Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2015 15:13:35 -0700
Reply-To: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tires & Rims in (Western) Canada - Calgary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Steve, why not just get a new set of 14” tires in Canada ? Much less problem and expense. Yes, they are sometimes hard to find but they are out there. Continental Vanco 8 are good and should be available from any Continental dealer in Calgary. Here are a few other options:
http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/home.php?cat=446 <http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/home.php?cat=446>
> On Apr 18, 2015, at 8:53 AM, Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Yes, more tire questions!
>
> I currently have tires on 14 inch steel rims on my 1991 Westfalia. They
> need replacing and after having read the email list, multiple vendor
> sites, and the (lack of) availability for 14 inch tires, I am leaning
> towards getting 15 inch rims. Part of my concern would be tire
> replacement when travelling... I don't want to have to wait weeks for
> someone to order in a specific 14 inch tire! I feel the chances of
> getting a 15 inch replacement on the road are much better.
>
> I feel that an All Season would be best for me as I don't drive in the
> winter, but fall in the Rockies can have unexpected snow storms & I've
> been caught more than once.
>
> I haven't priced out ordering from the US, but with the current exchange
> rate, shipping, GST, etc it seems like a fairly expensive option. If I
> absolutely have to, I will order out of the US because I feel that tires
> are "cheap insurance" and a very important piece of safety equipment on
> my vehicles.
>
> I would like to keep as close to stock size as possible as I do park in
> my garage and I have minimal clearance to get through the garage door.
>
> Kal Tire carries Nokian, but their computer shows them totally out of
> stock (with no ETA) on the WRC (Van) tire in the 205/65/R15 size that
> I'm leaning towards. Load Rating, Load Range & Diameter & "All Season"
> rating are kind of my deciding points.
>
> It's not a crisis as I won't have "Ruby" on the road until mid-June, but
> I'm trying to plan ahead. Ordering a 14" Nokian through Kal Tire came
> up with a bill over $1000 for them installed & balanced (shipping from
> US warehouse). The kicker was the 4 week delivery period! If I destroy
> tires somewhere, I can't wait 4 weeks for a tire to show up!.
>
> Of course, I need 15 inch rims as well. What have other people done in
> Canada for tires & Rims? I don't have the patience to try to find
> something used on Kijiji or Craigslist.
>
> I saw on the Van-Cafe website that they tried to get together a pallet
> shipment last xmas to ship to Calgary, but it didn't quite come together
> in the end. That might be one option... if we could revive that?
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Williams
> 1991 Westfalia "Ruby"
> Calgary, Canada
Please note that I will be away from my business travelling from December 01 until April 30, 2015. Parts orders will be processed although not as quickly as usual. I will always be available for contact by E-mail. If you phone your call will be addressed by Darrell or Carol and they will either call you back or advise you to contact me directly by E-mail. Details of this adventure are on our Travel Blog: http://frankcondelli.com/travels/ <http://frankcondelli.com/travels/>
Cheers,
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 VW Westy, '00 Kawasaki 250 Sherpa, "98 Ducati 750 Monster & Lionel Trains (Collection for sale <http://frankcondelli.com/trainsal.htm>)
Frank Condelli & Associates <http://www.frankcondelli.com/> - Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
BusFusion <http://www.busfusion.com/> a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 04 ~ 07, 2015
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