As it's already Friday in some parts of this listserve's vast subscriber domain, I'll volunteer a non-Vanagon piece of philosophical flotsam by addressing the Zen/Phaedra controversy, which threatens to eclipse even the topic of tires:

In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, "Phaedrus" is the name given to the character of Robert Pirsig's "former self" who comes rather unhinged due to having lost himself in the classical mode of understanding, eventually undergoing electroshock therapy to set things right. The "former self" character Phaedrus was based on a 5th century B.C. classical philosopher by the same name.

On the other hand, "Phaedra" is someone completely different (a fact to which listmembers can attest)

Hope that helps!

Dan