My "new" '89 Syncro Westy had the following tires on when I bought = it last week.  I only mention it because I have never heard of the brand before...
 
Jupiter 185R14C LT Radial YP-821 (5 of them)
 
They were purchased from a small tire dealer in Monterey, CA called = Tom Long's Tires.  They appear to be a pretty decent tire - no too = noisy on the pavement, fairly "aggressive" tread pattern (for a 185/14 tire, that = is).  They are rated at 1710 lbs. @50 psi.  Can't say much for the = handling, since I don't have anything to compare them too.  After about 5,000 = miles, they look like they've worn about 2mm or so compared to the spare. = (which has not been rotated into the mix-YET)
 
The PO paid $96 each for the tires.
 
It sounds like the consensus is that a 195 (or bigger) = significantly improves the handling characteristics of the Westies.  The inside = of the driver's door jamb lists these possible sizes of tires:
 
185R14C 6PR  (currently installed)
185R14C 8PR
205R14C 6PR
205R14C 8PR
205/70R 14 97R Reinforced  (What is this??)
 
I have the 6 x 14 alloy wheels.
 
Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy "Klaus"
'91 Taurus SHO (For Sale)
'95 Cherokee Sport
----- Original Message -----
From: Fitz-Randolph, Douglas
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 1999 = 10:23 AM
Subject: Re: Tires (a bit long = - some random info)

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 =