Volks,

I thought I had the whole tire thing pretty well sorted out, then I went stupid.

Got new 15" Carat 2 Alloys in the SA Group Purchase .... thanks again Bill Kasper. 

Van ... 1990 Westy Syncro

Decided I wanted a quiet highway tire for the upcoming NA road trip.

Stupid One:

Ordered Michelin Agils 15" 205/65TR15 tires ...... after having the tires installed I noticed they were Michelin Harmony, not the Agils tires. A totally different load range tire and not appropriate for the Vanagon. Also really didn't like the smallness of the tire in the wheel well.

Stupid Two:

The shop recommended Michelin Rain Force MX4 M/S P215/65R15 95S tires. Had them mounted and drove 850 miles. Didn't like the way they handled ......... side to side control and mushy and felt slightly, not a lot, but slightly unstable. Looked up the specs and called Tire Rack and Michelin tech support. Seems the tire isn't rated for the Vanagon load requirements ..... only 1500 lb rating.

Time Out ..... crawled thru all the tire archives for the past 2 years .......... read the recent posting by Brent Christensen on the Michelin LTX-M/S  LT215/75-15  C tires he got at Cost Co. Also read lots of other favorable posts on this tire. Poured over the tire spec charts on Tire Rack and Michelin and it seems this tire would be an excellent choice for a quiet long mileage road tire on the Syncro Westy. 

A slight concern on the 75 height .... will this be a bit too tall for sidewall height and cause any stability issue?

So ... trying to advert "Stupid Three" .... any dissenting  votes?

Any other recommendations?

Any challenges to my current assessment of the other tires?

I know this tire does not have an aggressive off road tread ..... but that's not what I'm looking for. I want a properly rated, stable, safe, quiet tire.

As always ... thanks.

Larry Chase

Email: lchase@attglobal.net
Web: www.roadhaus.com - Under Construction
What: The Great North American Road Trip
When:  01.02.03
How: RoadHaus - 1990 2.2 L  VW Westfalia Syncro 
Today: Mesa, AZ - 12V Stuff
From: Mesa,  AZ