# Front tyre life



## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

What sort of mileage should I get from the front tyres taking into account a 3.0L engine and a 4.25T van?

Richard


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

3.5 t,2.3l engine, 32000 miles. Front tyres just about legal after 5 years, rear tyres looking still good.

Reshod all round.


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## Sprinta (Sep 15, 2010)

3.8T - 15000 miles and I will need new fronts very soon


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## goldi (Feb 4, 2009)

Morning all,


Bridgestone duravis 3.5 tonne done 43000 and should be good for another 5000.

norm


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## oxford-wanderer (May 20, 2008)

3500kg - 22000 miles and getting down to the markers(front), so intend to get new ones early next year and swap with the rear. Hope to get a year out of them, then age will be the problem. 


Paul


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## Melly (Jul 5, 2007)

3.5 t and mine also needed changing after 15000.
Rears are ok but will swap them to the front for next years trips and then change them due to age.
Must be all the islands they have in France.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

RichardD said:


> What sort of mileage should I get from the front tyres taking into account a 3.0L engine and a 4.25T van?
> 
> Richard


On mine they were 6mm when serviced in September at 20317 miles. In comparison the rears were 9mm.


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

I will depend on the make of tyre also.

My old Michelin XC Camping tyres were still only half worn at 28,000 miles. I had to replace them as they were 7 years old and starting to crack.

I believe my new Michelin Agilis Campers are made from a softer compound for better grip so do not expect them to last as long.





Trevor


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## stewartwebr (May 27, 2005)

Had to change the tyres on my last van at 18,000 miles. They were Camping Agilis 16 inch on an Autotrail Chieftain and pulling a smart car on a trailer.

My mate just replaced 2 front tyres on his Burstner Elegance at 16,000 miles he also tows a car. They too were Camping Agilis. He got a great deal from F1 Tyres online and fitted at a branch of choice for 160GBP per tyre...best I could see was 210GBP a tyre so bargain and that was only 4 weeks ago.


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## alshymer (Nov 4, 2007)

*Tyre wear*

Hymer 4.25tonne 3ltr Conti Vanco Camper 20000kms, rear half worn.
Regards
Alshymer


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

As rear tyres can last well over the magic five years, swapping back to front will reduce the likelihood of discarding aged tyres still with good a thread depth.

The downside is as front tyres wear at least twice as fast as the rears, instead of having to replace 2 every 3 years or so 4 need to be purchased every 5 or 6 years.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

There are so many variables its not really possible to give any accurate information other than what various drivers have achieved.

The biggest single factor is driving style, especially if FWD.

A heavy right foot on either of the two right hand pedals will have a detrimental influence on tyre longevity.


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Thanks Guys,

Seems quite a variation. 

My Rapido with 3L and Comfortmatic has just done over 14,000 miles and there looks like there is approx. 3 mm on the front and 7.5 mm on rears and I don't have a heavy right foot!!!

Current tyres are the new Michelin Agilis Camping and I've just ordered 2 from Camskill for £300 delivered.

Richard


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## sweetie (Nov 28, 2005)

Our euramobil 16" wheels 3.85t 2.8jtd front well over 30000 miles
rear still ok when sold with 45000 on clock 5.5 yrs old Michelin X camper.

Burstner solano 16" 4000t 3ltr was only about 12000 miles on fronts rears as good as new sold van with around 18000 on clock 5yrs old Vanco continental camper. But was towing 1ton trailer for 60% of time.

Current Bessacarr 4000t 2.8jtd had 9000 miles on clock when purchased at 5yr old the tread was unworn but walls all cracked michelin X camper. But where replaced with Michelin Agilis.

Hopefully tyres will know last longer as retired and don,t tow trailer that heavy now.


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## tikki (May 13, 2005)

Peugeot Boxer - 3.85t. Bought new in November 2004.

Recently changed all 4 tyres at 28,000 miles - and 7.5 years old even though fronts less than half worn and no sign of cracks.
The 'van is 2004 but all the tyres had were date stamped with '3901' which I'm fairly certain means produced in week 39 of 2001?

tikki


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

My rapido second hand from carol has done nearly 32k now on original michelins, rears have been moved to the front and there is still a good tread. I'll replace all 4 next spring.

My auto cruise starspirit has done near 14k on a new set of Michelin and I'm sure they'll do at least double that with ease


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

RichardD said:


> Thanks Guys,
> 
> Seems quite a variation.
> 
> ...


225 75 16's? £150 each is incredible 8)


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

I think the tyre manufacturers suggest when fitting 2 tyres (if the van has 4) the new ones should be fitted on the rear (even if front wheel drive).


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

eurajohn said:


> I think the tyre manufacturers suggest when fitting 2 tyres (if the van has 4) the new ones should be fitted on the rear (even if front wheel drive).


Yes John, you are correct!


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Yes, Camskill prices are very keen!! When I spoke to my local tyre dealer about a price he could not get anywhere their price. He told me that it costs him £152 from the wholesaler!

Hope there OK and not some sort of B grade.

I don't think so as my son bought a set of 195 x 15 Toyo's from them for his Fiesta and they were only £31 each delivered.

Richard


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

eurajohn said:


> I think the tyre manufacturers suggest when fitting 2 tyres (if the van has 4) the new ones should be fitted on the rear (even if front wheel drive).


I think that advice applies to cars, they don't want the back end stepping out 8O if pushed towards its limits on wet roads, a bit of understeer  is preferable.

Large vehicles often have different thread pattern tyres on the front and rear axles.

With motorhomes, which are as a rule driven very conservatively compared to cars I would not see it as an issue.


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

It's tire fitting policy to put new tyres to the rear purely because if a newly fitted tyre leaks it is better/safer that is happens to a back wheel rather than a front 
Obviously if having 4 fitted it makes no difference


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## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi.

5t tag axle 20000 miles and that is about it.

steve & ann. ------ teensvan


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## pomme1 (May 19, 2005)

4t 'van, 15k miles, approx 40% worn.


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

I'm sure others of you will have seen this already but on the subject of tyre wear, Vicarious Books send out email marketing and often include a travel blog from a motorhomer whose name I don't recall, to the point; he was reviewing tyres that he had knowledge of, he suggested that in his experience his front tyres lost around 1mm per 1000 miles at that rate most tyres would only last around 8000 miles! I did think about challenging the article although in the end didn't bother.
How happy would you be with life like that?


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

RichardD said:


> Yes, Camskill prices are very keen!! When I spoke to my local tyre dealer about a price he could not get anywhere their price. He told me that it costs him £152 from the wholesaler!
> 
> Hope there OK and not some sort of B grade.
> 
> ...


I doubt very much that Michelin produce seconds
Costco have 20% off 4 tyres just now and they work out at £157 fitted an balanced


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Techno100 said:


> It's tire fitting policy to put new tyres to the rear purely because if a newly fitted tyre leaks it is better/safer that is happens to a back wheel rather than a front
> Obviously if having 4 fitted it makes no difference


The AA say:-

"New tyres to the front or rear?

Check the handbook first as some give vehicle specific advice.

Generally it's good practice to fit the best/newest tyres on the rear - in wet conditions, this favours understeer rather than oversteer.

So if you have the front tyres renewed it's best to have the rear ones moved to the front and the new tyres fitted to the rear.

Tyres with deep tread are less likely to puncture and it's more difficult to control a car with a damaged rear tyre"

 Kleber tyres say:-

"Fitting new or least-worn tyres at the rear

If you are only changing two tyres out of four, whether your vehicle has front- or rear-wheel drive, we recommend fitting the newest tyres on the rear axle. This will give you greater safety in the event of unexpected and difficult situations (emergency braking, tight bends, etc..) especially in the wet. The front tyres generally wear quicker than the rear, especially with front-wheel drive (which applies to the majority of vehicles nowadays). Numerous tests have demonstrated that it is easier to control the front axle than the rear.
This is why KLEBER advise you to fit the new or least worn tyres on the rear axle for :

better grip when cornering 
greater safety."

They were just the first two I came across on Google.


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

The new Michelins have just arrived.

Just measured tread and they are 8mm deep when new, so my rear tyres have worn about 1/2mm in almost 15,000 miles. The fronts are showing 3mm, so that is approx 3000 miles per millimetre. 

Just waiting for my alloys to arrive to get them fitted.

Richard


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## Borisd0 (Jan 3, 2006)

My Michelin Agilis Campers worn out at 15k. 3.5t front wheel drive camper.

Previous tyres throw away owing to age at 30k looking like new.

Anyone else with Michelin Agilis Campers details to compare?


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## SueandRoger (Apr 14, 2008)

trevorf said:


> I will depend on the make of tyre also.
> 
> My old Michelin XC Camping tyres were still only half worn at 28,000 miles. I had to replace them as they were 7 years old and starting to crack. I believe my new Michelin Agilis Campers are made from a softer compound for better grip so do not expect them to last as long.
> Trevor


I also replaced by old XC Camping tyres at 7 years when only half worn but the Agilis S & M I now have are down to about 4mm at the front after only 15,000 miles.

I am booked in for an MOT and service tomorrow and was going to get the tracking checked even though the wear is even across both tyres but won't go to the extra expense if it a common problem with these tyres.

Is there a harder wearing S & M tyre on the market?


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