Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:12:22 -0700
Reply-To: BenT Syncro <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: BenT Syncro <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tire choce for vanagon with 14 inch wheels
In-Reply-To: <48C02951.1030007@gwtc.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Jeff,
It really goes beyond tire threads. Any rear engined vehicle with a majority
of the weight to the back, will have likely have poor handling in
crosswinds. When there isn't much weight over the wheels that you steer
with, it will not take much to divert your steering. Tires with stiff
sidewalls will help. Putting the engine over the front wheels helps even
more. As a compromise, you can lower the front of your VW to transfer some
of the weight forward. Well, that and stiffer tires.
Cheers,
BenT N. Dawind
On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 11:30 AM, Jeffrey Olson <jjolson@gwtc.net> wrote:
> To add a bit of context/story to the discussion. Back in 1974 when I
> had my first bus, a 1966 SO-42, I had new cheap passenger radials on
> it. Cool I thought.
>
> One of my strongest memories driving the bus was crossing the Bay Bridge
> into San Francisco in a stiff side wind. I was in the lane just in from
> the right lane. Suddenly, I found myself driving in the right lane. It
> only took a fraction of a second to get hit broadside with a gust of
> wind and be blown sideways a full lane over. To this day I am haunted
> the the thought that I usually travel in the right lane - roll of the
> dice... I have a better understanding from the numerous tire threads
> why this happened...
>
> Jeffrey Olson
> martin, SD
>
> John Rodgers wrote:
>
>> 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
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
--
BenT
| 
