Date:         Tue, 5 Mar 2002 20:05:38 GMT
Reply-To:     dmc@CYBURBAN.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave M <dmc@CYBURBAN.COM>
Subject:      reinforced t-i-r-e-s

>
> Subject: Re: Any air cooled owners out there running oversized tires?
>
> The real reason we "need" re-inforced sidewalls is....  "lawsuit"   If a
> dealer sells you anything less, he is opening himself up for a big payout.
> If the original specs say re-inforced sidewalls, then by God you better
> sell them re-inforced sidewalls!  I too (before I got on this list) ran an
> '86 GL on nothing but P-tires after the lousy original Continentals finally
> went.  Boy were they bad tires.  I must have put over 100K on various
> tires, including at least 2 sets of Pep Boys Cornell's.  Of course I didn't
> worry about blown head gaskets, low oil pressure, Vanagon syndrome either.
> The list can get a little anal retentive about things.
>
Unfortunately, 'reinforced sidewall' has no legal meaning when applied to tires.
The plate on my van does not say 'reinforced sdewall, it says 'reinforced', exactly what
we
are left to guess.
The things stamped on the tire sidewall are all that can be relied upon.
The 'load index' must be sufficient to support the weight of the van (and only does so the

stated max inflation pressure).
The old MXT's may have said 'reinforced' on the sidewall but you wont find that on many
(any?)
modern tires. Does the Agilis say it?
Also, many of the so called 'LT' tires, especially the 'C' rated ones do not have a load
index
as high as even a P215/70-14 passenger tire.
Tire sidewall cracking could be caused by many factors, including insufficient inflation
pressure or just age.

- David




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