In a message dated 98-09-10 23:49:17 EDT, Dennis Haynes wrote: > The 215/70's should work fine. I have used them with great success. The > reinforced Michelins are only rated at 1570 lbs.. Not too much difference. The reinforced Michelin MXT tires in size 205/70-14 are rated at 1709 lbs for passenger car use. Max pressure is 50PSI. Original MXL tires were not rated quite this high though. David Boggle wrote: >El Dorado Legend >P215/70R14 >Tread: 2 ply steel + 2 ply polyester >Sidewall: 2 ply polyester >Max Load: 705 kg (1554 lbs) at 240 kpa (35 psi) >Tread Wear: 560 Traction: A Temp: B Dennis has said numerous times that tires with P (passenger car) ratings need to be de-rated by 10% for Light Truck (pickups, vans, etc) use. This makes the 1554 rating about 1400Lbs and the Michelin MXT about 1540Lbs, a 10% difference. Also of note is that the VW's recommended tire pressure for the 205/70-14 tires is 40PSI at the rear tires, 5 psi higher than the maximum of the El Dorado Legends. Since Bogle has these on a Syncro Westfalia (the heaviest Vanagon) I have some concerns about this. My 87 GL Syncro (not a Westy) weighs 4,400 lbs with a full tank of gas and a small amount of cargo, but without passengers. Adding 2 adults, 2 kids, and a bunch of cargo my non-westy would weigh about 5,400 lbs. Add to this the weight of Westy equipment, water & propane and I'd guess about 5,800 lbs easy. That's 1,450 lbs for each tire! 50 lbs more than the El Dorado Legends after the "Light Truck" use de-rating. If I were David Bogle, I would be very careful not to fully load up his van or take it on any rough roads with those tires. Regards, Jim Davis |
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