.<< About the blowouts, did you mean Ford Explorer/ Firestone or was
there a Bronco/Bridgestone fracas that I somehow missed?>>

I wasn't the tire's hat were at fault at all.

If you remember the "fracas" at all, it was the owner's of the Bronco's
following the manufactures recommended tire pressure listed in the door
jam.

Which by the way was all wrong for the tire.

This is why they had problems.

Don't believe everything you read, and in my opinion only follow the
tire mfg's recommended pressure's.

They know what's up.

They built the tire.

Ford didn't.

And VW sure didn't either.