Date:         Mon, 24 Feb 97 08:36:56    
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         mdstockr <mdstockr@neo.lrun.com>
Subject:      RE: Go with the door sticker..... 

WARNING ...

Do not inflate your tires higher than the maximum pressure listed on the 
tires' sidewall.

You run the real risk of having the tire EXPLODE!

Running a tire designed for 40 psi at 48 psi is running at 20% over design 
limit.

The door stickers are for a specific tire design.  If you do not use the same 
tire size AND load rating as specified by VW, the sticker is invalid.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  1) Do not exceed maximum tire pressure listed on tires' sidewall.

  2) If your tires can not be inflated to the pressures listed on the sticker,
     inflate to the maximum safe tire pressure listed on the tire.

  3) If the sticker shows different inflation pressures for front and rear
     tires, use the same ratio for the adjusted tire pressures.  This will
     preserve you buses handling and minimize oversteer.

     For example, if the sticker lists recommended tire pressures at 48 psi
     rear and 44 psi front, for the adjusted tire pressure use 40 psi rear
     (listed maximum) and 37 psi front based on the following calculation:

                     (44 psi/48 psi)*40 psi = 36.67 psi = 37 psi

     This is just an example, I don't know what the recommended pressures are
     for your bus.

Speaking of tire safety, be very careful when spinning your tires in snow or 
mud.

When you are stuck in the snow and spinning one of your tires, the tire is 
actually rotating twice as fast as normal.  This is because the other drive 
tire is standing still and because of the way differentials are designed.  
There have been cases where people where spinning their tire at an indicated 
90 mph* and the tire was actually rotating at 180 mph, causing the tire to 
explode with such force that it tore the fender off the vehicle.  Over the 
years people have been killed this way when trying to push rear wheel drive 
vehicles out of the snow.

  * Does not apply to rear engined VWs, since speed is taken from the front
    tire.

--- On Mon, 24 Feb 1997 07:28:22 -0600  Dave Mancuso <Mancuso@etown.k12.pa.us> 
wrote:

>>I just bought a set of reinforced Michelin X tires for my 86 Westfalia. The
>>max tire pressure is 40 psi, yet the sticker on the door calls for 48 psi in
>>the rear tires. The dealer (Wheelworks, a large chain in the SF Bay Area)
>>insists that they are the correct tires. What's going on here?
>
>The tire recommendation is for a wide range of vehicles, including cars. 
>The sticker is for that tire on your individual vehicle 
>
>You have a much heavier van.
>
>I inflated to the door sticker pressure, despite the 40psi on my tires.
>
>Just my opinion.
>--Dave

-----------------End of Original Message-----------------

________________________________________________

  Michael Stocker <mdstockr@neo.lrun.com>
  North Canton, Ohio, USA     Time: 8:36:56 AM
  LiMBO / GASS                Date: 2/24/97
  1989 Audi 90 Quattro
  Wanted: Nice 1968->? bus or Westi
  Previous VW's: '66-T3, '67-T1 & '70-T2 Westi
________________________________________________