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Date:         Sun, 1 May 2016 08:02:31 -0700
Reply-To:     David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Tires! 15" or 14"?
Comments: To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CAHTkEuJhBmcwDYS1Gg-2_t4vX21jHGj8CbGyNVvOzLs9G2XnOw@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

It sounds like you will be on unpaved back roads. Despite very knowledgeable personnel recommending large wheel sizes, I dissent. To get the required package diameter, you would need low profile tires. They will be subject to road hazard damage to a much greater degree, and also to wheel damage, than the higher profile tires that are stock recommendation.

That is a part of why I run 195R14. Yes, given the D load rating, they have a very stiff sidewall and therefore a "rough" ride. This is not my father's Oldsmobile. But then my father's Oldsmobile did not require a truck tire for safety, and it did not spend time on rough back roads to any extent.

On Sun, May 1, 2016 at 7:22 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've kept 14" steel stock wheels on my topless westie. Aftermarket alloy > wheels can be broken easily when using your van on bad roads or off road. > I've been running Asian tires (14") on both the Vanagon and my 5000# Astro > AWD van....Go Form brand, got mine from a Tire Factory, one set, and from > Tires easy, online. > The Goform ad copy says they used Hankook technology... The tires are > essentially like the Hankook rao8 that is Vanagon appropriate, but > half-price. Hakkapellita are noisier and rougher. > On Apr 30, 2016 11:37 PM, "Stephen Edwards" <chibicyclist@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Hi all, > > Can someone point me to a concise explanation of the pros and cons of 14” > versus 15” wheels & tires? > > Having lurked on this list for years, I know there have been many > discussions about this, and I don’t mean to start a whole new one, but I’m > having difficulty navigating the archives (there are such a LOT of them!) > and TheSamba’s tire threads tend to be either uber-technical or just > unsupported opinion, with not enough in between to be really helpful. > > I’ve always run either 185 or 195 R14’s, and gotten decent mileage and > handling, but on the highway the ride is hard and unforgiving. My wife and > I are planning some very long trips after she retires (including, we hope, > from here to the other end of Canada’s famous Dempster Highway, as well as > some logging roads in Northern Ontario) and I’m wondering if it’s time to > invest in some 15” wheels to soften the ride. > > Thanks, > > Steve Edwards - currently running a 91 GL with Subaru 2.2 engine, rolling > on Nokian Hakkapellitas in Chicago, IL >


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