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Date:         Fri, 10 Oct 2003 23:28:59 -0700
Reply-To:     Todd Last <Rubatoguy@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Todd Last <Rubatoguy@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Re: GoWesty wheel / tire package
Comments: To: Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <000a01c38fb6$06228010$8eeb79a5@D1DY3621>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Amen to that!

Todd '88 Westy

Joel Walker wrote:

>>The guys at GoWesty claim that once you go to 15" tires, that >> >> >you don't need > > >>to use reinforced tires anymore...see: >>http://www.gowesty.com/wheelstiresinfo.html >>The hydroedge tires are supposedly pretty incredible, but are >> >> >they right to > > >>run on our vanagons? >>just looking for some opinion on this. >> >> > >when i read stuff like that, i just remember all those snake-oil >salesman in the past ... too many words, when a few figures would >suffice. like the info that is stamped into the sidewall of the >tire, and is required to be there by federal law. why not just >present the data on the tire and let the customer decide for >himself? cause they want to sell the tire, not give you a chance >to change your mind. mercedes specifies which tires are required >for their cars ... why not tell us what the specs of that tire is >and let us decide? > >statements like this "Common sense would indicate what we have >proven by TESTING: The wider and lower profile tire is INHERENTLY >stronger and more stable than a narrower and taller tire. No >reinforcement required. End of story!" >make me think of a snow job. MY common sense tells me that ANY >tire with reinforcement is inherently stronger than any other >tire without it. and as for a wider/lower tire being "inherently >stornger" is bullshit ... if that were true, why aren't the >18-wheelers and passenger aircraft running such tires? because, >in my experience and opinion, it ain't so ... tires are designed >for particular purposes and uses. and driving/work environments. >and STYLES. gee ... like big white letters. oh, but the white >letter tires are inherently stronger than black walls ... they >must be; they have to be to keep them letters stuck on there. ;) >and it's thicker at the letters!! yeah, that's it! :) > >i tell ya what i've learned over the years about tires. > >1. if it don't say it on the tire itself, whatever the >salespeople tell you is bullshit and is designed to separate you >from your money. > >2. just cause it looks good don't mean diddly. > >3. wider tires are much more likely to hydroplane in wet weather, >unless the tread pattern is specifically designed to get rid of >the water. period. no matter what brand of tire it is. > >4. lower profile tires are much more likely to be damaged and >allow the rim/wheel to be damaged than a taller tire, reinforced >or not. there simply isn't enough sidewall to act as a cushion. > >5. if you stray too far from the original tires that came on the >vehicle from the factory, YOU are taking the risk, not the tire >salespeople or the factory or anybody else. > >6. tire salespeople are high-school dropouts and just plain >morons 99 times out of 100. the reason they are selling tires is >cause they can't hack it behind the counter at McDonald's. and >usually they are fast-talking morons. the faster someone talks >when trying to sell me something, the faster i want to get out of >there. it's a tactic ... designed to confuse the buyer. > >1500 lbs, eh? let's see how strong that is. that is MAX LOAD, >yup. but ONLY at MAX PRESSURE. and those are stamped on the side >of the tire. which means you can depend on the 1500 lbs ONLY if >you put the maximum allowed pressure into the tire. which is >likely gonna make it ride really rough. max pressure usually does >that. > >and 4 wheels times 1500 = 6000 lbs. but the vw-supplied sticker >(in the driver's side door jam) lists the gross vehicle weight as >5200 lbs (about). that INcludes the basic vehicle, full fuel tank >(96lbs of gasoline), oil (1.175 gallons at 6lbs/gal = 7lbs) and >coolant (4.5gallons at 8lbs/gal = 36lbs), plus max load which >combines passenger (150lbs per designated seating position or 7 >times 150lbs = 1050 lbs of people) and luggage weight. > >so assuming you're not overloading your bus, and your weight is >at 5200 lbs, why, you've got a whopping 800lbs of safety margin!! >for things like cornering and braking .. you know, stuff that >heats up the tires more than just running down the highway. >that's a big old 15percent margin. >if you used a tire that had a 1600lbs max load, at max pressure >the load could be 6400 lbs. now you've got a 1200 lbs margin, or >23 percent. more is better in this case. > >sure, you can use a 1500 lb-rated tire ... IF you don't load your >bus heavily or full of people and luggage. >after all, it is YOUR bus. you can pretty much do what you want >with it. but in my opinion, you'd better be aware of the >abilities of the tires you've got on it. > >and if you have a camper, you've already lost several hundred >pounds of cargo carrying ability .. my 87 camper weighed in at >4220 lbs, with me in it and a full tank of gas. and a 50-lb >toolbox. and the oil and coolant, of course. :) >plus the camper is a bit heavier up top, and will put more strain >on the tires when cornering and stopping. > >and just so you don't think it's really bad with vw buses, try >looking into a winnebago or some such RV ... the weight of all >that carpet and kitchen and bathroom and such puts most of them >within only about 600 lbs of being overloaded. add two people and >clothes and food for a week and water and gas and presto, you're >overloaded. >and what tires do they usually run? BIG Muthas! NOT low profile >wide tires. hmmmmm. :) wonder why? > >you can have good looks and snazzy style. or you can have safety. >maybe you can find a tire that lets you have both. >but LOOK at the info on the side of the tire before you buy it. >then decide for yourself ... don't let someone else decide for >you. it's your bus. and your life. > >good luck! >unca joel > > >


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