Stuart  wrote...
Also, the Vanagon Westy has a fairly high center of
gravity, plenty of side wind resistance that can lead to involuntary
lane changes, and a short wheelbase, all of which contribute to marginal
handling and dictate careful tire selection to provide the best possible
handling and safety.  The phrase "where the rubber meets the road" is
especially meaningful to us!

OK, I'm generally a cheap guy, I don't even run expensive tires on my sports
car. I wined all day along about getting 100$+ Agilis tires. Now I know
better...

50mph. 4-5 lanes of traffic, Baltimore beltway, HEAVY rain, I did a NASCAR
drive-by in the Westy. The Saab and Ranger on either side of me 30 feet
infront BOTH hydroplaned. They both crashed into other cars and it was a
chain reaction from there. No less than 5 cars were hit (2 in front, and at
least 3 behind me). The door came off the Ranger and went right in front of
my van. I couldn't swerve, stop, slow down, nada! All I could do was go
straigt through it all and watch it like it was in slow motion! The fact
that I was not hit was God/luck. The fact that I tracked straight through
this same water MUST have been the tire. I've put my 200+hp car backwards
many-a-time but never been this scared as I was that day.

Mikey

Never buying cheap tires again!