# Inflating Tyres to 5.5 bar



## altom

Can anyone please advise me how / where you go to inflate your MH tyres. 
I have in the past used a Halfords small "car" tyre inflator but over the last few years have broken two as they were not man enough for the job!
I have called in to Tesco and Asda thinking I could use their machine but they only supply 4.5 bar max (65 psi) and I need to have 5.5 bar (approx. 80 psi) in my tyres. 

Any advise appreciated


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## cabby

drop into your local tyre centre.

cabby


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## Philippft

Why do you need to put 5.5 bar in your tyres ?


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## Fatalhud

Philippft said:


> Why do you need to put 5.5 bar in your tyres ?


Because that the recommended pressure for quite a few motorhomes, mines the same

Found this on offer at Maplins at the moment, includes free delivery

http://www.maplin.co.uk/dc-12v-heav...wsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=13P8-9

Alan H


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## Philippft

Fatalhud said:


> Philippft said:
> 
> 
> 
> Why do you need to put 5.5 bar in your tyres ?
> 
> 
> 
> Because that the recommended pressure for quite a few motorhomes, mines the same
> 
> Found this on offer at Maplins at the moment, includes free delivery
> 
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/dc-12v-heav...wsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=13P8-9
> 
> Alan H
Click to expand...

Alan,
Do not be mislead by the plate on your motorhome or your dealer stating you need 5.5 bar in your tyres. (There are plenty of threads on this forum about how to achieve correct tyre pressure and I advise you have a look).
In essence, to obtain the correct tyre pressure for your tyres, you need to fully load your motorhome and take it to a weighbridge and weigh the motorhome. Weigh the front axle or rear axle then the whole motorhome. This will give you the weight for each axle and the whole motorhome. (Be prepared for a shock on your total weight ?). Next, contact your tyre manufacturer with the weight of each axle and the details of your tyre. The manufacturer will then tell you the correct tyre pressure for each set of tyres.

Happy trails.


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## davesport

> Because that the recommended pressure for quite a few motorhomes, mines the same


I'd double check with the tyre makers on this. The recommended pressure for mine was 80 PSI. It was horrible to drive on anything other than the smoothest of surfaces. A quick phone call to Continental revealed that 80 PSI was way too hard. Mine are now 60 PSI for the rears & 65 PSI in the fronts at maximum load. With the van empty the pressures are slightly lower.

There's plenty of advice on this in the archives.

D.


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## Nodge

Blimey, yeah you could do all that.

Or

If you got to a motorway services, the diesel pumps for the HGV's always have an airline close to them that goes up to 10 psi.


I meant 100 psi


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## BrianJP

As already stated you are unlikely to need 80psi maybe around 70 max depending on axle load. 
I did notice though that my Tesco airline supplies up to 100psi as does my local garage so I suspect you have just been unlucky so far.


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## cronkle

I use one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Automo...-Storage/dp/B000W6ZTDK/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_1

and a fairly hefty 12v extension lead.

edit: I should have added that a lot of people use the Ring 900 which needs connecting straight to the battery due to the power it draws.


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## inkey-2008

I can vouch for the Ring RAC 900 good bit of kit. Will do up too 100psi.

Andy


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## Zepp

I also use Ring RAC 900 very happy with it 



Paul


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## nidge1

Yep, another vote for the Ring 900 brilliant bit of kit, having burnt out the poor ones from Halfords which I was only using on my car and not at motorhome pressures.

Nidge


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## safariboy

inkey-2008 said:


> I can vouch for the Ring RAC 900 good bit of kit. Will do up too 100psi.
> 
> Andy


They told me that at these pressures they were not to sure of the accuracy of the pressure gauge but I have always found that it agrees with my other one. The pump is excellent but I can only just get it to all my tyres and if you use an extension it needs to be able to take the current. One I bought from a market stall was certainly not man enough for the job.


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## cronkle

This is the extension that I bought:

http://www.towsure.com/product/Socket_Extension_Cord_4_mtr

It lets me get to my rear off-side wheel with no apparent loss of power.


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## nidge1

cronkle said:


> This is the extension that I bought:
> 
> http://www.towsure.com/product/Socket_Extension_Cord_4_mtr
> 
> It lets me get to my rear off-side wheel with no apparent loss of power.


I'm afraid this extension is no good for the Ring 900 as the power supply is via crocodile clips direct to a battery.

Nidge


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## 113016

I had an el cheapo tyre inflation pump, but when our Daughter decided to get rid of her Broomstick and buy a newer car, it came with no spare, but a 12 volt pump and a kit  
I got her a spare wheel, so I kept the electric pump and it works 1000% better then the el cheapo I had before. I just needed to extend the wires.  
The strange thing is that I now carry both


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## cronkle

nidge1 said:


> cronkle said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is the extension that I bought:
> 
> http://www.towsure.com/product/Socket_Extension_Cord_4_mtr
> 
> It lets me get to my rear off-side wheel with no apparent loss of power.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm afraid this extension is no good for the Ring 900 as the power supply is via crocodile clips direct to a battery.
> 
> Nidge
Click to expand...

But ideal for my 700. It shouldn't be too difficult to lop off the plug and crimp on a pair of crocs if there is no other option.

I would agree, though, that the 900 is more powerful and will do the job a bit quicker. My choice was made around ease of connecting into my particular van electrics trading off against taking longer to push out the required amount of air.


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## 04HBG

altom said:


> Can anyone please advise me how / where you go to inflate your MH tyres.
> I have in the past used a Halfords small "car" tyre inflator but over the last few years have broken two as they were not man enough for the job!
> I have called in to Tesco and Asda thinking I could use their machine but they only supply 4.5 bar max (65 psi) and I need to have 5.5 bar (approx. 80 psi) in my tyres.
> 
> Any advise appreciated


Alan,
I always pop into Shadicks tyre depot down Queensway meadows if I need a tyre or air and find them very helpful.

Ron


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## nidge1

cronkle said:


> nidge1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cronkle said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is the extension that I bought:
> 
> http://www.towsure.com/product/Socket_Extension_Cord_4_mtr
> 
> It lets me get to my rear off-side wheel with no apparent loss of power.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm afraid this extension is no good for the Ring 900 as the power supply is via crocodile clips direct to a battery.
> 
> Nidge
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> But ideal for my 700. It shouldn't be too difficult to lop off the plug and crimp on a pair of crocs if there is no other option.
> 
> I would agree, though, that the 900 is more powerful and will do the job a bit quicker. My choice was made around ease of connecting into my particular van electrics trading off against taking longer to push out the required amount of air.
Click to expand...

My problem was not the time it took to inflate but the fact Halfords pump no 1 just melted the cigarette lighter plug and pump no 2 the motor just seized up. Halfords were very good and gave me a full refund with no questions asked.

Nidge


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## 113016

nidge1 said:


> cronkle said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> nidge1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cronkle said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is the extension that I bought:
> 
> http://www.towsure.com/product/Socket_Extension_Cord_4_mtr
> 
> It lets me get to my rear off-side wheel with no apparent loss of power.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm afraid this extension is no good for the Ring 900 as the power supply is via crocodile clips direct to a battery.
> 
> Nidge
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> But ideal for my 700. It shouldn't be too difficult to lop off the plug and crimp on a pair of crocs if there is no other option.
> 
> I would agree, though, that the 900 is more powerful and will do the job a bit quicker. My choice was made around ease of connecting into my particular van electrics trading off against taking longer to push out the required amount of air.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> My problem was not the time it took to inflate but the fact Halfords pump no 1 just melted the cigarette lighter plug and pump no 2 the motor just seized up. Halfords were very good and gave me a full refund with no questions asked.
> 
> Nidge
Click to expand...

I can most certainly vouch for the standard Pug inflater.
Works fast and does the job


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## dhutchy

I have just been in to the dealers today and i asked them what my tyre pressures should be ,in my handbook for my tyre size it states5 bar for the front and 5.5 for the rear they said that it seemed too high.They phoned fiat and they said 60 psi all round which is around 4.1 bar


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## Rapide561

*Tyres*

Hi

I run at 80 psi and use the Fiat Fix n Go inflator. You can buy similar - I think there is one made by a firm called "RING"

Russell


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## wobby

Fatalhud said:


> Philippft said:
> 
> 
> 
> Why do you need to put 5.5 bar in your tyres ?
> 
> 
> 
> Because that the recommended pressure for quite a few motorhomes, mines the same
> 
> Found this on offer at Maplins at the moment, includes free delivery
> 
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/dc-12v-heav...wsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=13P8-9
> 
> Alan H
Click to expand...

I have that one and it's very good, robust, quiet and efficient.

Wobby


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## BillCreer

dhutchy said:


> I have just been in to the dealers today and i asked them what my tyre pressures should be ,in my handbook for my tyre size it states5 bar for the front and 5.5 for the rear they said that it seemed too high.They phoned fiat and they said 60 psi all round which is around 4.1 bar


About a year ago I contacted Michelin for the correct pressures for my MH and was told 55 psi front and 80psi for the rear.
I asked how they arrived at those pressures and was told that there had been a trade agreement that, for safety reasons, Motorhomes should all have 80 psi in the rear tyres. He then told me that the front pressures were arrived at for "comfort".

Not very scientific eh?

I use 55 front and 65 rear.


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## dhutchy

BillCreer said:


> dhutchy said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have just been in to the dealers today and i asked them what my tyre pressures should be ,in my handbook for my tyre size it states5 bar for the front and 5.5 for the rear they said that it seemed too high.They phoned fiat and they said 60 psi all round which is around 4.1 bar
> 
> 
> 
> About a year ago I contacted Michelin for the correct pressures for my MH and was told 55 psi front and 80psi for the rear.
> I asked how they arrived at those pressures and was told that there had been a trade agreement that, for safety reasons, Motorhomes should all have 80 psi in the rear tyres. He then told me that the front pressures were arrived at for "comfort".
> 
> Not very scientific eh?
> 
> I use 55 front and 65 rear.
Click to expand...

 It's mind numbing :wink: different opinions even among the professionals in the field cause confusion .I think i will increase my rear tyre pressure though .


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## dhutchy

Forgot to say before , the last time i tried to blow my tyres up at a petrol station it let more air out than in and it was hard to hold the gauge on the valve.I took it to the garage i use and he told me that many forecourts don't have the correct stuff to use because of the reinforced valves on motorhomes they don't allow a good connection onto the valve so maybe try a garage where the lorries and hgv's go to.I have just bought one of the inflators from aldi after recommendations on here i haven't tried it yet but i'm hoping it's ok.


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## cronkle

This:

http://www.tyresafe.org/images/tyre-safety-guide/motorhome-leaflet.pdf

has been recommended on here in the past. The schedule on page 5 is the helpful bit in this case.


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## mikebeaches

BillCreer said:


> dhutchy said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have just been in to the dealers today and i asked them what my tyre pressures should be ,in my handbook for my tyre size it states5 bar for the front and 5.5 for the rear they said that it seemed too high.They phoned fiat and they said 60 psi all round which is around 4.1 bar
> 
> 
> 
> About a year ago I contacted Michelin for the correct pressures for my MH and was told 55 psi front and 80psi for the rear.
> I asked how they arrived at those pressures and was told that there had been a trade agreement that, for safety reasons, Motorhomes should all have 80 psi in the rear tyres. He then told me that the front pressures were arrived at for "comfort".
> 
> Not very scientific eh?
> 
> I use 55 front and 65 rear.
Click to expand...

The point about Michelin and recommending 80psi in the rear tyres really annoys me. Who are they to assume all motorhomes are overloaded! Frankly, my van feels unsafe with 80psi on the rear, as well as being extremely uncomfortable.

Thankfully, I have Continental tyres fitted now, and the company is more than happy to quote accurate pressures for a given tyre size and axle weight. Which of course is very much less than 80psi on the rear.

Mike


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## BillCreer

mikebeaches said:


> BillCreer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> dhutchy said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have just been in to the dealers today and i asked them what my tyre pressures should be ,in my handbook for my tyre size it states5 bar for the front and 5.5 for the rear they said that it seemed too high.They phoned fiat and they said 60 psi all round which is around 4.1 bar
> 
> 
> 
> About a year ago I contacted Michelin for the correct pressures for my MH and was told 55 psi front and 80psi for the rear.
> I asked how they arrived at those pressures and was told that there had been a trade agreement that, for safety reasons, Motorhomes should all have 80 psi in the rear tyres. He then told me that the front pressures were arrived at for "comfort".
> 
> Not very scientific eh?
> 
> I use 55 front and 65 rear.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The point about Michelin and recommending 80psi in the rear tyres really annoys me. Who are they to assume all motorhomes are overloaded! Frankly, my van feels unsafe with 80psi on the rear, as well as being extremely uncomfortable.
> 
> Thankfully, I have Continental tyres fitted now, and the company is more than happy to quote accurate pressures for a given tyre size and axle weight. Which of course is very much less than 80psi on the rear.
> 
> Mike
Click to expand...

I'm sure that they don't think that overloading is the issue but, as you see from their advice on which axle to fit new tyres, they consider the loss of control of your rear end to be the big danger.


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## sideways

on the door pillar of my 2003 ducato 14 Autotrail 3850 KG gross the original sticker says 80psi, I had a blow out 3 weeks age on a tyre that looked good, ihad reduced the pressure because the ride was hard, I have put 2 new continental vanco campers on and am going to run them at 80psi and put up with the hard ride.


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## peribro

> I have put 2 new continental vanco campers on and am going to run them at 80psi and put up with the hard ride.


Or you could contact Continental with your axle weights and they will tell you the correct pressure to inflate the tyres to.


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## cabby

anyone got their number to hand.

cabby


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## 747

It is worth checking your local Filling Stations. I found one in Gateshead that goes up to 80 psi, the others go nowhere near that high.


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## sideways

Further to this discussion Continentals advice to me in an e mail was 215/75/16 vanco campers rear axle weight 2500kg 76.5 pounds per sq inch pressure.


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## listerdiesel

With 13 tyres to look after (6 + 4 + 3spares) we bought one of the larger 12V compressors, Paddock Spares have two:

http://www.paddockspares.com/pm982-twin-cylinder-12v-compressor-usually-60-00gbp.html

http://www.paddockspares.com/pm981-portable-12v-compressor.html

Prices exclude delivery & VAT.

We have the single-cylinder unit and we fitted a dedicated fused 12V outlet on the side of the trailer as it takes about 20A.

Both go to 150psi.


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## TheNomad

I put 4.0 in the fronts and 4.5bar in the rears, and that's plenty for me.

Tyres are (from memory) 205/16 fronts; and on the rears 215/75/R16 with a 116 load rating (1250kgs). They are Michelin Agilis (but not the "camping" version.

3.5 tonne overcab Fiat 2.8JTD, with scooter on rear rack, aircon unit on roof etc, so usually loaded to the 3.5 tonnes when touring.


I had previously tried 4.5 bar front and 5.0 bar rear, but the ride was far too harsh, the back end bounced all over the place, and the tyres were actually a little bulbous across their tread faces.


At 4 bar front and 4.5 rear, the ride is just right (not too hard/bouncy), and the tyres are just a little bit spread around the contact patch, as they should be.


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## sideways

I totally agree with you BUT the door plate says 80psi Continental say 76.5 I,m running at 3850 and possibly a tad more, having just had a frightening rear wheel blowout at 60mph on a tyre that looked perfectly ok I,m going to do as they say hard ride or not.I,ve been a mechanic all my life and thought 60psi was ok and gave a comfortable ride, but don't want a repeat performance with another blowout.


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## lifestyle

cronkle said:


> I use one of these:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Automo...-Storage/dp/B000W6ZTDK/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_1
> 
> and a fairly hefty 12v extension lead.
> 
> edit: I should have added that a lot of people use the Ring 900 which needs connecting straight to the battery due to the power it draws.


I also have the same,great bit of kit.Need to have the engine running while in use,also the need for a extension lead.

Les


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## safariboy

If you just want to adjust the pressures a little a RING 600 works well and is light and easy to carry. It goes up to 120 psi. Ring tell me that at higher pressures its pressure gauge may not be correct. Mine has always agreed with a hand one I carry as well.
It is not capable of inflating from scratch but it served me well in Morocco when I got a slow puncture and had to keep inflating from 3 Bar to 5 bar before I could get a repair.
Its big advantage is that it works on the 180W power socket next to the lighter socket


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## BillCreer

One of the simplest tests, if you are suspicious that your tyres are being run at too low a pressure, is to feel the side wall temperatures when you have been running for some time on the open road.
Warm is OK, hot can indicate that the pressure is too low.
If I've been doing some hard driving I'll check the temperatures as soon as I stop, a couple of times a day, no matter what vehicle I'm driving.


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## PPBear

Get a hand pump. I have one and get it to pump my tyres up to 5.5 bar and then check with a digital gauge. Good exercise too 

Luckily I have those tyre monitors fitted as replacement duct caps. Expensive but worth the pennies. They flash red if a tyre losses 4 PSI. Checked the pressure twice last year as I wondered if they didn't work, thinking that the tyres must have lost some pressure over the months. Nope, not down a single PSI, still on the original pressure, so at least something is working as it should be, which is rare on our motorhomes


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## teemyob

Do realise that 80PSi(g) Filled Cold in Summer, can easily 100PSi(g)+ in hot rolling tyres!.

TM


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## onnilucky

If you can get your unit into Portsmouth dockyard you can top up using the 4000 psi  air main that we use on the warships. 
Beware of what you say to the guard chapies with the rifles though.
and Good luck


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## DBSS

Our local Kwik Fit is my port of call. They happily check all the tyre pressures and have a chat about the MH. Free of charge I might add.


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## TheNomad

Are you guys sure about inflating to these (what seem to me to be) massive pressures?

On our 3.5 tonne (or maybe a even a little heavier, ahem) motorhome, shod with Michelin Agilis (normal white-van Agilis, not Agilis " camping") tyres; which is usually rear-heavy as i carry a 125cc Honda Innova scooter on a rear scooter rack; I run at 4bar front, and 4.5 bar rear.
That's on 215/75R16 tyres, with a 116 load rating (1250kgs)

And that seems plenty. 
Really smooth ride, just a little degree of "bulge" at the bottom of each tyre (which there should be) and full-width tyre contact patch on the road.

Without going outside to look at the tyre wall info, I think the pressures some a talking about in this thread are well above the Max inflation pressures printed on my tyres.


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## peribro

5.5 bar (80psi) is the maximum pressure that is stated on a number of makes of camping tyres. However it certainly doesn't mean that the tyres should necessarily be inflated to those levels. It's a bit like saying that your car speedometer goes up to 150mph so....!

There are numerous threads and articles about tyre pressures but the only way to be sure is to weigh your vehicle and then contact the tyre manufacturer to find the appropriate weight for each axle.


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## rayrecrok

Hey up..

My dive compressor goes up to 4000 PSI would that be enough :lol: :lol: :lol: . 

In fact when our dive bottles are empty they still have 50 ats 700 PSI left in them...


ray


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## Jezport

I've got the maplin pump and it works well.


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## spykal

Hi


What are you doing wrong if you are having to pump up your tyres so often that you wear out your 12v tyre pump?

I use a 10 year old 12v Ring Automotive inflator but have not had to add any air to my tyres for months.

I do check them very regularly with a digital tyre gauge, one that does not let any air out when doing the testing. .... maybe that is the secret.


Mike


P.S. I do 60 and 65 psi in mine ...way to hard at 80 ( sorry don't do Bar  )


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## shingi

Don't forget, and I think I'm correct in this, that the door plate tyre pressure sticker is one put on by the base vehicle manufacturer in the production process and appropriate for the panel van it's making. When these cab only vehicles are delivered to MH makers, they in turn produce them in all the shapes, weights, and sizes that we are familiar with, and so to determine the correct tyre pressures for each individual MH the Handbook should be referred to, or better still as has been stated many,many times before, a weighbridge is the best place to go for definitive tyre pressure calculation. MICK


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## Baron1

Continentals email:

[email protected]

Very Helpful
Mel


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## Baron1

This may be of help for anyone running on Continental Vanco tyres, it was sent to me by their importers in this country.

Mel.


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## wp1234

inkey-2008 said:


> I can vouch for the Ring RAC 900 good bit of kit. Will do up too 100psi.
> 
> Andy


Ditto great piece of kit ... But why 80psi ?


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