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Can I put the right size SUV tyres on a minibus? Is load rating the only difference, or is the very structure and compound different?
I need to put on 215/75/R16, but want something all season that, ideally, has M&S rating, and good wet traction.
For 'all season' you probably want a winter compound road tyre, rather than an SUV tyres with a chunky tread but a hard compound - some of those are still marked as 'M&S' rated but don't really perform well in the full range of winter conditions.
This is pretty much the best time of year to by buying winter tyres (I'm just about to replace some of mine) - they're only manufactured in the summer and a cheapest now (for the wheels on my vans the premium brands and cheapy rubbish are roughly the same price just now). By the time winters looming the stocks are running out and you end up paying top dollar.
Few transits around this way with BFG All-Terrains for charging around forest tracks and fields.
I read than van tyres have much higher load ratings due to steel belts inside. However the size information is different.
Those Pirellis get dismal EU label performance ratings!
I doubt the BFG's are legal on a Transit, at least the heavier versions of the van. I've also seen an Iveco with them and that definitely was illegal.
The best tyre for my van (225/70r15 with an axle weight of 2240kg) was Toyo H09, they are a mud and snow light commercial tyre with a fairly blocky tread. Going up to 16" increased the options.
Think you just need to pick the right BFG's, on a 16" they start at LR100 (1600kg axle) and head up to LR123 (3000kg axle) depending on what tyre you can fit in the arches.