Vanagon EuroVan
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Date:         Thu, 15 Apr 1999 13:23:29 -0400
Reply-To:     "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <dfrandolph@TALKAM.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <dfrandolph@TALKAM.NET>
Subject:      Re: Tires (a bit long - some random info)
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

OK - I still haven't found the *perfect* tires for my '90 syncro, but I love talking about it, so here's my 2 cents...

**Locating the Michelin MXT's: I checked on this about 3 weeks ago - the Michelin MXT's 205/70R14 Reinforced tires can be ordered direct from Michelin in SC(?) through EuroTire in Fairfield, NJ @ 800-631-0080 for $96. EuroTire would ship them to me for something like $7 - 10 per tire. The gentleman I spoke with said that Michelin did have stock available.

**Other "cheap" tires: Uniroyal Laredo AWP 195/75R14's are available from BJ's Wholesale Club ( http://www.bjswholesale.com ) for about $48. They're "highway tread" load range "C" (50 PSI) tires. I bought a set lightly used and they seem stable and predictable @ 48 psi rear, 43psi front - though they do tend to hum/buzz at certain speeds. I'm not sure if this is due to a tire design issue or due to my particular tires being defective, but it really isn't too bothersome.

**Other "truck" tires: Tires like the BFGoodrich Long Trail T/A, Firestone Wilderness HT, etc. - though they are classified as "light truck tires" - are not suitable for the Vanagon. They are load range B, 35 psi tires, and while many Vanagons I run across in parking lots, etc. do have "passenger tires" like these installed, from a safety standpoint, it seems a bit risky all in the interest of saving a (very) few bucks.

**185 R14 D's for a syncro: My winter tires are studded 185 R14 D Nokian ( http://www.nokian.com/english/ ) Hakkapeliitta 10 LT's. The size seems fine, as does the stiffness. They are fantastic on snow and ice, though being so narrow, they don't seem as good as my 195's in windy conditions. I bought them through a local tire chain (Century Tire) and they are around $100 each, but I feel very confident in winter driving situations with them, so I think it was worth it. If the 185 R14's are your gig, the Dunlop SP LT5 might be a good choice for a 185 R 14 C or D summer tire. Nokian also makes the NRC - targeted at the "central and eastern European delivery van market" - might be appropriate for our little tire pigs.

**Tire Diameters, etc.: If you go to http://powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi , you'll find a neat tire size calculator. You type tire sizes into a list box, then click "compute" and you get a chart with the actual dimensions of each tire size you've entered, plus a +/- percentage difference from the first on the list. For example, it reports that compared to the diameter of a 205/70R14, 185/75R14's are 1.5% smaller, 195/75R14's are 0.9% smaller. I thought it was cool...

Hope someone found this interesting!

Doug Fitz-Randolph Yarmouth, ME dfrandolph@talkam.net '90 Syncro


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