Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 17:01:43 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Michelin Tire Experiences
In-Reply-To: <001901c71b18$0efcc4c0$6500a8c0@notebook>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Nitrogen in tires pushes out the oxygen and the ozone and thereby aids
in preventing rot.
Low pressure exposes the tire sidewalls to more hazards on the road -
sharp rocks, nails, glass, other debris.
On one of my trips driving the Alaska Highway to Alaska, I blew out 6
tires. Every single one was the result of sidewall damage from rocks.
What I didn't know at the time was, when driving on rough rocky terrain
it is extremely important to keep tabs on tire pressure - much more
important that when driving on pavement. Evidently the constant working
of the tire allows minute amounts of air to escape around the bead of
the tire on the rim. Not so much a problem on smooth paved highways, but
definitely aggravated when running on gravel roads for great distances.
BTW, back then the Alaska Highway was called the ALCAN Highway and was
1450 miles of gravel road. Today it is called the Alaska Highway, and is
paved pretty much all the way, except for places where they are
upgrading the road and repairing it from winter damage.
Regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Rich Bennington wrote:
>> Yep. Not surprised. There's lots of tires not listed for the Vanagon
>> but perform well and do not compromise safety. The tires I have are
>> Michelin XCA 205-75 R14 Load Range D, 65 PSI Cold. Tread - 2 Ply
>> polyester Belts, & 3 ply Steel Belts, Sidewall -2 ply polyester belts.
>>
>> Vanagons are notoriouly unstable and skittish in crosswinds and truck
>> turbulance on the highway. I chose this tire because I wanted a tire
>> that had really stiff sidewalls and would be stable in winds on the
>> road. My machine on these tires tracks like it's on rails. They are
>> slightly taller than the "70" tires, but that diference I have found
>> corrects the built - in speedometer error in all Vanagons. Clocked
>> against another known accurate speedometer, my speedo with the Michelin
>> XCA's underneath is, as Marissa Tormei said in the movie "My Cousin
>> Vinny" - 'dead-on balls accurate"! Couldn't ask for better.
>>
>> These tires are from Michelins Commercial Truck Tire line, and like many
>> truck tires, they have one small flaw. They don't have the greatest
>> traction on wet pavement. They are a truck tire, and they do depend on
>> the extra heavy weight of the truck to help in their contact to the
>> ground.
>>
>> Good tire, generally, but unfortuately, Michilin apparently doesn't make
>> them any more.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> John Rodgers
>> 88 GL Driver
>>
>>
> Tirerack does still sell this tire, but only in 7.50R17D, at $228 ea.!
> Whoa!
>
> On my own vanagon, it "came" with some odd brand 195-75R14-LTs, only rated
> to 1400lbs at 50psi, so it's slightly marginal for a Westy. I'll use them
> 'till they wear out, probably, but I'd be smart to check the tire pressure
> pretty regularly and keep them pumped up. When I replace them, I'll size
> them properly, probably with a 185R14. I thought about going to a slightly
> larger diameter to correct the speedometer, but I've since put a '90 speedo
> in my van, and it's pretty close now.
>
> After reading some NHTSA stuff on pressures on tires, it looks like low tire
> pressure is a hot agenda item these days! It's apparently the biggest
> factor in tire blowouts. Since most tires and suspensions are way more
> comfortable these days, most people never notice their tires are low.
> Couple this with the fact that tires lose, on average, 3-4 lbs of pressure a
> year.... well, you get the picture. NHTSA has even been discussing
> requiring low tire pressure indicators. (Please, government -- protect me
> from myself!) Here is one of their education posters on low pressure
> blowouts:
>
> http://safercar.gov/Tires/images/Underinflated_Tires.pdf
>
> I recently bought some tires for my Subaru, and the tire guy put nitrogen in
> at no charge. I guess it reduces tire degregation and valve stem leaks!
> Maybe all this awareness is one good thing that's coming out of the
> Firestone disasters.
>
>
> Regards,
> Rich
>
>
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