Who says you need to buy expensive, heavy RV tyres when all you want to do is explore and camp?
If this sounds like you, Michelin Agilis Camping and Continental Vancocamper are worth considering. These two tyre lines from major manufacturers offer lightweight, low-cost tires that you can use for the same applications as RV tires but without the weight and expense.
Continental Vancocamper
The Continental Vancocamper is a large, all-season radial with an A, B, or C load rating range. The load rating indicates the maximum weight that the tyre can carry. The higher the load range, the more weight it can carry. From our research, we learned that RVers use this tire when they don’t trailer their RVs or carry heavy loads in their RVs.
Michelin Agilis Camping
Michelin Agilis Camping is a budget tire line appropriate for cars and light trucks. They are designed to perform well in wet weather. Their tread pattern combines deep grooves for maximum water drainage and large circumferential grooves to channel away water from the centre of the tyre.
Design Characteristics
Continental Vancocamper Tyres are designed for RVs with longer lives than traditional motorhome tyres. While you might not be expecting to use Continental Vancocamper tyres on your RV for a long time, the tyres’ vast array of options helps you to tailor them to suit your specific vehicle and RV needs. The Continental Vancocamper lineup is available in many sizes, from 26-inch all-season tires to 35×12.50R15 all-terrain tyres.
Michelin Agilis Camping tyres are designed for high manoeuvrability in addition to comfortable handling., It is designed to improve fuel economy, brake, and accelerant performance. That makes them a good choice for car applications as well as RVs.
Both Continental Vancocamper and Michelin Agilis Camping tyres feature various tread designs that help the tires maintain contact with the road in all driving conditions. These tread designs include large circumferential grooves, which help shed water, and deep grooves, enhancing traction during acceleration and braking.
The Continental Vancocamper is available in six different sizes, from 27 to 35. There are also two lines of tyres for light trucks and cars, a family of all-season radial tires with load ranges C, D, or E and a family of “trojan” sports touring tires with load ranges A or B. The Vancocamper line also offers various tyre sizes and styles for pickup trucks and SUVs.
Michelin Agilis Camping tyres offer a more comprehensive range than Continental Vancocamper. Available in 11 sizes, Michelin Agilis Camping tyres are designed to be as quiet as possible, providing smooth ride characteristics for cars and pickup trucks.
Cost Analysis
Both tyre brands are pretty reasonable. Continental Vancocamper tires range from $115 to $205 per tire, while Michelin Agilis Camping tyres range from $80 to $120 per tire. These prices are good for tyres that meet the design requirements for RV use.
Other Michelin and Continental Tyres Options for Your Motorhome
If the Michelin Agilis Camping or Continental Vancocamper tyres are a little too expensive for you, you might want to take a look at the following:
Michelin Pilot Mud Terrain Tyres
These performance-oriented tyres are designed for vehicles with four-wheel drives, like pickup trucks and SUVs. The tread pattern is similar to the Michelin Agilis Camping and Continental Vancocamper. However, the treads on pilot tyres are more aggressive to improve traction in mud, sand, snow and other challenging off-road terrains. These tyres are available in 16″, 18″ or 20″.
Michelin Raptor Mud XLT Tyres
These tyres are designed for all-terrain vehicles, like trucks and SUVs. They are designed to handle different terrains, including mud, sand, snow and rocks. The tread pattern is similar to the Michelin Pilot Mud Terrain tyres. These tyres are available in 16″, 18″ or 20″.
Michelin Aero Sport All-Season Tyres
These performance tyres are designed for high-speed operation and excellent traction in dry or wet conditions. They are available in sizes from 18″ to 22″.
Continental Sport Contact UHP All-Season Tyres
These tyres provide excellent handling in both wet and dry conditions. They are available in sizes from 15″ to 21″.
Continental Cross Contact LX Sport All-Season Tyres
They are designed as high-performance all-season tyre. This tyre offers enhanced braking and steering control, even on wet road surfaces. It is available in 12″ to 21″ sizes.
Michelin Sport All-Season Tyres
These tyres are designed for all-season performance. They are available in sizes from 10″ to 21″.
Continental ExtremeContact DWS and HX Ultra All-Season Tyres
These performance tyres are available in sizes ranging from 12″ to 17″. Their tread design reduces grime buildup between the tyre and the wheel, allowing your vehicle to perform better on non-paved road surfaces such as gravel.
Michelin Syneris and Touring tyres
These tyres are designed for cars, trucks and SUVs with high-performance standards. They are designed to offer excellent performance on both wet and dry road surfaces. Available in sizes ranging from 13″ to 20″.
Continental UltraSport tyres
These high-performance summer tyres are available in sizes ranging from 13″ to 19″. The tread pattern includes a unique mix of siping grooves that help reduce road noise, improve handling and enhance traction on wet surfaces.
Tyre Types used for Motorhomes
1. Winter Tyres
2, Summer tyres
3. All-season tyres
4. Mud tyres
5. All-terrain tyres
Winter Tyres
Each year, approximately 10 million passengers drive motorhomes across America. Some of these motorhomes are designed to use winter-oriented tyres such as snow tires. These tyres provide less cushioning and traction on dry roads but are better than no tyre at all. Tire Industry Association states that when choosing a winter-oriented tyre, consider factors such as the distance you drive in your motorhome and where you live or travel through during the winter months. Rubber compounds rely heavily on the types of lubricants they contain. Winter-oriented tires are designed to use more of these lubricants and rely on them during cooler temperatures.
Some motorhomes are equipped with reliable snow tyres, which are bigger than normal tyres and come with a tread pattern specifically designed to help vehicles maintain traction. These tyres can be installed using modified wheel rims.
A newer option for this type of vehicle is studded winter tyres. These tyres feature metal studs inserted into holes drilled onto the wheel’s rim and tire. The studs ensure traction in snowy conditions while also preventing tyre wear and improving handling. Some snow tires come with a waterproofing agent that helps to keep the driver’s feet out of the ice and snow.
Summer Tyres
Motorhomes are usually parked at their destinations for the summer. Some people park their motorhome at a campsite, and they may be able to use their motorhome during the warm months. When choosing a vehicle’s tyre type to be used during the summer, it is important to consider how often you plan on using your motorhome and if you need a full-sized or compact vehicle. Many motorhomes designed for the summer are equipped with smaller wheel rims to help prevent excessive wear and tear. Although the rims used in motorhomes during the summer months are smaller than those used on a winter-oriented vehicle, they still have sizes typically ranging from 12-22 inches in diameter.
Summer tyres have loads of benefits for motorhome owners. These tyres were made for off-road use and therefore offered a better grip over different surfaces such as dirt roads and gravel. The reason behind the increased stability is the narrower tread on summer tyres. In addition, the tread design can produce better water drainage after driving through light-flooded areas and offers a better self-cleaning ability. Summer tyres also offer an increased number of sipes in their tread patterns.
Summer tyres are also known to have improved rolling resistance, therefore having less impact on fuel economy than winter tyres.
All-season Tyres
All-season tyres are designed to provide the right balance between performance, grip and life. The main difference between all-season and winter tyres is that all-season tyres are not designed for cold weather conditions and are mainly suitable for summer temperatures. Instead of being specifically designed for a certain season, you can also use all-season tyres during winter.
If you want to get the optimal road performance this winter, we recommend using all-season tyres. They have excellent grip and are designed to function well in mixed snow and ice conditions. It is recommended that you replace your tyres with all-season versions for better wear.
Mud Tyres
Mud tyres are designed for vehicles that spend most of the time off-road or in less paved environments. The tread pattern might be different than the type of tyre you would normally use on a motorhome and might include deep grooves and extra tall tread blocks. Mud tyres, some of which have a self-cleaning design, are designed for soft or loose mud. Therefore, they provide more traction than other tyres under these conditions.
Mud tyres are available in various sizes and tread patterns for most cars, trucks, SUVs and buses. Their tread pattern differs on each vehicle. Therefore, it is important to check the manufacturer’s website to see what size/pattern the tyre you need is. Once you know the size/pattern of your particular vehicle, start shopping for your new RV tyres.
All-terrain Tyres
All-terrain tyres are designed to provide the right balance between performance, durability and life. These tyres are built for off-road use and provide added traction during your travels over various terrains and road conditions.
All-terrain tyres are known to handle high degrees of traction in both wet and dry conditions, offering greater control over the vehicle. The tread pattern is designed to grip specific road surfaces such as grass, mud, rocks, sand, snow or ice. Their tread patterns are engineered to help the vehicle maintain its grip on road surfaces during acceleration, braking and turning. These tyres are available in mini-motorhomes, large motorhomes, pickup trucks and SUVs. You need to know the size/pattern of your particular vehicle.
RV Specific Treads
Directional Tread Pattern
The most common type of tread for motorhomes is the directional tread pattern. A directional pattern offers the most traction where you need it most. This pattern provides the best grip in icy and snowy conditions. Directional tread patterns are generally found on snow or ice-resistant winter tyres. These tires are designed to provide greater control for trucks, SUVs and buses in off-road conditions with unique tread designs for each vehicle’s wheel rim size. They are also good for vehicles that will be off-road during the year’s colder months.
Directional tread patterns provide a continuous contact patch along the tyre’s circumference, which creates traction where you need it most. Directional tread patterns consist of three main parts:
The Lug: This is found outside the tyre and provides a greater contact area with the road surface. It also helps to disperse standing water and muddy slush.
The Hook: This is found between the lug and the shoulder. Its main purpose is to channel water and slush away from the lug, away from the tyre’s contact patch.
The Shoulder: It helps provide better control over the vehicle over slippery roads. It also creates a low-pressure area that prevents hydroplaning.
When comparing directional treads, the ribs of the tyre offer greater traction in icy and snowy conditions. The ribs provide better freeze protection. The lug is designed to help maintain the tyre’s contact with total road surfaces, whereas the hook helps maintain contact on soft ground. The lug and hook work together by supporting what is known as a longitudinal axle load (the total weight of the vehicle). This design helps provide good traction on all road surfaces.
Non-directional Tread Pattern
The other type of tread for motorhomes is a non-directional pattern. This pattern is found on sport, performance and luxury tyres. It provides an even distribution of tread across the tyre’s outer surface.
A non-directional pattern provides even tread across the tyre’s outer surface, which allows it to travel straight on wet surfaces. These tyres can handle a higher degree of grip in wet and dry conditions than winter tyres.
Conclusion
So, which tire is right for you? If you need commercial tyres that are inexpensive and easy to find, Continental Vancocamper tires are an excellent choice. They’re also a good deal for those who want an all-terrain tyre to use during hunting season or on camping. The Continental Vancocamper tyre line offers various sizes in many load ranges.
If you need a light truck or SUV tire, Michelin Agilis Camping tyres are a great choice. They’re available in a wide range of sizes from 26- to 35-inch diameter, and they provide smooth handling characteristics that fit nicely with cars and RVs. On the other hand, if you have a heavier vehicle, you should not save money by purchasing a budget tire for your RVs.
Most RVs’ original tyres are made for use in cars because it is much easier to customise a tyre to fit your vehicle than customise an RV. However, if you are looking for lower-cost alternatives to expensive, heavy Camper tyres, consider buying some Michelin Agilis Camping or Continental Vancocamper tyres.