I know this is a potential can of worms thread, but i'm almost ready to order my new tyres, i'm gonna go for 185 65 15 out back and as for the front i just don't know!! on my last 2 EB westy busses i have run 165 50 15's, they were both super low, and the only tyres that looked right. but............. back then i never once even considered load ratings, i just went with what fitted under my arch and looked right. we drove all over the place, in all kinds of temperatures, once for 7 hours on the trot and no issues. Maybe as you get older you start to think more about safety! i dont think i can bring myself to having full on commercial tyres all round on my bay, but i have rounded my tyre dilemma down to either a 165-55-15 75V (387kg), a 175-55-15 77T (412kg), or as a wild card a 165-65-15 81T (462kg) obviously the latter has a slightly better load rating, but i have never seen anyone run these on a low bus, and dont fancy going through several sets of front tyres until i find out for myself!! if you have any of the above tyres, and your bus is lowered at all, can you post up a picture and what you think of them. cheers Austin
Hi im on 185 65 15's on the rear and 175 60 15's on the front! - funnily enough im off out in the morning looking for some new fronts, most of which ive looked at om web seem to be 81 load rated! Combination works well tho , comfy ride
Im running 165/65/15 on the front and 185/60/15 on the rear. Its had about a 4 inch drop all round using red9 coil overs. Hope the pic helps: Untitled by chris_r582, on Flickr edit - Just been to check, these are an 81T rating.
Update - just returned from search and picked up 2x partworn 175 60 15's Continentals with a good 5mm tread all over for £70 fitted - happy bunny Now bring on that mot thingy!!
Cheers for the replies guys, post some pics of just the tyre on the wheel if possible. Also, some may find this table useful
That table goes to prove my point. 81 is massively under spec. It would just about be ok stationery so no braking or cornering. Each to their own but you'll find that running the correct tyres it handles much better and doesn't carry the possibility of invalidating your insurance. Do a search on here for tyre threads.
This was more of a "what do the tyres on my short list look and feel like" thread more than anything else. But........ What is the front axle load of a LB?
Shamelessly stolen from another thread: Depending on the model a Bay could have a gross weight of 2300kgs; gross front axle 1010kgs, rear 1300kgs (yes, I know that doesn’t total 2300kgs), a tyre rated at 580kgs would be okay on the front but not the rear. 580kgs is a load index 89, 97 is 730kgs, 100 is 800kgs. 97 load index is fine for a Westy, or any other Bay for that matter, it doesn’t have to be a commercial tyre or 8 ply but it is a van and will handle better with a tyre with stiff sidewalls i.e. commercial or reinforced. Remember that heavy braking / cornering significantly increase the load on tyres.
but surely it depends on the bus, because my bus (basic tintop with only a r'n'r bed in the back) will be a lot lighter than those of you with full interior cabinets and silly lumps of fibreglass on the top.. so surely its all relative..?
Commercial tyres are 102 rated = 850 kg's. That more like it. It's the cornering where you'll find out. I had 85 rated on mine when it was lowered and I was trying to find a good size, but it was like slipping on a crisp packet cornering at a decent speed and felt like the tyre would peel off the rim. The max load for these was at max pressure 35 lbs so useless on the back and near the limit for the front. Then once I found size I like I found some 96 rated and it was night and day for steering, blowing about and braking. Mines also a lightweight tin-top. Gone back to full height and commercial 102 tyres now - much better in every way though perhaps doesn't look so cool depending on your viewpoint..
I drive a lot of buses in the course of work and even with commercial tyres the heavy full-on camper ones seem squidgy to me, but if you like the jelly-wobble feel... Fill them up with people and it'll be worse still.
ah fair enough, i havent had much experience with load ratings, being a drifter all ive done is found tires that fit, chucked them on and destroyed them in a couple hours the world of buses is far removed from my vehicular past!!
