Tyre load rating

[Bjohnson]

Hi all,

I've read al, the threads here about tyres and load ratings. I'm about to order a set of Michelin cross climate + tyres from black circles but am slightly concerned on the load rating

I may now be over thinking this, but;
- combined wisdom here on the forum is that Cali's are fine on 101 load rating and above
- the manufacture plate on my Cali states 103W
- Black circles website, only has the18" Michelins with a 101 load rating, no 103 rating available
- I'm changing wheels and tyres, my current 17" tyres (Dunlop) are 103 rated. I'm moving up to 18" wheels and tyres

I'm concerned at going to a lower rating than specified. Any views before I order??

PS - ours is a 2012 180 Cali

 

[calikev]

101 on my 18's goodyear 101 will be suitable for axle weight 1650kg

 

[WelshGas]

Hi all,

I've read al, the threads here about tyres and load ratings. I'm about to order a set of Michelin cross climate + tyres from black circles but am slightly concerned on the load rating

I may now be over thinking this, but;
- combined wisdom here on the forum is that Cali's are fine on 101 load rating and above
- the manufacture plate on my Cali states 103W
- Black circles website, only has the18" Michelins with a 101 load rating, no 103 rating available
- I'm changing wheels and tyres, my current 17" tyres (Dunlop) are 103 rated. I'm moving up to 18" wheels and tyres

I'm concerned at going to a lower rating than specified. Any views before I order??

PS - ours is a 2012 180 Cali

As far as I am concerned Minimum Load Rating 103, Minimum Speed Rating H.

Your Insurance may not be happy if you don't stick to the VW recommended Load rating.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Hi all,

I've read al, the threads here about tyres and load ratings. I'm about to order a set of Michelin cross climate + tyres from black circles but am slightly concerned on the load rating

I may now be over thinking this, but;
- combined wisdom here on the forum is that Cali's are fine on 101 load rating and above
- the manufacture plate on my Cali states 103W
- Black circles website, only has the18" Michelins with a 101 load rating, no 103 rating available
- I'm changing wheels and tyres, my current 17" tyres (Dunlop) are 103 rated. I'm moving up to 18" wheels and tyres

I'm concerned at going to a lower rating than specified. Any views before I order??

PS - ours is a 2012 180 Cali

Just give Black Circles a call, they should be able to source any tyre to the exact spec.

 

[calikev]

Vw fitted 96 rating to my van before I pointed out the mistake

 

[Bjohnson]

Thanks for the replies.

Looks as though 235/50/18 is widely available from various brands as 101 rating.

Moving to 255/45/18 - which I have seen recommended as an alternative size and the size for sportline wheels - brings up a selection of 103 rated tyres. No Michelin cross climates, but does include Dunlop icy is what I have always used on our Cali

 

[westfalia]

101 on my 18's goodyear 101 will be suitable for axle weight 1650kg

Living on the edge there calikev.

EGR delete and riding on 101´s, its almost like you're sticking 2 fingers up
to the rest of us law abiding citizens.

 

[Alan Andrews]

Yes I'd always go for VW recommended ratings (at the very least). Any insurer will look to not pay out in the event of any claim.

You might want to update your insurance in order to notify the insurer of a modification and see what they come back with.

Also, Police tend to always check tyres if you are stopped. They might not be on the ball with the load ratings, but then they just might be.

Don't mess with tyres or brakes - your life depends on these.

 

[calikev]

Living on the edge there calikev.

EGR delete and riding on 101´s, its almost like you're sticking 2 fingers up
to the rest of us law abiding citizens.

Hard core i am lol.

 

[calikev]

Here are the axle weight for the T5 The cali is based on a T30
so 1550 kg front and 1625 rear halve that to give you the wheel rating in kg so 812 kg so a 101 rated tyre will be ok upto 850kg
Type Front/Rear Axle Load (kg)
T26 1450/1400
T27 1500/1550
T28 84-114PS 1500/1550
T28 140-180PS 1550/1550
T30 84-114PS 1500/1625
T30 140-180PS 1550/1625
T32 102PS 1600/1720
T32 114-180PS 1650/1720
T32 All 4 Motion 1710/1720

 

[B J G]

I noticed on various visits that my local dealer (Peterborough) had 235/50/18 tyres fitted to all Transporter wheel upgrades. Never 255/45/18.

235/55/18 104V can be used. Speedo is 100% accurate.

 

[calikev]

yes mine are 235-50-18's

 

[Bjohnson]

Here are the axle weight for the T5 The cali is based on a T30
so 1550 kg front and 1625 rear halve that to give you the wheel rating in kg so 812 kg so a 101 rated tyre will be ok upto 850kg
Type Front/Rear Axle Load (kg)
T26 1450/1400
T27 1500/1550
T28 84-114PS 1500/1550
T28 140-180PS 1550/1550
T30 84-114PS 1500/1625
T30 140-180PS 1550/1625
T32 102PS 1600/1720
T32 114-180PS 1650/1720
T32 All 4 Motion 1710/1720

Thanks calikev, very helpful additional resource.

After another hours research, I've used the oponeo.co.uk web page that allows insertion of tyre size and provides comparisons. 235/50/18 comparative fitments listed are;

205/55/18
215/55/18
225/50/18
245/50/18
255/45/18 - this is the sportline size I noted earlier
265/45/18
285/40/18

I then used the above data to search some of the comparative sizes on Blackcircles.com, which revealed;

205/55/18 - didn't search
215/55/18 - didn't search
225/50/18 - all tyres listed were 95 & 99 load rating
245/50/18 - mostly100 load rating, some 104 ratings
255/45/18 - mix of 99 and 103 rated
265/45/18 - didn't search
285/40/18 - didn't search

Thanks again for the advice, I'm going to stick with the recommended load rating of 103 and order a set of Dunlops.

Hopefully the combined information in this thread may prove useful for others

 

[Alan Andrews]

I'm sure that I read somewhere that the max tyre width is 235, because otherwise the tyres will rub.

Can anyone confirm?

 

[B J G]

I'm sure that I read somewhere that the max tyre width is 235, because otherwise the tyres will rub.

Can anyone confirm?

VW factory option is 255/45/18.
It all depends on the wheel offset figure, how far the wheel is set out from the axle hub. As the rim gets wider the figure needs to reduce to clear the rear inner arch, too much and the front sticks out giving problems if lowered suspension.

 

[westfalia]

Its quite simple chaps.

Sticker on my door jamb says 103 so i don't go
below that.
104 he he
105 wow
109 now we're talking

101 good luck.

 

[Beeechke1]

I am no expert but ......going back to my school boy physics lessons (ok I know that was a long time ago) a lot of the total mass of the vehicle is effectively sat on top of the suspension system which allows for some limited movement, as this mass moves so does centre of gravity and therefore the actual load over each axle end/tyre is not fixed and can be more than 50% of the total axle weight? Therefore there must be a need for a safety margin to be built into tyre load capability hence 103 shown on door plate as Westfalia says.

I'll get my coat if I'm talking rubbish

 

[B J G]

I am no expert but ......going back to my school boy physics lessons (ok I know that was a long time ago) a lot of the total mass of the vehicle is effectively sat on top of the suspension system which allows for some limited movement, as this mass moves so does centre of gravity and therefore the actual load over each axle end/tyre is not fixed and can be more than 50% of the total axle weight? Therefore there must be a need for a safety margin to be built into tyre load capability hence 103 shown on door plate as Westfalia says.

I'll get my coat if I'm talking rubbish

Quite agree, I looked at the 101 load rated 235/50 18" tyres but left me with a gut instinct to avoid, I found the 235/55 18 came in a 104 load rating and checking the speedo it would be virtually 100% accurate. Tried one and found OK but as I have air suspension that goes very low the front arch had little clearance, no problem with standard steel suspension.

After going round in circles I've finally opted for 7.5J x 17" wheels which have a 1320kgs load rating each and stuck to 235/55/17 103V tyres. The extra 0.5" rim width has stiffened the side walls and they look wider in the arches. I could have gone to an 8" rim width but decided on the 7.5" rim having more tyre protection from any kerbing damage.