Date:         Wed, 25 Oct 2000 11:56:21 -0700
Reply-To:     Ed Mellinger <meed@MBARI.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ed Mellinger <meed@MBARI.ORG>
Subject:      Short Tires, Tall Vans
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

A general question for you folks running those low and/or wide tires on
your vans... how much more cornering ability can a Vanagon handle?  I've
always felt like the van was getting ready to roll over *before* my
tires got to the limit of adhesion, and that's on stock tires (185 width
and probably 78 aspect ratio, IIRC).  In the sports cars I've owned,
tire adhesion has dominated the cornering performance.  In my Van, I
suspect it is the center of gravity... and I don't want to find out
myself!

Just to motivate the discussion (though I hate to mention the dreaded
S*V word here), here's a different group of consumers who is dealing
with the immutability of the laws of physics:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/480570.asp?cp1=1

I generally feel just that teeny bit smug, in my Van, when the press
lampoons the S*V... but not when reading this article.  Wouldn't mind
seeing the rollover-stat list that Dateline claims they have... anyone
else have any experience with Vanagon rollovers, or rollover statistics?

regards,
Ed Mellinger
'84 plain jane