Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:58:29 -0800
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: Checked your spare tire recently? Spare Tire Size
In-Reply-To: <20120226135805.E93LN.688623.imail@eastrmwml105>
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my 30 year old motorcycle tires irons are in my road kit.
I break the tire down off the rim using the stock jack ....weight of the
van does a fine job of breaking down both sides of the tire.
I have a special trick with a hammer to get the tire fully off the rim
when necessary.
it's fun.
I haven't had to do this on the side of the road in 30 yrs..
but I easily could.
Don't tell anyone ..
but sometimes I mount and balance my own vanagon tires entirely by hand.
Most of the time I take about 8 tires and wheels to my tire store and
it's 'mount these on these rims, throw these two tires away' etc..
I never let any tire shop touch any of my vehicles.
I just let them to their sometimes hurried, sloppy work on just my rims
and tires.
I also tell them I am willing to pay extra for a careful nice good job,
not a quickie job. That helps.
Now they know me personally anyway after 8 years in my area...
that helps get good work done for you too.
There is one very popular NW tire chain ..I swear, they never act like
they know me when I go there. I think they must have a policy against
it. Four years in grim PT, Wa state ...they never once acted like they
knew who I was in that 'only tire store' for an hour's drive to
somewhere else . Sure glad I escaped that place !
I do like to have a full size spare . It might be hours and many miles
before I can get to a tire store..
I don't want to be stuck anywhere due to lack of a spare that can go
safety at 60mph.
And generally ...flat tires are not all that common it seems anyway, but
it sure is nice to be prepared. when it does happen.
Scott
On 2/26/2012 10:58 AM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
> ---- Loren Busch<starwagen@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> RE: Spare Tires
>> In addition to the spare tire/wheel how many carry a tire repair in their
>> Vanagon? And is it new enough that the glue will even come out of the
>> tube? I ask that because while writing this it dawned on me that the
>> repair kit in my rig is over ten years old! Maybe time to check it/replace
>> it?
>> Someone mentioned the 'little' spare tires provided on some new cars, good
>> to get you 50 miles or so. Well, according to a news segment on a local TV
>> station last week some new cars are coming with NO spare! They showed one
>> new car that had only a small battery powered air compressor and a tire
>> repair (plug) kit.
> Well, for in town, on pavement driving, which is what most do all of the time, the small spare is probably perfectly adequate. Fact is, tires have gotten so good, that if maintained reasonably, failure is very rare. The last time I had to change a tire because of a failure while driving was in 1997. I remember, because it was a Bridgestone tire that was fairly new, and that experienced a tread separation. Had a lengthy process getting Firestone to honor their warranty. Had to send the tire to a location in Memphis, TN to have it evaluated. Eventually did get the new tire paid for, damage to my car (the tread damaged the wheel well when it flew off) paid for, and the cost of a hotel and meals for my delay. That was in Kingsville, Texas. But it took several months of back and forth. Why do corporations get bad names?
>
> the repair kit and compressor? Well, plenty of people would be completely incapable of managing that beside the road. A few years back one new car was coming with a "spare" that required inflation at the time of use. I don't remember what car it was, or how inflation was provided.
>
> mcneely
>
> --
> David McNeely
>
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