Overloaded Tyres

[kizz]

Hi all,

Just wanted to get some advice on something i've done without realising.

I chucked on a pair of 17"'s that I had on an old car onto my S'Tivo, and without realising, the tyres on there (Antyre P188 or something) the load index is below what's required. I went into Bob Jane today to fill them up with Nitrogen, a complete waste now that i've been told my car is un-roadworthy because of the tyres and very unsafe. The S'tivo load rating is I believe 87V, the ones on my rims at the moment are 84W.... The guy said to me he didn't want to instill a great deal of fear, but he highly recommended to replace them asap.

Guys, I don't want my car to just burst under pressure...

Any idea how long these tyres can handle the weight of my car? Also, i'm taking it really easy from now on, but should I put the old sportivo rims back on?

Is normal driving going make these bust?

[DJKOR]

Firstly, the basics:

- A load rating index of 84 indicates a maximum of 500kg per tire

- A load rating index of 87 indicates a maximum of 545kg per tire

Basically it all means that if your car had weight perfectly distributed, with 87 rated tires your gross vehicle weight can be a maximum of 2180kg whereas with 84 rated tires, your gross vehicle weight can be a maximum of 2000kg.

When they determine the load rating, they do give a little extra clearance, but it's not to say that you should go below it. Also during accelerating/braking/cornering, the load on each tire can vary so therefore weight is not always equally distributed.

That all said, it's still illegal to have the incorrect load rated tires on your car and I would highly suggest to get them changed ASAP. As well as being illegal, should you get in an accident and your insurance company finds out about this, you will not be covered.

[kizz]

Firstly, the basics:

- A load rating index of 84 indicates a maximum of 500kg per tire

- A load rating index of 87 indicates a maximum of 545kg per tire

Basically it all means that if your car had weight perfectly distributed, with 87 rated tires your gross vehicle weight can be a maximum of 2180kg whereas with 84 rated tires, your gross vehicle weight can be a maximum of 2000kg.

When they determine the load rating, they do give a little extra clearance, but it's not to say that you should go below it. Also during accelerating/braking/cornering, the load on each tire can vary so therefore weight is not always equally distributed.

That all said, it's still illegal to have the incorrect load rated tires on your car and I would highly suggest to get them changed ASAP. As well as being illegal, should you get in an accident and your insurance company finds out about this, you will not be covered.

Hey DJ,

Thanks, you've always got well educated answers.

During cornering I figured the load on each tyre would be increased.

I didn't even check about the load rating - was too interested in the "look" of my car. Just natural I guess. Won't be making this mistake again! And, the tread is still about 80% :-( I hardly used these tyres as my partner and I were driving her car around, and the car that it was on, was basically dead.

Ok, well I don't exactly have the money now to get some new tyres but I'm getting my tax return soon so I'll have to use that.

For the meantime, and putting aside legalities, will I be ok to just get to and from work until I have the money to get new tyres? It's about 5-10 min.

[DJKOR]

For the meantime, and putting aside legalities, will I be ok to just get to and from work until I have the money to get new tyres? It's about 5-10 min.

In the meantime, just make sure you don't load the car up to much and try not to give it a spirited drive. The tires won't really blow that easy, but the chance of it is just slightly higher. I doubt in the course of the next week or two they will be compromised, but when it comes to safety, it's not the best to take risks.