Date:         Thu, 13 May 2010 00:49:06 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Tires in Canada
Comments: To: Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MTS.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <59C1C703-E2B4-4049-A8B3-01DD750FA96B@mts.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

If I have the story straight - one of the original tires for the Vanagon
was the Michelin MXT. This tire had a very tall, very stiff, straight up
and down sidewall. A truck tire as it were, because the Vanagon is
essentially a light truck. That being the case, one might expect
possible to find a similar such tire in the commercial truck tire
line-up of some of the tire companies. The last Michelins I bought were
the XCA 205R75 14 Load range C. The MXT's had already disappeared and I
had a hard time finding a satisfactory tire in the 14 inch size. I was
talking to a Michelin dealer and he was telling me - no tire for the
van. But I suggested he check his commercial truck line and low and
behold, there was a tire appropriate for the Vanagon. As it turned out,
the XCA's had a super stout tall sidewall. The thing tracked like it was
on rails, even in blustery crosswinds. I really liked those tires. - BUT
- by the time I wore them out, the XCA's in a 14 inch had also gone the
way of the Dodo bird. There still are tires out there that will work,
depending on the type of driving you do and the conditions you drive in.
But check your commercial truck tire sources.

John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com


On 5/12/2010 11:27 PM, Jeff Palmer wrote:
> Now that my Michelin LTX's have succumbed to sidewall cracking, I find out that Michelin doesn't make a tire for my 85 anymore.  Where do Canadians get tires?  I've looked at busdepot's list and others and can't find any of those locally, and shipping from the US is more than the tire itself (or pretty darn close).
>
> Any suggestions for tire vendors in Canada, online or otherwise?
>
> Thanks
> Jeff in Winnipeg
>
>