Gross Axle Weights & Aftermarket Wheels

[tarvos]

Afternoon all

 

No real question in here, just doing some thinking in public, pulling together some other posts into one place and opening it up for anyone with more experience to chime in/peck at my logic...

 

I had a chat with an aftermarket wheel supplier today who was recommending 690kg rated wheels. This sounded low as I was expecting van-like axle weights, but after looking into it, I think it's actually pretty sane figure and opens up a range of decent wheel (and tyre!) options.

 

So I want to know the axle limits to a reasonable degree of accuracy. I don't have sight of our van yet but judging by the confusion I doubt the gross axle weights are conveniently displayed on a sticker on the van...

 

Looking over here is info that the Alphard ANH10 came in trims up to 2430kg GVW. As that post says, all Toyota seemed to have done is add 7 or 8 passengers to get to the GVW which, I agree, seems silly, so I presume the real GVW is north of 2430kg. Potentially 2520kg from here, so will assume that.

 

I've struggled to find any information on weight distribution anywhere online. Finger in-the-air perhaps the FWD version is 50% on the front at the 1780kg kerb weight (2.4 7 seat). Then let's say the 740kg payload of fuel, people, luggage and pets goes 2/3 on the back axle that puts it at about 1383kg on the back or 692kg per rear wheel.

 

I think this is a conservative guess as I'd expect it to start more front-biased at Kerb condition. I also have zero worry I might accidentally put over 740kg in it 😅. So, in short, 690kg rated wheels seem like a go-er for us 🥳

 

I have been told I need 101 rated XL tyres by the importer/converter (825kg!!). Maybe this is a misconception or perhaps it just makes more sense with a full camper conversion riding along (we are not having a full conversion). Looking at the export photos our bus has 101V tyres on it but clearly not original. Sounds like the forum is collectively the same hymn sheet that 95-97 rated tyres are fine e.g. here

 

As I said up top feel free to chime in otherwise just leaving this here for the record. If I can get our van on some scales I will post back with that info.

 

Cheers

 

[pcous]

Hi George,

The unladen axle weights for our Gen 1 facelift Alphard are 1070kg front, 800kg rear; total 1870kg. The gross vehicle weight (GVW) is 2255kg (allowing for 7 passengers at 55kg each...?), but there appear to be no data on how this loads on each axle. You might assume the extra passenger weight loads on the rear axle more than the front, but without loading up the car and placing it on a weighbridge it would be difficult to be precise.

 

Following our camper conversion the weighbridge info indicated that the weight of our additional van furniture loaded almost exclusively on the rear axle. We also load bikes on a towbar bracket, which increases rear axle weight and marginally decreases front axle weight. As a result we went for 109/107 tyres on rear to take max 1030kg per tyre and 101 on front (825kg per tyre) – with plenty of leeway to avoid overheating etc. From memory, I think the original tyres when imported were Yokohama 97 load rating (730kg per tyre).  Ultimately, once you've finished your own conversion it’s weighbridge data for your laden vehicle that will help you decide.

 

You’re right that conversion and/or fully loading with 7 passengers (most likely >55kg each!) could exceed the stated GVW. John Hollis started a thread on this in early 2021 – see: https://uk.alphardclub.com/forums/topic/619-overweight-vehicle/#comment-11210

 

 

 

[Rojie]

Imho, fitting XL tyres not only carry the weight better, it also stiffens the ride a little; which I find beneficial.