My Westy is the basic camper, i.e. no stove, kitchen sink, or fridge. = The minimum tire recommendation by VW is a 'C' ply. The previous owner = put some Michelin MX4 tires on the front with a max load rating of just over = 1300 lbs. at 35 PSI. Although they too felt OK at the time, I didn't = know the difference until I replaced my tires with Firehawk R4S, 27x8.5 14, 'C' = ply, rated over 1500 lbs. at 50 psi. They were $67 each at www.tirerack.com. Man, what a = difference! These big and meaty tires ride smoothly and = handle nicely. The steering is much better. I run 50 psi in all the = tires, all the time. I mounted them with the white letters facing out for = that pseudo-Syncro look.

I would never consider mounting anything less than a 'C' ply on any = Vanagon, Westy or not.

Certainly my intent is to get a high load rating and proper = pressure handling when it comes time to change the tires on my "new" = Vanagon. With all the talk about tires on the list, and all the folks who say, = "My God, you're going to die with those tires!" I was wondering how critical = this is for the lighter non-Westies. I'm not totally thrilled with the = tires on mine (simply because the max psi rating is only 44, so I'm running the = rears at that instead of the 49 called out on the bus' sticker), but the van = feels ok while driving. I'm just a little paranoid since I drive over minefields instead of roads here in MI.

So do the non-Westies have a little more cushion regarding load = rating than the Westies? Thanks.