Tyres - not maker's recommended spec.

Aug 29, 2006 8 Replies
N

Hi,



Recently acquired a 2001 VWT4 van. It has 4 almost brand new Continental Vanco Contact2 tyres fitted, type 205/65 R15 99 T RF.



The Owners Manual and the plate on the driver's door, however, give the recommended tyre specification as 205/65 R15 C 100 T.



I've looked up the load index code of 99 and it equates to a max load of 775k per tyre. The vehicle's permissible GVW according to the plate and the Owner's Book is specified as 2700 kg, with a max front axle load of 1510kg and rear axle load of 1330 kg. So am I right in thinking that the tyres fitted should be OK provided the maximum permitted weights aren't exceeded? If so, what about the tyre pressures? Do they remain as stated in the Owners Handbook and on the vehicle plate for the recommended 205/65 R 15 C 100 T tyres (51 psi front, 45 psi rear), or should they be different for the 205/65 R 15 99 T RF tyres that have been fitted, and which are marked with a max psi at cold of 51 psi?



I dont want to change a set of perfectly good new tyres, but equally I don't want to drive on them if they are unsafe or unsuitable.


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A

Contact the previous owner & see if they have the receipt for tyres. If so, go back to the garage that fitted them & have them replaced with the correct ones

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C

In my humble opinion they'll likely be safe if you dont load the van down *all* the time and stick to sensible speeds especially while loaded. The load indices are the load at which the tyre was tested to its max speed IIRC (T rating).

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C

Correct. On HGVs, one trick for lowering the plated weight for lower RFL is to change the tyres.

Try them with what the book says.

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G

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember newvanman saying something like:

They'll be fine.

As far as pressures go; try them at the manufacturer's settings then try them at the tyre maker's settings and see how the van handles and how the tyres wear.

In my case, my Transit tyre pressures are 40F 42R, which is a bit lower than spec'd, but leads to even wear all round with the load I habitually carry.

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C

My thinking it that....

2 x 775 = 1550 which is more than 1515 so it's ok for one axle.

4 x 775 = 3100 which is more than 2700 so it's ok overall

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N

Thanks, I only have VW's recommended pressures for their tyre spec. Don't have any presures recommended by Conti, and can't find anything on their website. So it's Hobson's choice or guesswork. I just wondered if I should lower the pressure because the VW spec. says 51psi front, which is the max. pressure stated for these tyres. The max. pressure for the tyres VW recommend would be in the 70s I guess.

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N

Cheers, that's what I thought. I wonder why VW specify tyres with a higher load rating (800kg per tyre) than is needed? Playing safe, expecting users to overload it?

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