Tyres - does it matter?

[Ron Miel]

Got to go against the grain here and say that having driven both 195 front and 215 front, the 195s steered and tracked far better. The wider 215s "tramlined" too much for my liking!

I put 195 on the front of mine, and the steering was much lighter and the handling for me was better. I have 215 on the back steel wheels 4WD.

Ours came with Dunlop Le Mans RV502, 215/70R 15 98Hs (same as Alison's, BTW) all round - hi-spec asymetric tread pattern, heavy duty reinforced sidewall, SUV tyres, used mainly for on road/occasional off road, 4x4 applications (ours is not a 4x4) in Oz and S Africa, as well as in Japan, but not available here.

I reckon they've got another 3-4k miles left on them before I'll need to swap them out, so it'll be in the winter and ideally I want to use hi-spec "all seasons" tyres, this time.

There's very few good choices though, even for just 215/70s in "all-seasons" road tyres, and I have concluded so far that the best choice in that fit would be Vredestein "Quatrac 2" 215/70R15 98S's. Unfortunately however, they don't do a 195/80R fit (195/80 is specified for the fronts on our cold weather spec Bongo, with speedo calibration based on 215/70s on the back, not 215/65s) but I would really also prefer to go "against the grain", using 195 fronts, as dandywarhol and Hippotastic have done.

If I therefore decided to go for 195/80s front and 215/70s rear, instead of the Vredesteins (it is still in the balance), I'll be looking for non-4x4, purely on-road tyres, with high load ratings, low road noise and good wet surface adhesion - i.e., not "chunky" tyres but reinforced MPV type road tyres. Lowest price is not important. Anybody got a view on which tyres might suit, and be likely to be available in both sizes? I haven't yet gone through their specs and sizes carefully but I fear that would push me up into Michelin/Pirelli territory which might be just a bit too expensive, in which case, it'll have to be Vredesteins*.

*(About £85 each fitted.)

[dandywarhol]

Very much a personal thing Ron but I'm very pleased with the grip (wet and dry) and longevity of the Conti Vancos

[Ron Miel]

Very much a personal thing Ron but I'm very pleased with the grip (wet and dry) and longevity of the Conti Vancos

Thanks dandy. They're a possibility.

However, of the four types of Vanco tyres only the Vanco Contact 2, and the Vanco Contact Camper cover the two sizes I need - unfortunately, the Vanco 4 Season does not cover either. Both of them have load ratings (107/109) so far in excess of what is needed for a Bongo that I'm hopeful I can still get something which is closer to what is needed, and therefore likely to also give better ride comfort.

The one slight criticism of the sidewall reinforced 98H Dunlops I've got now is their below par ride comfort - and over-sensitive steering wheel feedback of road surface irregularity.

[Ron Miel]

Very much a personal thing Ron but I'm very pleased with the grip (wet and dry) and longevity of the Conti Vancos

Thanks dandy. They're a possibility.

However, of the four types of Vanco tyres only the Vanco Contact 2, and the Vanco Contact Camper cover the two sizes I need - unfortunately, the Vanco 4 Season does not cover either. Both of them have load ratings (107/109) so far in excess of what is needed for a Bongo that I'm hopeful I can still get something which is closer to what is needed, and therefore likely to also give better ride comfort.

The one slight criticism of the sidewall reinforced 98H Dunlops I've got now is their below par ride comfort - and over-sensitive steering wheel feedback of road surface irregularity.

Delved a bit deeper last night, and am perhaps warming to the idea of Vancos (certainly among the best of van tyres) but am not there yet - still more reading to do. It's an interesting subject and, as Kirsty said earlier, it's a vital area in which to "tread" carefully.

Too late to change your mind when you're in that long slide into a ditch, or over a cliff, because you fitted excellent summer tyres but do a lot of winter driving - as I usually do. Made a mistake with the Vredesteins above - they're 98Ts, not 98S's. On with the research now, before Mrs M gets up, and demands to see my "plan" for the day Although retired a year and a half now, she still finds it hard to just loaf around, poor dear - I'm working on it

[Ron Miel]

Very much a personal thing Ron but I'm very pleased with the grip (wet and dry) and longevity of the Conti Vancos

Thanks dandy. They're a possibility.

However, of the four types of Vanco tyres only the Vanco Contact 2, and the Vanco Contact Camper cover the two sizes I need - unfortunately, the Vanco 4 Season does not cover either. Both of them have load ratings (107/109) so far in excess of what is needed for a Bongo that I'm hopeful I can still get something which is closer to what is needed, and therefore likely to also give better ride comfort.

The one slight criticism of the sidewall reinforced 98H Dunlops I've got now is their below par ride comfort - and over-sensitive steering wheel feedback of road surface irregularity.

Delved a bit deeper last night, and am perhaps warming to the idea of Vancos (certainly among the best of van tyres) but am not there yet - still more reading to do. It's an interesting subject and, as Kirsty said earlier, it's a vital area in which to "tread" carefully.

Too late to change your mind when you're in that long slide into a ditch, or over a cliff, because you fitted excellent summer tyres but do a lot of winter driving - as I usually do. Made a mistake with the Vredesteins above - they're 98Ts, not 98S's. On with the research now, before Mrs M gets up, and demands to see my "plan" for the day Although retired a year and a half now, she still finds it hard to just loaf around, poor dear - I'm working on it

No, Vanco isn't the answer for me. I don't want an inaccurate speedo*, and although a dealer tyre search database said that the Vancos do the 195/80-215/70 combo I need, Conti's own website says no. They're fine, in Vanco Contact 2 spec, for 195/70-215/65, which is presumably what you use?

*(Nor any reduction in ground clearance, for that matter - especially with my Eberspacher heater hung beneath the van.)

So, thanks again but on with the research!

[Ron Miel]

Very much a personal thing Ron but I'm very pleased with the grip (wet and dry) and longevity of the Conti Vancos

Thanks dandy. They're a possibility.
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Delved a bit deeper last night, and am perhaps warming to the idea of Vancos (certainly among the best of van tyres) but am not there yet - still more reading to do. It's an interesting subject and, as Kirsty said earlier, it's a vital area in which to "tread" carefully.
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No, Vanco isn't the answer for me. I don't want an inaccurate speedo*, and although a dealer tyre search database said that the Vancos do the 195/80-215/70 combo I need, Conti's own website says no. They're fine, in Vanco Contact 2 spec, for 195/70-215/65, which is presumably what you use?

*(Nor any reduction in ground clearance, for that matter - especially with my Eberspacher heater hung beneath the van.).....
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Have asked eTyres which tyres they could offer in 195/80R15-215/70R15 combos*, to at least meet Bongo ratings, and/or to give me a price for the Vredestein 215/70R15 "all seasons"/all round.

*(from the searches I've done, that doesn't look a promising combo for road tyres available in the UK. Anyone happen to know what the Mazda OE tyres might have been for that size combo?)

[dandywarhol]

I used to think I was angsting too much over tyres - researching here and there, reading subjective driver's reports, blah, blah. I guess most folks just go and buy some tyres but years on 2 wheels has taught me the hard way!

So, I had to buy a tyre in Spain earlier this month - the extremely helpful garageman got me a Uniroyal RainMax reinforced for the rear. Tried it out in the rain the other night and turning left onto a main road the inside tyre spun up to 2nd gear! so much for being a rain tyre! Looking forward to waltzing around cold wet roundabouts now..........

[Ron Miel]

I used to think I was angsting too much over tyres - researching here and there, reading subjective driver's reports, blah, blah. I guess most folks just go and buy some tyres but years on 2 wheels has taught me the hard way!

So, I had to buy a tyre in Spain earlier this month - the extremely helpful garageman got me a Uniroyal RainMax reinforced for the rear. Tried it out in the rain the other night and turning left onto a main road the inside tyre spun up to 2nd gear! so much for being a rain tyre! Looking forward to waltzing around cold wet roundabouts now..........

You can't angst too much about those little bits of rubber on road which keep us alive, or don't. Kirsty's right. I've been angsting about my next tyres for months, and am very glad I have. Looks like the Vredesteins for me - eTyres' reply was a joke. Your nice Spaniard could have done better. Sorry about the toro tyre though, and take care!

[dandywarhol]

I wouldn't have chosen the RainMax Ron but with limited Spanish and the garage guy having no english (and I wouldn't expect him to have) he saw the worn tyre was a Uniroyal M+S (I know, I should have changed them before heading out to the hot south ) and got in another Uniroyal to suit. At 120 euros each I wasn't prepared to buy two I was caught out with the tyre wear, the trailer nose weight and heat might have had something to do with it but it developed a tear in the tread at just the legal limit - you learn the hard way

Also strange that Uniroyal are owned by Continental and they do cracking rain tyres