Minimum tyre load rating for Cali

[wyn]

We have just returned from a 3000+ mile trip to Tuscany and Umbria. On the outward journey we suffered a puncture/blow out on the autoroute about two hours South of Calais (by the time we found a safe place to stop on the hard shoulder the tread had separated completely from what was left of the sidewalls so it was difficult to tell). The tyre was a Continental Cross Contact-UHP with a load rating of 99. The tyre was one of two fitted on the back axle by our local VW Van centre less than a fortnight earlier and had only done some 500 miles. The following day we took the van to a VW dealer in Reims who sourced a replacement tyre but expressed surprise that a VW dealer had fitted tyres with a rating of less than 103. When we asked if it was safe for us to continue our journey they said that as the van was relatively lightly loaded it was okay for us to continue.

Any advice or comments welcome

 

[SimplyDubs]

If my notes are correct....

On all but 4 motion, max axel load is 1575kg.

This gives a wheel load of 787.5 kg.

Translated to tyre load rating this is a 100 or above.

Remember to be legal, it's based on plate weight rather than actual weight, you may be safe from an engineering perspective but would fail a VOSA roadside check and possibly invalidate insurance if it was found to be o contributing factor if the was an accident/incident.

As such 99's are not legal on a Cali SE. (Unless you have it officially replated to a lower weight... and why would you??? )

For the 4 motion axel load is 1600... so a 100 load rate tyre would be on the limit at 800 kg.

Personally I run 103's on my 174 pre-facelift.... I tend to err away from minimums and go for greater comfort margins.

rgds

Mark

 

[AlanC]

There is a tyre pressure label on the offside door pillar. This details the tyre sizes and rating as well as the pressures for your vehicle and the load you have on board.

The SE on 17 and 18 inch rims has a load rating of 103W.

Hope that helps

Alan

 

[slowcoach65]

I find this very worrying and suggest you contact VW Customer Care.

Andy.

 

[Meoncoast]

My 17 inch came with 101s frome new run now on 103s

 

[sebking]

99 is not right and dangerous.
Seb

 

[Meoncoast]

I concur with Sebs words Dangerous, I would suspect if your blow out had caused an accident you would have insurance issues I would suspect your cover would be voided