Date:         Sun, 29 Aug 2004 15:04:28 -0700
Reply-To:     "Tom L. Salicos" <TomSalicos@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Tom L. Salicos" <TomSalicos@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Tire, Rim, Shock Satisfaction Report
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I recently upgraded my Syncro Westy's 195/75/14 tires to Michelob 215/75/15 LTX M/S on Rhein rims purchased from VolksCafe.  Also bought the front Boge OEM shocks from same vendor.

The shocks are just a tiny bit stiff for me (no offroading intentions) but if they soften any at all they will be perfect.  With the old shocks you could literally pull the plunger out with your thumb and forefinger.

The 215s look simply marvelous in the wheel wells.  It looks like there is clearance enough for chains on the rears.  I had complained earlier about my little bitty skate wheels, but this sure fixes that.  

The bad news:  
There is a most notable performance hit .  I NEVER used to kill it, but now taking off requires a lot more attention.  It bogs down on hills much sooner than the 195's.  I would not recommend this size tire for a van with the 2.1 WBX.  There is a Subie conversion in the near future so I will handle the performance degrade until things get better.  

For somebody considering larger wheels, I think it would be worthwhile to swap all four wheels with another van for an afternoon, just to get a good feel for the difference.

Tom Salicos