The company I used to work for had 5 Sprinters doing high mileage.They came with Continental tyres and when they needed replacing they were replaced with cheap tyres (can't remember the brand) and with a month 3 of the vans were involved in collisions due to poor grip, one ended up on it's side on the M1. Tyres are the only part of the vehicle touching road. Always buy the best tyres you can afford and check pressures once a month or before a long journey. Also pressure should be increased when towing. Best to invest in a 12 volt tyre inflator or maybe a couple as you have a few cars. Stay safe.
And, with rear wheel drive an unladen Sprinter is a lottery! The difference in price between budget and premium is negligible so always opt for the premium brands.
As a veteran of icy roads in Canada, remember, the only contact your vehicle has, are the four patches of contact with the roadway. A lot of very proficient drivers have suddenly found themselves in a ditch after encountering "Black Ice" here. Mud can cause a similar effect any where in the world. I check the pressures monthly, and use a good grade tyre from a respected manufacturer. Cheers...
@@thatcheapguy525 Clever! It reminds of a funny event. I used to work with an Irish sleep scientist who had a Guiness screen saver on his PC - i told him it was fake as the bubbles went upwards. he said rubbish so I took him over to the pub and proved that they sank. he had to buy my lunch for the rest of the week. I am currently drinking a 1991 Taltarni Cabernet-Sauvignon which I didn't realise I had and gee it is a nice drop. I suspect it is past its prime and it must been delectable them.
Two suggestions. Get a pencil tyre pressure gauge and I was told to always put the new tyres on the back of a front wheel drive car if not changing all four at once. The new tyres will grip better and on the back will induce understeer rather than the dreaded oversteer caused by having worn tyres on the back and grippy ones on the front axle. Finnally I had a Peugeot Partner Facelift 53 plate . Great car. The rear tyres lasted for ages and the temptation was to just keep relacing the worn front tyres and you end up in the situation that you find yourself in 15+ year old tyres on the back axle and brand new on the front. A recipe for oversteer.
I learned to drive several decades ago (scary how time flies) and even then the instructors really drove home the point of never ever letting tyres get older than about five years. Apparently modern rubber mixes are really heavily optimised for good grip at high speeds compared to, say, 40 or 50 years ago but the downside of that is that the rubber ages much faster and gets hard to the point of losing almost all grip.
@@JohnEvans-zo7kk Not always. A mate of mine had problems with his Corvette and the tyres he had on it were AUD200 each ( a fair while ago). We finally worked it was the tyre that inherently out of balance by a fair way. It got replaced free of charge but it does show quality problems can happen anywhere.
You should invest in a 12 volt tyre compressor, that way you can check pressures at your convenience and don't have to worry that compressors at the Fuel station may or may not be working.
@@Jambo-u2k I find that if you only have a foot pump, you simple tend not to bother what your pressures are. Its too much effort to pump it up. With an electric one, its the opposite, you have it plugged in and it has a meter, so might as well do all 4 (or 5).
Recently got 4 kenda tyres on my kia and don't have any problems with them. Some tyre places do over tighten wheel studs, I struggled getting a wheel off a friend's car with my 400nm ugga dugga gun🙄. A breaker bar plus pipe did the job but aren't the kind of thing you'd have if you got a puncture 😭 I put a dab of copper grease on my studs and have done for 30+ years to combat seized studs, no doubt others will disagree with me on that. 🫣👍🇮🇪
I swear by UniRoyal Rainsport tyres. used them on three cars now. Currently on Octavia Estate which often has kayak on roof triple bike rack on tow bar and scuba or camping kit in. Tyres really confidence inspiring
I’ve used them for years. You don’t think about them until it’s lashing it down and you’re on the motorway trying to keep out of the way of the wagons. Then you breathe a bit easier .
Goodyear Vector Seasons, often can be found on offer, great in the rain, decent in the snow. I would rather fit part worn good tyres, than new ditchfinders.
Apparently you should always mount new tires on the back. That's what Michelin's technical man in England tells AutoExpress. According to this Brian Porteous, you should always mount the best tires on the back. It doesn't matter whether your car has front-wheel, rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. Of course, you should always replace the tires in pairs or in fours. Never just one tire; that can lead to dangerous situations.
Buying tyres at Costco, they used to show a video showing what happened if you had badly worn tyres at the rear, and how roadholding was severely impaired. The sensible thing to do is to change the tyres round once a year, front to back and vice versa, that way the tyre wear is more even. Also carry a 12 volt compressor to inflate any tyres as necessary.
I bought a car for my daughter last month. Had 4 matching tyres of your best Chinese rubber. 6+mm all around. Straight in the bin and a set of Goodyears on all four corners.
I always keep a pressure gauge in the car and check them about every 2 months. What I also do if I have new tyres fitted is loosen the wheel nuts and tighten them to the correct torque. So many times they overtighten them meaning you can't loosen them with the normal wheel brace.
I would say the majority of drivers never check their tyres, the same way they don't check anything else apart from their phones while behind the wheel. I'm a bit grumpy today 😂
I work for a car parts supplier and I get the piss taken by all the other drivers because I do a daily walk round check ( coming from coaches and buses it’s mandatory) and the amount of under inflated, low oil, low water no screen wash is unreal I seem to be the only driver not to have blown a van up, wonder why
When you think the contact patch of a tyre is about the size of an average hand, it's critically important to do everything to give it the best opportunity of adhering to the road. Normally the tyre pressures will be on a plate somewhere on the A or B pillar. I always keep a tyre gauge and foot pump (remember those old things) in the car as well and only check the tyres when cold. I got into the habit of a vehicle walk around, fluids and pressure check years ago, so now it's second nature. Glad you survived, learn from mistakes and move on.
I carry a tyre compressor with a built in pressure gauge . It's a Ryobi which is powered by a cordless battery and I highly recommend it. I know there are others, but I found this one to be excellent for checking and inflating tyres.
I have a Volvo S60 2002, when I bought the car 8 years ago it had 4 matching Continentals on it, it was a well looked after car, upon replacing the tyres with cheapos, I realised how bad cheap tyres really are, they're noisier on a motorway, rubbish in wet, I get understeer I didn't used to on better tyres, I didn't put up with the cheapos for long, I now have 4 Nexens, a lot better, £75 each so £25 more than the cheapos, but well worth it, Nexens are not quite Continentals but I'm happy with them, I'd suggest you get atleast Nexens or Falkens, and maybe invest in a tyre pressure monitor and pump, one of those you plug in the cars 12v, that way you can change the pressures yourself whenever you tow or not, good video highlighting the safety issue of bad tyres and great job with Rusitval
@colinmoss7343 Uniroyals are a quality brand, I like to use the rating chart to see how they perform on the car you have, I also like to try and find out what tyres a car had from new, because they would be what the manufacturer tested the car with, Michelin always get a high rating nowadays
2 other things to check, 1: The hitch is moving properly to apply the overrun brakes , 2: The brake compensator is working properly on the berlingo, they are very prone to sticking or the springs breaking, however that would normally mean weak rear brakes, I am not sure if it is possible for it to fail in a way that would give too much rear brake. It is possible one side can seize also as the compensator works on both sides separately . (4 pipes)
Cheers. I can feel the hitch braking working fine. Brake compensator is also fine but I'm pretty sure I wasn't braking at the time. Mid-bend braking never a good idea, especially if roads are slimy!
Never skimp on tyres, that child that steps out in front of you will thankyou for having decent tyres. I have in the past not had the money for tyres and instead of buying an unknown brand I did not use the car until I could afford good tyres. For your safety and the safety of others fit known brand tyres please. We don’t want to lose Hubnut, in the sea of tv dross you are proper and enjoyable entertainment and cheer up a flat day.
For me it's only continental and nothing else. It costs a bit more but over the whole lifespan of a set of tires it's well worth it and not that much more.
@@peterdevreterTyres are vehicle specific, largely. But, certainly Michelin and Continental are generally amongst the best. Even paying an extra £10 between budget and Mid-Range is £40 well spent.
I would recommend an all weather tire, with mud and snow markings. I use Kumho tires (Korean) and find them excellent. The line is Solus. They maybe available in the UK. Glad to know you’re safe. Tread depth and air pressure are without doubt critical.
@@MattBrownbill I haven’t had any experience with Falkens. Here in Canada they seem to be a bit more pricey than Kumho. I did have Toyos some 25 years ago on which the sidewalls delaminated. I remain prejudiced against that brand. Especially as they would not honour the warranty. 🇨🇦
When I used to tow a caravan (1100kg) I had a Bulldog stabiliser fitted. I also inflated the tyres on the car to max load before the journey and accurately weighed the nose weight (moving things around to get it right)
I bought a rechargeable tyre inflator recently from eBay for about 13 quid with a digital readout that also tells you tyre pressure, well worth the money, this was inspired by going to a garage fairly locally where it was ONE POUND FIFTY to pump your tyres up (which needless to say I refused to do)
Thanks for being transparent about your tire experience. Glad it ended well. You're probably fed up of people saying this, but we really shouldn't skimp on tyres. a medium price 'named' brand is all you need - better handling, comfort, grip and (probably) improved fuel consumption. I think timing your tyre changes is important too - a waste to eke out old tyres until you are forced to change them - chances are you'll sell the car before your new tyres wear - so the next owner gets the benefit 😂
Under-inflated tyres also carry the risk of popping off the rim when cornering (and they have maintained grip), which adds to the fun of losing control of the vehicle, but does go to show that before a long journey, it's good to check the pressures and condition of tyres, for everyone's safety... :)
Checking your tyre pressures is a good habit to get into before any journey, same as checking your oil level, coolent, and washer fluid. Was drummed into me by my Dad in the 1980's, and i still do these checks to this day, especially tyre pressures on a motorbike.
Great Video Ian - Many Thanks. PetrolPed did a video a month ago (probably sponsored! And a Free Lunch!) about tyre fitting - which tyres to go where. Basically, Michelin tyre experts in attendance, and his driving demo of a Golf on a skidpan demonstrated that you put the good tyres on the back and worn ones on the front. In the video he explains and demos why...! Quite a good, short, "safety advice" video. Kind regards. Keep up the good work.
My Corsa D felt odd after it was serviced, when the garage claimed to have checked the tyre pressures, that were fine before they got their hands on it. When I checked the pressures they were all over the place, and none were at the recommended setting. They are now, thanks to the cheap compressor from eBay I always carry with me! They're so cheap you could carry one in every working car!
The most convenient tyre inflator for my hobby farm is a Ryobi hand held shaped like a drill. You can use the same rechargeable battery as other tools so buying the pump without another battery is inexpensive. Much more convenient and quicker than 12 volt compressors I’ve used in the past, and doesn’t drain tired batteries in tractor, mower and the 30 year old Subaru Ute that lives in the shed.
Never skimp on tyres. Always had Avons on my car as that’s what I could afford. Thought they were fine. Then decided to go Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and now Goodyear Eagle F1. I’d never buy budget or mid range tyres ever again, the extra safety is well worth the extra £15-20 per tyre!
In 1995, I lost and wrote off my three year old XM D.12 on a country road in Piemont. It was a rainy day and I drove through a bend that crossed a slight indentation in the profile of the muddy vineyards. There was probably some very fine mud there, or there had been an oil spill or something, and the car lost adherence on all four wheels suddenly, starting with the front. I was not aware of driving fast, but I was definitely just above the correct speed for these particular 10 metres of road in those conditions. Bad fate would have it that on the otherwise empty road, there was a car coming the other way just there, and I crashed into it after a desperate attempt at emergency braking. Long story short, no one was killed, but it was very unpleasant. Now for the bit pertaining to the video. When my fatally damaged car had been towed to the nearest Citroën dealership, I went there to talk to the dealer, and while we discussed that he had no use for it, he indicated the tyres on my car. They were the OEM equipment of choice, three year old Michelin MXL, at least 70% thread on them, correctly inflated, but his remark was: “When we were selling BXs here, those were the factory mount. First thing our customers would do was change those tyres. They’re no good on the roads here. Very bad when it’s wet.”
You may get away with just a foot pump and preassure gauge (well id do on my 308 which can too be a bit skittish ). It’s a bit ocd but I check a day before each long journey - about once month. (Noticed the seasonal temparature changes also mess with the preassure a bit).
Lefthand brake works. Slowing down into corner pushed the rig sideways. If you have that again, drop the clutch & even your crap tyres will do their best!
Glad you were able to save it Ian! Top tip, carry a cheap 12v portable compressor on trips! I bought one before doing a 5000 mile road trip in a PT Cruiser, and it's saved my neck a few times. I also keep a small plug/patch kit too, it all tucks away in a cubby in the boot. And lastly, never cheap out on tyres for big road trips or towing! I usually use Toyo Extensa HP II's, but anything that's not cheap and chinese should be good quality
@@HubNut also if you use an inflator and you are charged to use it at petrol station it should be accurate within a few percent as you cannot charge for uncertifcated air pressure reading. I use my own calibrated gauge and would you believe it a lot of forecourt gauges are a mile out! Just wondering how many forecourt gauges do have a certificate to say they have been checked recently?
@@HubNut it is safety relevant and should be free. many people dont even carry coins anymore. but i guess that change was made because more cars got tyre pressure metering wich is mandatory on new cars. so more people coming, means a buisness.
I bought a great piece of kit. It's four senders that are placed where the valve caps go. They are powered by watch batteries. There's a receiver on the dashboard that gets signals from these. It records tyre pressure and temperature. Works perfectly. If you inflate the tyres to the correct pressure, any variation is reflected on the receiver. As a bonus the dashboard bit is solar powered. Under £30 from a popular UK seller. Highly recommend. It even speaks to warn you of deflation.
Essential to keep on top of tyre pressures especially when towing, I would check bob’s pressure too if you haven’t already. Just replaced 4 tyres on our MG HS with more Michelins yes it cost us a pretty penny but there’s no denying the grip and feel of safety you get with them especially when towing.
@Hubnut. I just use one of those new automatic cut off Cordless drill shape Pumps (Bought from TEMU for £3.79 as an introductory offer) and check my Tyre's weekly with it or before a Motorway journey. I usually keep them at 4psi above recommended and have never had a problem with that.😊 I also replace my Tyre's 4 at a time and never ever use part worn or remoulds because you never know there history.😊. I also make it a habit to check Oil,Coolant,Brake Fluid,Screenwash,Wipers and Light's at the same time. I would rather arrive 5 minute's later in this life than 5 minutes early in the next.😊😊
I agree! Highly recommend the latest Kumho, the Ecsta HS52. Reasonably priced and very good even in the wet, i was pleasantly surprised by them and will purchase again.
I’ve put cross climate 2’s on my berlingo. No a.b.s on mine so need all the help I can get. Seem really good in the wet and around corners. Worth getting if they’re on offer
No one should mix tires with different brands. Just because there can be huge difference between earlier model of the same tire. 650kg do push the end of the car sideways in turns. When you add the odd tires, wrong pressures, not so good tires, 650kg push with the mud. The result is what happened. Glad nothing bad happened.
I cycle a lot and on a bike you really get to understand, as you can easily feel the road and your adhesion to it, the importance of tyre compound and tyre pressure. It’s the critical factor.
Hi Ian. If your tyres were fitted in winter or on a rather cold day they might have put the correct pressure in and the warmer weather now may have caused the pressure to go up. I set my motorcycles at 38 of n the front, but a raise of 10 degrees will put it up 5 lbs. Now has the trailor got actual brakes that work from the tow hitch, the braking causes the trailor hitch to compress which activates the trailor master cylinder to put the trailor brakes on. Sometimes your trailor handbrake can be separate like a car. Lastly, lower pressure should have given you more grip not less, however sliding on mud is like sliding on ice, so no matter what you do it us hard to control, but good on you for not loosing it completely.. nice job ..
Hi Ian, so pleased you are OK and the trip didn't end in disaster, good review about the causes of your lost of control . Thinking of have a small portable type inflater and gauge myself .
Worth noting that most garage and many non tyre bay workshops have guages which vary wildly in terms of PSI readings due to wear, water ingress, being dropped 20 times per day. A good guage which you can check on a known PSI for accuracy is worth it. Then any air compressor can be used and check made with your guage. Towing wise I am a huge fan of Avon ZX7's quiet, good price and great wet grip and underload. I have them on my 450 TVR, my 4.6 P38 Oberfinch Tow car pulling a 2T twin axle caravan and my Impreza WRX. Grippy, soft enough for winter and summer but wear really well.
@HubNut buy the best tyres you can, and check pressures every week. I prefer Michelin or Falken for safety. Greatly appreciated you are highlighting this!
Towed a heavy trailer for years. Tires are def 2005, replace em, check tire pressures, tongue weight, check trailer brakes, and fit trailer ant-sway damper. Good move to avoid lifting off during that skid. It probably saved your bacon!
I happened to visit New Quay the week before last, in the mini summer we enjoyed. What a pretty little place it is! I visited the Marine Wildlife centre and had a stroll around the harbour. I was doing a lap of Wales. Started at Wrexham, drove to Snowdonia, then all down the West Coast to Pembrokeshire... Lovely roads and even managed to get a little sun burn...
I have a decent digital air pump and check pressures regularly and always before a motorway journey. Ian I am shocked at your failure to check ! Well not that shocked 😳
I had a kangoo van Ian and the cheap budgets used to slip on damp surface, I put Michelin tyres on the rear axle, and what a difference, plus you get longevity trust me , that's what you need and they have always been number 1 best tyre, hence the price.
You need to start doing your own tyres Ian. Its a fun learning curve and not a lot needed in terms of equipment, about 200 quid worth. The perk is you can pick whatever tyres you want at lower prices and you wouldn't be stuck with the handful of options that tyre centers have at a fairly large markup. There is no mystery to changing tyres!
Probably worth fitting a decent set of all-season's to the Berlingo, they'd be better for where you live and the weather conditions. Kumhos, Toyo or Falkens are my suggestions for good value but well performing tyres. Tyre pressures make a huge difference to stability and how a car drives and feels. I keep a check on mine regularly with a small digital guages. I've got 6 cars and keeping them all correct can be difficult to remember, but making it easier by carrying a small battery tyre inflator can help.
This is a good advert for modern cars that have compulsory tyre pressure monitoring fitted. You can retro-fit this system reasonably economically to older cars by fitting each wheel with a special sensing and wireless sensor and the dash with a dedicated display for all four wheels. Checking the pressure before every journey is cheaper of course but will not detect punctures while driving. I have a 2015 Honda with the rather more dumb ABS based non-specific monitoring and even though it doesn’t show which tyre is low, it does make one check the pressure if after adjustment of pressure and a quick calibration of the system, any tyre varies from that of the others as they had been calibrated.
I recently bought a Vredestein Quatrac 5 175/65 R14 82T all-season for 60€, including mounting, which is a great deal. My secondhand car came with old and questionable tires, so I replaced them as soon as possible including the spare which turned out to be even older.
As long as the wet road rating is C or above you will be fine. Heavy nose will only really affect steering and braking. Tyre condition is definitely the main thing including pressure.
I disagree. An example: The Continental EcoContact 6 has an 'A' rating in the wet, however, it scores incredibly poor in tyre test often getting worse results than budget or mid-range brands. Definitely worth doing some googling on the tyres you're planning on buying instead of just going of the label!
Worth checking the shock absorbers and coil springs too. If it's 'bouncy' under high weight then it will be prone to lose grip when the rear of the car is in an upwards bounce.
I got a battery operated compressor off amazon it takes a little while to pump it up as its small, but well worth it and it's compact enough to fit in the glovebox or spare wheel well
@sebastian0107 yeah it looks like a powerbank but it's got the compressor all in one. It's not the fastest but it's OK for topping up, i have done a near flat and it was a bit slow
Happy to hear things did end well. And we all have these learning experiences. I just started looking online for good portable inflators. Thanks for the adult self reflection.
As an ex HGV driver used to jacknife conditions, you want a good amount of mass on the towbar (or fifth wheel), also the brakes on the rear axle (Bob) should be more efficient than the rear axle of the car (Bella) otherwise the effect will be to lift the back end of the car under braking causing less grip through the tyres.
around here all the garage tyre pumps are either out of use or contactless payment only which is useless to everyone like me. If tyre pressures are so much of a safety issue then they should be forced to allow coin pay as well. I gave up in the end and now have a portable 1 that came in my lidl jump starter. Got the same problem with car washes to only contactless so my once white machine is slowly turning green.
There are certain areas where past experience has led me to not compromise: 1 Tyres. Always from a respected brand, after some wet weather slides on cheap tyres a few decades ago. 2 Brake Pads. Always from a respected brand, after some horrific fade on a cheap brand. Get some good tyres on your car. If necessary sell a car to fund it. Also, what about the tyres and pressures on Bob ?
yes - with the Chinese tyres always ask others for an opinion. China has over 300million registered vehicles so I am sure bad tyre manufacturers get sorted out fairly quickly by the Chinese QC standards board. I am really happy with the ones I have on my Falcon as they seem to be the perfect compromise between hot and wet weather.
Have a look at Kormoran Tyres a Polish btand but owned by Michelin, there an all weather tyres and reasonably priced and i found them to be very good on a Volvo Xc70 i had, even found grip reverse parallel parking on my very steep street even with with slushed up snow on the ground. Ive had that happen so many times garages over pressuring the tyres too, so annoying
I love a budget tyre on a shed but no way would I be towing with mismatched Chinese ditchfinders. Be sad to see it go, I think its well on the way to being a decent car again.
I never trust tyre fitters, or indeed anyone else, when it comes to tyre pressures. I carry a rechargeable tyre pump/inflater and to keep an eye at all times on the tyre pressures I use the Tyrepal system. This not only warns of reducing tyre pressures but also if a tyre is getting too hot. This is more useful than you might think. A sticking caliper or binding handbrake causes a significant increase in tyre temperature. I recommend this system highly.
My job as a young lad was to help my dad check all the lights on our trailer before we went camping , he always checked all the tyre pressures before we started off and I’ve still got one of his pressure gauges must be 50 years old but I trust it more than any petrol station .
I was going to comment on tyre pressures being your responsibility but then I remembered I had a massive crash at least in part due to overinflated tyres. I used to have quite a lot of weight in the car for work and I took it out on my weekend off. I was a few minutes into a four hour journey and due to stop at garage a few miles away to do the pressures. Turns out the car was faster and less grippy without the weight and max pressure in the rear tyres. Didn't go round corners well. Many years ago now. I both drive slower and check my tyres often.
I use landsail LS388 on my berlingo I would genuinely buy them again They have been good in all weathers, and I’ve pushed it My car does have alloys however 60 profile
The drop in UK air temperature over the last week or so has made a huge difference to tyre pressures. My car has live readings and a few weeks ago before a 200 mile run they were reading the correct 34 psi, as they had been all summer. I was on another long trip this week, checked the pressures, it was 4 degrees C and readings were 30. Time for a top up.
Would definitely recommend a mobile tyre compressor. Plug into cigarette lighter and I inflated a 7psi tyre to 27psi in only 5 minutes. This tyre has a leak, big screw in it and the aim was to see if I'd be able to pump it enough to get to a garage. I'm impressed by how well it did.
Or in Ian's case the cheapest home owner, plug into the wall, 2hp air compressor which normally comes with it's handpiece and settable pressure air output...
Towing can be a dangerous affair, especially if you ignore tongue weight. Here in the USA, with travel trailers, we can usually move around our camping supplies in a "pop top" camper like Bob to keep things balanced. You definitely need to avoid negative tongue weight, where it takes weight to hold down the trailer tongue, as that will make the rear axle of the tow vehicle lighter, which causes the rear end to lose traction, especially when braking.
I had the use of a couple of 06 Berlingo diesel vans a few years ago. This was in connection with a maintenance job. Both vans were reasonably but not excessively loaded with storage boxes of maintenance spares - electrical parts, plumbing parts, tools etc. When I had the charge of a van, I made sure the tyre pressures were right. Usually when I took one on, they’d not been checked since the old king was on the throne. The tyres on both vans had good treads but were either Chinese or Indian - I forget for sure, but one or the other. What I found was in wet weather, when pulling off from a standstill up a gradient, it was the easiest thing in the world to lose traction on the front. It wasn’t particularly alarming aside from I wasn’t accelerating as fast as I expected. It was like having a slipping clutch. Engine revs went up, vehicle wasn’t really moving much. Awkward if I was trying to beat an oncoming vehicle that I’d judged to be far enough away to be safe to go - and then I wasn’t going. I’ve never experienced any other vehicle like it, but both Berlingos behaved the same - and they both had the same brand of tyres.
I’ve learnt to check tyre pressure especially when towing, also check your camper tyres often, I had a blow out on the M1 while towing our Conway folding camper in 2021 very very scary is all I’d say.
had a felicia once, new cheap tyres after 40 mile produced a violent shudder at any speed over 10mph, recovered back home and tyres cooled down and shudder gone until again driven for a few miles
Trailer tires pressure part of the contact area of tires.One of the key parts of towing,always compromised with fwd,is how level the trailer vehicle comparison may be,the amt of rear axle squat and hitch quality.The Chinese make hitces as well. Good travels for you and yours.
Before any long or loaded journey I check tyres as well as routinely checking them at the start of every month. I also will not buy cheap rubber. The only contact between the car and the road is four small patches of "rubber". Get yourself a foot pump and a separate quality pressure gauge such as a Sealey.
Another point regarding tyre grip that gets overlooked are the dampers. Worn dampers cannot do their job properly that is keeping the tyre in contact with the road.
Good catch though, mate - and no harm done, which we are all thankful for. A bit of a cheek-clencher though, I bet....or as my dad used to say "I bet you puckered up on that one!" It's not something that could be described as a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination and its good to have the reassurance that your reflexes still work when you can get it back under control though, eh. Cheap tyres for me go on trailers as I cannot drive to suit a tyre unless its temporary as there is always the chance I will forget and push it beyond its limits. I have a tyre bloke I have known since we were both early in our respective careers (so about 30 years now). I tell him what the car is being used for and how it is being driven and he comes up with a spec to suit that, then goes and finds the best priced tyres to meet the spec. Sure, there will be cheaper tyres, but with Auckland's constantly changing weather and the narrow and twisty roads near home, I'd rather pay a little more and know the car will stop or hold on in the wet as least as well as it does in the dry. I ask a lot of my tyres and since a 4" square on the face of each of them is all that is keeping me on the road at any time, I like to be certain. I learned about old tyres when first driving my then-newly-acquired Stag in the wet (about 7 years ago). The back end just let go in a corner like I was on black ice and had it not been for quick reflexes on my part (and those coming toward me) the end result would have been either a nasty smash or over the bank and down 50 metres into a river. Front tyres were new (although cheap) by the previous owner and helped, but the rears were 25 years old! Ironically, she was going in for new tyres the following week when I got back from this trip... I had also learned about tyre pressures when a young man and driving with uneven tyre pressures had the car doing some weird and wonderful things going into corners and even pulling to one side going along the straights....so I've been vigilant ever since and drilled my daughters mercilessly about checking them on their own cars at least once every second fill-up on petrol, where the air pump is nice and handy. By the way - this country too seems to have fuel stations with a somewhat lax approach to making sure their air pressure thingy works...and leaving it for months with an "out of order" sign is just pathetic, but at least I didn't stop, get out the car in the rain, try and use it and THEN find out it was broken. I too invested in a little portable compressor and have also bought a tyre thingy attachment for my garage compressor with an extra long hose so I can pump tyres up in the driveway....but it doesn't help the memory to remember to check them. The pump at the petrol station does remind me, but when they are broken..... All the best
The Last time I bought cheap tyres was with a Clio 1.2 around the year 2002. Grip was practically non-existent, especially in wet roads, brake distance terrible and noise was overwhelming. Good rubber is one of those things that makes sense to spend money in a car.
Here is a new Hubnut protocol: When bringing vehicles out of storage (30 days or more), CHECK Lights, Oil, Washer fluid, AND TIRE PRESSURE. Trailer tires should be checked as well. All tires will lose some pressure when sitting for a long time. As others have suggested, one of the new generation handheld rechargeable tire pumps would be a good idea. Some I have seen will stop automatically when set pressure has been achieved.
@@pdxRetired the spare wheel is in the boot with a road legal tyre. A bumper is a bumper not a fender, the engine is under a bonnet not a hood, and a mobile phone isnt a cell
Ian , from experience with many a tyre fitters i ALWAYS make a point to personally re-check tyre pressures after i had new tyres fitted. They are almost always OVERinflated. Btw there are very compact battery powered tyre compressors on the market.
As others have mentioned Ian, you need to buy a 12v compressor, the connection uusally fits into a 12v socket, such as a cigar lighter, they're around £15. One car I avoided ever buying was the Hillman Imp. My mate bought one, the accelerator cable snapped, various other problems, including being stolen. My dad bought one (I told him not to), the same thing happened with the accelerator cable. Then my dad's car was nicked, we got it back minus the drive shafts. He got it repaired, then got rid shortly afterwards. I was never convinced that a car which had 15 psi pressure for the front tyres and around 30 psi for the rear ones was one I'd want to be driving, others might disagree. My less than favourable view of Imps was further lowered when the following year after my dad's dalliance with an Imp, one of them came out of a sideroad and hit my Mk3 1.6 Cortina sideways on, knocking me to the other side of the road and causing extensive damage to the nearside back door and rear wing. So, definitely not my favourite car, the Imp.
To me, I'd think the tyre age was a bigger contributor than the pressures, especially in a scenario where fronts are over-inflated and rears under-inflated. If there's no four-digit date code, they must be pre-2000 (when it was 3-digits). I suspect even under-inflated, the rear tyres have hardened to such an extent there's little deflection in the rubber.
Also always check your tyres on Bob. Caravans, motorhomes and even trailer tyres need checking before any journeys for cracks and pressures. Not doing this is one of the reasons everyone gets stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway during the summer, where a caravan has had a huge tyre blow out.
I think caravan tyres are often aged and little used so dry rot an issue as well. One reason we instantly replaced Bob's tyres, even though the old ones had good tread.
As I check my tyres before any long trip, I decided to get a £25 portable tyre pump - its worth having it in the car - charge it via USB or use via he cigarette lighter. I had a tyre replaced recently and that was also way over inflated by the installer
You could do a classic camping series named after that famous film Ian and Carly and Bob too😊 Is Desmond a keeper now another great video has always Ian and Carly miss/mrs hubnut and hublets and hubmutt 👍
I'd not cheap out on tyres. If you watch tyre reviews site you'll see the difference they make. Especially if you're going to be towing. With only 2 cars I've got premium all season on one (good year) and upper mid range all seasons on the other (kumho). I really like the grip in the wet of all seasons. With so many cars it'd cost a lot for these but the question is how low can you go! Midrange should be adequate for you (kumho, Firestone etc.), maybe even nexen but not budget. Bella does a lot of trips so good rubber makes sense on her. Wear is good on the good years getting 30,000 miles for the fronts. Even more on the rears
Correction: The discount code to get £2 off per ticket is HUBNUT2 - not what I said in the video. How HubNut...
Thanks Ian. I'll be at the show for the 20th time travelling from Glasgow !. I may even pluck up the courage to come over and talk to you :)
The company I used to work for had 5 Sprinters doing high mileage.They came with Continental tyres and when they needed replacing they were replaced with cheap tyres (can't remember the brand) and with a month 3 of the vans were involved in collisions due to poor grip, one ended up on it's side on the M1.
Tyres are the only part of the vehicle touching road. Always buy the best tyres you can afford and check pressures once a month or before a long journey. Also pressure should be increased when towing.
Best to invest in a 12 volt tyre inflator or maybe a couple as you have a few cars. Stay safe.
And, with rear wheel drive an unladen Sprinter is a lottery! The difference in price between budget and premium is negligible so always opt for the premium brands.
@@matthewwebber2225 Oh yes, my dad always carries at least 50 kg of sand in his RWD van and has been doing so for almost 40 years.
As a veteran of icy roads in Canada, remember, the only contact your vehicle has, are the four patches of contact with the roadway. A lot of very proficient drivers have suddenly found themselves in a ditch after encountering "Black Ice" here. Mud can cause a similar effect any where in the world. I check the pressures monthly, and use a good grade tyre from a respected manufacturer. Cheers...
Blame Canada!
@@samholdsworth420 I bet it's Stephen Abootman under cover. 🤣
yeah we even get black ice here in Australia.
@@ianmontgomery7534 drinking your Guinness too cold mate 😉
@@thatcheapguy525 Clever! It reminds of a funny event. I used to work with an Irish sleep scientist who had a Guiness screen saver on his PC - i told him it was fake as the bubbles went upwards. he said rubbish so I took him over to the pub and proved that they sank. he had to buy my lunch for the rest of the week.
I am currently drinking a 1991 Taltarni Cabernet-Sauvignon which I didn't realise I had and gee it is a nice drop. I suspect it is past its prime and it must been delectable them.
Two suggestions. Get a pencil tyre pressure gauge and I was told to always put the new tyres on the back of a front wheel drive car if not changing all four at once. The new tyres will grip better and on the back will induce understeer rather than the dreaded oversteer caused by having worn tyres on the back and grippy ones on the front axle. Finnally I had a Peugeot Partner Facelift 53 plate . Great car. The rear tyres lasted for ages and the temptation was to just keep relacing the worn front tyres and you end up in the situation that you find yourself in 15+ year old tyres on the back axle and brand new on the front. A recipe for oversteer.
I learned to drive several decades ago (scary how time flies) and even then the instructors really drove home the point of never ever letting tyres get older than about five years. Apparently modern rubber mixes are really heavily optimised for good grip at high speeds compared to, say, 40 or 50 years ago but the downside of that is that the rubber ages much faster and gets hard to the point of losing almost all grip.
I never compromise on tyres, my last 4 replacements cost nearly £800.and kept at the correct pressure.
You get what you pay for.
@@JohnEvans-zo7kk Not always. A mate of mine had problems with his Corvette and the tyres he had on it were AUD200 each ( a fair while ago). We finally worked it was the tyre that inherently out of balance by a fair way. It got replaced free of charge but it does show quality problems can happen anywhere.
Very graphic illustration showing how important good tyres correctly pressured are
You should invest in a 12 volt tyre compressor, that way you can check pressures at your convenience and don't have to worry that compressors at the Fuel station may or may not be working.
Or a foot pump that way you get some exercise.
Tire*
@@samholdsworth420 Spelt tyre if you are British. Tire if you are American.
@@Jambo-u2k I find that if you only have a foot pump, you simple tend not to bother what your pressures are. Its too much effort to pump it up. With an electric one, its the opposite, you have it plugged in and it has a meter, so might as well do all 4 (or 5).
@@Zadster You need the exercise lad.
Recently got 4 kenda tyres on my kia and don't have any problems with them. Some tyre places do over tighten wheel studs, I struggled getting a wheel off a friend's car with my 400nm ugga dugga gun🙄. A breaker bar plus pipe did the job but aren't the kind of thing you'd have if you got a puncture 😭
I put a dab of copper grease on my studs and have done for 30+ years to combat seized studs, no doubt others will disagree with me on that. 🫣👍🇮🇪
I swear by UniRoyal Rainsport tyres. used them on three cars now. Currently on Octavia Estate which often has kayak on roof triple bike rack on tow bar and scuba or camping kit in. Tyres really confidence inspiring
Yup. We've got RainExperts on the Charade. Good tyres.
Rainsport 5 is a good choice for UK conditions 🇬🇧
I’ve used them for years. You don’t think about them until it’s lashing it down and you’re on the motorway trying to keep out of the way of the wagons. Then you breathe a bit easier .
Goodyear Vector Seasons, often can be found on offer, great in the rain, decent in the snow.
I would rather fit part worn good tyres, than new ditchfinders.
I changed from cross climate to vextor 4 seasons gen 3 due to a really good offer and you are correct they are really good at a good giid price too.
ALWAYS put your newly-fitted tyres on the rear axle! Fitting a stabilizer bar for towing is always a good idea.
Apparently you should always mount new tires on the back.
That's what Michelin's technical man in England tells AutoExpress. According to this Brian Porteous, you should always mount the best tires on the back. It doesn't matter whether your car has front-wheel, rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. Of course, you should always replace the tires in pairs or in fours. Never just one tire; that can lead to dangerous situations.
Buying tyres at Costco, they used to show a video showing what happened if you had badly worn tyres at the rear, and how roadholding was severely impaired. The sensible thing to do is to change the tyres round once a year, front to back and vice versa, that way the tyre wear is more even. Also carry a 12 volt compressor to inflate any tyres as necessary.
i always change them in fours, and i pick a tyre from the best two from the old rear tyres, as a spare. So the spare tyre is ok.
I bought a car for my daughter last month. Had 4 matching tyres of your best Chinese rubber. 6+mm all around. Straight in the bin and a set of Goodyears on all four corners.
I always keep a pressure gauge in the car and check them about every 2 months. What I also do if I have new tyres fitted is loosen the wheel nuts and tighten them to the correct torque. So many times they overtighten them meaning you can't loosen them with the normal wheel brace.
Just a recommendation. Check your tyre pressures at least weekly. A slow puncture can make a hell of a difference in just a week!
@@cjmillsnun Definitely - my Yaris has a slow yet undiscoverable leak on one front tyre.
I would say the majority of drivers never check their tyres, the same way they don't check anything else apart from their phones while behind the wheel. I'm a bit grumpy today 😂
Very true!!
I work for a car parts supplier and I get the piss taken by all the other drivers because I do a daily walk round check ( coming from coaches and buses it’s mandatory) and the amount of under inflated, low oil, low water no screen wash is unreal I seem to be the only driver not to have blown a van up, wonder why
Sadly true imo.
Ian I highly recommend a set of Falken tyres. I have them on the 75 & cortina. Not expensive but the grip is nice.
When you think the contact patch of a tyre is about the size of an average hand, it's critically important to do everything to give it the best opportunity of adhering to the road. Normally the tyre pressures will be on a plate somewhere on the A or B pillar. I always keep a tyre gauge and foot pump (remember those old things) in the car as well and only check the tyres when cold. I got into the habit of a vehicle walk around, fluids and pressure check years ago, so now it's second nature. Glad you survived, learn from mistakes and move on.
I carry a tyre compressor with a built in pressure gauge . It's a Ryobi which is powered by a cordless battery and I highly recommend it. I know there are others, but I found this one to be excellent for checking and inflating tyres.
In my most humble opinion this is the reason you always put the best tires on the rear axle, no matter which one drives.
I have a Volvo S60 2002, when I bought the car 8 years ago it had 4 matching Continentals on it, it was a well looked after car, upon replacing the tyres with cheapos, I realised how bad cheap tyres really are, they're noisier on a motorway, rubbish in wet, I get understeer I didn't used to on better tyres, I didn't put up with the cheapos for long, I now have 4 Nexens, a lot better, £75 each so £25 more than the cheapos, but well worth it, Nexens are not quite Continentals but I'm happy with them, I'd suggest you get atleast Nexens or Falkens, and maybe invest in a tyre pressure monitor and pump, one of those you plug in the cars 12v, that way you can change the pressures yourself whenever you tow or not, good video highlighting the safety issue of bad tyres and great job with Rusitval
Uniroyal rainsports for me. This is England after all 😂
@colinmoss7343 Uniroyals are a quality brand, I like to use the rating chart to see how they perform on the car you have, I also like to try and find out what tyres a car had from new, because they would be what the manufacturer tested the car with, Michelin always get a high rating nowadays
Go for all season tyres … I run Michelin Crossclimate2 on a BMW with over 300bhp … superb in wet and just about ok on snow … recommended
2 other things to check, 1: The hitch is moving properly to apply the overrun brakes , 2: The brake compensator is working properly on the berlingo, they are very prone to sticking or the springs breaking, however that would normally mean weak rear brakes, I am not sure if it is possible for it to fail in a way that would give too much rear brake. It is possible one side can seize also as the compensator works on both sides separately . (4 pipes)
Cheers. I can feel the hitch braking working fine. Brake compensator is also fine but I'm pretty sure I wasn't braking at the time. Mid-bend braking never a good idea, especially if roads are slimy!
Never skimp on tyres, that child that steps out in front of you will thankyou for having decent tyres. I have in the past not had the money for tyres and instead of buying an unknown brand I did not use the car until I could afford good tyres. For your safety and the safety of others fit known brand tyres please. We don’t want to lose Hubnut, in the sea of tv dross you are proper and enjoyable entertainment and cheer up a flat day.
Well said!
Completely agree.
For me it's only continental and nothing else. It costs a bit more but over the whole lifespan of a set of tires it's well worth it and not that much more.
@@peterdevreterTyres are vehicle specific, largely. But, certainly Michelin and Continental are generally amongst the best. Even paying an extra £10 between budget and Mid-Range is £40 well spent.
I would recommend an all weather tire, with mud and snow markings. I use Kumho tires (Korean) and find them excellent. The line is Solus. They maybe available in the UK. Glad to know you’re safe. Tread depth and air pressure are without doubt critical.
Our local tyre place has gone off Khumo tyres, and have switched to selling Falken. Not sure why though. Seem pretty good.
@@MattBrownbill I haven’t had any experience with Falkens. Here in Canada they seem to be a bit more pricey than Kumho. I did have Toyos some 25 years ago on which the sidewalls delaminated. I remain prejudiced against that brand. Especially as they would not honour the warranty. 🇨🇦
When I used to tow a caravan (1100kg) I had a Bulldog stabiliser fitted. I also inflated the tyres on the car to max load before the journey and accurately weighed the nose weight (moving things around to get it right)
I bought a rechargeable tyre inflator recently from eBay for about 13 quid with a digital readout that also tells you tyre pressure, well worth the money, this was inspired by going to a garage fairly locally where it was ONE POUND FIFTY to pump your tyres up (which needless to say I refused to do)
Thanks for being transparent about your tire experience. Glad it ended well. You're probably fed up of people saying this, but we really shouldn't skimp on tyres. a medium price 'named' brand is all you need - better handling, comfort, grip and (probably) improved fuel consumption. I think timing your tyre changes is important too - a waste to eke out old tyres until you are forced to change them - chances are you'll sell the car before your new tyres wear - so the next owner gets the benefit 😂
Every car should carry a gauge and an inflator. They aren't expensive and even a bicycle floor pump works fine for adjustments and costs peanuts.
Under-inflated tyres also carry the risk of popping off the rim when cornering (and they have maintained grip), which adds to the fun of losing control of the vehicle, but does go to show that before a long journey, it's good to check the pressures and condition of tyres, for everyone's safety... :)
Checking your tyre pressures is a good habit to get into before any journey, same as checking your oil level, coolent, and washer fluid. Was drummed into me by my Dad in the 1980's, and i still do these checks to this day, especially tyre pressures on a motorbike.
Great Video Ian - Many Thanks. PetrolPed did a video a month ago (probably sponsored! And a Free Lunch!) about tyre fitting - which tyres to go where. Basically, Michelin tyre experts in attendance, and his driving demo of a Golf on a skidpan demonstrated that you put the good tyres on the back and worn ones on the front. In the video he explains and demos why...! Quite a good, short, "safety advice" video. Kind regards. Keep up the good work.
I bought a 12 volt compressor so handy. Tyre pressures are really important.
That was quite a cut to, BOB the camper. 😂
My Corsa D felt odd after it was serviced, when the garage claimed to have checked the tyre pressures, that were fine before they got their hands on it. When I checked the pressures they were all over the place, and none were at the recommended setting. They are now, thanks to the cheap compressor from eBay I always carry with me! They're so cheap you could carry one in every working car!
The most convenient tyre inflator for my hobby farm is a Ryobi hand held shaped like a drill. You can use the same rechargeable battery as other tools so buying the pump without another battery is inexpensive. Much more convenient and quicker than 12 volt compressors I’ve used in the past, and doesn’t drain tired batteries in tractor, mower and the 30 year old Subaru Ute that lives in the shed.
Never skimp on tyres. Always had Avons on my car as that’s what I could afford. Thought they were fine. Then decided to go Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and now Goodyear Eagle F1. I’d never buy budget or mid range tyres ever again, the extra safety is well worth the extra £15-20 per tyre!
In 1995, I lost and wrote off my three year old XM D.12 on a country road in Piemont. It was a rainy day and I drove through a bend that crossed a slight indentation in the profile of the muddy vineyards. There was probably some very fine mud there, or there had been an oil spill or something, and the car lost adherence on all four wheels suddenly, starting with the front. I was not aware of driving fast, but I was definitely just above the correct speed for these particular 10 metres of road in those conditions. Bad fate would have it that on the otherwise empty road, there was a car coming the other way just there, and I crashed into it after a desperate attempt at emergency braking. Long story short, no one was killed, but it was very unpleasant.
Now for the bit pertaining to the video. When my fatally damaged car had been towed to the nearest Citroën dealership, I went there to talk to the dealer, and while we discussed that he had no use for it, he indicated the tyres on my car. They were the OEM equipment of choice, three year old Michelin MXL, at least 70% thread on them, correctly inflated, but his remark was: “When we were selling BXs here, those were the factory mount. First thing our customers would do was change those tyres. They’re no good on the roads here. Very bad when it’s wet.”
You may get away with just a foot pump and preassure gauge (well id do on my 308 which can too be a bit skittish ). It’s a bit ocd but I check a day before each long journey - about once month. (Noticed the seasonal temparature changes also mess with the preassure a bit).
Thank for the update Ian. Hope you had a good rest after another successful Rustival meet. 😊👍
Lefthand brake works. Slowing down into corner pushed the rig sideways. If you have that again, drop the clutch & even your crap tyres will do their best!
Glad you were able to save it Ian! Top tip, carry a cheap 12v portable compressor on trips! I bought one before doing a 5000 mile road trip in a PT Cruiser, and it's saved my neck a few times. I also keep a small plug/patch kit too, it all tucks away in a cubby in the boot. And lastly, never cheap out on tyres for big road trips or towing! I usually use Toyo Extensa HP II's, but anything that's not cheap and chinese should be good quality
bad thing over here in germany is that pressure checkers are not for free anymore at many petrol stations. at least one euro to make the machine work.
In Nederland too, 1 euro for 6 minutes of air
Same here. I don't mind if they actually work though!
They used to be free here, like a lot of things greedily taken away.
@@HubNut also if you use an inflator and you are charged to use it at petrol station it should be accurate within a few percent as you cannot charge for uncertifcated air pressure reading. I use my own calibrated gauge and would you believe it a lot of forecourt gauges are a mile out! Just wondering how many forecourt gauges do have a certificate to say they have been checked recently?
@@HubNut it is safety relevant and should be free. many people dont even carry coins anymore. but i guess that change was made because more cars got tyre pressure metering wich is mandatory on new cars. so more people coming, means a buisness.
I bought a great piece of kit. It's four senders that are placed where the valve caps go. They are powered by watch batteries. There's a receiver on the dashboard that gets signals from these. It records tyre pressure and temperature. Works perfectly. If you inflate the tyres to the correct pressure, any variation is reflected on the receiver. As a bonus the dashboard bit is solar powered. Under £30 from a popular UK seller. Highly recommend. It even speaks to warn you of deflation.
The Subaru has such a system fitted.
Essential to keep on top of tyre pressures especially when towing, I would check bob’s pressure too if you haven’t already. Just replaced 4 tyres on our MG HS with more Michelins yes it cost us a pretty penny but there’s no denying the grip and feel of safety you get with them especially when towing.
@Hubnut.
I just use one of those new automatic cut off Cordless drill shape Pumps (Bought from TEMU for £3.79 as an introductory offer) and check my Tyre's weekly with it or before a Motorway journey.
I usually keep them at 4psi above recommended and have never had a problem with that.😊
I also replace my Tyre's 4 at a time and never ever use part worn or remoulds because you never know there history.😊.
I also make it a habit to check Oil,Coolant,Brake Fluid,Screenwash,Wipers and Light's at the same time.
I would rather arrive 5 minute's later in this life than 5 minutes early in the next.😊😊
I've never had issues with mid range tyres like Nexen, Maxxis or Kumho. The previous front tyres on the S80 were Maxxis and they were excellent
I agree! Highly recommend the latest Kumho, the Ecsta HS52. Reasonably priced and very good even in the wet, i was pleasantly surprised by them and will purchase again.
I’ve put cross climate 2’s on my berlingo. No a.b.s on mine so need all the help I can get. Seem really good in the wet and around corners. Worth getting if they’re on offer
No one should mix tires with different brands. Just because there can be huge difference between earlier model of the same tire. 650kg do push the end of the car sideways in turns. When you add the odd tires, wrong pressures, not so good tires, 650kg push with the mud. The result is what happened. Glad nothing bad happened.
I cycle a lot and on a bike you really get to understand, as you can easily feel the road and your adhesion to it, the importance of tyre compound and tyre pressure. It’s the critical factor.
Hi Ian. If your tyres were fitted in winter or on a rather cold day they might have put the correct pressure in and the warmer weather now may have caused the pressure to go up. I set my motorcycles at 38 of n the front, but a raise of 10 degrees will put it up 5 lbs.
Now has the trailor got actual brakes that work from the tow hitch, the braking causes the trailor hitch to compress which activates the trailor master cylinder to put the trailor brakes on. Sometimes your trailor handbrake can be separate like a car.
Lastly, lower pressure should have given you more grip not less, however sliding on mud is like sliding on ice, so no matter what you do it us hard to control, but good on you for not loosing it completely.. nice job
..
Hi Ian, so pleased you are OK and the trip didn't end in disaster, good review about the causes of your lost of control . Thinking of have a small portable type inflater and gauge myself .
Worth noting that most garage and many non tyre bay workshops have guages which vary wildly in terms of PSI readings due to wear, water ingress, being dropped 20 times per day.
A good guage which you can check on a known PSI for accuracy is worth it. Then any air compressor can be used and check made with your guage.
Towing wise I am a huge fan of Avon ZX7's quiet, good price and great wet grip and underload.
I have them on my 450 TVR, my 4.6 P38 Oberfinch Tow car pulling a 2T twin axle caravan and my Impreza WRX.
Grippy, soft enough for winter and summer but wear really well.
The three things you should never cheap out on cars are:
1. Tyres
2. Brakes
3. Electrics/lights
Not necessarily in this order.
@HubNut buy the best tyres you can, and check pressures every week. I prefer Michelin or Falken for safety. Greatly appreciated you are highlighting this!
Towed a heavy trailer for years. Tires are def 2005, replace em, check tire pressures, tongue weight, check trailer brakes, and fit trailer ant-sway damper. Good move to avoid lifting off during that skid. It probably saved your bacon!
I happened to visit New Quay the week before last, in the mini summer we enjoyed. What a pretty little place it is! I visited the Marine Wildlife centre and had a stroll around the harbour. I was doing a lap of Wales. Started at Wrexham, drove to Snowdonia, then all down the West Coast to Pembrokeshire... Lovely roads and even managed to get a little sun burn...
I have a decent digital air pump and check pressures regularly and always before a motorway journey. Ian I am shocked at your failure to check ! Well not that shocked 😳
I had a kangoo van Ian and the cheap budgets used to slip on damp surface, I put Michelin tyres on the rear axle, and what a difference, plus you get longevity trust me , that's what you need and they have always been number 1 best tyre, hence the price.
You need to start doing your own tyres Ian. Its a fun learning curve and not a lot needed in terms of equipment, about 200 quid worth. The perk is you can pick whatever tyres you want at lower prices and you wouldn't be stuck with the handful of options that tyre centers have at a fairly large markup. There is no mystery to changing tyres!
As it happens, my friend Tim now has tyre fitting and balancing kit.
Perfect storm. People underestimate the ill effects of dodgy tyre pressures. Tut tut Mr Hubnut
Probably worth fitting a decent set of all-season's to the Berlingo, they'd be better for where you live and the weather conditions. Kumhos, Toyo or Falkens are my suggestions for good value but well performing tyres.
Tyre pressures make a huge difference to stability and how a car drives and feels. I keep a check on mine regularly with a small digital guages. I've got 6 cars and keeping them all correct can be difficult to remember, but making it easier by carrying a small battery tyre inflator can help.
This is a good advert for modern cars that have compulsory tyre pressure monitoring fitted. You can retro-fit this system reasonably economically to older cars by fitting each wheel with a special sensing and wireless sensor and the dash with a dedicated display for all four wheels. Checking the pressure before every journey is cheaper of course but will not detect punctures while driving. I have a 2015 Honda with the rather more dumb ABS based non-specific monitoring and even though it doesn’t show which tyre is low, it does make one check the pressure if after adjustment of pressure and a quick calibration of the system, any tyre varies from that of the others as they had been calibrated.
I recently bought a Vredestein Quatrac 5 175/65 R14 82T all-season for 60€, including mounting, which is a great deal. My secondhand car came with old and questionable tires, so I replaced them as soon as possible including the spare which turned out to be even older.
As long as the wet road rating is C or above you will be fine. Heavy nose will only really affect steering and braking. Tyre condition is definitely the main thing including pressure.
I think the new ones fitted are a C rating.
The EU tyre label ratings often don't have much bearing on reality
I disagree. An example: The Continental EcoContact 6 has an 'A' rating in the wet, however, it scores incredibly poor in tyre test often getting worse results than budget or mid-range brands. Definitely worth doing some googling on the tyres you're planning on buying instead of just going of the label!
Good safety message. I am off to check my tyre pressures.
Worth checking the shock absorbers and coil springs too. If it's 'bouncy' under high weight then it will be prone to lose grip when the rear of the car is in an upwards bounce.
I got a battery operated compressor off amazon it takes a little while to pump it up as its small, but well worth it and it's compact enough to fit in the glovebox or spare wheel well
Question: do you mean a powerbank-device? I see them for around 30,-. Are they strong enough?
@sebastian0107 yeah it looks like a powerbank but it's got the compressor all in one. It's not the fastest but it's OK for topping up, i have done a near flat and it was a bit slow
Happy to hear things did end well. And we all have these learning experiences. I just started looking online for good portable inflators. Thanks for the adult self reflection.
Kumho for me. No issues in over 10 years and an awful lot cheaper than Conti etc.
As an ex HGV driver used to jacknife conditions, you want a good amount of mass on the towbar (or fifth wheel), also the brakes on the rear axle (Bob) should be more efficient than the rear axle of the car (Bella) otherwise the effect will be to lift the back end of the car under braking causing less grip through the tyres.
around here all the garage tyre pumps are either out of use or contactless payment only
which is useless to everyone like me. If tyre pressures are so much of a safety issue then they
should be forced to allow coin pay as well. I gave up in the end and now have a portable 1 that came in my lidl jump starter. Got the same problem with car washes to only contactless so my once white machine is slowly turning green.
There are certain areas where past experience has led me to not compromise:
1 Tyres. Always from a respected brand, after some wet weather slides on cheap tyres a few decades ago.
2 Brake Pads. Always from a respected brand, after some horrific fade on a cheap brand.
Get some good tyres on your car. If necessary sell a car to fund it.
Also, what about the tyres and pressures on Bob ?
yes - with the Chinese tyres always ask others for an opinion. China has over 300million registered vehicles so I am sure bad tyre manufacturers get sorted out fairly quickly by the Chinese QC standards board. I am really happy with the ones I have on my Falcon as they seem to be the perfect compromise between hot and wet weather.
Have a look at Kormoran Tyres a Polish btand but owned by Michelin, there an all weather tyres and reasonably priced and i found them to be very good on a Volvo Xc70 i had, even found grip reverse parallel parking on my very steep street even with with slushed up snow on the ground.
Ive had that happen so many times garages over pressuring the tyres too, so annoying
I love a budget tyre on a shed but no way would I be towing with mismatched Chinese ditchfinders.
Be sad to see it go, I think its well on the way to being a decent car again.
I never trust tyre fitters, or indeed anyone else, when it comes to tyre pressures.
I carry a rechargeable tyre pump/inflater and to keep an eye at all times on the tyre pressures I use the Tyrepal system. This not only warns of reducing tyre pressures but also if a tyre is getting too hot. This is more useful than you might think. A sticking caliper or binding handbrake causes a significant increase in tyre temperature. I recommend this system highly.
This is why on the uk bank holiday weekends all the roads snarl up. Easily overlooked
My job as a young lad was to help my dad check all the lights on our trailer before we went camping , he always checked all the tyre pressures before we started off and I’ve still got one of his pressure gauges must be 50 years old but I trust it more than any petrol station .
I was going to comment on tyre pressures being your responsibility but then I remembered I had a massive crash at least in part due to overinflated tyres. I used to have quite a lot of weight in the car for work and I took it out on my weekend off. I was a few minutes into a four hour journey and due to stop at garage a few miles away to do the pressures. Turns out the car was faster and less grippy without the weight and max pressure in the rear tyres. Didn't go round corners well. Many years ago now. I both drive slower and check my tyres often.
Eesh...
@@HubNut I was fine apart from a bit of shock and a few nicks from the glass. The car was very not fine.
I use landsail LS388 on my berlingo
I would genuinely buy them again
They have been good in all weathers, and I’ve pushed it
My car does have alloys however 60 profile
The drop in UK air temperature over the last week or so has made a huge difference to tyre pressures. My car has live readings and a few weeks ago before a 200 mile run they were reading the correct 34 psi, as they had been all summer. I was on another long trip this week, checked the pressures, it was 4 degrees C and readings were 30. Time for a top up.
Would definitely recommend a mobile tyre compressor. Plug into cigarette lighter and I inflated a 7psi tyre to 27psi in only 5 minutes. This tyre has a leak, big screw in it and the aim was to see if I'd be able to pump it enough to get to a garage. I'm impressed by how well it did.
Or in Ian's case the cheapest home owner, plug into the wall, 2hp air compressor which normally comes with it's handpiece and settable pressure air output...
@@JohnSmith-pl2bkbut all the times he is away....
@@jusb1066
Theoretically if you do the checks etc. at home...
that's it for the trip.
But a small 12VDC pump for emergency use.....
I like your Tyre pressure Gauge Ian …….because it’s the same as mine i had it years and it always travels with me
Towing can be a dangerous affair, especially if you ignore tongue weight. Here in the USA, with travel trailers, we can usually move around our camping supplies in a "pop top" camper like Bob to keep things balanced. You definitely need to avoid negative tongue weight, where it takes weight to hold down the trailer tongue, as that will make the rear axle of the tow vehicle lighter, which causes the rear end to lose traction, especially when braking.
I had the use of a couple of 06 Berlingo diesel vans a few years ago. This was in connection with a maintenance job. Both vans were reasonably but not excessively loaded with storage boxes of maintenance spares - electrical parts, plumbing parts, tools etc. When I had the charge of a van, I made sure the tyre pressures were right. Usually when I took one on, they’d not been checked since the old king was on the throne. The tyres on both vans had good treads but were either Chinese or Indian - I forget for sure, but one or the other. What I found was in wet weather, when pulling off from a standstill up a gradient, it was the easiest thing in the world to lose traction on the front. It wasn’t particularly alarming aside from I wasn’t accelerating as fast as I expected. It was like having a slipping clutch. Engine revs went up, vehicle wasn’t really moving much. Awkward if I was trying to beat an oncoming vehicle that I’d judged to be far enough away to be safe to go - and then I wasn’t going. I’ve never experienced any other vehicle like it, but both Berlingos behaved the same - and they both had the same brand of tyres.
I’ve learnt to check tyre pressure especially when towing, also check your camper tyres often, I had a blow out on the M1 while towing our Conway folding camper in 2021 very very scary is all I’d say.
had a felicia once, new cheap tyres after 40 mile produced a violent shudder at any speed over 10mph, recovered back home and tyres cooled down and shudder gone until again driven for a few miles
Trailer tires pressure part of the contact area of tires.One of the key parts of towing,always compromised with fwd,is how level the trailer vehicle comparison may be,the amt of rear axle squat and hitch quality.The Chinese make hitces as well. Good travels for you and yours.
Before any long or loaded journey I check tyres as well as routinely checking them at the start of every month. I also will not buy cheap rubber. The only contact between the car and the road is four small patches of "rubber". Get yourself a foot pump and a separate quality pressure gauge such as a Sealey.
Another point regarding tyre grip that gets overlooked are the dampers. Worn dampers cannot do their job properly that is keeping the tyre in contact with the road.
Good catch though, mate - and no harm done, which we are all thankful for. A bit of a cheek-clencher though, I bet....or as my dad used to say "I bet you puckered up on that one!" It's not something that could be described as a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination and its good to have the reassurance that your reflexes still work when you can get it back under control though, eh.
Cheap tyres for me go on trailers as I cannot drive to suit a tyre unless its temporary as there is always the chance I will forget and push it beyond its limits. I have a tyre bloke I have known since we were both early in our respective careers (so about 30 years now). I tell him what the car is being used for and how it is being driven and he comes up with a spec to suit that, then goes and finds the best priced tyres to meet the spec. Sure, there will be cheaper tyres, but with Auckland's constantly changing weather and the narrow and twisty roads near home, I'd rather pay a little more and know the car will stop or hold on in the wet as least as well as it does in the dry. I ask a lot of my tyres and since a 4" square on the face of each of them is all that is keeping me on the road at any time, I like to be certain.
I learned about old tyres when first driving my then-newly-acquired Stag in the wet (about 7 years ago). The back end just let go in a corner like I was on black ice and had it not been for quick reflexes on my part (and those coming toward me) the end result would have been either a nasty smash or over the bank and down 50 metres into a river. Front tyres were new (although cheap) by the previous owner and helped, but the rears were 25 years old! Ironically, she was going in for new tyres the following week when I got back from this trip...
I had also learned about tyre pressures when a young man and driving with uneven tyre pressures had the car doing some weird and wonderful things going into corners and even pulling to one side going along the straights....so I've been vigilant ever since and drilled my daughters mercilessly about checking them on their own cars at least once every second fill-up on petrol, where the air pump is nice and handy.
By the way - this country too seems to have fuel stations with a somewhat lax approach to making sure their air pressure thingy works...and leaving it for months with an "out of order" sign is just pathetic, but at least I didn't stop, get out the car in the rain, try and use it and THEN find out it was broken. I too invested in a little portable compressor and have also bought a tyre thingy attachment for my garage compressor with an extra long hose so I can pump tyres up in the driveway....but it doesn't help the memory to remember to check them. The pump at the petrol station does remind me, but when they are broken.....
All the best
The Last time I bought cheap tyres was with a Clio 1.2 around the year 2002. Grip was practically non-existent, especially in wet roads, brake distance terrible and noise was overwhelming. Good rubber is one of those things that makes sense to spend money in a car.
Here is a new Hubnut protocol: When bringing vehicles out of storage (30 days or more), CHECK Lights, Oil, Washer fluid, AND TIRE PRESSURE. Trailer tires should be checked as well. All tires will lose some pressure when sitting for a long time.
As others have suggested, one of the new generation handheld rechargeable tire pumps would be a good idea. Some I have seen will stop automatically when set pressure has been achieved.
TYRE
@@havingalook. In the USA we call them tires. And the spare is kept in the trunk.
@@pdxRetired the spare wheel is in the boot with a road legal tyre. A bumper is a bumper not a fender, the engine is under a bonnet not a hood, and a mobile phone isnt a cell
@@havingalook.Newsflash! different people in different countries use different words for the same thing.....
Ian , from experience with many a tyre fitters i ALWAYS make a point to personally re-check tyre pressures after i had new tyres fitted. They are almost always OVERinflated.
Btw there are very compact battery powered tyre compressors on the market.
As others have mentioned Ian, you need to buy a 12v compressor, the connection uusally fits into a 12v socket, such as a cigar lighter, they're around £15. One car I avoided ever buying was the Hillman Imp. My mate bought one, the accelerator cable snapped, various other problems, including being stolen. My dad bought one (I told him not to), the same thing happened with the accelerator cable. Then my dad's car was nicked, we got it back minus the drive shafts. He got it repaired, then got rid shortly afterwards. I was never convinced that a car which had 15 psi pressure for the front tyres and around 30 psi for the rear ones was one I'd want to be driving, others might disagree. My less than favourable view of Imps was further lowered when the following year after my dad's dalliance with an Imp, one of them came out of a sideroad and hit my Mk3 1.6 Cortina sideways on, knocking me to the other side of the road and causing extensive damage to the nearside back door and rear wing. So, definitely not my favourite car, the Imp.
To me, I'd think the tyre age was a bigger contributor than the pressures, especially in a scenario where fronts are over-inflated and rears under-inflated. If there's no four-digit date code, they must be pre-2000 (when it was 3-digits). I suspect even under-inflated, the rear tyres have hardened to such an extent there's little deflection in the rubber.
Also always check your tyres on Bob. Caravans, motorhomes and even trailer tyres need checking before any journeys for cracks and pressures. Not doing this is one of the reasons everyone gets stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway during the summer, where a caravan has had a huge tyre blow out.
I think caravan tyres are often aged and little used so dry rot an issue as well. One reason we instantly replaced Bob's tyres, even though the old ones had good tread.
My 63 VW Transporter has got one tyre that says TRANSPORTER on it, I think it's a Marshal, a perfect match. Important video great stuff Hubnut
As I check my tyres before any long trip, I decided to get a £25 portable tyre pump - its worth having it in the car - charge it via USB or use via he cigarette lighter. I had a tyre replaced recently and that was also way over inflated by the installer
You could do a classic camping series named after that famous film
Ian and Carly and Bob too😊
Is Desmond a keeper now
another great video has always Ian and Carly miss/mrs hubnut and hublets and hubmutt 👍
I'd not cheap out on tyres. If you watch tyre reviews site you'll see the difference they make. Especially if you're going to be towing. With only 2 cars I've got premium all season on one (good year) and upper mid range all seasons on the other (kumho). I really like the grip in the wet of all seasons. With so many cars it'd cost a lot for these but the question is how low can you go! Midrange should be adequate for you (kumho, Firestone etc.), maybe even nexen but not budget. Bella does a lot of trips so good rubber makes sense on her. Wear is good on the good years getting 30,000 miles for the fronts. Even more on the rears