# Mixing Tyres



## waspes (Feb 11, 2008)

I am about to have 4 new continental vanco camping tyres fitted to my van.
The spare wheel is a michellin agillis camping tyre. If I have a puncture, is ok to have two different tyres on the same axle?


Thanks Peter.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

waspes said:


> I am about to have 4 new continental vanco camping tyres fitted to my van.
> The spare wheel is a michellin agillis camping tyre. If I have a puncture, is ok to have two different tyres on the same axle?
> 
> Thanks Peter.


By two different tyres I presume you mean they are of the same construction i.e. Radial and of the same size, including the aspect ratio and have met the required load and speed rating but are a different make. If so then it is legal. I would guess that millions of vehicles in use in the UK have a spare wheel that is not the same brand as the tyres fitted to the road wheels . Many MH owners have a C spare tyre to use in the event of a puncture to their CP ones, including myself

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/26/made


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

So long as type and sizes (profile and width) are the same you are okay.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Prices before you spend

https://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/brands/continental/vanco-camper


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

check out Michelin Cross Climates as they have started doing them in van sizes 

they should be very good on wet grass and also are ALL SEASON tyres and have the 3 mountains symbol


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## waspes (Feb 11, 2008)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> Prices before you spend
> 
> https://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/brands/continental/vanco-camper


The best deal I have found so far are these

https://www.kwik-fit.com/tyres/search/results/225/75/16/R

Peter.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Not much in it and aS KWIK FIT are rip off merchants, I'd rather go elsewhere.


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## H1-GBV (Feb 28, 2006)

rayc said:


> By two different tyres I presume you mean they are of the same construction i.e. Radial and of the same size, including the aspect ratio and have met the required load and speed rating but are a different make. If so then it is legal. I would guess that millions of vehicles in use in the UK have a spare wheel that is not the same brand as the tyres fitted to the road wheels . Many MH owners have a C spare tyre to use in the event of a puncture to their CP ones, including myself
> 
> http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/26/made


Thanks for the link.

Just today I was asking about M+S tyres as I need to replace 2 tyres, but the other 3 (NOT M+S) are fine. "Can I use a non M+S tyre on the same axle as an M+S one if I get a puncture?"

By my reading of the link the answer is YES so long as I don't exceed 50mph. Is that what other folk think?

TIA - Gordon


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

My personal thoughts are never mix winter summer or all season tyres 

I often notice fwd cars with winter tyres on the front ( they must think best for grip going forward) and summers on rear and not think about stopping 

Lots of our local taxis are set up like this 

I think they should be all same type on all 4 corners 

So 4 winters Or 4 summers Or 4 all season

In the rain on a very wet road a good winter tyre has better stopping capability than a standard summer tyre , So the potential for some unexpected behaviour if you have to brake hard


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

H1-GBV said:


> Thanks for the link.
> 
> Just today I was asking about M+S tyres as I need to replace 2 tyres, but the other 3 (NOT M+S) are fine. "Can I use a non M+S tyre on the same axle as an M+S one if I get a puncture?"
> 
> ...


I think that if it is the same construction as the other, e.g radial or crossply and is the same size, including the profile of the other then there is no speed restriction. I think that in the Regulations that only applies to space saver temporary wheels.

Continental say "Recommendation:
One should avoid mixing summer and winter tyres in particular, which is even illegal in some European countries. "
They also say "Tyres marked M+S are designed for winter Mud and Snow".

I guess that whether the mixing of M&S and Summer tyres on the same axle is legal is difficult to find in the Regulations. The MOT manual talks about different construction and structure. http://www.ukmot.com/manual/4.1/Tread-Pattern-Breadth-and-Depth#MOTMANUAL


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I'd put the new tyres on the driving axle at least if not doing g all 4


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

Different to me I always put the new tyres on the rear if only changing a pair 


Why not Google “new tyres on rear” or somthing like that and see what pops up and watch any videos of skid pad tests


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I'm sure there are reasons either way Trek, mine is if front wheel drive, they do all of the steering, provide all of the drive and most of the braking due to weight transfer, the back wheels just follow the front ones more or less.


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

Ah but would you want you rear wheels overtaking your front ones while out of control in a skid 

And all because the front tyres had more grip so held the road better while the not so grippy rears broke away 


Copied from pistonheads.com :-

On a FWD car always put new tyres on the rear. You have no control over the rear in a FWD car so the rear had most grip. Tiff Needell demonstrated this on 'old' Top Gear many years back and even he couldn't catch the back end of a FWD car with worn tyres on the back and new tyres on the front.
And if Tiff Needell can't collect the rear end then you probably won't be able too





And another important reason on a camper if you keep putting news on the fronts the rears will never wear out and will age with the potential to fail because of age related deterioration


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Well no of course not, but for most people it will never happen due to not driving like you stole it, most won't venture out in bad weather, or take their time if they did, I would rather have tyres which would pull me out of a slippery field or snowy drive way.


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## 228903 (Jul 27, 2018)

For your safety, it's better not to mix tyres on the same axle, regardless of type, wear, tread and so on. If you're going to change one axle at a time, if summer - new tyres go on the rear, winter tyres - on the front. Advisable to rotate your tyres when changing per season so you get an equal wear (due to road, axle, traction and so on). I always have two sets of tyres for car and MH, each set on it's own rims. I check them twice per year for wear and problems.


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## icer (Dec 11, 2006)

Hi

This was my question to Michelin

I have a motorhome with a set (4) of agilis xc tyres.
I am wanting to replace the front set with alpin winter tyres (front wheel drive)
Will this be ok
the xc are M&S marked

This was their answer!

*Thank you for contacting Michelin customer care. *

Regarding your query, we always recommend mounting tyres in sets of four, to ensure maximum safety and performance. If this is not an option however, then you can mount two different tyres, as long as each axle has the same tyres and also we do not recommend mixing summer and winter tyres on the vehicle.


We do however always recommend mounting the new tyres on the rear axle for maximum safety (regardles if it is a front/rear wheel drive).
Please note: for certain vehicles it is mandatory to mount tyres in sets of four, according to the manufacturer. 

I hope this was helpful and please do not hesitate to contact us again for any further queries -we are happy to help.


Kind Regards,
Mike
*MICHELIN Customer Care*
_Passenger Car & Light Truck Tyres_
_Tel: 0800 031 8802_


_Ian
_


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## 228903 (Jul 27, 2018)

Well, whoever wrote that never tried to go up a hill on snow with worn out summer tyres on the front axle of a fwd vehicle having spanking new winter tyres on the rear axle 🙂


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

In my mind its more important to be able to stop in the snow ! And if your using winters then they should be all round 

Last winter i had to go out in the deep snow to see vunerable family members and found it interesting that the only other vehicles on the road were 4x4’s

There was me in my little skoda with full set winter tyres on and the 4x4s on summers

Some rather impatient drivers were overtaking me going up a hill on deeply rutted snow But i soon caught them up on the other side when they slowed to a crawl going down the other side - my car was ok theirs all over the place

One 4x4 tried to turn right at a 90 bend But ended up going up over the kerb as they slid at a 45 degree instead onto a grass verge


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## yarmouth (Nov 1, 2017)

If you are going to Spain be careful as it is illegal there to have different tyres on your vehicle.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

There is nothing illegal about mixing winter and summer tyres on the same axle, it’s just inadvisable.

I wouldn’t worry about it. IF you ever get a puncture and fit the (different) spare just drive with a little more caution until you get the puncture fixed. That’s what I would do.

Andy


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## H1-GBV (Feb 28, 2006)

Adrian_H said:


> For your safety, it's better not to mix tyres on the same axle, regardless of type, wear, tread and so on. If you're going to change one axle at a time, if summer - new tyres go on the rear, winter tyres - on the front. Advisable to rotate your tyres when changing per season so you get an equal wear (due to road, axle, traction and so on). I always have two sets of tyres for car and MH, each set on it's own rims. I check them twice per year for wear and problems.[/QUOTE
> 
> BLIMEY! You must have more money than me (not difficult :smile2: ) or tyres must be cheap or you must do a lot of miles!! :smile2::smile2:
> 
> ...


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## 228903 (Jul 27, 2018)

For me, it’s not about money, it’s about safety. The four sets of tyres set me back about 1600 euro at an average of 400eur per set. I did spread the expense over four years and each year carefully planned around all other expenses. I’m not a wealthy guy nor a financial guru. I used second hand winter tyres for two years trying to absorb the costs. 

Having the proper tyres on can make the difference between life and death, and i’m not very risk tolerant 🙂 the spares are spares. I did not invest in that. As said, you get a puncture, put the spare, get the tyre fixed, get it on the rear wheels with its pair and that’s that. 

A factory tyre should last about 80,000 km and a new ser should last about 60,000. On the car i get about 15,000 per year, so i have four years to drive. I have the summer and winter offset by two years. The mh gets about 10,000 per year, so inget roughly 6 years per set. Offset by one year, i should manage to spread the cost of tyres at the next change as well 🙂 

Ten years can be quite long, depending on tyre maintenance. If kept out of the sun at decent temperatures, those may be fine. You could check for crack by getting the mh up on the curb and turning the opposite wheel the opposite way. That puts the highest amount of stress on the tyre without specialised testing. 

Just my two cents...

PS: i had one puncture in 21 years. Still would not chance it on tyres...


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

When i had FWD FIAT campers I never got more than 20,000 miles from the fronts and probably a lot less 

My last two campers have been RWD and tyre wear front and back are minimal Resulting in tyres being changed only due to them getting old or for winters to be fitted


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Interesting views and topical for me. My moho had a puncture on Friday which ran flat so I'm having 2 new Conti Vanco summers fitted today. Cost £100 each plus fitting from Blackcircles (215 x 70 x 15) just for anyone who's interested to know.


Does the principle of fitting new tyres on the rear apply even if summer tyres (I don't use moho in winter)? I would have thought that being FWD the best tyres should be on the front. Urgent replies please if you have an informed opinion. Appointment at 4pm!!


I must say though that the roadholding and steering on the moho was excellent, no difference at all really. I just heard a "flap,flap,flap" noise that said OOPS TYRE! to me but I wondered if it was just the noise of the concrete road, now covered with tar. I slowed down and carried on as I was quite near the camping site and there was nowhere to stop anyway.


When I stopped it was flat, luckily the rim undamaged. AA came and changed tyre. It was a nail in the tread, not wear and tear. Being 2012 tyres I was planning to replace that pair anyway.


My experience is that tyre changes should be planned as camper tyres are not always available in stock when you want them and I'd hate to have to pay Euro/emergency replacement costs.


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## H1-GBV (Feb 28, 2006)

Adrian_H said:


> A factory tyre should last about 80,000 km and a new ser should last about 60,000. On the car i get about 15,000 per year, so i have four years to drive. I have the summer and winter offset by two years. The mh gets about 10,000 per year, so inget roughly 6 years per set. Offset by one year, i should manage to spread the cost of tyres at the next change as well .


Sorry: I'm not following your maths! It may be that I'm not understanding you properly.

If your MH does 10k per year, that's 5k on each of your 2 sets of tyres. [Perhaps your winter tyres may get less use than your summer ones?]
If you get 60k from a set, they should last 12y (60k / 5k pa) before you replace them OR throw them away with lots of tread left. [5y is the recommended age limit for tyres in UK; lots of folk will go to 7y. My 10y was a complete oversight :frown2: ]

TBH I can afford to buy 5 M+S tyres if I MUST but I would prefer to extend the value which I get from my previously purchased summer tyres.

Gordon


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

HermanHymer said:


> Does the principle of fitting new tyres on the rear apply even if summer tyres (I don't use moho in winter)? I would have thought that being FWD the best tyres should be on the front. Urgent replies please if you have an informed opinion. Appointment at 4pm!!


Yes

Though other people will have their own ideas

What are the age of your current rears ? Date stamp on wall of tyre weekyear

Tread on these will be fine

Move them forward put new on rear

Then you are rotating your tyres ensuring you are wearing out the older tyres first (so getting your monies worth) so you will have the newer ones on the rear

Say your van was 10 years old and you only ever put news on front then you will have rear tyres with plenty of tread but they will be the original 10 year old tyres


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

A very tyrering thread  ;0


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

The other 3 are 2013's so they'll be replaced at the beginning of next season. Tread is still good all round and van is stored indoors in winter. I pump them firm before parking up. I always ask them to check tyres carefully at MOT. Tyres were rotated mid term. I will be checking the dates on them when they install. Last time I was caught. New spare was 'older' but they put it in the spare wheel hatch and I never saw it until taken out for rotating!



Thank you for your advice.


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> A very tyrering thread  ;0


Thats because your doing it all wrong >

Now where's my hard hat

And always check dates on the new tyres before they are fitted to your rims, i have rejected some in the past as old stock Especially important for us camper owners


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