> BTW, people keep mentioning 185's...  185's are fine for steel wheels but
..
> IIRC  the alloys require 205's..   am i correct?    reason i ask is that a
friend
> of mine just bought tires for his carat with the factory alloys...he
ordered 
> michelins from tirerack.com  and they sent him 185's..  they told him
that's 
> all they had...(which is total BS)  i told him that the alloys require
205's but
> he mounted the 185's on his carat alloys anyway...  so how will his van
> handle now?? 

They will handle the same as if they were on steel wheels.

While alloy wheeled Vanagons originally came with 205/70R14's, 185R14's are
still suitable for Vanagons with alloys (assuming they meet Vanagon load
capacity specs, etc., of course). They meet VW specs in terms of recommended
size, and also are within the spec requirements of the Vanagon alloy wheel
itself. (A Vanagon alloy has a 6" width; 185R14's are designed for wheels
ranging from 5" to 6".)

The 185R14 is a bit taller and thinner than the 205/70R14.  The difference
is not huge in terms of ride (as long as the sidewall is suitably stiff of
course). In fact, a thinner tire will be less likely to hydroplane in rain,
all other things being equal. Also 185R14's tend to be a lot cheaper than
205R14's.  I use the Hankook RA08 185R14's on my Vanagon with Alloys and
like the ride very much (which is why I now sell them). 

Incidentally, this topic is covered on my new tires f.a.q. section
...<http://busdepot.com/busdepot/details/tires.jsp>

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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