Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:08:34 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject: Re: Tire question: Sorry, but ...
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTimR7dzk06jCnUpuzbxgNqzoXS2sjwjn=2hhdeww@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Back in 2000, I was driving along I-40 on my way home from a long trip (Phx
- Wisc. - NY - Memphis - Phx) when the camper started vibrating badly.
Tread sep.
I put on the spare, which had been in the spare tire carrier since the ('85)
van was new. Soon as I got up over 50 mph, the part of the tire that had
been nearest the radiator started flinging off chunks of very brittle
rubber.
After stopping to verify the situation, I drove at about 40mph and made it
to Amarillo where I was able to purchase a couple new (to me) properly sized
and rated tires with which to make it home. Replaced all the tires (5) the
next week.
Moral: Check and rotate your spare.
|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
|Shawn Wright
|Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 12:39 PM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: Re: Tire question: Sorry, but ...
|
|Good write-up. I'll add that regular inspection of your tires, especially
|if
|you drive off-road, is a very good idea. I noticed a large cut in one of my
|(properly rated) Yoko 370s last month. I then decided to rotate and inspect
|the other tires, and was shocked to find a serious problem with a
|previously
|patched BFG AT - the patched area had bulged enough for the tread to wear
|through and steel belts were showing. This all occurred in less than 10k
|kms
|since the patch. I removed both tires and drove to get new tires as soon as
|I could using my two spares (which were 15+ years old, but looked sound,
|they too are now gone!)
|
|Upon return home 2 weeks later with new BFG ATs, I found the damaged Yoko
|tire had lost most of its air while sitting in the garage. Had I not
|noticed
|the gash and removed it, this could have been a very unpleasant
|experience...
|
|On Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 4:08 PM, The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com>
|wrote:
|
|> Please read this page on tire safety before considering putting an
|> underrated tire on your Vanagon:
|>
|> http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp
|>
|> During sudden evasive maneuvers, an inordinate amount of weight can shift
|> to
|> a single tire. Just when you need it most, that tire may fail if it is
|not
|> sufficiently rated for the Vanagon. Your tires are your last line of
|> defense before a potentially catastrophic accident. This is not a place
|to
|> cut corners.
|>
|> - Ron Salmon
|> The Bus Depot, Inc.
|> www.busdepot.com
|> (215) 234-VWVW
|>
|> _____________________________________________
|> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
|>
|
|
|
|--
|Shawn Wright
| 
