Hi,

Proper tires is of course the best first step.  When I bought my Carat,
the P.O. had car tires on them, and it was quite a wobbly journey home!
When I replaced them with MXT's, what an improvement!  The van still
takes crosswinds, and you can still feel the vortex 50 yards behind a
truck -- but at least you don't feel like you are going to tip over.  I
also have a hardtop, Carat springs (lower), and Bilstein shocks, and I
am very happy with that combination.  On the contrary, everytime I see a
Westy Syncro I think it is going to tip over just by looking at it!  I
have no idea how they handle in the wind, or what it must feel like
sitting a foot higher off the ground than I am used to!

It is quite enlightening to search the archives for "tires" for the last
2 years, isn't it?  I just got through with that exercise myself.

Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: Tracey Estevez [mailto:boatshop@INTERCOM.NET] 
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 1:23 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Better handling in windy conditions?

I am thrilled with all of the p-mail replies I recieved on this topic!
So I know I am not the only Vanagon driver sweating out the windy days
and the gusts from those tractor-trailers.