Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 20:02:53 -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: Tires on alloy wheels, Suspension - Need some help
In-Reply-To: <5005B36A-A91A-45DE-9F46-9478DD65898D@mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> I had put on new KYB gas shocks and they are just way to
> stiff so I was going to purchase the KONI Red adjustable
> units. I am basically looking for a nice cushy ride on the
> highway with good dampening for gravel roads in upstate NY.
> Hopefully it will be not have a lot of back and forth bounce.
> I wanted to hear your thoughts on these shocks and whether
> they are worth the cash?
The KYB's are about the hardest riding shocks you can put on your Vanagon,
among the name brands. The Koni's are great because you can adjust them to
taste. If you want to save some money, the Boges are a noticably softer
shock than the KYB's and may suit your needs (but are not adjustable like
the Koni's). We sell all of the these shocks.
> The other thing is tires. I am looking for a good all year
> tire that is not too noisy and be good in the rain, light
> snow and highway.
> I was originally thinking of getting the 185 or 195/70/14
> Hankook's from Bus Depot. But I did not like that fact that
> the original tires that came with that vehicle were the 205's
> and are wider, hence I would like a nice wide and tall tire
> on the van
If you are concerned about rain and light snow traction, you want a
narrower, not a wider tire. A wider tire (all things being equal) will have
slightly better dry-road traction, but at the expense of rain and snow
traction. You need to consider under which circumstances you are more
concerned about maximizing handling - on clear dry roads, or under adverse
road conditions such as rain or light snow. Personally, it's under adverse
weather conditions that I'm most worried about handling; my Vanagon handles
quite predictably on dry roads.
185R14 and 205/70R14 are both stock sizes for the Vanagon, and both are the
same height; only the width differs. Vanagons that came with alloy wheels
came with the 205's but can also accept the 185's (which were stock on
steel-wheeled Vanagons), so you can use either. Of course the Hankook 185's
will be your cheapest high-quality all-season option, and much cheaper than
a 205 series tire. The Hankook 195's will be slightly taller than either the
185's and 205's, and also slightly wider than the 185's (but not quite as
wide as 205's). However, if you have a MV with a poptop, increased height
can be a disadvantage when trying to fit into low-clearance home or parking
garages.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
