Date:         Mon, 25 Oct 1999 10:12:16 -0700
Reply-To:     "Johnson, Darrell" <JohnsonD@SYBRONDENTAL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Johnson, Darrell" <JohnsonD@SYBRONDENTAL.COM>
Subject:      Tires- Off Road and Ground Clearance- an update
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Back in July I posted a question about what size and type tires I should use
in search a bit more ground clearance and trail ruggedness for our Southern
California desert camping spots. Thanks to all the great suggestions. 

I settled with 27x8.5-14 Dunlop Radial Rovers and am very satisfied.  I
measured an increase in ground clearance of 3/4" at 36psi and nearly 1" at
the Rovers' max rated 50 psi.  There have been no rubbing or fitting
problems on my '90 Vanagon Carat, and I can still turn lock to lock.  The
speedo now reads about 3 or 4 mph to slow. The gearing is taller, but on
some fairly steep hills, the van can still go up at reasonable speed, and on
the plus side above 45 mph the RPMs seem to be noticeably lower.

The Rovers are true all-terrain tires and look like something that should be
on an Army truck. They are not noisy at town speeds, but hum quite nicely at
highway speeds. They difference in handling is really not great, and the van
continues to feel responsive. Oddly the sidewall seem stiffer than my
205-70's. 

I did not attempt to try to fit a Rover on the spare, but went with a
205/75-14 for limp home capability; it is closer in diameter to the Rovers
but fits underneath. I would be interested in an exterior spare tire mount
in the near future, but the incredible thickness of the treads makes me
think that tires are more resistant to puncture.

I expect to see lower gas mileage and possible increased maintenance on some
suspension components such as tie road ends, bearings, ect. 

Darrell Johnson
'90 Vanagon Carat 
Der ÖdlandKampierenPackwagen 
Mission Viejo, CA