tyre sizes and load and speed ratings etc.

Do you have a main dealer you could ask?

Yes, that can be an issue, assuming what is on there now is the correct thing.

With some of the tyre supplier web sites you put in your vehicle reg and it *only* offers you only those tyres that would be considered suitable.

Most tyres state on them the load rating and you can get reasonably close to the load they may need to sustain by dividing the weight of the car by 4. If that 'overloads' one tyre (at recommended pressures) then there is a good chance the fronts would be overloaded (on a FWD car) ITRW.

It can, depending on how close you are to the load limits or what you are typically using the vehicle for (often running it heavily loaded etc). The XL means 'Extra Load and one of the Reinforced type tyres and that means they can often run at a higher pressure and therefore (safely) carry a heavier load. Daughter went for XL's on her van, even though the tyres we already more than adequate for the maximum load for the vehicle.

They could also mean you get a slightly 'harder' ride.

I believe I understand for anything other than bigger vehicles that made need plating rather than a std MOT, there is no legal requirement for your vehicle to be fitted with a specific load rating tyre, just that it should never be overloaded (if the Ministry boys you put you on a weighbridge etc).

Daughters van was such a vehicle and came with new front tyres that were very likely to always be ok on the front, but could have been overloaded if she had them on the back and was carrying a full load (so she replaced all 4).

It could be that different models need different load rating tyres?

Cheers, T i m

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The load rating depends on several things- or more exactly what you can safely 'load' the tyres to.

People who tow caravans, drive motorhomes, or in my case, tow a trailer, often look in detail at the tyre load rating at the specified pressure. They can then calculate, using the axle load, number of wheels on axle (not always 2!), a custom/correct pressure to use. For example, my trailer has H rated tyres. If fully loaded, I would need 69 psi but I don't fully load it so can run lower than that.

Likewise, my motorhome, if fully loaded, required 80 psi in the rear and

79.5 in the front. If I want a softer ride, and I'm not fully loaded, I can calculate a lower pressure.

The calculation isn't complex, simple sums. You need to know the axle load and tyre loading details. A Google will produce the calculation etc.

Thanks, I'll call Ford tomorrow.

I've tried that but it lists several, not just different speeds and load ratings but also different rim sizes. I guess these web sites recognise it as a Mondeo but do not know what version of Mondeo or whether it had the sportier bigger rims fitted etc.

I wondered that, whether bigger engines needed ratings for greater speeds and weight.

More importantly, I read somewhere that there is an obscure code which tells the tyre's manufaturing date. Tyres over 10 years old can be hazardous and also likely to fail MOT.

tyre sizes are shown on the sticker with tyre pressures, often inside the fuel filler flap

Not that obscure, once you know what you are looking for and how to read it. ;-)

It's normally a round ended box with something like (0604) (I think there were a couple of systems) that indicates the tyre was manufactured in the 6th week of 2004. If it only has 3 digits it's older than 2000 so 18 years old now. ;-(

I found that the rear tyres on the Meriva we were given by Mum when Dad died had the original tyres from the factory! (And so 10 years old).

True. Depending on lots of factors ... just how hazardous they can be.

I wasn't aware of that (for age alone)?

Cheers, T i m

Yes, even with tyre depth OK. I once had MOT fail on this after I bought my car on ebay. Car was low mileage for age, so hadn't been used a lot, hence the rear tyres were old.

rubbish, there is no failure merely for the age of a tyre.

If they actually wrote "aged tyre" on MOT fail sheet then you need to tell VOSA.

If they wrote "cracked sidewall" on the fail sheet then that's a proper reason to fail it. The cracks do have to be over 1" long and down to the cords.

If they didn't write a MOT fail sheet but did a pre MOT advisory inspection and advised the tyres were old and should be changed to which you agreed. Then they followed the instruction you gave to change them. (which constituted your contract)

Nothing like the cracks you mentioned. There were very small cracks as a sign of age, after all the tyres were old as the car was "low mileage" for age when I bought it. The tyres just didn't look new and fresh, that's all it was. I didn't think any of it.

so the fail was not 'tyres too old' ?

No they didn't say that, but they said there were the cracks as I mentioned, but nothing like the cracks that you mentioned.

Bit they also said the cracks were due to old age. Not cuts by e.g. an object.