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Date:         Fri, 21 Nov 2014 07:04:52 -0800
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Please Check your Nokian Tires
Comments: To: Loren Busch <starwagen@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CAH32RNa-jzVGayXqosoJiCQJFkLzZDDcu9ExAOOrPV26dkgqeQ@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

I've run two sets of the Nokians without any issues, run them almost bald, keeping them at around 48psi rear and 44psi front I was given some used ones, too...those were cracked but not badly. In some of the wheel/tire combos that I "inherited" from people spending to swap to fancy alloys or larger diameter (I have about 4 sets of wheels and tires, all almost free), perhaps 1/3 had real issues, some sidewall and some tread separations (michelin, mostly for the tread separations) I think people simply do not check their tires often.

I wouldn't assume that the inner sidewall problems are brand-specific to Nokian....I think a lot of the tires out there will fall apart if you try to run them at a lowish pressure or fail to keep them inflated properly.

Our vans are actually trucks, as much as we consider them as just Volkswagons, they still weigh a lot. I routinely see mine weighing (Oregon leaves their DOT scales ON all the time and you can simply pull through when you see one and get your vehicle weight) at over 4500#, and mine isn't even a Westfaila.

Inflation pressure is very instrumental in dictating the operating temperature of the tire...as little as a few PSI can cause wide variation in a tire's internal temperature...When racing I kept a 'set-up book for all the tracks I used to run with settings like my tire pressure/tread temperatures, my shock settings, my sway bar settings front and rear, the amount of camber, front and rear ride height adjustments, etc etc. A couple of PSI was often translated into temperature variations of 20-40 deg. f....measured at the surface of the tread. Tires can be very under-inflated and still *look* like they have the proper air pressure. I've found, at times, tires that look fine but have maybe 15psi inside...Tires at such a low pressure will gain enough heat to cause failures like the Nokians mentioned here, and probably the frequent tread separations noticed on some of the Michelins..

I have finally persuaded my S.O. to pay close attention to her tires after she's encountered repeated sidewall failure on her 3-horse trailer and her Ford 4x diesel truck. She would take off for a 1000 mile round trip mid-summer horse show and never check the tires...fewer blow outs and fewer inconvenient delays were her reward for paying attention to her tires...

On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 6:42 PM, Loren Busch <starwagen@gmail.com> wrote:

> RE: Nokian Tire Problem > Now, the important question: What pressure were you using, front and rear? >


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