Daniel, They are probably the wrong tires for your Westfalia. If the info on the sidewall says they are "reinforced" you may get by using them. However IMO you would be better off biting the bullet and replacing them with the proper Load Range C or D tires. Which proper tire to buy has been discussed here on the List ad infinitum. Garrett Adams 83.5 Adventurewagen GL Stockton, California -----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf Of Daniel Schmitz Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 11:34 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Tires (a tired topic?)
On my recently acquired '87 Westfalia, the tires do not appear to be the correct type for this vehicle. They are General "Ameri" branded, 205/70R14, Standard Load Rating radials, with a max inflation pressure of 35 psi. Based on what I've read on the list and what I bought for my '82 Adventurewagen, I think I am supposed to be running LT, sidewall-reinforced tires with a Load Rating of "C". As further evidence, my Westfalia tends to wallow and really lean in the turns, as well as being very sensitive to cross winds, even more so than my Adventurewagen, which has a higher center of gravity. The one downside is that these tires are relatively new, and I would have to sacrifice good, though incorrect, tires for new, correct ones. The option to swap tires with those on my Adventurewagen is not really a possibility, as those are mounted on stock steel rims, and I definitely want to retain the alloy wheels I have. Anyone care to comment? |
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