Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 11:22:48 -0500
Reply-To: ray.wei@US.PWCGLOBAL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Yi-Ruey Wei <ray.wei@US.PWCGLOBAL.COM>
Subject: Re: Disappointed with Yokohama Y370 Tires
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>> use MXT's (205/70-14 99T Reinforced) on Vanagon.
> Are these tires ok for non-syncros? Does the 205 vs. 185
> matter with them?
> Also, with the larger diameter tire folks say the speedo is a little more
> accurate. But, does this not also mean less power?
Jim,
To decode the tire size:
205/70 R 14 99T
205 is tire width in mm;
70 is the aspect ratio, a ratio of sidewall height to width; the smaller
the number, the wider "looks" of the tire;
14 is the inner diameter of tire in inches. (left over influence by
standard system; US is the only country in the world still refuse to use
metric system.)
Since Michelin MXT is an Euro metric sized tire (No "P" prefix on size. US
spec. P-metric tires, such as P205/70 R14, have less load capacity and max.
inflation pressure (usually 35 lbs) even though they are equivalent in
their dimensions.), there is load index 99 (99 is 1709 lbs(775 kgs), the
bigger the number, the higher the load capacity). T is the speed rating
index (T is 118 MPH(190km/h)).
The overall diameter of the tire will affect the power and speedometer
accuracy. A 205/70-14 tire will have roughly the same outer diameter as
185-14 (or 185/80-14; Euro metric uses a default ratio of 80) but
P185/75-14 or P185-14 (P-metric use a default ratio of 75) will have
smaller outer diameter. That's why if an original equipment tire is 185-14
like Vanagon, the manufacture will use 205/70-14 as an optional wider tire
since it has the same overall diameter.
I believe the Vanagon's, no matter it is a Westy/non-Westy or
Syncro/non-Syncro, need to use a tire with a proper load capacity. It has
been discussed many times before that the REINFORCED 205/70-14 (MXT; it has
the same tread pattern as Michelin RainForce MX4 but with higher load
index), REINFORCED 185/80-14 or even LT tires with higher load capacity are
a lot safer than regular passenger tires. P-metric tire, even with the
same size, is the most dangerous one to use since it has inferior
load/pressure standards than Euro-metric.
Regards,
Yi-Ruey Wei
87 Vanagon GL Syncro w/leaking head & MXT tires
85 Jetta GLI w/168,000 miles
Dallas, Texas
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