Snow Tyres and load rating

marmotte farcie · Post by **marmotte farcie** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:03 pm

I am running a 2 wheel drive manual diesel AFT on Continental Vanco 2 's at present - 195/70 R15 97T on the front and 215/65 R15 100H on the rear.

The car will be going to the snowy Alps at least twice this season and I'm thinking of fitting a set of snow tyres on my spare set of steel rims.

The obvious candidates are Continental Vanco Winter 2's but they are currently "in production" i.e. not available yet.

The Vredestein Wintrac Extreme is well reviewed but the rating is 215/65 R15 96H - does this mean that the tyre is insufficiently robust to cope with the back end of a Bongo?
The other drawback is that the Wintrac Extreme doesn't come in the smaller size for the fronts.

The Firestone Winterhawk is also well reviewed and is rated 195/65 R15 95T RF - do I have to have a 97T to comply with load rating?

Anyone able to enlighten me?

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:06 pm

Load rating is 92 on the front and 96 on the rear, so those are within specification.

maxheadroom · Post by **maxheadroom** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:38 pm

marmotte farcie,
where and when are you going, we are off to Meribel 3rd week in January. Have you driven to the Alps before, if so any tips would be greatly received as I have never driven to the Alps, only ever flown.
I have bought snow chains they seem the cheaper option, less then £30 off ebay

marmotte farcie · Post by **marmotte farcie** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:57 am

Maxheadroom,

Meribel for us too! New Year and 1/2 term (early Feb?).

Driving down is very straight forward: french autoroutes are superb - good lane discipline, very few road works, frequent filling stations, lots of places to pull over for a rest ("aires").

Don't forget your euros for the tolls (autoroutes which are signed 'Peage' are toll roads, collect a billet at the automatic ticket dispenser on the nearside, pay your toll at the manned toll booth either at an autoroute exit or where one company's section of autoroute joins the next company's section).

Fuel at supermarkets is generally considerably cheaper than that on the autoroute.

Autoroutes are signed according to the next big town or city e.g. A** direction Lyon or A** direction Paris so take care when rejoining the autoroute. Although most of the signage is very clear and is posted well in advance, when heading to the 3V there are a couple of changes of direction where you need your eyes open and your wits about you.

In years gone by the traffic police tended to be generous about interpretation of autoroute speed limits with respect to GB number plates but that is no longer the case and will fine speeders whatever their nationality. They take a very dim view of excess speed in the wet/poor vis - the autoroute limit drops to 110 kph in the wet/poor vis.

Signs on the gantries saying 'Bouchon xxkm' are warning you of a traffic jam ahead.

1 final tip: Take a headtorch/gloves/old jacket/piece of foam to kneel on for chain fitting and practice fitting them before setting off - can be very fiddly..........

marmotte farcie · Post by **marmotte farcie** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:59 am

John
Thanks for the tyre load index info.

RobinS · Post by **RobinS** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:42 am

Maxheadroom, Marmotte,

Be aware that even with winter tyres you still need snowchains - they are compulsory when it is very snowy, and if you have 4wd you are strongly advised to have 2 pairs - actually even with just rear wheel drive 2 pairs are recommended - otherwise you can go, but not stop or turn! And practice putting the chains on before you need them - in a blizzard in the dark is not the best time to learn!

Robin

maxheadroom · Post by **maxheadroom** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 2:37 pm

Cheers marmotte farcie RobinS
Some good advice and will be taken.
marmotte farcie do you drink in meribel, we like the round point (rony) for apres and the la post for night time

Oh I can't wait now..............

maxheadroom · Post by **maxheadroom** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:27 pm

marmotte farcie,

if you are traveling by road like we are why not subscribe to this electronic tag so you can drive straight through the tolls. I have just ordered one. I have been told it can save an hour on my journey time.

You only pay the months rent & toll charges on the months you use it. It will last for up to 5 years and when or if you send it back you get your deposit back.
The only problem I had is the site is in French only but thank goodness for translation sites

http://www.sanef.com/fr/ecommerce/parti ... jsp#online

scanner · Post by **scanner** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:57 pm

http://www.sanef.com/fr/services/cartes/itineraires.jsp

This bit of the Sanef site gives you your route and how much the peages will cost you.

Calais to Meribel a bargain 72.50€ - that's 30% of a years road tax for one trip.

motorwizard · Post by **motorwizard** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:05 pm

I took my Freda to Alpe DeHuez in 2005. Very good in snow I did not need to put my chains on as The 4 wheel drive did the trick. The problem I had was I could not start at -18. I had two good batteries and the starter and glow plugs were fine. I ended up releasing the inlet manifold and spraying start pilot into the manifold. I am going in January and have fitted an eberspacher heater blowing warm air over the engine. at -10 no starting problem.

timhum · Post by **timhum** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:50 pm

Hi Marmotte Farcie,
I noticed you are running Continental Vanco 2 tyres.

I had a pair of them fitted in April, done about 11,000 miles since and they were about 1mm shy of being illegal 2 days ago. I got a puncture and the tyre fitter showed me. The tyres were perfectly evenly worn and had no obvious defects. I do keep equipment in the back of the Bongo but it is not hugely heavy.
The tyres on the front are "original" Vancos which have hardly worn at all.
It seems that the Vanco 2s are a softer compound and rated, according to their website , for medium weight vans, which the Bongos aren't.
I am not familiar with load ratings etc. not being an expert but I have raised it with the vendors with the possibility of getting a discount on future purchases with them if it turns out that I was wrongly advised on choosing the tyres, or they just gave me the wrong ones in error.
I shall keep you posted and I would like to know whether yours have done a good mileage or possibly showing wear.
Anyway, enjoy your trip, happy Christmas.
All the best,
Tim

marmotte farcie · Post by **marmotte farcie** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:23 am

Timhum,
I went for the Vanco 2's because they appeared to be the tyre of choice according to the 'Fury forum/consensus.

I've only had my Bongo for 18months and I've covered 23,000km/14,400m.
When I got my Bongo as a fresh import the rear tyres were shot and the fronts were very new (Yokohama something something MAP RV).
So my Vanco 2 rears have covered 14,400 miles and seem to have lots of tread left on them.
The Yoko's gripped beautifully so I only changed them 500 miles ago (to the Vanco 2's).
The main thing that I notice since the front tyres changed is the difference in fuel economy.
Previously, I'd average 27mpg over a tank full. Worst ever was 24mpg best was 30mpg (on one occasion, I managed 34mpg out of a tankful when deliberately being as light footed as possible).
Since the Vanco 2's went on the front, I'm getting 24-25 mpg.

My Bongo is a manual 2wd AFT and is lightly loaded except for trips to the continent.

Merry Christmas

Marmotte

timhum · Post by **timhum** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:42 pm

Hi Marmotte,
Thanks for that info. I think the difference in wear will be down to the load I have in the back. I have racked it out with Dexion shelving which does weigh something which might account for the wear. I took the worn tyres to the dealer today and they will pass them on to Continental for analysis.
I am interested in the outcome and will pass on any news then.
A very happy Christmas to you too,
Best regards,
Tim

Snow Tyres and load rating

Snow Tyres and load rating

Bongo in Snow