Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 12:24:09 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Tire size questions
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
re
195's are a little wider than the 185's? Maybe I want them
> instead.
they are 'bigger' .....a bit taller and a skosh wider.
if you believe 'bigger tires' are fundamentally better somehow .....sure,
they're fine.
In any case, being 14's ....they'll be on the floaty/mushy side compared to
a larger diameter wheel with a properly vanagon-rated tire.
I ran some Cooper 195 R 14's on my vanagon for about a week, maybe two.
That was the end of that, just 'boaty' feeling.
I think, that if I were to run 14's on a vanagon ..I would look for a really
high quality 185 R 14 C . and I might even run D load rated ones in the
rear, and C load rated ones in the front., if I had that option. That aids
handling, and cornering stability ..
though you can't rotate tires front to back anymore for sure !
And this may be more nuanced than many vanagon owners care to even think
about. But there is a tiny bit of handling stability to be gaiend that way,
though ...the tire people at the tie store wouldn't understand ..lol.
I never even deal with a tire store, Except, to find one that will do as I
instruct. Then I take them my wheels ane tires ..
never the whole van ...I never ever want any tire store yahoos touching my
van, wheels, or lug nuts etc. They will manage to do a lousy job now and
then, guranteed. I promise you, they are incable of doing it right every
last time.
anyway ..didn't mean to get ranty there, but that's what works for me, I buy
good tires from wherever...like tirerack ..
then I take my wheels and tires to the tire store in another car, have them
mount and balance them, then I take them home and install them carefully and
properly on my van, in whatever position on the vehcile I want.
Tire stores that say 'we don't mount tires that we didn't sell' ...then
they don't get my business, and I go to a freidly helpful one that will do
as I instruct. There are some tire stores that are not even savvy enough to
know to put vanagon-rated tires on vanagons. and .........sad to say, it
appears they will do worse work for one gender than the other, becuase they
think one gender is so non-vehicle savvy that they won't know they are
getting bad work. Sure sad to see that.
This is how I fine-tune what tires, in what positons on the van, and at
what tire pressures ..........do it myself. Then you know it's right.
It is a federal law, evidently, that tire stores can only install all lug
nuts, tire pressures, tire valve caps, hup caps etc etc. no more than 75 %
of the time, fully 100 % correctly ...........evidently.
A local chain tire store made about 7 mistakes installing a woman friend
of mine's winter tires. They couldn't even 'get it' when I talked to them
about it. Nothing but excuses why the lug nuts where of differnt types and
they didn't say anything, why the car pulled to one side , why the tire
pressures were not well matched. ec/
anyway ....think my point is clear. If you want it done right ...manage it
yourself, and do as much of it yourself as you can.
and 195's ...sure, for 14's ...but only if you think 'bigger' tires are
better.
they are in some ways, but not in others. And they are not that much bigger,
and they give a tiny bit of gear ration improvement for higher speeds
....that I'll go along with for a reason to run a 195 over a 185. .....so
those can be a viable choice for 14's , but can never do what 15's or 16's
with the right tires can do on a vanagon. Huge differenc, night and day.
heck, I never even thoght Bilstenin HD shocks on the front of a vanagon
were so hot, until I got 15 inch wheels with some seriously good and
expensive michelin tires...then the shocks started feeling like they had
some crispness to them.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "craig cowan" <phishman068@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, May 10, 2010 9:13 AM
Subject: Re: Tire size questions
>I have the 195s and love them.
>
> -Craig
>
>
> On Mon, May 10, 2010 at 11:54 AM, B Feddish <bfeddish@netreach.net> wrote:
>
>> I called Bus Depot to see if they have the Hankook RA08 tires in stock.
>> The
>> ones on the website say 185R14. The rep told me they will be getting
>> those
>> tomorrow but they do have the 195R14 in stock. I've perused a few tire
>> websites and am still confused as what those numbers are. I currently
>> have
>> 205 70R 14's and was happy with them (except they are car tires). Is it
>> just
>> that the 195's are a little wider than the 185's? Maybe I want them
>> instead.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Bryan
>>
| 
