Date:         Sat, 22 Jul 2006 12:28:44 -0700
Reply-To:     Malcolm Stebbins <mwstebbins@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Malcolm Stebbins <mwstebbins@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Syncro 16 wheels & tires situation
Comments: To: syncro@yahoogroups.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Sorry about another tire thread, but this MAY be a bit different.  I have read Derek Drew's
excellent article re syncro wheels and tires (14", 15" & 16").  My 'new' Syncro 16 Dehler van
(from Germany) has 16" 7.5J Barbet rims with 235/70/R16 tires - that are near the end of their
life.  As pointed out in Derek's article, these fat tires on fat rims rub cause the sliding door
(when opened) to rub on the right rear tire.

So I agree with Derek that a 7.5 rim is too wide, but that's what came with the van.  In my search
for new tires, few shops could find what I wanted:  16" C rated  highway tire (not off-road-mud
tire), rated about 1600 lbs, to fit a 7.5J rim, and in one of Derek's suggested sizes:
Revs/Mile Size       Tire Height
680      245/75R16      30.6
682      215/85R16      30.5
707      225/75r16      29.4
715      235/70R16      29.1
730      225/70R16      28.5  These are from Derek's page:
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/vanagon/All_About_16-Wheels_And_The_CV_900.htm

I can get tires in D or E load range for these wide 7.5 rims, but I want a softer ride.  or I can
find C rated tires in these sizes but they are all were rated as only to fit up to 6 or 7 J wide
rims.  Bummer.

After much hunting, We were able to find Uniroyal Larado tires with re-inforced sidewalls in:
Revs/Mile Size
710     225/75/R16 (rated at 1900 lbs)
690     235/75/R16 (rated at 1900 lbs)

These tires seem to fit Derek's suggested specifications for Syncro 16 gearing.

I would have liked to find a 215/85/16 that would fit on a 7.5J rim, but no one in 3 different
tire shops could find one.

I tried searching around the net, but few places allow me to input ALL of my requirements into
their search engine.

Of course I could buy the 16" rims suggested by Derek, but there goes a lot more money :-(

You may have your favorite tire, but is it narrow (215) and tall (85) and rated for 7.5J rims???
Malcolm  - in Halifax

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