Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:37:47 -0700
Reply-To: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tires - Why oh why NOT?
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2009031410031539@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Cluck, cluck, cluck - the sky is falling, the sky is falling :-)
On Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 7:02 AM, The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
> Chris S., quoting long glowing GoWesty ad for Michelin HydroEdge 15" car
> tires, concludes...
>
> > Yes, 14'' passenger tires are deadly on a fully loaded Westy.
> > I'm not talking about 14'' tires. Again, I quote "... they
> > provide WAY better handling and safety."
>
>
> GoWesty's claim directly contradict both Volkswagen and the U.S. D.O.T. As
> per VW, using 15" or even 16" tires does NOT eliminate the need for an
> extra-load tire. The Eurovan, for example, has about the same GVWR as the
> Vanagon and came factory equipped with 15" and 16" tires. Yet VW specified
> ONLY extra-load tires in both 15" and 16" sizes. The same applies to the
> current model T5 van, and even to earlier Buses that came equipped with 15"
> tires (and weighed less than Vanagons). In fact NEVER has Volkswagen
> recommended passenger-car rated tires for their vans, no matter whether
> 14",
> 15", or 16". If you do the math regarding D.O.T. safety requirements for
> Vanagon tires, as explained at http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp,
> you'll
> see that federal regulations also prohibit the use of standard-load
> passenger car tires - regardless of size - on VW vans.
>
> Volkswagen did not just randomly come up with the minimum specs for tires
> on
> the Vanagon. Such specs are based on solid engineering and testing. The
> fact
> that they continuously tweaked recommended inflation over the years
> indicates that they also revisited the issue periodically - but over 40
> years, NEVER ONCE waivered from their insistance that extra-load tires must
> be used.
>
> So, you can rely on Volkswagen's own engineering, or the unproven advice of
> a retailer who has a vested interest in your ignoring factory safety
> recommendations (they want to sell you their wheels/tires, which don't meet
> VW specs). Given that it is possible to buy appropriately rated Vanagon
> tires in all sizes, why on earth would you take this risk? Might as well
> stop wearing your seatbelt too. If Volkswagen turns out to be right after
> all, it will be during evasive maneuvers (when most of the weight is
> transferred to one wheel) when you will find out. In other words you'll
> find
> out the hard way as your van flips over. But at least while you see your
> loved ones being crushed or ejected from your Vanagon, you'll have the
> comfort of knowing you saved a few bucks on tires.
>
> - Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com
>
--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
Crescent Beach, BC
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27
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