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Post by southhem on Sept 28, 2018 22:41:07 GMT 1
My 1982 LWB Mk 2 is fitted with 6 good 14 inch tyres.....but they are 18 years old. When chatting to the MOT guy the other day he said that the rubber may have gone hard by now which will make the van handle worse than it should and could make them noisy ie road noise. Is that possible?
So my question is should I replace them, and more particularly what is the modern tyre of choice for the twin wheeler with the correct load rating, is as quiet as could be, and has the best handling?
The rear shocks are a bit iffy also. Could any one suggest a decent replacement and supplier?
Thanks for reading and thx in advance for any input.
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Post by muttleymk2 on Sept 28, 2018 22:51:40 GMT 1
You are pretty limited for choice with the 14’s, are they 185 or 195? Ralph will have shocks.
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Post by Ralph on Sept 29, 2018 6:53:26 GMT 1
Yes I have new rear shocks £60 pair. I also stock new 185 x 14 tyres. I only have 4 in stock but I can get more at short notice.
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Post by conrod on Sept 29, 2018 9:30:20 GMT 1
any tyres over 5 years old will have gone quite hard, and grip will be compromised, especially in the wet. I have fitted Hankook Vantra tyres to one of my Mk2's, in 195R14. Really good wet and dry grip, and when inflated to 45 psi (as recommended) it felt like it had power steering compared to the previous tyres! Continental Vanco and Michelin Agilis are (or at least were) also available in 14", and are very good. You get what you pay for in tyres to a certain extent. Plenty of cheap Chinese 14' tyres available, but I think you are better to cough for something decent. I am about to replace the tyres on my LWB Mk2 soon too. plenty of tread, but very hard and not very grippy!
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Post by southhem on Sept 30, 2018 11:34:39 GMT 1
Thanks for the input guys and have contacted Ralph. That's good advice Conrod, but I'm sure if your like me, you will not want to stand in front of 6 perfectly good tyres (aesthetically) and bin them! However I've done a little research and the net says 5/6 years with 10 as an absolute max. for tyre shelf life. At 18 I'm well over so that's decision made. The current ones are Michelin and are quite chunky so looking forward to reduced road noise to soften the blow! Thanks again,
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Post by dodgerover on Oct 1, 2018 21:41:04 GMT 1
I doubt you will notice any difference in the handling, noise and ride might improve though. Those 18 year old tyres could well have been 5 years old when they were supplied, they aren't the fastest moving size. Exposure to UV is what causes the most damage, if the sidewalls aren't cracking or the tread isn't delaminating I wouldn't get too hung up on age.
Actually if yours are chunky mud and slush winter tyres and you are local to me I would happily chuck them on for the winter...
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