Date:         Mon, 22 Apr 1996 08:48:33 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Gordon Root <glroot@freenet.columbus.oh.us>
Subject:      Re: VANAGON digest 916

There has been a message posted regarding replacement tires. I want to put
in my comments in case it could be of some help to someone.
When I bought my 86 Westy Weekender from my son-in-laws father, it had
ordinary car tires. They were almost new and he had put them on. Got some
bad advice from a tire dealer I guess. These are only rated for 35 psi and
were aired way above that to the amounts shown on vehicle stickers. In
addition to handling lousy in the wind , and being hard to turn wheels at
stop or slow speed (no power steering) I was concerned about carcass
damage to overinflation. 
I did some checking and finally settled on Bridgestone 185R14 LT ( Light
Truck) tires. These are 8 ply rated and each is rated at 1850 lb load @ 65
psi.
I inflated these per the vehicle instructions. What a world of difference.
Beautiful handling dry, wet or in wind. No more wander. Much easier to
turn wheels stopped or at very slow speed. These are tires made to handle
proper weight and psi. Price was satisfactory for quality tires and after
running them a while they would be cheap at twice the price. Wholehearted
recommend these. 
Gordon        '86 Westy Weekender