van rated tyres

[gti mad man]

is there a code i.e 'v' etc?

[R0B]

as far as i know it should be a "c"

[g60steve]

Has Rob says...C for commercial.
V is the speed rating.

[kevtherev]

or reinforced, or 6 ply, or 95 + load rated.

[Red Westie]

Speed ratings....for obvious readings, aren't really an issue on a T3
Even the slowest van speed rating: N is 87mph
With entry level car tyres coming in at S rating which is 111.8mph

So you see, even the lowest speed ratings far exceed the top speed of a standard van.
Most commercially rated tyres fit for T3 use are infact going to be rated to a much higher speed than this, possibly H which is 130mph.

The main issues when sellecting tyres for your T3 relate to 'LOAD' index rating, the maximum load carrying capacity 'shared 4 ways' of the tyres.
As has been said, with a fully laden T3 the tyres ideally want to have a rating 95 or higher.
The problems arrise when fitting non standard rims which often means fitting car tyres, these nearly always have high speed ratings but insufficient load carrying capability.
I suppose if you are a multivan user who doesn't carry weight then the exceptable index could be a tad lower but fully loaded campers etc should stick to this advice.
These are some of the common load ratings you are likely to see with the type of tyres commonly seen on T3's

87 : 545kg
89 : 580kg
91 : 615kg
92 : 630kg
95 : 690kg
100: 800kg
101 : 825kg

Bare in mind:
The standard VW fitted 185/R 14C tyres had a load index rating of 100/101

You will find that when sellecting tyres of 95 rating or higher, they will often be marked for commercial use, reinfoced 6 or even 8 ply. These are signes that the tyre was designed to take more load than a car.

Martin

[Red Westie]

I thought I should also add:
The same applies to:
Alloy rims also have load ratings.....be sure those you are using exceed the 690KG of the 95 rated tyres.
Martin

[g60steve]

You will find that when sellecting tyres of 95 rating or higher, they will often be marked for commercial use, reinfoced 6 or even 8 ply.

Not always Martin.
It also depends on the wheel size...i run 225/45/17's front with 94 load rating and 245/45/17 95 load rating on the rear....both load ratings are above my maximum laden axle weights but they are reinforced car tyres and designed for heavy vehicles like big Mercs..hence the load ratings.
245/45/17's are readily available in 99 load rating as well if anyone feels the need to keep above the VW spec load rating of 97 which relates only to the standard 5.5" steel and 6" alloy wheels rather than 9" wheels which 245's are designed for.

Another example:
215/55/16(95H)tyres are fitted as standard to VW Sharans,Seat Alhambras and other people carriers which weigh roughly the same as a T25 and are designed to carry 7 adult passengers plus luggage but they're not 6 or 8 ply but are perfect for a T25.

So after all that it totally depends on what size wheel/tyre combo you are thinking of?

[Red Westie]

Evening Steve......that's why I used the word 'often' meaning not always.

The point I think we are all making here is just to keep an eye on the tyres that are fitted and those rough guides.
Martin