Frank,

I had an '80 Camper that I put new 205's mud and snow tires on the rear and
moved the 185's to the front. Did some off road camping for a few months out
West then drove 2200 miles back East. No trouble.

I do have a ton of tire questions though. See "TIREd of looking for TIREs".

Peace - donna
'84 Westy (Pepe)
'80 Westy (Pokey)

Frank Malinowski wrote:

> Yesterday we had a flat while camping and I went to change the spare
> only to discover that the spare was out of air (am I the only one this
> happens to?). That was half the problem, the rim was on so tight the
> Westy tire iron was useless and stripping, btw, the lugs were not
> rusted.  The AAA fellow came by and filled up the spare and literally
> bent his much larger tire iron getting the old rim off. I am aware of
> lug torque settings for alloy wheels but shouldn't there be some limit
> for regular rims as well?
>
> Now the tire questions: (Yes, I know some oldbes have probably heard it
> all but this newbe may have a new spin) I have followed several tire
> threads and I do not see the issue specifically addressed. My 85 Westy
> came with 195 75R14 BF Goodrich Regatta M&S tires. These seem pretty
> marginal for load handling and the front two are worn in a pattern that
> leads me to want to replace them before our June family trip even though
> there still is a legal level of thread. But the back two tires seem ok.
> I want to add as much stability to the Westy as possible and so I am
> contemplating a 205-size tire ( but I am happy to go with any 185 , 195
> or 205 as long as it is as stable as possible). But as I think I only
> need two right now would it be ok to put 205s on the rear and use the
> 195s on the front?
>
> I live in Southern California so I do not need a snow tire. As far as I
> can tell dry handling and the ability to deal with some rain is about
> all I need in a tire. Is there something else in its construction that
> would call for a M&S tire?
>
> So I am looking for company, size and tire type suggestions and most
> specifically advice as to whether having different size tires on
> different axles is significant in a Westy.
>
> 85 Westy, Just Starting Out