Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:15:34 -0400
Reply-To: Phil Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Phil Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Subject: Re: sprung canyon at cleft mountain: the allurious white syncro
misting floats by while I gaze and walk
On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:25:00 -0700, Mark C <obeechi@RUNBOX.COM> wrote:
Hi Mark,
Great story Mark. Being who I am... I like the diversion part of the story and not owing a Carat...
am absolutely no help to you regarding messing with your springs.... but I have a 2wd Westfalia
that has ridden-on both Nokian WR's & CS's.... in 215 and 205 size.... 8-)
I agree... The Van looked absolutely 'bitch-en' (is this still a word?) with the 215:65 WR's... mine
in 16" though. Filled the wells with slick-as-snot-toothy tread! god, she was meanly-beautiful. By
now you can tell..... I am a car (Vanagon) slut... through and through with apologies to any
feminist who may-be partially offended with my off-colour language. Ignore me... I am of no
threat, only lost in my own world of anthropomorphizing Vanagons with BIG tires!
The 215 WR's served the Van well for some 85,000 Km. Gripping snow, mud and gravel like duct-
tape. Occasionally though, they felt a bit squirrely on dry pavement? An R/T mag test report
noted this experience in their long term test of this tire. Guess even things of beauty have their
issues?
Alas, at 85K the center tread had worn to a point where the upcoming 12,000 mile trip across
Canada demanded their early retirement. The shoulder tread had many miles left on them.
I nearly shed a tear as the tire boy slipped them from their CV-900 rims and without a flinch...
threw them in the recycling pile... Gads, where those treads carried me? Everywhere without a
flinch or flat. Rotated regularly, pressure checked and inflated in the 38-45 lb range dependent on
load and task at hand. Worn in the center.... OVER-INFLATION sickness....
Went tire shopping. At the end of the day (actually more like a week) my Van emerged with 4-new
Nokian CS's in 205:65 x 16. Eeek my steed looked aaaah well, kinda less voluptuous! Looked OK
but lost it's edginess... looked kinda pedestrian. Wheel wells looked more like wimpy stock! BUT
these CS's are one tough tire... near bullet-proof. Stiff in the side-winds and GRIP... yah gotta do
something real stupid to break-em loose on the snow and ice. Claw their way out of deep, slick as
goose-poop muddy holes. Now I can be more stupid than usual.... Wearing even across the tread
at the 25,000 Km level so far...
So Mark, guess I am saying: I recommend cake without the icing? Not to be confused with the
recent post by the very missed David Beierl who's post on eating cake or not to eat cake discusses
things of far great import than these stupid shallow tire threads. Now I am not saying your
shallow or stupid Mark BUT, I am......
Now, really back to your story..... apologies for my wordiness.... occupational hazard!
regards
Phil Z '87 Westie
Campbell River, BC
----------------
>(Diversion: finally I have good tires . . but I still wish I had gotten 215 65 15 over the 205 65 15 .
. . the 215 65 15 WR (nokian) has got to be the best tire in the world for the vanagon . . . [though
I'm not sure what tire pressure I should use - have all at 40lbs right now] . . . - - - given that it
can take on you from high desert speeds in death valley all the way to colorado blizzards without
snow chains. . . and the offering of a 215 15 65 is the icing on the cake . . )
>
>Now back to our story,
