2009 Nuevo Classic - Tyre Pressures

Hi there,

I purchased our 2009 Nuevo Classic about a year ago (shod with Continental Vanco Camper 215/70 R15 CP 109R tyres) and have been totally confused by conflicting indicators as to what tyre pressures I should be running. The Peugeot sticker on the cab suggests 72.3psi (Front) and 79.5psi (Rear) and other sources suggested wildly different pressures - hence my confusion.

In the end I contacted Continental directly for advice and they replied with an extremely helpful/comprehensive reply which included their official "table" of weights/pressures which I show below. I thought it might be useful if I shared this with the Forum.

They did recommend I take the Nuevo to a weighbridge to determine the exact weights of each axle but until I do this I made a calculation of the weights as follows:- my Nuevo manual says the "Mass in Running Order" is 2,780kg (comprising 1,308 Front and 1,472 Rear). To this I made an estimate of the additional weights I need to account for (incl 90% of Fresh Water Tank, Personal Effects, Gas Bottles, my Fiamma Back Box etc) which resulted in adjusted weights of 1,403kg (Front) and 1,602kg (Rear).

Using these weights, you will see the table below suggests the Fronts should be 43.5psi and the Rears should be 58psi which you will see is massively less than the "quoted" pressures above. When I had the Nuevo serviced recently I got them to apply these pressures and I have to say the Nuevo has since driven SO much better than before - handles better and we no longer get that harsh jarring/crashing of stuff in the motorhome when going over the slightest bump.

Hope this is of help to anyone else confused by this matter! I'm not sure if these weights/pressures apply to other brands of tyres but this certainly seems to be what Continental recommend for their Vanco tyres.

Cheers

Pete

 

There's been the Continental chart in the factsheet section (see home page) for a few years now.

Mine say’s this & drives nice

Hi You still need to weigh your vehicle . Difficult to know individual axle weights any other way.

Micky

My auto sleeper dealer  told me to use the  pressure  on the  door post  plate  . vanco recommend  completely different  pressures . I use the auto sleeper  .if I was stooped  by  the police  they would  use the auto sleeper  pressure  as they are the stated pressure for the vehicle   . many use the vanco  lower recommendations   for a softer ride  .

Caravan Club (CAMC) recommend...

"If you own a caravan or motorhome, then tyres should be changed more regularly. The caravan club recommend changing these tyres every 5 to 7 years."

Molly3
the police cant tell you what pressure you have to put in your tyres they just need  to be at a safe pressure. you  don't adjust your car pressures each time you drive it by your self or with others in the car ?
sometimes the pressures on the plate are higher then the max marked on the tyre.
buy running on a low pressure will damage the side walls
Dartmoorpete continental should have given you a minimum pressure as the pressure you have set yours at now looks much to low

Minimum pressure is in the Continental chart, 3.0 bar at 1425kg Front.

Chart gives 43.5 F, 60 R.

the vanco camper tyres where a higher spec tyre than the tyres used on vans and  had higher pressures .if you run the fronts that low  on a front wheel drive it well wear the out side edges on your tyres .on the tyre chart needs to be 215/70 r15cp 109r VANCO CAMPER tyres

If you are involved in accident  and your vehicle is examined  the tyres will be checked .including tyre pressure .

Molly
yes the tyres maybe checked if they are  (note) LEGAL .if not your insurance will do anything to not pay out.  the tyre pressure is a recommended fig not a legal fig. pressures are set as to the load .so molly3 do you adjust your car tyres when you pick someone up in your car as this has different pressures on the plate

Caraman
as I sad caraman this is only a recommended fig on the plate not a legal fig and this was an example to molly3
Caraman
if you want to find fault with what I have said  we are not talking about tyre pressure monitoring system .I could have explained how to adjust the settings but as you are saying this is about lowering the pressures for more comfort.
I am not a troll as a lot are on this forum this is my trade and have worked with tyre manufacturers as to what pressures for what load a vehicle is carrying .so when I correct someone when they say something incorrect I try and explain as I did here to molly3. so best you do a bit of trolling to try and find more fault with what I have said.

glyne lock wrote:the vanco camper tyres where a higher spec tyre than the tyres used on vans and  had higher pressures .if you run the fronts that low  on a front wheel drive it well wear the out side edges on your tyres .on the tyre chart needs to be 215/70 r15cp 109r VANCO CAMPER tyres

The pressure I gave above are for those particular tyres as recommended by the manufacturer in their Technical Handbook. Copy in the Factsheet Section.

im afraid there is no 'one size fits all' pressure levels for all vans and certainly each sticker cannot refer to all models nor have any idea how many people or what extras and kit will be on board.

the ONLY way to establish the correct pressures for 'your' van is to weigh the axles and refer to the tyre manufacturer's data table, or even ask them, as i did.

here is their (abbreviated) response

Based on the following: 

ContiVanco Camper 225/75 R16 (CP*) 116 R tyres. 
  
Front Axle: 1600 Kg - 3.0 bar/ 43.5 psi (max weight for pressure given = 1730 kg) 

Rear Axle: 1820 Kg - 3.75 bar/ 54.3 psi (max weight for pressure given = 1840 kg)  

we have an A class and, due to the different construction to a normal low profile MH, the weight distribution front/rear is likely to be different....in fact our van is very well balanced with less rear bias..and we have four belted seats and we have a rear garage and etc.. so its just not possible to provide a catch all figure.

im sure other 3.5t vans will have the mass distributed differently hence the requirement to set the level in accordance with the axle weight.

we run at the Continental recommended 45/55 which gives a lovely smooth ride. following a base service last uear, the 'helpful' mechanic restored the tyres to 80psi all round (as they are all like that arent they?) .....bome jarring ride and the rear bouncing up and down, no thanks.

Cymro wrote:Thank you for mentioning yet another layer of confusion, Caraman. It is indeed the case that (in the case of Continental tyres, and probably others) the maximum pressure which is shown on the tyre wall is less than the tyre pressure which, for that vehicle's axle weights, is recommended by the tyre manufacturer in their table, and by the base vehicle's pressures plate. The answer to that conundrum was explained, I think maybe by Gromit, in a post of a few years ago. I can't find it now, but it was clear that it is permissible to exceed that maximum pressure in motorhomes. Was it to do with the USA regulations, perhaps?

But it is no wonder that this topic keeps cropping up, when three seemingly valid bases for calculating the correct pressures to use - base manufacturer's plate; tyre manufacturer's table; and tyre wall maximum - can be in conflict.  Of the three, I prefer the tyre maker's table using my van's unique data.

Cymro

Confusion as usual. Yes that tyre pressure figure on the tyre is a USA requirement.
Door pillar stickers are not reliable as they have no idea what the weight of your van is loaded,or the distribution of that weight.
As i have said before weigh your van to get your actual figures when loaded.
then go from there. The tyre manufacturer is the best source . IMHO

Micky

agree with Micky above....

a further small extract from the very comprehensive email Continental sent me...

"The 69 psi written on the side of the tyre is for the Northern American market only and the inflation pressure of the tyre can exceed this value within its safety operating range."

The small print on the tyre wall says "due to the special service conditions of motor caravans it is permitted to increas the inflation pressure"