Another brilliant anecdote - now thats valuable info - real life stuff -
c'mon chaps, we're talking 1.5 tons here minimum, if VW say LT tyres, then
apart from a dire emergency, thats what we should use.

Clive

----- Original Message -----
From: "Harmon Seaver" <hseaver@CYBERSHAMANIX.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2002 5:46 PM
Subject: Re: reinforced tire

>   Yes, absolutely. I wish people could see the like new passenger car tire
that
> came on my westy that I ruined just by making cranking the wheel all the
way to
> the left and stepping on the gas, apparantly. There was no other major
trauma
> like a big pothole or anything, we just turned in to a gas station, and
when we
> came back out the front end shimmyed so bad at low speed it I had to
really hang
> on to the wheel with both hands. Just that side thrust totalled that tire.
There
> was no shimmy whatsoever before making that turn.
>    It was so bad that I thought the steering box had broken. My wife said
it
> felt like a bulge in the tire, but I could see no bulge. After jacking it
up and
> checking wheelbearings, tierods, rack and pinion, balljoints, etc., we
were
> totally mystified. Then someone else was looking at it, had me spin each
wheel
> while it was jacked up, and looking at it from the front you could see the
tire
> was totally out of shape when it spun. These were Goodyear tires -- I've
never
> seen a tire so badly damaged so easily.
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 18, 2002 at 09:41:17AM -0700, Bill N wrote:
> > Of course, insane is a legal term, not a medical term, however...
> >
> > When you are on the E-way moving 75 MPH or more, your life is literally
riding on your tires.
> > For some of us, a more important consideration is that the lives of
people we love and
> > strangers we don't even know who happen to share the roadway with us
that day are also riding
> > on our tires.
> >
> > There is no such thing as an "all purpose" tire.  Tires are rated as to
load capacity, max
> > speed, and max pressure, among other things.  If the tires do not meet
the vehicle
> > manufacturer's specs, they must be considered unsafe.  I don't care what
the tire "expert" at
> > Sears or wherever says.
> >
> > Sure, you may be able to get by with ordinary passenger car tires, and
maybe nobody you love
> > ever rides in your van.  In my case, my wife, children, and
grandchildren all ride in mine from
> > time to time.  Because of that, I will happily go to the little extra
expense to get the best
> > tires I can find.
> >
> > That doesn't make me insane, just careful.
> >
> > Bill Nolan
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <JordanVw@AOL.COM>
> > >
> > > anything with a sidewall rating of 2 ply or more.   you can get them
> > > anywhere. i got a set of 4 at sears, all purpose tires for $49 each.
people
> > > who spend $100 each + on tires are insane..
>
> --
> Harmon Seaver
> CyberShamanix
> http://www.cybershamanix.com