Disappointing @Lakeside8. Despite living in Sheffield, I prefer to make a 2.5 hour round-trip elsewhere for all my work.
T32 Wheel Options.
- Thread starter Fish
- Start date
Leighton were advertising a van with incorrect load rated alloys earlier this week.
Why would Leighton vans have a Chinese certificate for Zito wheels when there made in California.....I'd definitely question that one
My van was converted by W* Vans, I chose the ABT DR19's and they supplied and fitted them along with the rest of the conversion parts.
The DR19's come from Germany with 102 rated Dunlop extra load tyres, you cannot buy them naked, W* knew my van was a T32 and yet have fitted a wheel/tyre combo that is only rated up to 850kg's per corner.
For clarity, the T32 front axle is rated at 1710kg (855kg each corner) and the rear axle at 1720kg (860kg). I should have been advised the DR19's wouldn't be suitable for my T32 and to pick another wheel.
The DR19 wheel itself is load rated to 860kg, it's the tyre that is the issue and ABT cannot source a 103 or 104 rated tyre for these wheels.
I did a run to the South of France with a fully loaded van full of camping equipment and my family, if something had happened due to the incorrect load rating my insurance would have been void and in a worst case scenario I dread to think what could have happened.
Firstly, W* believe themselves to be the premium conversion people on the South Coast, I beg to differ if they don't know the difference between a 102 and 103 rated tyre on a T32.
Secondly, anybody that knowingly fits incorrectly load rated wheels or tyres onto a vehicle is putting vanity before safety and that is a very selfish attitude to take.
I've learnt from this that assume all the converters are idiots/cowboys/money grabbers and do your own homework, trust nobody.
Edit - name removed as maybe going legal with this.
The DR19's come from Germany with 102 rated Dunlop extra load tyres, you cannot buy them naked, W* knew my van was a T32 and yet have fitted a wheel/tyre combo that is only rated up to 850kg's per corner.
For clarity, the T32 front axle is rated at 1710kg (855kg each corner) and the rear axle at 1720kg (860kg). I should have been advised the DR19's wouldn't be suitable for my T32 and to pick another wheel.
The DR19 wheel itself is load rated to 860kg, it's the tyre that is the issue and ABT cannot source a 103 or 104 rated tyre for these wheels.
I did a run to the South of France with a fully loaded van full of camping equipment and my family, if something had happened due to the incorrect load rating my insurance would have been void and in a worst case scenario I dread to think what could have happened.
Firstly, W* believe themselves to be the premium conversion people on the South Coast, I beg to differ if they don't know the difference between a 102 and 103 rated tyre on a T32.
Secondly, anybody that knowingly fits incorrectly load rated wheels or tyres onto a vehicle is putting vanity before safety and that is a very selfish attitude to take.
I've learnt from this that assume all the converters are idiots/cowboys/money grabbers and do your own homework, trust nobody.
Edit - name removed as maybe going legal with this.
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I don't trust any tyre fitters anymore - I double check what they are doing every time.
I had an Alfa Romeo 159 SW a few years back, and it needed 4 new tyres. Took it to a well known national tyre company, and they fitted 4 new tyres for me. I noticed the next day that they had fitted tyres that were of a significantly lower speed rating than that specified by the manufacturer. Cue a rant at Head Office and a speedy replacement of all 4 on my drive. The comment from the original fitters was that "the new tyres had AR stamped on the side, so we assumed they were OK for all Alfa Romeos". Never been back to that company again.
Anyway, back to T32 wheels.
Pete
I had an Alfa Romeo 159 SW a few years back, and it needed 4 new tyres. Took it to a well known national tyre company, and they fitted 4 new tyres for me. I noticed the next day that they had fitted tyres that were of a significantly lower speed rating than that specified by the manufacturer. Cue a rant at Head Office and a speedy replacement of all 4 on my drive. The comment from the original fitters was that "the new tyres had AR stamped on the side, so we assumed they were OK for all Alfa Romeos". Never been back to that company again.
Anyway, back to T32 wheels.
Pete
The van converters have been advised by their tyre fitters that because the tyres are 102 XL, the XL means they can carry more than 850kg's... really so why not stamp them accordingly as 103 or whatever then?
So I called Dunlop and the technical support guy laughed at the claim of being able to carry more than 850kg with a 102 rating, they are rated to 850kg end of story.
Looks like I can get a set of 255/45/19 P Zero's with a 104 load rating, slightly wider, but that shouldn't be an issue.
Still slightly confused on the XL bit, Google says XL tyres are for heavier vehicles, not for carrying heavier loads. Will a 104 rated tyre be sufficient for a T6?!
So I called Dunlop and the technical support guy laughed at the claim of being able to carry more than 850kg with a 102 rating, they are rated to 850kg end of story.
Looks like I can get a set of 255/45/19 P Zero's with a 104 load rating, slightly wider, but that shouldn't be an issue.
Still slightly confused on the XL bit, Google says XL tyres are for heavier vehicles, not for carrying heavier loads. Will a 104 rated tyre be sufficient for a T6?!
I understand the load rating, it's the XL bit that is confusing.
I understand the XL bit to be descriptive more than anything else i.e. 102, 103, 104 etc could all be XL, because they are all "heavier duty" SUV or Van tyres, rather than lighter duty car tyres.
Pete
Google says XL tyres are made for heavier vehicles, not necessarily heavier loads. The Pirelli P Zero 104 that I've seen is correctly load rated, but it's not an XL, so I'm not convinced it's the correct tyre for a van, I'm sure it's ok on a Q7 etc.
Reinforced tyres - advantages and disadvantages » Oponeo.co.uk
Not that I’m a expert but I do d wonder in my last van and look it up I was lead to believe the xtra load is the application of additional carcass layer when manufacturing tyre, the extra layer is what keeps tyre in shape and pressure when cornering breaking.
Not that I’m a expert but I do d wonder in my last van and look it up I was lead to believe the xtra load is the application of additional carcass layer when manufacturing tyre, the extra layer is what keeps tyre in shape and pressure when cornering breaking.
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My converter was telling me yesterday how XL means you can ignore the 102 load rating, he's checked with his suppliers and they've all agreed I can ignore the 102 rating... They are so full of crap, literally expecting people to believe what they say is gospel.
I just think an XL tyre is as you say, a more robust version of a standard tyre, a tyre that can carry heavy loads week in, week out, bash up kerbs etc. Where as a standard tyre would rarely run heavy loads, they would be the exception, not the norm.
My wife's old Smax had XL tyres from the factory, for the rare occasion it could carry 7 people.
Richter Sport (UK ABT importer) have seriously gone down in my rating, they are trying to claim that the 102 rating is fine, unless I'm loading it up to the limit the tyres are only a few kg's under the limit (30kg's actually)
'ABT sell these wheels and tyres all over Europe and beyond, they've sold 100's of sets and it's never been an issue before'
It sounds to me like somebody at ABT has cocked up, they've bought X number of 102 rated tyres and fitted them to all the DR19 wheel sets and claim they've done this because they can't get a 245/45/19 in a 103 rating.
And yet if they put 255/45/19 on the wheels instead there's a multitude of 103 and 104 rated tyres they could have fitted instead.
Why make an 860kg rated wheel and fit 850kg tyres?! By doing so you immediately rule out fitment to all the T32 vans, unless of course you don't tell anybody and hope nobody notices...
I'm digging my heels in, I want the 102 tyres replaced with 103's or I'll return the whole wheel set, end of story.
'ABT sell these wheels and tyres all over Europe and beyond, they've sold 100's of sets and it's never been an issue before'
It sounds to me like somebody at ABT has cocked up, they've bought X number of 102 rated tyres and fitted them to all the DR19 wheel sets and claim they've done this because they can't get a 245/45/19 in a 103 rating.
And yet if they put 255/45/19 on the wheels instead there's a multitude of 103 and 104 rated tyres they could have fitted instead.
Why make an 860kg rated wheel and fit 850kg tyres?! By doing so you immediately rule out fitment to all the T32 vans, unless of course you don't tell anybody and hope nobody notices...
I'm digging my heels in, I want the 102 tyres replaced with 103's or I'll return the whole wheel set, end of story.
ok so im interested in these,
1Form Edition.1 (EDT.1) - LK Performance
20x9" all round, shouldn't rub on wheel arches IF standard height correct?(will be buying b14s at some stage)
or should i go for a staggered 19inch option of 19x8.5 on front, and 19x9.5 on the rear...
1Form Edition.1 (EDT.1) - LK Performance
20x9" all round, shouldn't rub on wheel arches IF standard height correct?(will be buying b14s at some stage)
or should i go for a staggered 19inch option of 19x8.5 on front, and 19x9.5 on the rear...
personally I'd go 19, I found 20s impacted the Speedo to much for my liking and 19s feel more comfortable and funnily enough more responsive
do people recommend staggered 19s or just straight.. and what size? 8.5? 9s? (i presume this is width of alloy? )
