load your van according to your ‘usual’ needs and then take it to a weigh bridge. Once done consult the tyre manufacturer with the newly collected data to ascertain optimum tyre pressures.
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Some useful information here on tyre pressures. I am not sure all manufacturers are willing to engage with their customers re changing (especially rear) pressures. I have read that Michelin won't engage, unless that has changed recently?
David
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There is a formula - to be found somewhere on the internet, I suppose - for calculating tyre pressures which takes into account weight of vehicle, tyre size etc.
I found this out by accident because when we took delivery of our present van, the data plate by the door of the van stated that the correct pressure was 65psi. Although I thought this high for a TA van, on checking the tyre pressures, I saw that they had been set to that level, so assumed it was correct. I continued to run them at this level for two years - indeed that was the main reason I bought the Ring pump because my existing pump wouldn't go that high.
It was by pure chance that I came across a discussion on a forum about tyre pressures that I found out that, in fact, the correct pressure for my van tyres was 43psi and this was eventually confirmed by Knaus. What's more, on examination of the tyres, I discovered that the maximum pressure to which they should be inflated was 50psi!!
It turned out that, from said forum, I wasn't the only Knaus owner to have the incorrect tyre pressure on the data plate.
Needless to say, a very stern letter was sent to both the dealer and Knaus - pointing out the obvious safety issues of running tyres at such a high level and I ended up with a new set of tyres f.o.c.
Just to point out that manufacturer's information shouldn't always be taken as gospel.
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I too have the RAC900 which appears to be a quality piece of kit, so quite surprised to read the negative review above.
I keep a small car battery in the garage at home to connect it to rather than the faff of having to open vehicle bonnets to connect the croc clips. Sometimes on a Sunday afternoon I will just get the RAC pump and my battery out and can check the family fleet of vehicles all in one go.....
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Best bit of kit I have used is the Ryobi Inflator. They do several but this one is very compact as well as powerful. Ideal for keeping in the van; plus the battery can be used with other Ryobi 18V kit.
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Saw that advertised LLM, looked a good piece of kit.
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RC - I agree, it does appear to be a quality piece of kit and both worked OK for a while - fast and accurate and stored in a nice carrying bag. I did not abuse either and only used it a couple of times a month when we went away - but when both failed due to the brass coupling shearing - for no reason other than clipping it together, I decided to cut my losses and look for something else.
In the end, I went for this and, so far has proved to be very good and a lot more convenient to use.
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On the subject of correct tyre pressures, I had an Autosleepers Broadway and for a few years used the “plated” pressures of 5 to 5.5 bar until I took it to a weighbridge and realised the front axle weight meant that I could reduce the front pressures considerably (between 4 to 4.5 bar if I remember correctly). There was a very significant improvement in ride quality.
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Thanks everyone for your input, I have bought the same as recommended by David Klyne, it worked well. And thanks to Apperly for the link to youtube video, very helpful, thank you.
I have also reduced my tyre pressure to around 4.5 bar and the ride is much better.
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Proper tyre inflation ensures safety, fuel efficiency, and extends tire life. Regularly check and adjust tire pressure according to manufacturer recommendations.
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Some 18 years ago we purchased a power supply 200v AC to 13.8v dc to run a cool box but of course we used it power our 12 volt pumps, its still going strong I have only had to replace one of the diodes in the rectifier bridge, but last year my wife arrived home with home with a Ferrex battery pistol grip inflator that can according to instruction inflate up to 10.3 bar which has made things easier
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I've recently wondered about tyre pressures. I've always assumed (maybe wrongly) that the vehicle handbook gives the correct pressures. My previous van had front as 5 bar and rear 5.5 bar. I bought a 12v/240v compressor from Halfords, and with a 12 extension cable can reach all wheels from a 12 v socket in the van. I also use it if I need to increase the rear air suspension and for my wifes wheelchair tyres. When I got my present van in August, while fitting tyrepal sensors I found that the dealer had set the tyres at about 3.5 bar, even though the handbook gave 5.5 all round for the wheel/tyre combination I have. I've recently looked at the Tyresafe website, which gives tyre pressures based on the plated axle weight and tyre model, which for me is 3.67 bar front and 5.5 rear. The difference between 3.67 and 5.5 at the front seems considerable. Obviously the manufacturer won't know what the converter is putting on the chassis but I'd assume they would allow for the fact that as a van it could be running fully laden, which should be a similar weight to the finished motorhome.
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