Bongo Fury

Greetings bongo friends

Ive just purchased my first Bongo (woohoo), as the front tyres were almost bald the first thing I did was replace them with same sized ones which were 195/70R15.... they also had this sized tyre on the back.

Just read the tyre section on this site informing me that the right sized for back is 215/65R15

So will I be possibly damaging my bongo by driving round with 195/70R15 tyres on front and back?

Im not carrying any weight in it at the moment but have a weeks camping planned in less than a month and dont want to risk damaging my poor Bongo.

Advice?

Many thanks

Jake

Think it's more the weight rating of the tyres to be most concerned
And your insurance as your running with non standard tyres
Don't think I'd want them on rear there skinnyer than 215

You should be fine with these.

The key thing is to have the same rolling radius on both front and back. This can be achieved by having the mix as you stated, or having the same all round (either the 195's or the 215'5).

As long as the load rating is sufficient, shouldn't be anything to worry about.

....but what about when you wipe out that bus-shelter full of kids and your insurance want to squirm out of all the claims, and notice you're not running the tyres Mazda say on the driver's door pillar....

Muzorewa wrote:....but what about when you wipe out that bus-shelter full of kids and your insurance want to squirm out of all the claims, and notice you're not running the tyres Mazda say on the driver's door pillar....

My door pillar gives 4 different sizes for tires (as do most bongo's)- and as we are not in America, if you have the correct load raiting and are using one of these 4 and have enough tread on your tires you will be fine.

...but the first two are specifically for the front & rear respectively. How do you explain to your insurance assessor that you've ignored that and fitted the same all round, and the Mazda owner's manual that clearly states different front & back so don't swap them round like you might a "normal" set of tyres?

Muzorewa wrote:...but the first two are specifically for the front & rear respectively. How do you explain to your insurance assessor that you've ignored that and fitted the same all round, and the Mazda owner's manual that clearly states different front & back so don't swap them round like you might a "normal" set of tyres?

As mine came from Japan with 4 tyres all the same and and note in the handbook in japanese expressing the need for having the same diamter all round I don't think they would be any grounds for argument

The important point here, and there are many on larger diameter wheels not just bongos but T4's don't seem to understand is the mimimum load raiting MUST always be obeyed - this is the important bit for saftey - the rest is rather irrelvant

What is the minimum load rating for the tyres I should be using?

thanks for all the feed back by the way

Most have at least 94 rated on the front and 96 on the rear, think mine are all 98 rated van tyres

Idris wrote:

Muzorewa wrote:...but the first two are specifically for the front & rear respectively. How do you explain to your insurance assessor that you've ignored that and fitted the same all round, and the Mazda owner's manual that clearly states different front & back so don't swap them round like you might a "normal" set of tyres?

As mine came from Japan with 4 tyres all the same and and note in the handbook in japanese expressing the need for having the same diamter all round I don't think they would be any grounds for argument

The important point here, and there are many on larger diameter wheels not just bongos but T4's don't seem to understand is the mimimum load raiting MUST always be obeyed - this is the important bit for saftey - the rest is rather irrelvant

If they were the same larger size all round then I might agree, in fact I would agree as that is what I have. BUT (from experience) I would not agree about 195's all round, as that is how mine was shod when I got it.
It had 195 Pirelli Citynet Van tyres and handled like a pig, on the current 215 non-van tyres it is transformed.

I therefore do not agree that 195's all round are OK.

scanner wrote:If they were the same larger size all round then I might agree, in fact I would agree as that is what I have. BUT (from experience) I would not agree about 195's all round, as that is how mine was shod when I got it.
It had 195 Pirelli Citynet Van tyres and handled like a pig, on the current 215 non-van tyres it is transformed.

I therefore do not agree that 195's all round are OK.

Hallelujah

Idris wrote:The important point here, and there are many on larger diameter wheels not just bongos but T4's don't seem to understand is the mimimum load raiting MUST always be obeyed

Absolutely

Idris wrote:As mine came from Japan with 4 tyres all the same and and note in the handbook in japanese expressing the need for having the same diamter all round I don't think they would be any grounds for argument

It depends. Was the note from Mazda, the Japanese equivalent of our DfT or a downtown Tokyo branch of Kwik-Fit? Agreed the diameter needs to be the same, and whilst there are some exceptions, Mazda generally fitted 195/70 to the front and 215/65 to the rear, even on 4WD, and the rolling circumference of those two tyre sizes is the same within acceptable limits (about the same as having new tyres on one axle and worn tyres on the other, the viscous coupling on 4WD can cope). Mazda never fitted 195 tyres to the rear of any Bongo.

I have been running 215's all round since I had it nearly 12 years ago, 100 rated on the tyres, with no probs, make sure you tell insurance company as well if only out of courtesy and see what they say...just in case. Fully fitted here £45.00 a corner too,lol.