Broadway tyre pressures

My Broadway EK 4berth has Continental vanco camper tyres 215/70R15 CP109R as fitted from new. On collection I was told that 65psi should be used all round which I have been doing for 7000 miles now. However I was recently told by my local garage that this is bad advice and that the front and rear pressures must be calculated in accordance with the maximum axle weights allowed by the base vehicle manufacturer, in my case, Peugeot, to avoid problems with over and under inflation.
The tyre pressures are given on the riveted plate on the cab door pillar and read 72.3 psi for the front and 79.5 for the rear. However the tyre walls state a max of 69 psi. Alarm bells started ringing !!
So, as one would do after spending a small fortune with Auto Sleepers, I emailed Willersley and asked them what the pressures should be in relation to the axle weights. Not an unreasonable request to my mind. To my utter astonishment I received a short sharp reply saying that I must contact either Peugeot or Continental for this information which I have reluctantly done but received no replies.
My own research indicates that, on a front axle max weight of 1500kg the front tyres should be 50 psi and on the rear axle weight of 1800kg the rear tyres should be at 70 psi. This is without any loading for passengers, belongings etc. Should I have had to do this ?
There is nothing at all regarding pressures in the AS manual and the Peugeot manual merely directs one to the door pillar plate. 
As most owners will be aware, this is important as correct pressures have a marked effect on economy, handling and safety. I would be interested in what pressures other owners' vans are running on and whether their findings relate to my own.
Would you spend upwards of £50k on a new Jag and be expected to make your own investigations as to what tyre pressures should be used ?   I don't think so.  Come on Auto-Sleepers.

This question comes up so often. The weight on the pillar is assuming it is loaded up to the max as a commercial vehicle. If you go on the home page, you will see a heading 'Factsheets'. There you will find two listings , one 'Continental Tyre Pressure Chart' and one 'motorhome tyres' (last one on page 2). You need to load your van ready for a trip and go and weigh it at a local weighbridge, then check these lists to find your pressures.

Would you spend upwards of £50k on a new Jag and be expected to make your own investigations as to what tyre pressures should be used ?   I don't think so.  Come on Auto-Sleepers.


The same as every single motorhome on the roads. They all operate at different loads for different owners so the garages just pump up to the max weight pressure. 

As above, weighbridge - actual axle weights front and back - check the max weight from weight plate and it is a direct ratio varying with axle load.

Peter Brown wrote:
You should weigh the vehicle in the various states of load you anticipate, contact the tyre manufacturers with that data and they will tell you the pressures to use.

Peter

All except for Michelin Camper Tyres (Agilis). Michelin  will only give a standard reply to any motorhome for rear tyres, which they state should be inflated to 80psi no matter what the axle weight is.  I go by the factsheet from Tyresafe and inflate mine to 60psi.

I'm with Peter on this.  I emailed Continental through their website, they wanted the vehicle maximum weights and the individual axle weights fully loaded, I supplies this and an email arrived back in a few days with the correct tyre pressures; very good service.
Rich..

Take your point re individual axle weightings and I had  indeed realised this. Surely it would be simple enough to give a guideline psi figure for each of their models taken from say two occupants and an average contents weight together with the basic axle weights. To expect owners to find a public weighbridge and work out the correct pressures themselves is not acceptable and at the very least a reference to this procedure should be made in the AS handbook. Not all owners are inclined to know technical aspects of their vans. Perhaps Continental have not replied to me because they are inundated with these
Requests ?  I rest my case

They may not give a recommended tyre pressure due to potential liability issues if something goes wrong. Similar to Michelin. When I emailed them they gave a pressure for the front but said as the rear axle weights varied a lot depending upon loads then they simply said 5.5 bar, the maximum.

I simply pro rated it and regularly checked. Same thing with the Pilote - been across a weighbridge three times so far since May

I agree with sunbeampizza. There is no way I am going to find a weighbridge and play. So a guesstimate is the nearest it is going to get.

In my case I was weighing the van anyway before a trip abroad - as I always do, it was no trouble to make the enquiry after, but I do agree there should be more detailed information in the handbook.  My chassis handbook gives different pressures from the coach builders figures supplied the the vehicle literature.
Rich..

I have done mine (albeit not the same chassis) by trial of sorts. Started off using pressure V's the axle weights from the vehicle handbook with a reasonably accurate start point from a one off weighbridge check. (Easy to do, really worth doing and cheap).
Now I work on the above figures and if too harsh a ride I drop it a bit and then check regularly on route that the tyres are not getting hot. I have now built a pretty good profile of load to tyre pressures and it works well.

I have done a further weighbridge check while passing one when on hols just to check I was within my legal weigh limit. (The MH not me ).

For those that can't be bothered to find a weighbridge, here is a list of them. Often they are free if you don't want a print-out, otherwise there is nominal fee of around £5/10.

http://chrishodgetrucks.co.uk/useful-info/truck-weighbridges.htm

Sue68 wrote:I agree with sunbeampizza. There is no way I am going to find a weighbridge and play. So a guesstimate is the nearest it is going to get.

Sue68
You are of coarse entitled to take that attitude if you so wish.
However you should recognise that if you have the incorrect tyre pressures for the loading of the van and it does not behave as you expect under emergency braking, or you do not get what you would consider to be reasonable mileage out of a set of tyres, then you only have yourself to blame.
Personally I found it quite easy and inexpensive to weigh our van under 'fully loaded for touring' and 'unladen for local usage' conditions and reference Continental tyres pressure chart to ensure I have the correct pressures.
The van handles very well and has done 30k miles before the front tyres needed replacing. The rear tyres are less than 50% worn.

It's not an attitude, merely a discussion about a subject that affects me and probably others. I love my Broadway and cannot fault it. To avoid travelling to a weighbridge ( some distance) every time we load the van my original post was to enquire average psi values for this model for two persons and luggage etc which I feel would be far better than to just stick 65 psi into each tyre as AS suggested on picking up the vehicle which I now know was not best practice and something I still feel that AS could do. Obviously I now need to switch my expertise from being an emminent astro physicist to a campervan technician. I will find a weighbridge with my wife and luggage in the van and use that as the ball park figure in future. Let's put this to bed for now - I have vented my frustration with AS.

I have weighed mine, but I go on the pressures that are on a plate on the cab pillar, also the tyres which are the same as originally fitted, my van is loaded all the time, it is my everyday vehicle, and never know if I will need to stay away. my pressures are 55 front 65 rear. no problem with handling, quiet, so happy MH omer

Sue, it's well worth a quick check on a weighbridge even if only once just as guide to the weight of your vehicle at a certain load. Not just from a tyre pressure point of view but from a legal aspect as now the government have found another way of gaining revenue from us motorists with their 'WIMS" weight in motion sensors, they will clobber you if over weight, plus of course in event of accident you could find your insurance invalid. The joys of motoring in our technological world eh.

I can understand both sides to the above comments.... 

I have a weigh bridge literally just a few hundred yards up the road and I don't really feel the need to use it... I run my pressures at what feels right for me.

I've found in our Broadway End Lounge Duo, that tyres pressures of 70 psi rear and 60 psi front gives a smooth ride with good handling.

Surprisingly the Broadway rides way smoother to our Previous Nuevo (despite the Nuevo having Air Rides fitted) I know it's a little bigger but they are basically the same base vehicle so can't really get my head around this? I don't even feel the need to have air rides fitted which was one of the first upgrades I'd considered doing prior to getting it.

Thank you Cruising Comet. I think I will adopt your suggestion in the absence of a reply from Continental. In fact I found their pressures table this morning which ties in almost to what you quote. As a matter of interest I telephoned my nearest weighbridge ( ASM of Aylesbury ) who wanted £80 per tonne which seemed a bit high to me. I still think AS should have provided better guidance. Thanks everyone for all your comments.
Paulmold - it is not a matter of not being bothered. I think you have missed my point.

I've not missed your point. I just don't understand your reluctance to accept that each motorhome is unique in what it carries. How about the one that carries a mobility scooter on a rear rack or a couple of bikes, they upset the axle weights and cannot be expected to use the same pressures as a van without the bikes on the back.
As for the £80 per tonne, that is the cost of dumping waste at a landfill. No weighbridge would charge that for simply weighing a vehicle, extract from council website below..

''
A weighbridge is considered to be a Public Weighbridge if it is open to members of the public to use to weigh vehicles, tractors, vans etc.. You can find lists of public weighbridges in Devon (including Torbay and Plymouth) and Somerset below.
Public weighbridges are available for use by businesses or the general public for the weighing of vehicles and objects where determination of a specific weight/load is important, including ensuring that vehicles are not overloaded. They are operated by local businesses and are generally sited at premises such as quarries, feed mills and docks. A fee is often charged for each weighing carried out, which normally ranges from £5 to £10.''

I was lucky then, the weigh bridge that I went to didn`t charge me.

They often don't charge if you don't want a print-out. At least you went to a weighbridge.

My local in Bridlington was £15 and that was gross plus front and rear axles and a very helpful lass as I hadn't done it before. Weighed the truck that is