Date:         Sat, 21 Dec 2002 20:32:29 -0500
Reply-To:     David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Aftermarket rim fitment.
Comments: To: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
In-Reply-To:  <f05100301ba2a9f60c029@[203.167.181.119]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Sun, 22 Dec 2002, Andrew Grebneff wrote:

> Light truck tires will not give good handling, and in an emergency
> avoidance situtation are likely to KILL you. I cannot understand why
> people insist on fitting such tires and utterly ignoring handling as
> THE primary safety thing in any vehicle (chassis dynamics a close
> seciond, and here our vans shine).

Well, not everyone wants to upgrade to alloy wheels.  (They're too
expensive to own where I live -- the potholes bend them.)  And I've driven
VW vans with passenger car tires on the stock wheels, and the handling is
much, much worse -- the non-reinforced sidewalls fold under too easily,
making the van squirrely.

We also get snow here, and wide, fat tires are no good in snow.

Besides, I'd rather have tires that will slide before the van
traction-rolls. ;)

Also, unless you upgrade the brakes, the extra contact patch isn't buying
you any extra stopping power.

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "To the optimist, the glass is half full.  To the
 |___/             pessimist, the glass is half empty.  To the engineer,
                   the glass is twice as big as it needs to be."