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Date:         Sat, 14 Apr 2001 14:26:52 -0400
Reply-To:     Jim Lake <jlake@BCTONLINE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Lake <jlake@BCTONLINE.COM>
Subject:      Re: 15 inch wheels

I just got a set of 15" wheels from Ken Wilfy at Vanagain. they are 15x6. I mounted a set of Falken ZE-502 225/60R15 rubber, which is a square profile, aggressive street tread tire...with an H speed rating. What you will find is that if you are looking for a "street" look as opposed to a truck or van look, then you have to be willing to consider some tradeoffs. The standard tire for a Vanagon requires a "C" load rating or at least a load rating of 1620 pounds per corner. Getting this kind of a load rating in a shorter sidewall tire is difficult to do. Generally speaking, the shorter the sidewall, the lower the load rating. The tires that I chose have a load rating of 1520 per tire. I am trading some weight bearing capacity for the "look" I wanted. In my case, this works because the van is a weekend warrior and it is unusual for it to carry more than 2 people. In terms of performance, the shorter, stiffer sidewall improved the handling and the ride of the van. Steering is quicker and body roll on corners is reduced because of the shorter, stiffer sidewall. Another area of tradeoff with this kind of tire is going to be longevity. I suspect these tires will only last 30,000 miles or so. Since my rig isn't driven every day, this was a tradeoff I could live with. Because the wheel size increased an inch BUT the overall tire diameter decreased 1-2 inches, my transmission needs no changes and I suspect that my speedo is within 5MPH from where it was with the old tires.


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