Date:         Thu, 11 Apr 2002 16:42:20 -0500
Reply-To:     Dietmar Schlei <dschlei@PRESSENTER.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dietmar Schlei <dschlei@PRESSENTER.COM>
Subject:      Re: 87 Vanagon Wolfsburg Tires
In-Reply-To:  <123.ee254b2.29e680bc@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Hi All

I need some clarification here!

One of my vehicles is a late model GMC AWD Safari Van.  The vehicle weight
is 6100 LB.. My Vanagon weights 5269 LB.  The Safari van is about 10 inches
longer and about 4 inches wider, the Vanagon is about 2 inches
higher.  Both vehicles have the same ground clearance.

The Safari van came (from the factory) with P rated 215/75/15 tires, and
the specs state that this vehicle needs standard P rated
tires.  Considering that the surface area of both vehicles (the sides that
can be influenced by wind gusts, etc.) is very similar, and also
considering that the Safari is much heavier than the Vanagon, why on earth
would I need LT tires or reinforced sidewall tires with a Vanagon?  Should
it not be possible to put 205/75 or 215/70 tires on to achieve similar load
conditions to the Safari?

Can anybody explain to me the reason for the Vangon tire requirements vs
the GNMC tire requirements ?  Could it be that the Vanagon requirements
were just translated from the German specs without considering the
different driving conditions in the US?


Dietmar
With lots of questions and little knowledge!



>WHOA!!!!
>
>Don't put passenger tires on a van.  You are asking for a blowout, or a rim
>separation (air-out), or at worst a sloppy ride.  That reinforced sidewall is
>called for for a reason.  My van came with passenger tires when I bought it,
>and it got great "mileage", but it was totally sloppy on the road. Any wind
>or gust or passing truck would throw it around.  I thought it was a 'van
>thing' until I got the right tires.  No slop, better in winds, lower and more
>accurate mileage.  The van calls for a reinforced tire -- do it!!  I cannot
>stress the importance of this enough.  This van is not a cadillac -- it is
>relatively smooth, but not great.  You need the stiffness to get around.
>Safety is the issue.  If you are presented with an emergency situation, do
>you want to safely maneuver or have your tires fall off the rims?
>      PS:  I'm not even pushing a wolfie or a camper.
>
>Bill Marshall
>85 GL Tiico w/snappy handling
>Phoenix AZ