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Date:         Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:48:32 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Tire choce for vanagon with 14 inch wheels
Comments: To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <40DE71CB424346B1999640AE180E1DEA@RON>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

To add to Ron's comments --

One of the big issues with tire for Vanagons is that of Sidewall stiffness. Vanagons are trucks,not automobiles. Vanagons are slab sided, non-aerodynamic vehicles prone to being pushed all over the place in any winds, plus they tend to be a bit top heavy unless there is a load sitting on the floor inside. So a stiff sidewall is a necessity. The old Michelin MXT's had stiff sidewalls and the vehicle handled well. I'm currently running a Michelin 205 75/R14 Commercial Truck Tire on steel rims and the side walls stand up when there is little air in the tire. Darnedest thing I ever saw. But on the road it handles like it was on rails - except in very wet conditions. When it is pouring down rain, they tend to lose traction easily. But this is typical of truck tires when there is no heavy load on them. After all, truck tires are designed to perform differently than automobile tires.

But again, a key element in selecting a tire for a Vanagon is the sidewall stiffness. Without that stiffness, the van's handling will be squirrelly and in wind will be all over the road in inclement weather.

John Rodgers 88 GL Driver

The Bus Depot wrote: >>> 185R14C was standard for narrow steel wheels but many 86+ came with >>> wider alloy wheels. >>> > > >> Hmmmm, am I gonna have a problema w/ the Haakka 185's on my alloys? >> > > > No. 185R14's are appropriate for 5.0 to 6.0 rim widths, and both the steel > wheels and the alloys fall within that range. > > Actually I recommend the Hankook RA08 185R14's for Vanagons with or without > factory alloys. In fact I have run them on my own Westies, with alloys, for > 15 years now. The difference between a 185R14 and a 205/70/14 is width; both > are the same height but the 205 is slightly wider. All things being equal, a > slightly narrower tire such as the 185R14 will be better on wet roads, as it > will be less prone to hydroplaning. A slightly wider tire will sacrifice > wet weather traction in favor of better dry-weather traction. Personally, > it's during severe driving conditons where I am most concerned about my > tires' handling; my Vanagon feels very surefooted on dry roads regardless. > So the 185R14 is the better solution for me. Also it happens to be a heck > of a lot cheaper than a comparable 205/70/14 tire. > > My Tires page has a lot of information on choosing the right Vanagon tire, > and dispells a lot of myths: > > http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp > > - Ron Salmon > The Bus Depot, Inc. > www.busdepot.com > (215) 234-VWVW > > _____________________________________________ > Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT > > >


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