http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=General&model=Altimax+RT&tirePageLocQty=#>
XL
On Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 9:06 AM, The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
> > What you folks can't see and refuse to admit is that with
> > today's technology larger diameter tires of proper size can
> > and do handle the weight loads of a Vanagon
>
> The T5 - the current "Eurovan" generation sold in Europe - still requires a
> load index of 100 or greater. Since its load capacity is similar to a
> Vanagon's, this could be considered a good indicator of what a Vanagon
> might
> call for if used with a 15" or 16" tire. If you are skeptical of this, you
> can get to roughly the same number another way - by taking the GAWR of the
> Vanagon, then factoring in the 6% safety margin and 9% derating as called
> by
> U.S. D.O.T. safety specs (See http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp.).
> When
> you do that math, this calculates to a load index of 99 - indeed very close
> to the 100 that Volkswagen recommends today,. So both resources bring you
> to
> roughly the same load index requirement. Even with today's tire
> technology,
> standard-load 15" and 16" passenger car tires do not even meet the lower of
> those two numbers (load index 99). You would need to go to an extra-load
> (XL) rated tire.
>
>
> > The portly Routan does without enforcement.
>
> The Routan is a rebadged Chrysler minivan, significantly smaller and with a
> lower center of gravity, and lacking the load capacity of a Vanagon or
> Eurovan.
>
>
> > Nokian make a few 16" tires in their WR line that
> > are marked XL.
>
> Yes, there are a few 16" XL tires available, although the selection is
> relatively limited. We carry a Hankook Icebear 300, which is a snow but is
> very quiet and some people run it year round. It has a 102 load index.
>
> - Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com
> (215) 234-VWVW
>
> _____________________________________________
> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>
--
82 Scirocco "Rodolfo"
85 Vanagon "Blubrik, El Guapo"
