replacement tyres

G

gosnell

New Member
I need some advice relating to new tyres. Last year after I purchaced my P6B I decided to replace all five tyres, I was faced with the anwer from all the dealers on the Isle of Wight that 185HR x 14 were no longer available untill I approached the last Company that I phoned and was told yes they can supply. I had the five replaced but as I am Disabled I was not able to check until now , and to my horror firestone van tyres were fitted, what is the position with MOT and the law and what is the situation with the the company that fitted.
 
Re: replacemebt tyres

Hi Gosnell.

Almost all 185/14 tyres these days are van tyres!There are a few exeptions,but I cant put a name to them.
As for the law and the MOT,as long as Mr MOT sees they have adequate tread they are legal.
As for the company that supplied you,WELL!!! :x They should of know better than to supply van tyres for a car!
ALSO??? What letter speed rating are they? as they should really be suitable for 130mph max!
OK, while not being illegal to fit them,van tyres are normally at least 8ply,are designed for carrying weight,and can be horrendously noisy on such a refined car as the P6 is!!
Also because the side walls are thicker,stiffer they could actually affect the handling!!!
Thats probably why the other companies said they could not supply them!
I have fitted 195/70Rx14 Dunlop SP200 Sports 4ply to mine, very close to original profile,correct tread pattern,and super quiet on the road!
Depending on how long its been since you had them fitted,I would go back to the supplier and ask them why they have fitted van tyres to your car??
I would insist they replace them with proper 4 ply car tyres of a suitable equivalent size,ie 195/70 and of a known reasonable make like corda,nanking,etc!
Possibly, depending on your nature,ie are you forcefull,or dont like to complain? Take a mate along for back up who is not going to be messed about by them! Dont be rude,or angry "YET"!!! but direct firm and to the point!
Mention looking on the trading standards web site,and their supply of goods not fit for purpose!!
If you know a friendly MOT/mechanic type!Have a chat with them!
I am sure other members of the forum will be able to add to this.

All the best!
Dave
 
Many thanks for the in depth anwer, I am not likley to get any readress from the tyre Co as It is 6-8 months since they were fitted, even though I have only covered a couple of hunded miles since fitting I feel that the time maybe to long. as far as my disposition to being strong in these matters, being disabled is somewhat of a problem. If there had been a deffinate legal point I would have felt a lot better on talking to the tyre company.




Regards John
 
The problem arises is that if you asked for the size, they've supplied what you asked for, and if the speed rating is correct there's not a lot you can do. If you asked for tyres for a P6B however, they shouldn't have fitted van tyres. If the speed rating is incorrect, (which it most likely is) regardless of the time that has elapsed, I'd be be back there and complaining
 
My tyre info reads 195/70Rx14 91V
V being the speed rating! yours should be S,T,U or H!! All for over 100mph and H = 130mph
Van tyres arent rated for much over 80mph if you have a 3 figure number then N 87mph or P 93mph!!
Where did you get the C from?
ie;= 185HRx14 123N
Irrespective of what size you asked for,and as you asked for the size fitted to a P6B anyway!!!I imagine you drove in with the Rover P6B?? so they know what car it was for! They had a duty of care,let alone the safety issues!!! to advise you correctly and supply you with the correct tyres for your car!! I do hope that they havent taken advantage of you because you are disabled?
It is understandable that you may not easilly be able to check the tyres out at the time!
I know you dont do a lot of miles,probably dont hammer about at 100mph "MUCH" :LOL:
The not fit for purpose,and the LAW!!! comes into effect in this case as they are not adequate,safe for the performance of the car!! Irrespective of whether you only do 50mph all day,that fact is they are wrong and potentially dangerous!!
You must!! go back and complain!! If you feel your disability could affect your communication skills with them "sorry I dont know what diability you have",then take a friend,family member,even contact trading standards,and explain your situation!
I wonder if richarduk who frequents this forum,and also lives on the IOW could assist you in any way?? He cant be far away can he??
Richard!!! See what you can do to help this chap out EH!!!
Dave
 
Hi gosnell, just read this thread, did I read it correctly, you're on the island??? I can't say if the new tyres on my P6 are van ones or not, I know so little about tyres that I would'nt know if it came up to me and slapped me round the face. But the guys at HiQ in newport fitted the rears last year ( failed MOT as the rears were different size's :shock: ) and the fronts for my new MOT (old ones were rotten) and the cars feels 100% better. Would be worth popping over there for a chat to them. The tall guy, Andy I think he's name is, is a bit of a classic car fan (in to he's marina's) so I don't think he would not make such a mistake or try to fob me off with van ones, well I hope not.

P.s. Not seen you about, you should pop round for a cupa next time your in Newport. :) My old girl is feeling a bit lonely on the Island.
 
The Rover P6B requires a tyre with a minimum speed rating of H. Anything above this..no problem.

The problem arises when a tyre is chosen with a speed rating below H, say S or T.

It does not matter if you only drive the car at a maximum of say 60kph (say 30mph) because the law, certainly in Australia requires that the rating of the tyres meets or exceeds the original requirement specified by the manufacturer.

In Australia, should the polics pull you over and inspect your car, and the tyres be found to not meet the necessary speed rating, your car can be issued with a defect notice.. :shock:

Should you have an accident with or without another vehicle, your insurance claim will be null and void when the accessor inspects and finds tyres that fall below the manufacturers required minimum speed rating.

So for the P6B, H rating is as low a speed rating that you can legally go.

Ron.
 
Whilst technically correct,as the speed limit is 70mph,the law here requires that the tyre be legally capable of that!! Thus it is not actually illegal to fit van tyres,but it could be argued it is a safety issue!
Insurance companies will try to find any reason to wiggle out of paying,and if they try to say you havent got the manufacturers reccomended tyre sizes fitted,then I would suggest to them that they go try and find some!!
It is therefore essential that an owner inform the ins company what tyres have been fitted!
 
I'm a bit concerned as to how this thread has developed. The only key issue with the tyres is the speed rating. I would argue that, unless you are planning sustained high speed use on a German autobahn, then a 115mph rating is entirely adequate for this country. It could be argued that van tyres are actually better constructed than car tyres, having much stronger sidewalls able to cope with reular abusive kerbing. Issues do arise if you mix them on the same axle (very bad - even mixed makes of nominally same spec car tyres on the same axle is to be avoided!) or front to rear (not so bad) with other tyre types. But if you have a car set of four then the handling will remain balanced. Adhesion, wet weather performance, quietness etc varies between makes of tyre whether or not they are van tyres. The van tyres are likely to be harsher due to the stiffer sidewalls and they won't roll on the rim under cornering as much as car spec tyres, but we are talking 80 profile here, so the differences are nowhere near as pronounced as with a low profile tyre.

Chris
 
My 3500s came with 185SR 14 tyres when I purchased it in 2004. I have always been concerned that if I needed new tyres they would try and sell me either "low profile" tyres i,e. 185/ 70 or "van tyres". I am determined to have the tyres the vehicle was designed for. If you fit "low profile" tyres as they try to sell you, yes, your car is lowered but they have a lower rolling diameter which means your speedo overreads and you use more fuel. Luckily relief is at hand. The garage at which I get my Warrant of Fitness (WOF, your MOT) specialises in tyres and usually has a supply of genuine 185SR14 tyres. The reason? NZ is one of the few countries still making them as the major tyre manufacturers are are not interested in short run production. As a result, there is a thriving export market for these tyres around the world!
 
185 SR 14 tyres are a lower speed rating than the tyres originally specified 185 HR 14's , So they are not quite as good as the originals.
 
SR rated tyres will also void your insurance claim should you ever need to make one, so be very careful.

Ron.
 
I agree SR are not as good quality as higher rated tyres. The difference is that the casing has a lower resistance to heat build up, so under sustained high speed use there is a danger of the plys separating (by high speed I mean of the order of 120mph). Also the concentricity may be of a lower standard. BUT all completely adequate for use in UK on what is by todays standards a low powered car.

Ron, are you quite sure about the insurance implication in the UK? As a Professional Engineer my evidence if asked in such a case would be as above!

Chris
 
Hello Chris,

The reference that I made regarding the insurance implications is applicable in Australia. I don't know whether it would also apply within the U.K.

I apologise if I caused any confusion.

Ron.
 
I have just been shot down in flames. When I made this post, I had only looked at the two front tyres, i.e. 185SR14. I should have mentioned that the rear tyres are 195/75/R14 Which are the same "rolling diameter" as 185/14. Also I should have mentioned that the new NZ tyre I purchased was to replace the spare which was bald. It is mounted vertically in the boot, inside a cover thoughtfully supplied by Rover. I have just checked it for details and it is 185/80/14 RIS. It also cost $92 or 34 pounds. Where does this leave me now?
 
Right here's my addition for what it matters, the original spec for the V8 was 185R14 90H which are extremely hard to get nowadays & as I think I said in another thread somewhere Michelin do one known either as the XAS or MXV-P but it is a very expensive tyre £155.00 is the cheapest I can find, Vredestein do one called the Sprint Classic aimed at the classic car market & you can pick them up for around £60.00, I'm also told Nankang do one but I haven't seen any on the net. There are plenty T rated & S rated (lower speed rating) or alternative sized ie 195/70x14 H rated but you should really be telling your insurance company as you are straying from original spec though I suspect this would only come to light in extreme cases
So there you have it
Colin
 
Mine are Nankangs.

They are 185R14 H90, so the correct size and speed rating (I think)

The spare tyre is a brand new Firestone, again 185R14 H90.

Nothing on there about being 8 ply or commercial so I suspect they are in fact the real thing.

They will be on ebay soon though 8)
 
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