So I have a 2006 VW T5 camper van with 18″ wheels that were put on before I bought it. I am getting really weird tyre wear especially on the front. Both edges of both front tyres are wearing really quickly. Just had the back replaced and the garage said it was probably due to the tyre pressure being too low. However I have checked and the tyres are at 48 psi where the max pressure is 49 psi. Tyres are 235/50 R18 W (101) so are reinforced for the heavier weight.

Any thoughts on what might be causing the problems or are there better wheel tyre combinations for camper vans? As the wheels are quite tatty I have thought with the current wear rate and tyres only lasting 12 months and under 10,000 miles, that I might just replace the whole lot.

Any help much appreciated

Your garage guy is right that both edges wearing is normally under inflation but 48psi is pretty high. I normally go for 10% under the rating. That’s some boy racer profile wheels. I’d say something more vanlike would be more appropriate than those max power specials. It could be related to that. 101 is probably bottom end of the rating for a t5, what does it say on the plate or in the manual? Might be worth getting something a little stronger

The pressure in your tyres is directly related to the load (weight) your van is putting on them. My motorhome manual recommended running the tyres at their maximum pressure of 80 PSI, Continental recommended between 55-65 on the front & 55-60 on the rears depending on load. There should be guidance in the vehicle handbook.

Both edges of both front tyres are wearing really quickly

See chart above. I’d guess under inflated. Is the pressure gauge you are using known to be accurate ?

D.

Are the rims the correct width for the tyres?

I did wonder if the tyres might be a bit of a boy racer profile as they are BMW wheels. What profile would be better suited to a camper van?

Pressure gauge is accurate as I have checked in a couple of garages. Current tyres have a max pressure of 49psi so currently can’t go any higher.

The plate in the van gives pressures around 40 to 45 psi but for different tyre profiles. I will have a look at what they are but none are for 18″ wheels. they are also for the T5 as a van and not a camper van which is quite a lot heavier.

I also needed to get tyres in a hurry and out of 10 garages I rang all said my current profile of 235/50 R18 W was rare and they would have to order them in. Luckily one place had some. As it is a camper I would much prefer to have a standard profile so if I ever need one in the far flung parts of the UK or Europe I am not stuck waiting.

You can’t really go wrong with the 17″ steel wheels off a T5 Caravelle.
They look better than the standard 16’s and you can easily get load rated SUV tyres for them rather than van tyres which give a much quieter and smoother ride than the 16’s.
The ride will most likely also be much better than it is on your current set-up.

As they are a fairly standard size, tyres for the 17’s are easily available pretty much everywhere and don’t cost a fortune.

Don’t mean to worry you but 18″ BMW wheels won’t be rated for a van. Get rid and get something else.

I’d also recommend 17 steels (albeit mine aren’t quite as they left the factory!) 😉

[url=https://flic.kr/p/xo89vd]Compton Bay, Isle of Wight[/url] by DaveyBoyWonder, on Flickr

I thought I recognised the view DBW! Lovely spot for an ice cream.

The best place for an ice cream! Looking forward to our annual trip there in the summer…

Another fan here of the 17″ steel wheels, with 215/60R17 tyres. Or if you still want a bit of bling then the OEM 17″ alloys. Check out ebay.

48psi does cound a bit low, my LWB T32 is 52F/48R empty or light load and up to 61F/62R fully loaded.

Well I do use it as my every day car so it looks like 17″ wheels might be the way to go. Not massive fan of the steel wheels so maybe some oem alloys might be the way to go.

How about Sportline alloys from the VW dealer?
Load rated, 17″ (IIR), plenty of tyre wall to avoid kerbing. Cheaper tyres and better availability…

The BMW wheels will sell OK as people fit them as options to….. T5’s…..

the only thing worse than using non oe alloys on a van is banded steels. it makes me shiver to think people actually drive on the same road as me with those things. utterly terrifying.

the only thing worse than using non oe alloys on a van is banded steels. it makes me shiver to think people actually drive on the same road as me with those things. utterly terrifying.

I know exactly what you mean there.
Don’t get me wrong, they look pretty good IMO but there’s no way that I’m trusting a set of wheels that some bloke in a lock-up has cut up then welded back together with an extra bit stuck in it!
I really can’t see many insurance companies being overly happy with you driving around on a van that’s got what are essentially bodged up wheels with no safety approval and no load rating!

^hahaha

As already said you need load rated wheels for a camper. I run 18″ VW Factory Timaru alloys on my Cali and VW steels in the winter, both load rated and running load rated all weather tyres. Campers do have a rep for eating tyres though due to the weight, mine are run at 55psi as per specs.

I think that might be the problem. When we bought the van it was not converted so the bmw were probably fine. Didnt think about the wheels when we got it converted. They don’t look as good but maybe vw oem wheels are the way to go. Question is are all vw van wheels ok for converted campers and the extra weight.

^ should be as long as they are load rated van wheels. Have a look on the van forums like http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/ as there’s often OEM wheels on there for sale. You can also buy aftermarket load rated wheels, theres some lovely 20/21″ on vans not that I would like to drive it like that….

Also if an alloy says it is load rated for a t5 is that going to be good enough for a camper van.

Weakest link on most vans which are re-wheeled with 18″+ alloys is usually the tyres. Once you get much over 18″ and go wider than standard, with relatively low profile tyres, all sorts if things can go wrong.
But, mostly in as much as tyres for big wide alloys tend to be extra load car tyres, in effect. Incapable of usually running higher pressures, or having the sidewall depth to cope adequately.
Despite having the cambers set up properly, so wear was even and not going less than 45 profile, when I had 18alloys on my T4 the best tyres I could get would last maybe 7000 miles. Went back to steels and proper commercial tyres and got way over 25000 miles.
Now have a T5 and could t care about how it looks but running 16 steels and commercial tyres and have no intention of changing them.
Expends on miles you do I guess and wether the look bothers you, that’s choice I guess.

if you want fancy alloys try looking at rimstyle.com they identify which alloy wheels are load rated and would be more suitable for your camper.

seconded thirded eighthed on the dodgy BMW wheels.

Most likely under-rated both on the wheels and tyres for the van, plus the rubber is probably some sporty sticky stuff for saloons that rubs off too quick.

There is a weight rating on the tyres if you care to look it up and compare to the max axle weights on your vin plate (3rd and 4th lines)
My van rear axle is 2240kg = tyre load rating of 112.

you should really only run whatever is listed on the tyre placard. the tyre placard is a legal homologation requirement. if your wheel and tyre is as specified on there, then there is no discussion, you are legal and insured. if it is not a copper worth his salt could impound your vehicle.

There’s so much mis information on this thread it’s no even funny.

18″ is the standard wheel size on VW Sportline. 235/50/18 101 is the std tyre size for the Sportline too so absolutely fine for use on the T5.

Has your van been lowered? if so has the camber been checked and adjusted if required? I’d start off with a proper Hunter 4 wheel alignment.

Your problem is likely to be under inflation and load rating. The T5 needs a loád rating of at least 103, and that gives a stiffer sidewall that will hold 50psi.

You’ll see a big improvement in handling with a higher load rated tyre.

When I had 18s on my swbT5 (semi converted, full width R&R bed and some other stuff but no cupboards) I ran the, at 48 front 52 rear. Mine were correct load rating for the van (T28) with correct spec tyres.
I’m now on 16″ steels. I bought them for the winter so save my alloys getting trashed in muddy sites all winter but I’m unlikely to put the 18s back on as the ride on the 16s is so much better. Quieter and less crashing through potholes, over dodgy roads etc… Just doesn’t look quite as ‘scene’ but tbh the longer I have it the less I care.

Right I have been doing some research and things are clearer but no real answer.

I have a T30 2.5cc which has axle weights of Front 1575kg and Rear 1625kg. So if I divide the rear weight by 2 you get 812.5kg. This means tyres with a load rating of 101 are actually fine according to this site. http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyreload.html

So as long as my rims are load rated then I would be fine on the tyres. This also assumes that the wheel size and tyre size are matched correctly. 235/50 R18 W (101) also seems to be fine for an 18 wheel.

So what I am currently thinking is the cause

Van weight as it is converted is over the max axle weights
Tyre and wheel size combination is not correct. Could the wheel be too wide/deep.
Maybe I need a tyre with a load rating far above what is the legal limit.

I think I will give VW a call and see what they fit on long wheel base California’s.

This explains most of it: http://www.exploria-online.co.uk/alloy-wheels.aspx

You lot seem to have a very creative approach to tyre pressures.

Have you had the tracking checked? This is normally the cause of edge wear as per nick’s diagram.

Molgrips – the wear is not like normal as it is on both edges of both front tyres. Normally with tracking its just wears on one of the edges, I believe. Tyre centre said they didn’t think it was tracking.

Been checking my tyre size compared to what is recommended by VW and seem the tyre size is right. Checked here: http://www.etyres.co.uk/how-to-change-your-tyre-size/

On the tyre info sticker from the van it has a number which is awfully similar to the tyre load rating. Is that correct? If so 101 tyres are not strong enough or at least recommended by VW even though they are legal.

Looks very much like a load rating to me. Especially as there’s a picture of people and bags next to it.

Places like Kwik Fit will check tracking for free. Might be worth ruling out.

Yep. Thats the load rating.

thats the point – the manufacturer has a load rating allowance. if you tyre doesnt have what it says on the tyre placard, it’s illegal and the police can impound.

It’s OK Jamie.

Someones added the OP’s wheel/tyre combo in pen.

Also consider. Does your camper weigh more than the GVW which, AFAIK, is 3200kg for the model.

103 is load rating for the California, i think transporters are higher as they expect more load to be carried. So yes thats your load rating, i see someone has penned in the 235/50/18 but silent on load rating, i’d assume 103 minimum.

Well I have been scrambling under the van and it looks like my wheels are not load rated high enough as they say 785kg and I think I need at least 812kg.

So look like I will be getting new alloys and tyres. I think I will go with some 17″ alloys and then some standard 235/55 17 or some 215/60 17c commercial tyres.

Thanks for everyones help

i have been looking into wheels and tyres for my viano. my old job happened to be wheel and tyre engineer for a very popular van sold all over the world, and my mate happens to be the wheel and tyre supervisor currently, for the same vehicle.

the viano has 18″ 245/45 18 XL tyres on it. it had some godawful shite on it when i bought it and i agonised about selling the oe 18″ wheels as they might fetch 850 quid on ebay. but before i did that i would have to track down some good condition 17″ wheels and buy some tyres for that. i got some new 18″ goodyear eagle F1s in the end. My mate rang goodyear to ask a few questions and we think they were the best comprise of grip, noise, ride, durability and cost. we also looked at michelin – very good but expensive, and contis – very good but apparently not so good wear rates.

http://www.puretyre.co.uk/mercedes-viano-639-tyre-pressure-placard/

this the viano tyre placard. the 16C tyres are proper commercial vehicle tyres so will be really robust. the 18″ and 101V 17″ tyres need a higher pressure than the 101H and R16RF tyre – so for best ride quality obviously 16″ would be better but the 101H 17″ would be a good compromise – probably 🙂

my brothers vito is on 195/65 16 tyres (on the label) and the ride is in a different league better than my 18″ ones. steers better too.

Jamie – can I ask the manufacturer? Do you know Darren? (if it’s the manufacturer I’m thinking of) 🙂

yes