On 11/2/04 6:09 AM, "Greg Potts" <Greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA> wrote:

> Depending on where and how you drive, these risks are NOT minimal. One
> of my customers has a box-stock BMW 323 with 50-series Michelin tires
> on it that has had to replace 4 tires in three years due to pot-hole
> incidents. And that's with a suspension designed explicitly for that
> tire and wheel combination. If you run these tires and wheels on a
> vehicle that wasn't designed for them you are increasing risk. Period.
> That doesn't make a vanagon safer in my book.

From working several years at a FLAPS that sold tires I can definitely state
that low pro tires (50 and under) do not belong on heavy vehicles.  We saw
many a wheel come in that had to have the rim and all replaced.  This may be
one of the reasons for the no flat standard going in in europe.  Pot holes
were the major destroyer of low profile tires.  The reason was very obvious
when looking at one afterwards.  The pothole damaged the rim and bead seal
immediately flattening the tire and rendering the rim useless on many after
that hit.  Don�t know if they did make a change on the road hazard insurance
but there were discussions on dropping it for low pro tires when I left
them.

The newer tires that will be made to the flat resistant standard will have
much thicker sidewalls or another internal structure.  This will enable the
vehicle to still have rubber under the rims when it flats and maintain
control of a vehicle after a "sudden deflation incident".  The vehicle is
supposed to be able to go several miles in that state as well.  Here in the
US they have been refering to it as "run flat" technology.

 Goodyear and michelin both have tires now on the market for this years
vehicles.  I believe goodyear got the ferrari contract.  These tires aint
cheap folks.

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jimt
Planned insanity is best.
Remember that sanity is optional.
http://www.tactical-bus.info (tech info)
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