Date:         Sat, 29 Oct 2005 23:45:02 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Oh Boy! Tire Thread! (was RE: Michelin LTX/MS 215/75R15
              tires...)
In-Reply-To:  <20051029222018.39082.qmail@web60324.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> Just so I am clear on this, the actual GAWR of the rear end 
> of my Camper is 2,866-lbs so by the Federal guidelines, I 
> would need a light truck tire with a 93 load rating 
> (1,433-lbs) or a reinforced passenger car tire with a 97 load 
> rating (1,609-lbs/derated to 1,463-lbs). I'm pretty sure my 
> door jamb sticker calls for a 97 load rating in the optional 
> 205-70R14 size.


If it is 2866 on your Westy, then, you are correct ... as long as your
camper's normal load (curb weight plus passengers plus all "accessories")
does not exceed 0.94% of this 1433 value (which would be 1347 lbs x 4 = 5388
lbs). If it does weigh more than this, then the requirement would be higher.


Put differently, based on the D.O.T. guidelines an LT tire must handle
either the GAWR divided by 2, or 94% of the van's normal load divided by 4,
whichever number is higher. A passenger car tire meet the same specs after
first being derated by 9.09% (the tire's rated load capacity divided by
1.10).

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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