Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 17:41:14 -0700
Reply-To: Joel Walker <jwalker@URONRAMP.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joel Walker <jwalker@URONRAMP.NET>
Subject: Re: 82 Westy tire question
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>So I'm wondering, are the tires I have ok for the vehicle, and if so
what
>psi should I have in front and rear tires? How does the maximum load
the problem is, you cannot go by the sticker in the door jam unless
you run the same exact tires that came on the bus from the factory.
and almost nobody does. so you have to go by the info on the tires
themselves. 1400 lbs is barely enough to support the weight of the
bus. :( well, not exactly true .... but the max vehicle weight of a vw
bus camper is 5200 lbs. divide by 4 = 1300 lbs per tire. trouble is,
the weight is shifted a tad toward the rear and especially the
left/driver rear side. so, in my opinion, you need tires that are
rated to at least 1600 lbs per tire. that gives you a 'safety margin'
for cornering and handling and the weight bias toward that rear
corner.
what you have now, IF you run it at the 35 psi (which is the only way
the tire can support the 1400 lbs ... that's what it means. at lower
pressures, it can only support lower weights).
>rating on the tire relate to the front and rear axle weights (2425
and 2866
>lbs respectively on my van) - do you divide the axle weights by 2 to
figure
>the load on each wheel?
yes, but remember, that's the maximum axle weight. notice the rear is
heavier.
>(I have also asked BF Goodrich about this - haven't heard back yet.)
they're not likely to respond. anything they say could be used against
them in some lawsuit if you had a wreck and claimed to have been
following their 'advice'. :(
the biggest thing in buses, especially in campers (which are heavier)
is to get reinforced sidewalls, or sidewalls that have at least
2-plies. not '2-ply rating', but 2 actual plies of material. it has
this stamped/written in the sidewall of the tire itself (in smaller
letters than the Max Load xxxx at Max Pressure xxxx). mostly likely,
your current tires are 4-ply: 3 plies in the tread, and 1-ply in the
sidewall. they are 'ok' as long as you don't overload the bus, and
don't drive fast or corner quickly and don't run into curbs and rocks
and things. a 1-ply sidewall is NOT very strong, and can't stand much
abuse (like curbs and rocks and things).
so if you don't need new tires because of the tread being worn on your
current ones, you can get along with the ones you have now, but just
take it easy. it would be better, from a safety point of view, to get
new tires with stronger sidewalls and with higher load ratings. like
1650 lbs at 50 psi. the higher psi would allow you to finagle with the
pressure to achieve the ride quality you want ... cause 50 psi and
stronger sidewalls are gonna ride fairly stiffly. you can go up to
like 1800 lbs in some tires, but boy, do they bounce you around on the
road! :) another way to say this is the Load Range rating: minimum
for a bus is Load Range C. better is Load Range D, but again, it'll
ride stiffer. it'll also corner and handle much better, and won't get
blown around on the highway in cross winds and passing trucks nearly
as much as
with the single-ply sidewall tires.
trouble is, the morons at the tire stores usually never finished
kindergarten and all they care about is selling you tires and making
money. you have to be stubborn to get the right tires. :( and it's
pretty hard to find good tires for buses, cause we use a 14" wheel,
and there's just not much out there in that size. Yokohama and
Michelin and some Bridgestones seem to be about the only ones.
hope it helps.
joel
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