George:
No need to check your faculties, at least for dyslexia.  The last tire
information stickers that VW put on US Vanagons was way back in 1991.
These stickers, AFAIK, list 185R14 and 205/70/14 tires only.  Things
change.  The 205/70/14 size has not been manufactured to Vanagon
specifications (re-inforced sidewall or load range C or above) for over a
year now.  The various tire store application charts I have examined (Sears,
NTB, Goodyear, Firestone, CostCo, etc.) simply repeat VW's original tire
size spec.  Since VW has never bothered to update these specs
for a vehicle it hasn't sold here in over a decade,  I guess you are now
limiting yourself to one tire size only.

It is not too difficult to determine that a 195/75/14 Load Range C or D tire
is functionally equal to in size and capacity to a 185R14 tire, by looking
at a tire maker's charts, questioning "every service writer at any decent
tire shop", or even by reading the almost continuous tire threads in the
list archives.

I agree that your method of using only what the manufacturer recommend(ed),
no matter how old the information is,  "makes life a lot simpler".  I prefer
to use my intelligence (and this list), to come up with more and better
options.

Cary

----- Original Message -----
From: <THX0001@aol.com>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>; <cc1@EMAIL.CZ>
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: WANTED: winter tires / Summer Must Be Over

>
> In a message dated 9/25/03 9:11:29 AM, cc1@EMAIL.CZ writes:
>
> << I *WAS* talking about tires deemed acceptable for mounting on Vanagons,
>
> . . .    . . .  specifically mentioning 205/75/14 and 195/75/14 tires,
which
>
> happen to be the closest-sized, most popular, and commonly available LT
>
> tires to the 185R14 size you originally mentioned. >>
>
> Carrie:
>
> That's odd.  The numerous tire stickers I have seen on Vanagons make no
> mention of those sizes.  Might be the first signs of dyslexia.  I better
have that
> checked because I do what I have seen every service writer at any decent
tire
> shop do when I pull in for tires: I check what the manufacturer specifies
to
> be used on the vehicle in question.  It makes life a lot simpler.  That
way I
> don't have to wonder if two different tire which appear the same might, in
> reality, have unacceptably different rolling diameters in that particular
> application.
>
> George
>
>